Chapter 3: The Medical RecordsThe Brothers Who Let Me Burn

Both of my brothers turned around. "What did she just say?"

Florence's voice tightened. "She said… 'Help me'."

Weston froze. So did Garrett.

Their eyes shifted to my face, then to Piper, as if they were trying to decide whether I had really said those two words.

Florence finally could not hold back.

"Dr. Fontaine, she's your own sister! You're in charge of this hospital. Look at her. Her lips are turning blue, and she's breathing rapidly. She's clearly in medical distress. And she just asked for help. Even if you're trying to keep things professional, this isn't how you do it."

She paused and glanced at Piper. "And your favoritism is getting pretty obvious."

Weston's expression darkened.

Before he could say anything, Piper spoke up. "Yes, exactly. She's right."

She nodded repeatedly, then caught Weston by the sleeve, looking remorseful. "You can't do this, Weston. Freya will be hurt. You should have someone take Freya in for a proper examination."

Weston was silent for two seconds before nodding. "All right. Florence, take her to the emergency room and have the doctor on duty—"

"Weston." Piper suddenly cut him off. "You've got it wrong. Freya should go to the surgical unit."

Weston paused. "The surgical unit?"

Piper blinked, her voice gentle and concerned. "Freya jumped from the third floor. There was landscaping below her that softened the fall, but she could still have a fracture. We should get some X-rays first, just to be safe."

Florence did not move.

She looked at Piper, then at me, and frowned. "She just came out of a fire and inhaled a lot of smoke. Shouldn't we check her breathing first? Why skip that and send her straight to surgery?"

Piper tilted her head. "Freya didn't inhale that much smoke. She stayed by the window the whole time. And she was able to call for help just now, so her airway should be fine, right? Besides, that fall from the third floor looked pretty bad…"

Florence started to argue again. "Ms. Prescott, you're not a medical professional. That decision should be left to—"

"Florence!" Weston cut her off, his voice firm. "Piper may not be a medical professional, but she knows the scene better than anyone. Freya was by the window the whole time. She couldn't have inhaled that much smoke."

He looked at Piper, then at me. "Piper has a point. Take her to the surgical unit first."

Stellan nodded beside him. "Piper's always so careful."

Garrett chimed in, "We can't afford to wait when it comes to a possible fracture. Get the X-rays first."

Florence opened her mouth, then closed it. The three brothers had already agreed. As a nurse, she had no grounds to argue further.

She bent down, released the brakes on my bed, and wheeled me toward the surgical unit.

Before we disappeared around the corner, I heard Piper behind us. "I feel better knowing Freya is in the nurse's care. Stay with me, okay? I'm really scared…"

…

As Florence checked me into the system, she entered my name and pulled up my medical records. She scrolled down twice, then stopped. "Freya Fontaine… She had major surgery a year ago?"