Chapter 2 - The Romano Name
Ethan went into surgery at 9:42 p.m.
He had a ruptured spleen, fractured ribs, and a torn blood vessel near his liver. Evelyn remained in the operating room while I helped stabilize three other patients.
At midnight, hospital administrator Martin Keller appeared in the nurses’ station.
He was still wearing a tuxedo.
“Conference room,” he said. “Now.”
“I’m working.”
“Someone will cover you.”
His voice carried more fear than authority.
Inside the conference room, two hospital lawyers sat beside the chief medical officer. A security manager had placed a laptop on the table.
Dante sat across from them with a bandage over his eyebrow.
His two bodyguards stood behind him.
Evelyn entered a minute later, still wearing bloodstained surgical scrubs.
“How is the boy?” I asked.
“Alive. Critical, but alive.”
Dante slowly clapped.
“How touching.”
Martin cleared his throat.
“Dr. Carter, Nurse Morgan, Mr. Romano has made serious allegations.”
Evelyn sat down.
“Then play the security footage.”
Dante leaned back.
“I was injured. I asked for care. Your staff assaulted me.”
“You grabbed me,” Evelyn said.
“I was getting your attention.”
“You had my attention when you knocked over a medical tray.”
One lawyer raised his hand.
“Let’s remain calm.”
Dante smiled at him.
“I am calm. She broke my wrist.”
Evelyn looked at the wrapped wrist.
“If it were broken, you wouldn’t be moving your fingers.”
Dante immediately stopped moving them.
The security manager opened the video.
The footage showed Dante forcing his way past patients. It showed him shoving a man with a cane, overturning the tray, threatening me, and grabbing Evelyn.
Then it showed Evelyn breaking free.
The room remained silent when the video ended.
Martin rubbed his forehead.
“Mr. Romano, the recording appears to support Dr. Carter’s account.”
Dante turned toward him.
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“I’m saying the situation is complicated.”
“It’s not complicated. Fire them.”
Martin glanced at the lawyers.
“We cannot terminate medical staff simply because a patient demands it.”
Dante leaned forward.
“My family donated three million dollars to this hospital.”
Evelyn folded her arms.
“Then ask for a refund.”
Martin nearly choked.
Dante stared at her.
“You enjoy embarrassing people?”
“No. I enjoy treating patients according to medical need.”
“You think being a doctor makes you untouchable?”
“No one is untouchable.”
His jaw tightened.
“Especially nurses?”
I answered before Evelyn could.
“Especially mafia heirs.”
Martin shut his eyes.
One of the lawyers whispered, “Nurse Morgan.”
“What?” I asked. “We’re all adults in this room.”
Dante stood.
“My father will own this hospital by Monday.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“Then perhaps he can explain triage to you.”
The doors opened.
A gray-haired man stepped inside with a police detective.
He wore an old brown coat and carried a wooden cane.
“I can explain what happened,” he said.
Dante looked irritated.
“Who are you?”
The man sat beside us.
“Samuel Reed. Retired Superior Court judge.”
I recognized him as the patient Dante had shoved near the entrance.
Judge Reed looked at the hospital lawyers.
“I witnessed the entire incident. Mr. Romano pushed me aside, threatened your staff, interfered with emergency care, and physically grabbed Dr. Carter.”
Dante’s face hardened.
“You should be careful, old man.”
Detective Lena Brooks stepped forward.
“That sounded like a threat.”
“It was advice.”
Judge Reed smiled without warmth.
“I spent thirty-seven years listening to men disguise threats as advice. You’re not particularly talented at it.”
One of Dante’s bodyguards placed a hand inside his jacket.
Detective Brooks noticed.
“So did every camera in this room,” she said.
The bodyguard slowly lowered his arm.
Dante looked around the table.
No one was afraid enough.
That was new for him.
“This hospital will regret choosing them over me.”
Evelyn’s voice remained calm.
“We didn’t choose them over you. We chose a dying child over a man with six stitches.”
Dante walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he looked back at me.
“I know where you live.”
Detective Brooks immediately stepped into his path.
“Say that again.”
Dante smiled.
“I said I know Boston.”
Then he left.
Martin waited until the doors closed.
“This is a disaster.”
“No,” Judge Reed said. “A disaster is allowing a violent man to believe rules disappear when he enters a room.”
Martin turned toward Evelyn.
“We may need to place you both on administrative leave.”
“Why?” I asked.
“For your safety.”
Evelyn laughed once.
“You mean for the hospital’s comfort.”
“I’m trying to protect everyone.”
“Then protect your staff,” she replied. “Don’t punish them for refusing to abandon a child.”
The chief medical officer finally spoke.
“Dr. Carter is right. Neither of them is being suspended tonight.”
Martin looked stunned.
“What happens when Vincent Romano arrives?”
Judge Reed rested both hands on his cane.
“Then we find out whether the father is as foolish as the son.”
At that moment, Evelyn’s pager sounded.
She looked down.
“Ethan’s blood pressure is crashing.”
The argument ended immediately.
We ran back toward the operating room.
Behind us, Detective Brooks called out.
“I’ll have officers posted outside.”
May you like
Evelyn didn’t turn around.
“Post one outside Ethan’s room. He needs protection more than we do.”
