6
But it was already too late. The corner of the book grazed the nurse’s eye, leaving a long streak of blood.
“Ah!”
The nurse felt the warm blood at the corner of her eye and screamed, pushing the door open.
“Help! Someone’s attacking!”
Doctors and nurses rushed in, gasping at the sight of the bleeding cut. While not deep, it was dangerously close to her eye.
“Lily, what happened?” the head nurse gently dabbed the wound with a disinfectant cotton while asking with concern. Lily, just nineteen and unmarried, had only been at the hospital for a year. A scar on her face could affect her future.
Lily, was aware of this and, with red eyes, quickly said to the head nurse, “She threw something at me!”
She pointed at Clara, looking utterly wronged.
The head nurse’s face hardened. “This patient, aren’t you going to explain yourself? This is a civilized society; harming others without cause comes with consequences.
Clara, had calmed down by now, but at the head nurse’s words, a flicker of panic crossed her eyes as she instinctively looked at Luke, hoping he would speak up for her. Receiving her glance, Luke habitually wanted to defend her: “Clara didn’t mean to. She has depression…”
“That’s not an excuse for assault!” the head nurse interrupted, “Depression doesn’t give anyone a free pass to hurt people! You need to apologize and make amends.”
Luke hesitated. He knew she was right. “I’m sorry, we’ll pay for damages.”
The head nurse softened. “Lily, what do you think?”
Lily glared at Clara, gritting her teeth as she said, “I want an apology and compensation.‘
Luke agreed. “We’ll do that.”
“I will not apologize to her!” Clara insisted, her eyes blazing. “I didn’t do anything wrong!” She looked pleadingly at Luke. “Luke, please, don’t let them make me apologize.”
Luke frowned. For the first time feeling Clara’s behavior being unreasonable. “Clara, “just apologize.”
Clara’s eyes turned red, tears streaming down her face: “Luke, you’ve changed. You weren’t like this before.”
Luke frowned deeper. Before? What had he been like before?
Seeing him silent, Clara gritted her teeth and resorted to her old tricks. “Fine. If you all want me dead, then I’ll die.”
With that, she jumped off the bed and ran toward the window.
Luke pupils dilated, and he rushed forward to catch “Clara, calm down! Okay, no apology, no one will force you.”
While he hurried to comfort her, the head nurse scoffed. Having worked in the hospital for seven or eight–years, she had seen all kinds of people.
13:14
<6
She could see right through Clara’s theatrics.
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“This patient, you need to speak with evidence. When did we say we wanted you dead?” “Don’t think you can just throw around accusations and make this go away.”
“This is a hospital, not a place for your tantrums.”
“If you continue this unreasonable behavior, don’t blame us for calling the police.”
Clara’s expression twisted in an instant.
The others also calmed down, looking at her with mocking eyes.
Luke, oblivious, bristled. “What’s the meaning of this? Aren’t you supposed to be healers? Where’s your basic empathy?”
The head nurse rolled her eyes. “Your wife assaulted someone, and that deserves compassion? Apologize, now! Enough with the nonsense; just apologize. This isn’t a place for your antics.” The others echoed her sentiment. “Apologize!” “Or we call the cops!” “Seriously, what kind of people are you?”
Clara, furious, confronted the head nurse. “You!”
“What are you wearing on your feet?”
Luke suddenly spoke, his gaze fixed on the red thread around Clara’s ankle,
