Chapter 2
The fluorescent lights in the ER waiting room were blinding.
Leo sat on a plastic chair in the hallway, the lingering scent of barbecue and amniotic fluid clinging to him. Everyone nearby subtly shifted three seats away from him.
A nurse walked over with a clipboard. "Family of the patient?"
"I'm not—" Leo started.
"Deposit: 1,500 dollars. The patient's in urgent condition. She needs to go to the delivery room now," said the nurse.
"Hold on, I'm not—" Leo tried to explain.
The nurse had already shoved the payment slip into his hand and hurried off.
Leo looked down at the slip and then checked his bank balance on his phone: 1501.36 dollars.
He stared at the number, his lips quivering.
That was his rent, food, and car maintenance for the next month. If he handed it over, he'd be sleeping under a bridge this month.
A heart-wrenching scream echoed from the delivery room.
Leo closed his eyes. Then he walked over to the payment window and handed over his bank card.
"Swipe this one," he said.
"Password?" the cashier asked.
"Four ones," Leo replied.
There wasn't enough left on the card for a pack of cigarettes.
He turned and sat back down on the plastic chair, stretched his legs out, leaned his head against the wall, and stared up at the flickering ceiling light.
'I'm such a sucker,' he thought. 'Her husband ran off, and now I'm stuck cleaning up his mess. Am I his stand-in, or destined to be her personal ATM?'
At 11:47 PM, the delivery room door swung open.
A nurse called out, "Sophia's husband, Sophia and the baby are both fine."
Leo jumped up, but then he remembered he wasn't actually her husband.
But there was nobody else around.
The nurse waved him over. "Come here, hold the baby for a second. Sophia needs stitches."
"I'm really not—" Leo started.
Before he could finish, the nurse shoved a tiny, red, wrinkled baby into his arms.
Leo froze.
The smallest thing he'd held was a three-day-old kitten. Later, that kitten had left his face covered in scratches.
The tiny baby in his arms squirmed and let out a faint cry.
Leo's hands instinctively tightened, cradling the small, warm baby a bit more securely.
Leo murmured, not sure who he was talking to, "Your mother's had it rough. Your father's a piece of shit, but your mother's a good person."
The baby let out another cry, almost like she was agreeing with him.
At midnight, the delivery room door opened again, and Sophia was wheeled out.
Her face was pale, her lips cracked, and her hair was plastered to her face with sweat. But she was awake.
When she saw Leo holding the baby, tears welled up in her eyes again.
"Thank you" she whispered. Her voice was so hoarse that it was barely audible.
"Don't mention it. It was nothing," Leo said, handing the baby to the nurse and turning back to Sophia. "Uh, by the way, about that 1,500 dollars deposit—"
He almost blurted out, "When can you pay me back?" But he swallowed the words at the last second.
'She just had a baby, and I'm already asking for money? What would that make me?' he thought.
"It's fine. No rush. Get some rest now," he said instead.
Sophia was wheeled into a hospital room.
Leo stood in the hallway, pulled out his phone, and scrolled through his contacts, hoping to find someone who could lend him some cash to keep him alive.
After scrolling for a long time, he finally stopped at a contact saved as "Alfredo Barrett, owes me 60 dollars." But he didn't call.
He glanced at the time. It was way past midnight.
When he was about to leave, a doctor in a white coat hurried over. "Are you Sophia's husband?"
"No," Leo blurted out.
"You're listed as her emergency contact," the doctor said.
"How is that possible?" Leo protested.
The doctor handed him the form. Under "Emergency Contact," it said "Kind stranger from the roadside." The relationship was listed as "Life-saver (name unknown)."
The phone number was blank.
Below that, a nurse had scribbled in with a ballpoint pen, "The patient informed us after waking up that his name is Leo Carter."
Leo was speechless.
The doctor adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Carter, the patient's condition is stable now, but she needs a family member to sign for some follow-up tests. Where's her other family?"
"I don't know her," Leo said. "I ran into her on the highway tonight. Her husband dumped her on the side of the road and bailed."
The doctor looked like he was disgusted as he asked, "What?"
"Yeah, you heard me right. Her husband left her on the highway so he could celebrate his ex's birthday," Leo said.
The whole nurse's station went silent. Three nurses looked up at Leo at once, their eyes practically shooting daggers.
"What's that guy's name?" the oldest nurse asked.
"Ethan Harper," Leo replied.
The nurse snapped her pen in half.
Leo instinctively took a step back as he thought, 'Damn, a woman's fury is lethal.'
"Mr. Carter," the doctor cleared his throat and said, "since you're the only one here, could you sign for her for now? We'll try to get in touch with her family."
