Chapter 3 - The Video
By sunrise, the story had escaped the hospital.
Someone had recorded part of the confrontation.
By 8:00 a.m., the video was everywhere.
The headline on one local account read:
MAFIA HEIR ATTACKS DOCTOR INSIDE ER.
Nathan stared at my phone.
“That’s dramatic.”
“You were shoved into surgical equipment.”
“I’ve had worse dates.”
I looked at him.
“You need better dating standards.”
He smiled.
Then our administrator walked in.
His expression erased the humor.
“Both of you need to come upstairs.”
“Again?” I asked.
“The hospital board is meeting.”
Nathan leaned back.
“About us?”
“About Bellini.”
The boardroom was tense.
A lawyer played the security footage.
Marco grabbing Nathan.
Nathan warning him.
Marco shoving him.
Nathan defending himself.
No ambiguity.
The hospital’s legal counsel stopped the video.
“Dr. Cole acted within hospital policy and applicable self-defense law.”
One board member nodded.
“Good.”
Another looked worried.
“What about retaliation?”
I crossed my arms.
“From who?”
Nobody answered.
“That’s what I thought.”
The administrator looked at me.
“Claire.”
“No. If we’re afraid to say his name in this room, then every staff member downstairs has a reason to be terrified.”
Nathan leaned forward.
“She’s right.”
The meeting ended with a formal decision.
Nathan would not be disciplined.
Hospital security would increase.
And any Bellini family representative entering patient-care areas would have to follow the same rules as everyone else.
It should have ended there.
It didn’t.
That afternoon, I returned to Rachel’s room.
She was awake.
Weak.
Confused.
Her first question broke my heart.
“My baby?”
I took her hand.
“Still with us.”
She started crying.
“Can I see her?”
“She’s being monitored.”
Nathan entered.
Rachel looked at him.
“Doctor?”
“That’s me.”
“Did she survive because of you?”
Nathan shook his head.
“Because of a very large team.”
Rachel looked at me.
“And you?”
“I mostly yell numbers at people.”
Rachel gave a tired laugh.
The door opened.
Marco stood outside.
No guards.
No suit.
Just jeans, a dark sweater, and a bandage around his hand.
I stepped into the hallway.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to see her.”
“No.”
He frowned.
“I brought flowers.”
“No.”
“They’re downstairs.”
“Still no.”
He looked genuinely confused.
“I’m trying to apologize.”
“To me?”
“To her.”
I studied him.
“Why?”
Marco glanced through the small window.
“Because my father said if she had died while I was screaming about my hand, I’d have to live with knowing exactly what kind of man I was.”
“That sounds like Salvatore.”
Marco looked at me.
“You know him now?”
“I know he has a talent for uncomfortable sentences.”
Marco almost smiled.
Then he looked serious again.
“Can I speak to her?”
“I have to ask.”
Rachel agreed.
Marco entered awkwardly.
She looked at him.
“Do I know you?”
“No.”
“Then why are you holding flowers?”
Marco froze.
I nearly laughed.
He placed them on the table.
“My name is Marco Bellini.”
Rachel’s expression changed.
She had seen the news.
“Oh.”
“I was here when you came in.”
She looked at him.
“You’re that guy.”
“Yes.”
“The one who started a fight?”
Marco glanced at Nathan.
“I didn’t exactly—”
I raised an eyebrow.
He corrected himself.
“Yes.”
Rachel stared at him.
“You were trying to cut in front of me?”
Marco winced.
“When you say it like that—”
“How else would I say it?”
Nathan turned away to hide a smile.
Marco looked defeated.
“I’m sorry.”
Rachel studied him.
Then asked, “How’s your hand?”
Marco blinked.
“Broken.”
She lifted her own IV-covered hand.
“I had surgery, almost lost my baby, and broke three ribs.”
Marco nodded.
“Yes.”
“So I win.”
He actually laughed.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Rachel smiled.
“Then apology accepted.”
Marco looked relieved.
As we stepped back into the hallway, he said quietly,
“She’s tougher than you.”
I looked at him.
“Careful.”
He smiled.
Then Nathan walked toward us.
“Marco.”
Marco stiffened.
Nathan held out a paper.
“Orthopedics appointment. Tomorrow. Ten a.m.”
Marco stared at it.
“You’re scheduling me?”
“You wanted medical care.”
Marco took the paper.
“What if I’m late?”
Nathan walked away.
“Then you wait.”
May you like
I laughed so hard I had to lean against the wall.
For once, Marco did too.
