The healer like before looked over Marcie while Richard carried her to the elevator. "Well, at least this time you aren't on the brink of death." The healer teased as he started his emergency treatment. It was very similar of a skill from when Marcie was using her mana to heal her organs earlier.
Marcie could feel the pain and discomfort begin to subside despite the healer becoming strained. His expression was that of both confusion and disgruntlement. "Miss Bromley," he looked up at her to meet her in the eyes as he finished. "There is something abnormal about your body. It shouldn't take this much of my mana to heal you like this, even for those who are awakened. It's as if a large portion of my mana is being sucked up like a vacuum."
The healer took a swig of a blue potion bottle to recover from the drain as the elevator doors opened. The team moved swiftly to the front lobby and it was the first time in what felt like a long time that Marcie saw natural light and smelled fresh air. Ambulances and cop cars were crowding the front of the building and a team of police officers joined Richard's team to escort them to the closest ambulance.
"Captain, we've successfully apprehended multiple people who conspired Miss Bromley's kidnapping and will be taken in for questioning." One police officer reported, also somewhat curious to catch a glimpse of the person the captain carried. Richard acknowledged the man as he placed Marcie on a stretcher. Marcie. However, grabbed his sleeve, clenching it fervently.
"Please stay with me." her voice wavered with anxiety. Richard nodded and climbed into the ambulance with the team. The paramedics began to look her over as they were given the summary of her emergency treatment thus far as well as her chronic condition.
It didn't take them very long to return to St. Jaimeson Hospital and the staff were all too eager to receive the patient they had lost. Many of the nurses seemed extremely apologetic for what had transpired. Marcie couldn't bring herself to get angry at the emotionally distraught people in front of her. She gave the closest nurse within reach a pat on her hand and a forgiving smile.
"It's okay. There was no way any of you would have been able to stop what happened. I'm just glad that none of you got hurt in the process." Marcie patted the nurse again when she began to swell with tears. "Thank you for all your hard work. I'm rather tired of being in hospitals for so long, so I hope you'll help me finish healing. I really miss my home."
The nurses all agreed, appreciative that the person they felt they failed to protect was so forgiving. Marcie had to undergo a bunch of tests that day to check for any additional damages, but she was hopeful that she was going to be well enough to be released the following day.
Richard and the healer on his team both went to the nurses desk for a request. The nurse there was completely nonchalant about the presence of these two towering men, much like the seasoned pro that she was. "How may I help you gentlemen?"
"We'd like to request a series of exams for Miss Bromley. There is something strange about her body that we don't think is being detected by normal medical devices. So if she consents to it, we'd like to have her transferred to your Alpha wing for a full exam there." Richard and the healer both handed the nurse their guild cards to show their proof of identification. The nurse ran them in the system before handing them back.
"Captain Richard Wells and Lieutenant Angelo Carmello of the Atlas Guild? Let me just check a few things here…" The nurse typed away at the computer in front of her. "It appears Miss Bromley's insurance doesn't cover treatments and exams from the Alpha division so it would have to be paid in full in advance." She clacked away at her keyboard some more. "The cost for the Alpha exams for a non-awakened person will come out to $9,645.10."
Richard and Angelo paused in shock. Being awakened, they were automatically given special insurance to cover the expenses of using the Alpha division for health care. It was a division that was created and developed specifically for the awakened population after all since normal health care didn't do much for their enhanced bodies. They had no idea that it was so expensive for a normal person to utilize.
"What if Miss Bromley is awakened?" asked Angelo. The nurse pondered the question before consulting a manual. Richard wasn't sure why he asked that, though he had his own suspicions.
"If Miss Bromley is currently awakened, but is still on her mundane insurance policy, she would still have to pay for the procedure in full up front, but she will have 30 days to upgrade her insurance policy to the Alpha one and she can submit the payment in that time for a refund." The nurse put the binder away. "Would you like us to test that she has awakened?"
"Only if she consents to everything." Richard answered, adamant that Marcie was not to be left out of the decision-making process. He may have signed on at the hospital as her guarantor to help her with covering her medical expenses, but she was still an adult who had autonomy over herself.
Angelo chimed in. "If she agrees, we'll cover the cost of the exams. I'll call the boss to see if the guild will sponsor her." Richard nodded in agreement as Angelo whipped out his cell phone to make the call.