"Does she have any other family?" Leo asked.
"There's nothing listed in her file. We tried calling the numbers in her phone, and one of them, labeled 'Brother,' actually picked up," the doctor replied.
"Her brother? Then have him come over," Leo said.
The doctor considered the wording and said, "About the guy on the phone... His reaction was pretty intense."
"How bad was it?" Leo asked.
"After he got the hospital address, we heard an engine roaring, tires screeching, and at least three people yelling," the doctor replied.
Leo blinked.
"He'll probably be here in fifteen minutes," the doctor said.
Leo looked down at himself, realizing he was a total mess. Barbecue grease, god-knows-what, blood, and sweat were all over him.
'Maybe I should leave before her brother gets here,' he thought.
He got up and was about to walk out.
Then, the hospital room door swung open. Sophia's voice drifted out, weak but clear, "Leo, don't go."
Leo stopped dead in his tracks.
"Please stay a little longer. I'm scared to be alone," Sophia pleaded.
Leo turned to look back at her.
The hospital room was dim. Sophia lay in bed with one hand gripping the blanket so hard that her knuckles were pale. In the bassinet next to her, the baby was sound asleep.
Leo drew his foot back.
"Okay," he said, dropping back onto the plastic chair in the hallway. "I'll stick around for a bit."
At 12:27 AM, the automatic doors at the hospital entrance were suddenly opened.
They weren't pushed but forced open.
Three black Maybachs rolled up to the ER entrance. The doors swung open almost in sync, and eight men in black suits stepped out.
The guy in the lead looked to be in his early thirties and over six feet tall. His suit was so tight that it seemed ready to pop, and his expression was cold.
He strode into the ER. The echo of his leather shoes on the floor made the nurse at the front desk instinctively stand up straight.
"Which room is Sophia Winston in?" His tone was flat, as if that wasn't a question.
The nurse's hand trembled. "M-May I ask who you are?"
The man pulled a business card from his suit pocket and placed it lightly on the counter.
The nurse glanced down, and her face instantly drained of color. "Third floor, room 312. This way, please."
But the man was already striding off. The men in black suits marched after him, their footsteps so in sync that it was like a military parade.
Leo was sitting on a plastic chair in the hallway on the third floor when he saw the elevator doors slide open.
He'd seen that kind of entrance on TV. It was either a funeral or a mafia flick.
The man stopped in front of room 312 for a second.
He clenched his fists, his knuckles popped audibly. Then he pushed the door open and walked in.
Leo heard Sophia's hoarse voice from inside. "James."
Then came a muffled, restrained sob.
James Winston's voice was low but clear. "Who did this? Give me a name."
"Ethan Harper," Sophia replied.
Then came the kind of silence that was more chilling than any shout.
Leo was about to make a quiet exit.
The hospital room door swung open again, and James stepped out, locking eyes with Leo.
"So, you're Leo?" he asked.
Leo's knees went weak. "Y-Yeah, that's me."
James walked up to him and gave him a once-over from head to toe.
Leo, smelling like barbecue and amniotic fluid, felt like a moldy rag standing in front of this guy who looked obviously rich.
Then James did something Leo never saw coming.
He bowed. It was almost ninety degrees. "Thank you for saving my sister," said James.
Leo's mind went blank.
The men in black suits behind James all bowed in unison.
The nurses on duty in the hallway were frozen in shock.
"It's okay. Really. You don't have to do this," Leo was waving his hands like a windmill. "I did what anyone decent would do. I'm just a delivery guy."
James straightened up and handed Leo a black card. "I'm James Winston. Take this. All your expenses tonight will be paid back ten times."
"Seriously, you don't need to—" Leo said.
"Sophia said you covered a 1,500 dollars deposit for her," James added.
"I'm really in no rush to get it back," Leo said.
James's gaze grew serious. "Leo, my sister's life is worth way more than 1,500 dollars. Name your price."
The hallway went silent again.
Leo swallowed hard as he thought, 'He wants me to name my price. Who is this guy? He showed up with three Maybachs and a whole squad of bodyguards. He can't be some spoiled rich kid. Must be a big shot.'
"M-Mr. Winston, I'm only a delivery guy who happened to pass by. Transfer me back what I spent, and that's all I can take," Leo stammered.
James stared at him for a few seconds. Then he nodded and whispered an order to one of his men.
The guy immediately pulled out his phone and started making a call.
Leo caught a few words. "Look into Ethan... Every asset under his name... His whereabouts tonight..."
Leo felt a cold sweat break out on his back.