Chapter 4 - The Heartless Call
"Her white blood cell count is through the roof," the attending physician announced grimly, examining Lucy’s abdomen. "It's a ruptured appendix. She is going into severe sepsis. We need to get her to an operating room right now, but I need legal parental consent on file before we can cut."
Marianne didn't hesitate. She hit the call button on Vanessa’s contact profile and lifted the phone to her ear.
The line rang four times before a woman finally answered.
"Lucy, I told you not to bother me," a sharp, arrogant voice snapped over the phone. In the background, Marianne could hear the distinct, echoing announcements of an airport boarding terminal.
"This isn't Lucy," Marianne said, her voice dropping to a low, lethal whisper. "This is Nurse Marianne at Chicago General. Your stepdaughter is going into septic shock. She needs emergency surgery, or she will not survive the night. I need you to return to the hospital immediately to sign the consent forms."
Vanessa let out a loud, dramatic sigh of pure annoyance.
"Oh, please. She just has a stomach bug," Vanessa scoffed coldly. "She's always faking illnesses for attention when her father is deployed. I am currently boarding a first-class flight to Cabo for a much-needed vacation. Give her some aspirin and put her in a cab when she's done."
Marianne was completely paralyzed by the sheer, unadulterated evil radiating through the phone.
"If you get on that plane, she will die," Marianne warned, her voice shaking with rage.
"Then she should have washed her hands," Vanessa sneered. "I'm turning my phone off. Don't call me again."
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The line went dead.
👉 How will Marianne save the little girl's life without the stepmother's permission?
