Alyssa was upset that Cam had been so rude to her. But she didn't dare say anything more, so she swept Alex a sideways glance as they turned to leave.
She realized that her efforts to manipulate Alex would be in vain.
And with Cam Fitzroy on his side, no one she could call would be of any use. Not even Brian's wife.
The situation had just become extremely messy.
***
Alyssa headed to Baltimore General Hospital and went straight to Haley's ward.
Brian and Timothy arrived at the same time, accompanied by a group of medical staff, and they went in.
Lying on the bed, Haley's eyes were tightly closed, and her pale fingers grasped the sheet in what appeared to be pain. She hadn't fully woken up yet, but in her semi-conscious state, she had clearly begun to feel the pain of her injury.
"Haley, don't be afraid. Your dad is here." A worried Brian grabbed his daughter's hand and spoke to her in a low voice, not sure whether she could hear him. "Haley, you're going to get better. I promise. You're going to get better."
Still looking at Haley, Brian said to the doctor, "Dr. Tanner, she needs more pain relief. My daughter is in too much pain."
The doctor shook his head gently and said, "I can't give her any more; she can only have one dose every eight hours, and I gave it to her three hours ago. If I give her more now, then it could cause problems."
Brian thought, If the painkiller is meant to last for eight hours, and it's losing its effect on Haley in three, then her condition must be serious.
"Perhaps she needs something stronger, like morphine," he suggested.
Hillary, Brian's wife, was also worried about their daughter and said, "Susan, please give her morphine." She looked around and said, "Damn it, I forgot Alex had Susan fired."
A nervous-looking doctor replied, "Morphine isn't an option at the moment. Your daughter has already had two doses today."
"What can we do then?" Hillary asked, wringing her hands. "I can't see my daughter in pain and do nothing."
Alyssa also felt strongly that something should be done. "Surely there is something else that you can give her for the pain?"
The doctors were silent in response, as they had already discussed Haley's condition, and they were powerless to do much more for her. One by one, they looked away, but one picked up his phone. He made a call and spoke for a few minutes before ending the call.
"I was just talking to Dr. Simmons," Dr. Tanner said as he put his phone away. "He has asked me to use acupuncture to relieve the pain, and he told me where to position the needles."
They followed his advice, and Haley relaxed. It appeared that her pain had been relieved.
The doctors then held a whispered conversation with Brian and Timothy. Afterward, their expressions were very sad.
Alyssa stepped forward and asked, "How's Haley?"
"Not good," Brian said. "Her condition is not stable." Exhausted, he scrubbed at his face. "Dr. Simmons said that if it goes on like this, then Haley will only live for another two weeks at the most."
Timothy looked on anxiously. "Maybe we should ask Alex," he suggested.
"But he's such a bastard." Alyssa directed her anger back toward Alex. "If he hadn't refused to treat Haley until he'd gotten what he wanted, then Haley wouldn't have suffered this pain."
Hillary's expression was anguished. "What did he want, Alyssa?" she asked. "And can he really help my daughter?"
Timothy repeated his suggestion. "Ask Alex for help. Only he can save her, and if you delay too long, Haley will die." He sighed. "Is your pride more important than Haley's life?"
Brian still looked hesitant.
"Don't go to Alex; it's useless," Alyssa said. "I've just been to ask him to help. I said I was sorry, and I took him a million dollars in cash in the hope that he could treat Haley." She scowled. "But he showed no consideration and shot me down. He demanded that I cut myself!"
Even worse, Cam had humiliated her, and now she felt miserable and hated Alex even more.
"How could that be possible?" Timothy murmured. "Alex isn't that type of person, and many people would agree with me on that."
Alyssa turned to Brian. "Susan can't ask him because she lost her position at the hospital, and I've already been threatened. I guess he wants you guys to get down on bended knee and apologize before he'll do it."
"The nerve of the man," Brain said, scowling.
"Alex isn't a bad person," Timothy pointed out. "So there must be some misunderstanding."
"Are you saying that Susan and I are being unfair in our assessment of him?" Alyssa looked at Timothy. "Do you think that I want Haley to die? Of course Alex is cruel. How else would you categorize a doctor who could save a young girl but refuses to do so?"
She would much rather pressure Alex into helping than beg for his assistance.
"Someone needs to ask Alex to help," Timothy said, looking around.
Brian gave a faint smile in response and left. Despite his bluster, it was clear that he and his wife were growing increasingly worried about their daughter's condition.
***
Jack's broken arms and legs had been set and encased in plaster, but he wouldn't be out of bed for three months.
He was furious about what had happened, and he had cursed several nurses and even some of his friends.
Riley entered his room with Norman, and then he waved his hand for the medical staff to leave. He then went forward and carefully patted Jack on the shoulder. "Jack, chill out. Your body has been through a lot, so no matter how angry you are, you should take good care of yourself."
He wasn't happy to see Jack wrapped up like a mummy, with his arms and legs fixed in plaster.
Jack was also an important figure in their circle, so his broken limbs and fierce temper were a bit of a problem.