Chapter 3 - The Father
At 6:15 the next morning, Vincent Romano entered the hospital.
He didn’t storm through the doors.
He walked.
That somehow frightened people more.
He was in his early sixties, silver-haired, impeccably dressed, and surrounded by four men who moved with military precision.
Martin Keller met him in the lobby.
“Mr. Romano, perhaps we should speak privately.”
Vincent looked around the waiting room.
“Where is my son?”
“He was discharged.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Martin swallowed.
“We don’t know.”
Vincent’s gaze moved toward me.
“You’re Claire Morgan.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
“And Dr. Carter?”
“Checking on Ethan Walsh.”
“The child from the accident.”
“You know his name?”
“I make it my business to know what causes trouble around my family.”
Evelyn approached from the corridor.
“Then you must be very busy.”
Martin whispered, “Doctor, please.”
Vincent studied her.
“You put my son on the floor.”
“Your son put himself there.”
One of Vincent’s men stepped forward.
Vincent raised a finger.
The man stopped.
“I want to see the footage.”
Martin led us to the same conference room.
Vincent watched the recording twice.
During the second viewing, he paused when Dante shoved Judge Reed.
Then again when Dante grabbed Evelyn.
When the video ended, Vincent remained silent.
Martin spoke cautiously.
“We regret that the situation escalated.”
Vincent looked at him.
“Why are you apologizing?”
Martin blinked.
“Your son was injured.”
“My son entered an emergency department with a scratch and behaved like an animal.”
No one answered.
Vincent turned to Evelyn.
“Did you know who he was?”
“Yes.”
“And you still refused him?”
“I refused to abandon a dying boy.”
Vincent looked at me.
“You spoke to him disrespectfully.”
“I spoke to him clearly.”
A faint expression crossed Vincent’s face. Not quite amusement.
“Most people don’t.”
“That may be part of his problem.”
Martin looked as though he wanted the ceiling to collapse.
The conference-room door opened.
Dante entered.
“What is this?”
Vincent didn’t look at him.
“Sit down.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Then stop behaving like one.”
Dante’s bodyguards remained in the hallway.
For the first time, he looked uncertain.
He sat.
Vincent replayed the footage.
Dante watched himself shove patients and grab Evelyn.
“It doesn’t show what they said to me,” he argued.
Vincent paused the video.
“You interrupted doctors treating a dying child.”
“I was bleeding.”
“You needed six stitches.”
“They humiliated me.”
Vincent leaned closer.
“No. You humiliated yourself.”
Dante’s face reddened.
“You’re taking their side?”
“I’m taking the side of discipline.”
“She threw me into a cart.”
“You put your hands on her.”
Dante pointed at Evelyn.
“She should lose her job.”
Vincent’s voice dropped.
“You are alive because doctors like her treat people by urgency instead of name. Your grandfather arrived at a hospital thirty years ago with two bullets in his chest. A surgeon ignored three politicians and operated on him first because he was the sickest man in the room.”
Dante looked away.
Vincent continued.
“You enjoy the power our name gives you, but you understand none of the cost.”
“I understand respect.”
“No. You understand fear. They are not the same.”
Dante pushed back his chair.
“I won’t sit here and be lectured in front of them.”
Vincent’s hand struck the table.
The sound silenced everyone.
“You will sit until I finish.”
Dante slowly lowered himself again.
Vincent looked at Evelyn and me.
“My son will not interfere with this hospital again.”
Dante laughed bitterly.
“You can’t promise that.”
Vincent turned toward him.
“I just did.”
“You think you control me?”
“I built everything that makes people pretend you matter.”
The words landed harder than any blow.
Dante stood once more.
“This family will be mine someday.”
“Not if you destroy it first.”
Dante walked toward the door.
Vincent called after him.
“You will apologize.”
Dante stopped.
“To them?”
“To every person you terrorized last night.”
“Never.”
He left.
Vincent watched the closed door for several seconds.
Then he faced us.
“He won’t forgive this.”
Evelyn replied, “That’s his choice.”
“You don’t understand him.”
“I understand men who mistake rage for authority.”
Vincent buttoned his jacket.
“My son believes respect must be taken. He will try to take it back.”
Detective Brooks entered.
“That sounded like a warning.”
Vincent met her eyes.
“It was.”
“Are you saying he may commit a crime?”
“I’m saying pride makes foolish men predictable.”
Vincent walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he turned to me.
“The boy. Ethan. Will he live?”
“He has a chance.”
Vincent nodded.
“Then make sure he gets it.”
After he left, Martin exhaled.
“That went better than expected.”
Detective Brooks looked at him.
“No. It went exactly as badly as expected. Dante was just publicly rejected by the only man he fears.”
Evelyn glanced toward the corridor.
“And men like Dante don’t disappear when they’re embarrassed.”
My phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
I opened the message.
A photograph appeared on the screen.
It showed me leaving my apartment two mornings earlier.
May you like
Beneath it were five words.
You should have treated me first.
