Chapter 6 - The Hospital Corridor
The screen flickered with harsh fluorescent light, illuminating the sterile white walls of the downtown hospital emergency room behind Julian. His light brown hair was slightly disheveled, and the collar of his grey suit shirt was unbuttoned, stripped of the polished corporate veneer he had worn earlier at the restaurant. Valeria stared at the small screen in mounting horror, her chest tightening as Clara leaned in closer to see what was happening.
“Julian? What happened?” Valeria demanded, her voice cutting through the lobby’s quiet hum. “Why are you at the hospital?”
Julian dragged a hand down his face, his eyes bloodshot and haunted. “It’s your father, Valeria. After we left the restaurant, he collapsed in the parking garage. Clara, you need to get here now. It’s critical.”
Clara gasped, stepping back as if she had been physically shoved. The calm, composed demeanor she had maintained all evening shattered instantly. Without a word of hesitation, she bolted past Valeria toward the street to flag down a passing taxi. Valeria stood frozen for a fraction of a second before her legs kicked into motion, chasing after Clara into the chilly night air.
The taxi ride to the hospital was a blur of flashing streetlights and suffocating silence. Clara sat on the edge of her seat, clutching her handbag with white knuckles, muttering silent prayers under her breath. Valeria stared out the rain-slicked window, a cold terror gripping her heart. For years, she had convinced herself that her father was invincible—a cold, unyielding monolith immune to human frailty. Seeing him reduced to a patient in an emergency room shifted the foundation of her entire universe.
When the cab finally screeched to a halt outside the hospital entrance, Valeria and Clara scrambled out, paying the driver in a frantic rush. They pushed through the automatic sliding glass doors into the chaotic swirl of nurses, doctors, and frantic family members. Julian was waiting near the triage desk, pacing back and forth with a look of profound distress.
As soon as Julian spotted them, he hurried over, his eyes locking onto Valeria with a mix of urgency and sorrow. “They’ve taken him up to the cardiac intensive care unit. The doctor said it was a severe myocardial infarction, brought on by extreme stress and exhaustion.”
Valeria felt the floor drop out from under her. “Stress? Because of the dinner? Because of our argument?”
Julian didn't answer right away, his heavy silence serving as a devastating confirmation. Clara pushed past them toward the elevator, but before the doors could close, a frantic nurse rushed out holding a heavy leather envelope.
“Are you family?” the nurse asked, looking directly at Valeria with tired, sympathetic eyes. “Mr. Mendoza asked for his daughter right before they administered the sedative. He said to give you this exact package if anything happened.”
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Valeria stepped forward, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she reached out to accept the worn leather envelope.
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