"Angry or not, what difference does it make?
"I'd rather crawl forward on my knees than stand still, fuming and demanding answers."
Ned stared at me, caught off guard.
"Besides, who would I even be angry for?
"Her?
"If guilt or regret meant anything to her, she never would have hurt me in the first place."
I waved the bank card in front of his face.
"Point is—we got the money."
On my first day of fieldwork, I styled my hair with gel and borrowed some cologne from a classmate. I wanted to make a good impression on the department head.
But the moment I pushed open his office door, a coffee mug smashed into my temple.
"Get out! You bastards! What the hell are you dressed up for?
"I'll never touch any medicine you bastards are peddling! Get out!"
A nurse rushed over with gauze to stop the bleeding.
"Bad timing," she said quietly. "Dr. Finch found out this morning his wife's been cheating. The other guy was some slicked-back, cologne-wearing type."
My vision went dark.
Off to a great start.
The commotion drew attention. As I stumbled out of the corridor, pressing gauze to my forehead, I ran straight into Louisa, arriving for her shift.
She hadn't even graduated yet, but a breakthrough she'd spearheaded two years ago had already earned her a position as a consulting physician.
Otis walked beside her, also in a white coat.
"Heard you got into it with Dr. Finch," she said.
I didn't want to talk to her. I moved to walk past.
She grabbed my arm.
"The money I gave you wasn't enough? You like being someone's boy toy that much?"
Slap.
My palm connected with her face.
Otis's first instinct was to cradle her cheek.
Then he turned to me, eyes hard. "Matthew!"
I locked eyes with Louisa. "Watch your mouth."
"Matthew." Otis's voice was cold. "Remember whose turf you're on."
I didn't answer. I turned and walked away.
But before I made it out of the hospital, I understood exactly what he meant.
A few guys cornered me in a storage closet.
"Mr. Armstrong sent us. Says we should teach you a lesson."
"You know what's going on between him and Dr. Pruitt, right? Think you own this place?"
"Nice jawline, though. No wonder Mr. Armstrong says you're after Dr. Finch's wife."
They forced me to the ground.
My phone clattered across the floor.
Right then, Louisa's call came through.
I heard her say "Hello?" twice.
I bit down hard on the hand trying to cover my mouth.
"Louisa! I'm in the storage closet! Someone's attacking me!"
Silence. Then a cold laugh.
"Just tell me how much you want."
"I don't want money! Just help—mmph!"
"Matthew, drop the act. If you want something, just say it. You think I can't see right through you?"
She sighed.
"I called to tell you—I sent the money back to your parents. If you need cash, come to me. They work too hard for you to bleed them dry too."
My mouth was clamped shut.
By the time I could speak again, she'd already hung up.
When I got home that night, one side of my face was swollen shut.
Ned came over and just stood there, stunned.
"What the hell—they did this to you? In a hospital? Just because he's some rich kid, he thinks he can do whatever he wants?
"I'm calling the cops! This is insane!"
I held up the contract I'd just signed, wincing with the effort.
"It's fine. Look—another hospital's buying from me now.
"And I got my supplier a deal with them too."
