Chapter 9
The sterile white corridors of County General Hospital hummed with the steady, familiar rhythm of emergency medicine. Overhead paging announcements blended with the squeak of rubber-soled shoes on polished linoleum floors. In the private examination room at the end of the north wing, Arthur Vance rested comfortably against an elevated hospital pillow, an IV drip feeding clear fluids into his withered arm. His color was already slightly better than it had been in the damp basement, though his eyes retained the distant, hazy fog of dementia.
Sarah stood quietly by the bedside, her fingers gently tracing the edge of her father's blanket. The door to the room clicked open, and Detective Hayes stepped inside, followed closely by Claire and David. The contrast between the confident, defensive couple on the porch and the broken individuals standing in the hospital room was stark. Claire’s white dress was creased and stained with dust from the hallway floor, and David kept his gaze stubbornly locked on the floor tiles.
"How is he?" Claire asked, her voice barely a whisper as she stopped a few feet short of the bed, not daring to step any closer.
"The doctors say he’s dehydrated and malnourished, but stable," Sarah answered without looking up, her voice cold and measured. "His system took a severe toll from the lack of proper medical oversight. If you had waited another twenty-four hours to let anyone in, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
David shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat before speaking. "Sarah, you have to understand the financial pressure we were under. The monthly quotes from specialized care facilities were astronomical. We tried everything we could think of before resorting to keeping him here."
May you like
Sarah finally turned her head, fixing her brother-in-law with a hard, unyielding stare. "There is a massive difference between struggling financially and locking an ailing man away in a subterranean room with the alarm system disabled. You didn't do this just to save money, David. You did it to avoid the shame of admitting you couldn't handle it."
Hayes stepped between them, raising a hand to keep the rising tension in check. "Let’s keep our voices down. This is still a hospital, and an active legal investigation is underway. Mrs. Vance, Mr. Vance, we need to head down to the station to formally record your statements regarding the unregistered medical enclosure and the safety violations."
