I stayed in A City to continue working on Summer’s affairs.
Brandon sent me a text containing the address of the hospital as well as our meeting time. Before I left, I gave Cameron a call. She sounded like she’d barely slept the night before. She answered in a hoarse tone, “Sienna, what’s going on?”
“Mom, do we have the results of Amy’s health checkup? Did the doctor mention when they can arrange for the operation?”
“Not yet, I think the results will only be out at noon. Yesterday, the doctor told us that they couldn’t find her personal information. They need to log her identification details in the hospital’s system before they can carry out the operation. Could you contact her parents and get them to send her information over? If it’s possible, we can send someone to bring them here so they can sign off on the operation,” Cameron said, sounding exhausted.
I paused for a moment before answering her. “Mom, Amy doesn’t have any form of identification. Her parents had eight children and she was the only one who wasn’t registered. If they need that information, it’s going to take a long time to iron out all the paperwork, and Summer’s operation is going to be delayed. This was something I overlooked at the beginning. I was hoping you could help me find a solution.”
My answer stunned her. “She doesn’t have any form of identification? They have eight kids; how could they just forget about one of them? What about her future? Oh dear, we need to think of something quickly. How about you ask Boris to bring her home? We can give them some money and get her registered.”
I mumbled an agreement and hung up.
Amy’s lack of an official identity wasn’t the only problem at hand. I couldn’t elaborate on my plans to investigate Armond, so I could only delay the operation with this excuse.
Even if Summer needed that operation, we had to follow the legal procedure. If we committed to an illegal operation, we’d be inviting trouble for ourselves in the future.
After I hung up, I took a car ride to the address that Brandon had given me. The car came to a stop at a large factory located just outside the suburbs.
I was surprised when I saw the deserted building. This isn’t a hospital. It’s more like some abandoned factory!
There was an elderly man in the security booth near the gates of the factory. As I walked toward him to ask about my location, my phone rang with a call from Brandon.
As soon as I picked up, he said, “Just come in. You don’t need to ask him anything. He has Alzheimer’s and can’t remember a thing.”
Taken aback, I turned and saw the elderly man smiling at me. I returned his smile and walked into the factory grounds. Just like Brandon had mentioned over the phone, there was a two-story house behind the factory. He asked me to wait for him outside.
He came down five minutes later. He opened the metal doors to the house. He wore a leather jacket over his floral print shirt, though his protruding belly made for a rather unflattering display. He looked around behind me and confirmed that I was alone. He arched a brow in mild surprise. “Ms. Stanhope, I thought you’d at least have some company. I didn’t expect you to really come here alone.”
I chuckled, “We’re only here to take a look at the hospital and the medical equipment. We’re not here to tear down this place. Why did you bring so many people?”
He chuckled and replied, “Let’s go. The doctors and equipment are up there. You should take a look at them so you’d feel more assured. Rich people like you tend to be more cautious.”
I followed behind him and let out a soft chuckle. “I have no choice, she’s my precious daughter, and I want to give her the best.”
His laughter echoed in the lift. Upon arriving at the second floor, I followed him past a metal gate that led to a fifty square meters big office. There were five doctors donned in their white gowns.
After an exchange of greetings, Brandon announced, “Alright. Since everyone knows each other, let’s jump straight to the equipment. Please explain to Ms. Stanhope their functions and attend to her queries as soon as possible.”
They all nodded.
I was not in a rush to look at the equipment, so I asked, “Mr. Dumphy, I’m not an expert in this field, so there’s no point in me trying to know more about the equipment. However, I have a request. I hope you wouldn’t mind.”
He smiled at me and replied, “Of course I wouldn’t mind. I have no reason to reject your request as long as it’s logical and legal.”
Logical and legal?
I let out an awkward chuckle. Would my request be logical and legal?
I looked at him and continued, “I’d like to look through the doctors’ credentials. To be qualified as either a clinical or surgical doctor, one needs to attain certain qualifications. I hope you all don’t mind letting me take a look at them.”
A few of the doctors’ faces froze while Brandon was puzzled. “Ms. Stanhope, I believe you know that such information is confidential. Rest assured that our doctors are all experienced and capable, and they all graduated from top universities. We’ll definitely do our best for your daughter.”
