Chapter 14 - Twenty-Three

Twenty-three cases changed the scale of everything.

Some involved delayed transfers.

Four involved patients moved away from specialized care within hours of a Crown Access admission.

One involved a mother named Dana Pierce, who had suffered a catastrophic hemorrhage after transfer.

She survived.

Her uterus did not.

"I thought Alicia was the case."

Rachel shook her head.

"She was the case that left a clean enough paper trail for Naomi to notice."

Alicia sat across from them.

"Charles offered me two million dollars."

Leah looked at her.

"What did you say?"

"I said send it to my lawyer."

Leah blinked.

"You thought I was going to give a speech about never taking money?"

"No."

"Good. Because Mateo's therapy is expensive. If they owe us money, I am not ashamed to take it."

"You should not be."

"But I am not signing a lie to get it."

That mattered.

Secrecy was.

Power without accountability was.

Corinne had tried to make Leah believe accepting comfort made her unqualified to challenge corruption.

Alicia made the opposite point without trying.

You could need money and still demand truth.

By afternoon, regulators entered Arbor Crown's administrative offices with subpoenas.

Grant Voss was escorted out through a side entrance.

Reporters caught the image anyway.

Charles Lang stopped answering calls.

Corinne's firm announced she was taking a leave of absence.

Then Leah's obstetrician called.

"I need you to come in."

"Why?"

"Your blood pressure was high yesterday, and I want to repeat labs."

Leah looked at Elliott.

"Is this urgent?"

"Not an emergency. But today."

They drove to her new hospital across town.

Halfway there, traffic stopped behind a crash.

Leah felt a strong contraction.

Then another.

Too close.

She looked at Elliott.

"Do not panic."

"I am not panicking."

"You are gripping the steering wheel like it owes you money."

Another contraction hit.

Harder.

Then Leah felt warm fluid beneath her.

She stared down.

"Elliott."

His face went white.

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The nearest hospital was four minutes away.

Arbor Crown Medical Center.