Chapter 2 - THE DOCTOR WHO NEVER LEFT
Dr. Adrian Bell had been twenty-nine when Luca collapsed.
He had arrived at the hospital as a young neurological consultant and remained beside Luca through every examination.
When specialists disagreed, Adrian translated their opinions.
When Luca developed infections, Adrian adjusted the medication.
When Luca considered experimental treatment, Adrian explained why the risks were too great.
Over time, he stopped being an outside physician.
He became part of the estate.
He ate with Luca’s captains.
He attended family funerals.
He carried emergency access codes and knew which guards worked each shift.
Luca had trusted him with his body.
Now Luca wondered whether he had trusted the man who destroyed it.
Adrian stepped farther onto the porch.
“What happened to the testing schedule?”
Luca kept his voice calm.
“I ordered an independent assessment.”
“Without consulting me?”
“You told me there was nothing left to assess.”
Adrian smiled carefully.
“Twelve years of neurological damage does not disappear because a child saw a muscle spasm.”
Maya looked at him.
“I didn’t see one.”
Adrian turned toward her.
“What did you see?”
“His leg moves when he’s happy.”
The doctor’s smile weakened.
“Children sometimes imagine patterns.”
“She does not,” Luca said.
Elena guided Maya and Tommy toward the baseball field.
Maya glanced back twice.
She sensed danger even if she did not understand it.
Luca waited until the children were out of hearing range.
“The new toxicology report found a nerve-suppressing compound.”
Adrian did not blink.
“That could be contamination.”
“It was found in stored samples from three separate years.”
For the first time, Adrian’s breathing changed.
Luca had not actually tested old samples yet.
He had lied.
Adrian’s reaction gave him the answer he needed.
“Who ordered those samples preserved?” Adrian asked.
Luca watched him closely.
“I never said they were preserved.”
Silence passed between them.
Adrian’s hand moved toward his coat pocket.
A guard near the doorway immediately rested his palm on his weapon.
Luca raised one finger.
No one moved.
Adrian slowly removed his phone.
“I need to contact the laboratory.”
“You need to hand me the phone.”
“Luca, paranoia is common after traumatic medical news.”
“So is guilt.”
Adrian looked toward the field where Maya was throwing a baseball to Tommy.
Then he looked at Elena.
Something cold entered his expression.
“You have no idea what bringing them here has started.”
Luca’s voice dropped.
“Then explain it.”
Adrian stepped backward.
The porch lights suddenly went dark.
A sharp sound came from inside the house.
Glass shattered.
One of the guards shouted.
When emergency lighting activated three seconds later, Adrian was gone.
On the porch floor lay a broken medical vial.
A thin clear liquid spread between the boards.
May you like
Luca recognized the label.
It was the medication Adrian injected into him every Monday.
