Williams
"We have a problem," announced the well-built man beside Dr Sofia. He had a pugnacious air about him that almost made him very intimidating. Although his voice and manner were polite, I could tell that he was not one to be messed around with. I looked on from Dr Sofia to Mr Crawford whom I was beginning to suspect is an important part of the mission.
His declaration had been most expected, I knew the "tip" wasn't a gift from Dr Sofia or himself. They both were too self-centered to think of rewarding me with a tip.
"How will the subject be transported to MEDCORP without Kate noticing?" Dr Sofia asked, opening the floor for opinions to be aired. The choice of words Dr Sofia had made didn't quite sit well with me.
"What is the worth of the tip you included in my payment?" I asked instead, turning the envelope over. I was not about to allow myself to be bullied by Mr Crawford's looks and let an opportunity slip through my fingers.
"50 dollars." Came Dr Sofia's curt reply, and I laughed inwardly.
"50 dollars?" I asked, more out of surprise, and Dr Sofia nodded in the affirmative.
"Then I guess my help is not much needed on this." I announced, rising.
When I got to the door, Mr Crawford, in his usual polite manner, called out to me.
"Mr Johnson." I stopped on my tracks, without turning to face him.
"How much do you want?" He asked, when I said nothing.
"500 dollars." I replied curtly, without turning about to look at him. Dr Sofia attempted to protest but stopped suddenly, on Mr Crawford's order I guess. Only her deep exhales showed her disapproval at the newly struck deal.
"It is done." I heard Mr Crawford's voice say and I instantly wished I had demanded for more.
"When do you want the body?" I asked, turning to face them. I could sense the anger in Dr Sofia's eyes, but I didn't care. After all, it is my son and not hers that is to be experimented on.
"Tonight, if that is possible." Mr Crawford replied.
"Consider it done. But I want my money first."
Dr Anderson's POV
Once Dr Sofia left the suite with Mr William, I knew it was only a matter of seconds before I would get bombarded with questions. In a bid to escape the questions, which I knew were coming, I headed towards the door to take my leave.
"Dr Anderson." Gilbert called.
I turned gingerly to face him, cussing underneath my breath.
"Yes?" I said with an air of indifference.
"You seem really shaken up." He said, putting me off guard.
"Oh, I am. This is the second patient I have lost since I started practicing." I explained once I got hold of myself. His question had been unexpected as I expected him to question Stuart's supposed surgery, and sudden transformation on his return from Dr Sofia's office. But he didn't.
I took one last look at him as I resumed my walk to the door and only then did I notice the fear which was evident on his face. Deciding to ignore it, I walked to the exit anyway. This time he didn't stop me.
Inside my office, I met Sonia, whom I have completely forgotten about, sitting fearfully on one of the sofas. Her jerky movement once I pushed the door open convinced me that she has spent the last two hours panic-stricken. For a brief moment I was tempted to tell her that Dr Sofia didn't care, that she would in fact be pleased to hear that she had slept throughout the duration of the surgery, but I didn't. All I wanted was lots of rest. Although there had been no surgery at all, I was exhausted, given that I maintained a standing position throughout the duration of the supposed surgery. Like a big bag of grains, I dropped onto my sofa, savoring the thoughts of going home to have a proper rest. I contemplated taking the next day off, but then I remembered Dr Sofia telling me about moving Stuart's body to MEDCORP tomorrow.
"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed loudly, suddenly recalling Dr Sofia's stern voice instructing me to keep an eye on Stuart's body.
"How did I forget that?" I asked myself, in rebuke. Of course, in my haste to get away from Dr. Gilbert, I had forgotten all about Dr. Sofia's stern warning.
Rising quickly from my seat, I headed back to the door where I had walked through only minutes ago.
"Is everything alright?" Sonia asked, genuinely concerned. Even though she had flinched at my sudden outburst seconds ago, she did a good job covering it up with a well polished voice and manner.
With a shrug, I left the office and headed to the surgical suite.
I felt a wave of panic when I met two unfamiliar men lifting Stuart's body from the bed to a stretcher. Although they wore uniforms fit for those working in St Louis morgue, a thorough look at their badges revealed otherwise with the yellow color washing away to affect other areas of the self designed badge. Also, the misplacement of the hospital's logo attested to my suspicion, plus both men didn't look any familiar.
"Gentlemen." I called out, hoping my tone was bold enough and isn't giving away any feeling of panic or fear,or uneasiness. They stopped at once, turning to face me, with displeased looks plastered on their faces.
Beyond the looks their faces portrayed, I could sense fear lingering on. The fear of being recognized or not.
"What are you doing?" I asked them, feigning surprise.
"We are moving the body to the morgue." One of the men quipped in, avoiding eye contact with me. He continued fastening the strips on the stretcher, and beckoned on his partner to follow suit.
"The body isn't signed yet." I informed them, hoping they would stop at least. I couldn't imagine losing Stuart's body now, Dr. Sofia would be really pissed. When they continued nonplussed, I thought of something to shake them up a little.
"Are you new?" I asked, just to startle them, and it worked as they began quivering in panic.
"We were ordered by one William Johnson to move the body to the morgue." The other man replied, once he got a hold of himself. I relaxed somewhat when I heard the order had been from William himself but on a second thought, he may be acting on his own, and I knew better than not informing Dr. Sofia.
When she didn't pick up at the third ring, I faced the direction of her office, dreading the long walk which I was about to take to her office, and wondering why her office had to be situated so far away from the surgical suite.
I didn't notice William's appearance from a sharp corner until I heard his voice beside me.
"Hi, Anderson." Mr William greeted, moving straight to the suite where the men fastened Stuart's body to a stretcher, ready to leave. He was coming from the direction of Dr Sofia's office, and I believed Dr Sofia knew about the transfer which was ongoing, only for a moment though because the next moment, I was hurrying down to Dr Sofia's office.