Chapter 6 - The Uninvited Guests
Armed with a flash drive containing the damning footage and a drafted restraining order, I returned to the hospital feeling a dark sense of empowerment. I rounded the corner to Sarah’s wing, only to freeze in my tracks.
Standing outside Sarah’s room, arguing with the duty nurse, were my Aunt Martha and my older brother, Greg. Greg had always been Eleanor’s golden child, a man who had failed out of four colleges and still received an allowance from our mother at thirty-six. They were holding a cheap bouquet of flowers, their faces twisted in entitled indignation.
"We have a right to see our family!" Martha shrieked, pointing a finger at the exhausted nurse. "My sister was thrown onto the street by that monster, and we demand to know what Sarah did to provoke it!"
"Step away from my wife's room," I commanded, my voice echoing down the sterile corridor.
They spun around. Greg puffed out his chest, stepping toward me with aggressive bravado. "You've got some nerve showing your face, Dave. Mom is a wreck. She’s staying at my place, crying her eyes out because you assaulted her. You're going to fix this, and you're going to apologize, or I'll break your jaw."
I didn't flinch. I looked at my brother, taking in his designer clothes and expensive watch—items I now realized were likely paid for by my stolen money.
"You're not going anywhere near Sarah," I said, stepping between him and the door. "And if you threaten me again, I’ll have the hospital security arrest you for trespassing."
"You're pathetic," Martha spat. "Choosing that gold-digger over the woman who raised you. Mom was right about her."
"I have nothing to say to you, Martha. But Greg," I said, lowering my voice to a lethal whisper, "you might want to check your bank accounts. When the feds freeze Mom's assets for wire fraud tomorrow, they're going to freeze yours too, since she’s been funneling my stolen money into your 'business ventures'."
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Greg's face instantly dropped, his fake bravado evaporating into pure panic. "What... what are you talking about?"
"Security!" I yelled, waving down two large guards stationed down the hall. "These people are harassing a high-risk patient." As they were escorted away, Greg looked back at me, terror finally setting into his eyes. The dominoes were beginning to fall.