I furrowed my brows and was hesitant. “Mr. Dumphy, there are two major factors that can determine the success rate of surgery – a safe operating environment and the doctor’s capabilities. Since I’m not an expert in the medical field, it doesn’t make sense for me to measure the safety level of the equipment. However, I would be able to verify the doctor’s qualifications. Since they’re from top universities, can I take a look at their certifications?”
It seemed like my request was ridiculous to them, as none of them intended to show me their qualifications.
I looked at the doctors, then at Brandon, and smiled slightly. “Mr. Dumphy, I don’t think I’m making a difficult request. I believe this would form the basis of the trust I have with you all. If I’m unable to trust your doctors, I would rather engage the surgery somewhere else. I don’t wish to bet on my daughter’s life.”
Brandon frowned and replied, “Ms. Stanhope, you know the significance of this surgery very well. We share the same purpose of saving your daughter’s life. It’s not that we don’t want you to look at their qualifications, but if you were to leak such information, it would ruin their career. After all, they do not have a perfect record on their portfolio.”
I nodded slightly and did not refute his words any further. “Indeed. Since you want to protect your doctors while I want to save my daughter, let’s come to a compromise.”
“What are your thoughts?” he asked me impatiently.
“You could rent the operating theatre to me. Since you won’t be able to show me their qualifications, I won’t be able to trust them with my daughter’s surgery. Hence, I would get other doctors to perform the surgery. Despite that, I’d still pay the same amount.”
It was a logical offer, so he had no reasons to reject it. He thought about it for a moment and replied, “Your request is not impossible. However, we need to bring it up to the senior management for approval.”
I nodded with a smile. “Please bring it up to them as soon as possible. As you know, time is running out as my daughter is in critical condition.”
He nodded profusely.
It was not easy to flight a taxi in the suburbs. I was calling someone while pacing around the factory. I wonder if Hailey did her surgery here as well.
Upon a thorough look at the factory, it had nothing special about it. There was not much human traffic around. If someone were to walk past, they might think that it was an abandoned building. No one would have guessed that there would be an operating theatre there.
On a closer look, several rooms on the second floor showed signs of being cleaned. Those might be the wards where the patients stayed in. Most patients here were likely from wealthy families.
“Ms. Stanhope, you’re…” Brandon came down to check on me, squinted his eyes, and asked, “Are you taking a stroll?”
I chuckled lightly and replied, “I was just walking around while waiting for a taxi.”
He chuckled and said, “This place is in the suburbs, so there won’t be many taxis around. Since I’m also heading back, I can give you a lift.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Dumphy.”
He chuckled and replied, “You’re welcome. Please wait at the entrance. I’ll go get the car.”
I smiled and nodded in response.
It was noon as I walked past the doorman having his lunch. “Hi Miss, you’re heading back now?” he greeted.
I nodded in reply. I walked over to him and asked, “How long have you been working here? It’s so isolated here. Did your family send you lunch?”
He laughed. “I’ve been working here for several years. My wife has difficulties walking, so she’s currently staying at home. These were made by her last night. I heated it and brought it here for lunch.”
I nodded. “That makes sense. Do you live far away from here? Is it convenient for you?” I asked while I glanced at his legs.
He took a mouthful of food and replied, “Not far. I live in the village across. I may appear old, but my legs are still strong!”
I chuckled. “Since there are not many people that come here, and your house is nearby, why don’t you head home for lunch and return after?”
He looked at me and smiled. “It may appear to be quiet, but there are many vehicles that drop by daily. Since the boss ordered for me to deny entry to unauthorized vehicles, I’d have to obey the order.”
I got curious and asked, “This building looks very old. Why are they so strict on entry? Are there other offices located within this building as well?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. It has always been the same few cars. I find it weird that people are going in and out of this place too. I’ve walked around but did not spot anything unusual. I heard that the boss had set up a live stream studio, and there have been young girls and kids coming here to work. However, due to my poor eyesight, I couldn’t catch a proper glimpse of them.”
I nodded slightly. It seemed like they were tight on security. Though they hired an elderly to guard the entrance, they enforced strict rules.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply