Chapter 2 - THE HOSPITAL STAND
The heavy clinical doors of the emergency wing slammed shut behind Dr. Nathan Ellis, his white coat catching the bright fluorescent light as he hurried down the corridor.
My mother's fingers dug violently into my good wrist, her nails piercing my skin as she leaned down, her perfect breath smelling of expensive coffee and cold malice.
"You've just signed your own commitment papers, you little street cat," she hissed, her voice dropping into a lethal, theatrical whisper.
"Carl has the entire regional precinct on his monthly payroll; you think a local emergency call will break our corporate contracts?"
"I don't think, Mother," I whispered back, my voice carrying a freezing, absolute calm that made her jaw tighten in sudden uncertainty.
"I know exactly how much the state treasury division charges for international asset tracking, and the audit has already begun."
Before she could raise her hand to strike my face, two uniformed officers broke through the glass double doors of the lobby, their heavy boots clicking against the linoleum.
Carl stood by the vending machine, his dark designer jacket wrinkled, his massive hands clenching a silver lighter as his phone buzzed relentlessly with warnings.
"Officer, thank god you're here!" my mother cried out, her face instantly shifting into a flawless, theatrical mask of maternal grief.
"My daughter is experiencing an acute psychological episode; she violently threw herself against the bathroom tiles during a bath."
"We brought her here for emergency medical intervention, but she is fabricating completely unstable accusations against her stepfather."
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The senior officer didn't look at her; instead, his eyes locked onto the yellowing finger marks wrapped tightly around my neck.
"Step back from the juvenile, ma'am," he commanded, his hand flat against his security holster as Dr. Ellis returned with the forensic medical files.
