Chapter 4 - THE PATIENT WHO WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE
The next emergency came at 2:17 in the morning.
A man in his forties arrived unconscious after collapsing outside a subway station.
He had no identification.
No phone.
No wallet.
Just a hospital bracelet from another facility.
And a folded piece of paper in his jacket pocket.
The emergency department was overwhelmed.
I was helping transfer him when he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
His eyes opened.
“Bellamy.”
I froze.
“What?”
He struggled to breathe.
“Don't trust…”
His grip tightened.
“Bellamy.”
Then he lost consciousness.
I told Dr. Ortiz what I'd heard.
The man's condition required immediate attention, and the team focused on stabilizing him.
Later, when I returned to the nurses' station, I saw the paper that had been documented with his belongings.
It contained a name.
Eleanor Bellamy.
And beneath it:
Meridian Clinical Research.
I stared.
The name sounded familiar.
I'd seen it on a brochure in Eleanor's room.
A company connected to the Bellamy family's charitable medical initiatives.
I told the charge nurse about the possible connection and made sure the information was passed to the treating team.
I didn't investigate the man's belongings myself.
But I couldn't forget his warning.
The next morning, Tristan arrived to visit Eleanor.
He found me near the nurses' station.
“Bianca?”
I looked up.
“Good morning.”
He smiled.
“Coffee still pending?”
I almost laughed.
“Your mother hasn't been discharged.”
“I'm aware.”
Then I remembered the unconscious man.
“Tristan, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Have you heard of Meridian Clinical Research?”
His smile disappeared.
“Yes.”
I noticed immediately.
“What is it?”
He looked around.
“Why?”
I hesitated.
“I can't discuss another patient's information.”
He studied me.
“Then I won't ask you to.”
I nodded.
But his expression had changed.
And that frightened me.
Later that afternoon, Eleanor asked me to close her door.
“Bianca.”
“Yes?”
“Has Tristan been acting strangely?”
I hesitated.
“He seems worried about you.”
She shook her head.
“Not that.”
I sat beside her.
“What do you mean?”
Eleanor looked toward the window.
“My son has been investigating something connected to our family's foundation.”
I frowned.
“What?”
She lowered her voice.
“Missing money.”
May you like
Then she whispered:
“And people who were supposed to receive medical care but never did.”
