Ashfo
septic. Sharp and sterile, a smell that scraped
flat, unforgiving white that
ed the
nd new, and the silence was absolute. I tried to move my fingers, and a chorus of pain screamed
s al
t had I expected? That he would be here, holding my hand, hi
a mask of stern professionalism. He was followed by a young nurse
s name tag read Dr. Smith, Chief of
as sterile
paper. "My... my i
. "Sienna Ashford, 32 years old. Multiple soft tissue contusions
wanted
ze darting between me and the doctor
long dormant, began to
've scheduled you for a full workup. Standard proce
a spike of pain through my head. "My
blue eyes met mine. "It's a
ha
. So he was involved. Not with his pre
ultrasound machine, and ran tests with a speed that felt less like medical
le in his hand. He stood at the foot
our physical condition is excellent. Your kidneys, in particular, are in
ld. "A perfect
face of a man following orders. "For Mia. She suffered severe internal bleeding in
emed to press in on me. He couldn't be se
in a hospital bed, broken and bruised. And my husband
shaking my head. Th
r tonight. 8 PM. Mr. Ashford has already signed the consent forms
arts as if I were a car he was stripping for salvage.
ed to push myself up, but the fire in my leg was b
I do not consent," I said,
nd him flinched, tak
's face. It wasn't pity. It was contempt. He leaned in cl
who owns a wing of this hospital. The man who signs my checks." He strai
evaporated. This wasn't just a t
ted theft, with my husband as th
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