Chapter 3 - THE EMPTY BED
The emergency room of St. Jude’s was a chaotic symphony of alarms and shouting, but Alexander moved through it like a ghost ship parting the waters.
Olivia stayed close behind him, hiding her face beneath the hood of his oversized cashmere coat.
“You shouldn't be here, Olivia,” hissed a passing charge nurse, her eyes darting nervously toward the security cameras. “Administrator Sterling is looking for you. He’s threatening to call the police.”
“Sterling?” Alexander stopped dead. “Richard Sterling?”
Olivia nodded, terrified. “He’s the hospital's new financial director. He’s the one who fired me. He said I illegally signed away a patient.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened. Richard Sterling was the Chief Operating Officer of Alexander’s own pharmaceutical empire. He had no business running a local hospital ER, unless he had bought it through a shell company.
“Show me Bed 7,” Alexander commanded.
Olivia led him to the trauma bay. The curtains were drawn. Alexander ripped them back.
The bed was stripped bare.
A young orderly was violently scrubbing the mattress with bleach.
“Where is the patient?” Alexander demanded.
The orderly jumped. “Transferred, sir. Private ambulance took him out an hour ago.”
“Where?”
“I don't know! The paperwork is at the desk.”
Alexander marched to the nurse's station. He didn't ask for permission. He reached over the counter, grabbed the physical clipboard hanging on the wall, and flipped to Bed 7.
There it was. A transfer order to a private hospice facility.
At the bottom was a signature. Olivia Hayes, RN.
“That’s not my handwriting,” Olivia whispered, staring at the paper. “I was in Trauma 2 for the last six hours. I never signed that.”
Alexander studied the paper. His trained eyes caught something else. The timestamp of the transfer was 9:45 PM.
“You got into my car at 10:15 PM,” Alexander said quietly. “They didn't just fire you, Olivia. They made you the scapegoat. If Elias turns up dead, you’re the last one on record signing him out.”
Olivia covered her mouth, a sob escaping her throat. “Why me? I’m nobody. I’m just a nurse.”
“Because you were there,” Alexander said, his voice softening as he looked at her. “And because Elias gave you the Knight. He knew Sterling’s people were coming.”
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the ER swung open.
Three men in sharp grey suits walked in. They didn't look like doctors. They looked like corporate security. The man in the middle pointed directly at Olivia.
“That’s her,” he barked. “Detain her until the police arrive.”
Marcus stepped seamlessly between the men and Olivia, his massive frame blocking their path.
“Marcus, handle it,” Alexander said, grabbing Olivia’s hand. “We’re leaving.”
They rushed toward the staff exit, weaving through gurneys. As they hit the damp alleyway, Olivia stumbled.
Her canvas bag dropped, spilling its contents onto the pavement. Stethoscopes, pens, medical tape, and a crumpled piece of thick, expensive parchment.
Alexander picked up the parchment. It was a birth certificate.
But it wasn't Olivia’s.
It was for a six-year-old boy named Leo. The father’s name was listed as David Sterling. The mother’s name was blank.
Alexander stared at Olivia. “Who is Leo?”
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Olivia snatched the paper from his hands, her eyes suddenly fierce, the exhaustion completely vanishing from her face.
“He’s my nephew,” she hissed. “And if you tell anyone about him, I will kill you myself.”
