Chapter 15: Please Forgive Us

The male doctor smirked, his expression uncaring. "This is the best hospital in the city for surgeries. Your mother has overstayed her welcome."

Sophia's blood boiled at the callousness in their voices. She stepped forward, her eyes blazing. "What's going on here?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady. "Why are you chasing my mom out?"

The nurse scoffed. "Your mother has been here long enough. She needs to leave."

"This is a hospital where patients should stay as long as they pay their bills. As far as I know, we've been paying our bills as required. What right do you have to chase us out?" Sophia challenged.

The nurse was momentarily stunned, unsure of how to retort. The male doctor chimed in, "Look, miss, we have rules here, and as the best hospital for surgeries in the city, we can't allow patients to stay over a month. What will happen to other patients lining up for surgeries too?" He sounded so righteous and Sophia couldn't believe it.

"It is also stipulated by the same hospital that a patient has to stay for at least a week or more after surgery for observation. Have you forgotten that?" She asked, crossing her arms.

The nurse got her voice again and she raised her voice again. "Why don't you blame yourself for taking so long to gather money for her surgery? As per the record, she came here over a month ago. It's not our fault that we demand she leave now."

Sophia wanted to retort but her mom stopped her with her hand.  "It's okay, dear; I know my body well; I will recover at home." She said weakly.

Tears welled up in Sophia's eyes. She knew her mom was trying to comfort them. 

"Mom, you're not yet okay to go home. Remember the doctor said you need at least a week. You can't leave, there has to be a way." Ethan panicked.

"Come on, get  them out."  The doctor said coldly, signaling the security guards who were standing not far away.

Sophia clenched her fists, frustration clawing at her chest. She didn't know what to do. For a brief, desperate moment, Alexander's face flashed in her mind. He had told her to reach out if she ever needed help. But did she really want to call him now?

Before she could make a decision, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen: Marcus.

She hesitated before answering, her voice laced with irritation. "Are you behind this? Did your family pay these people to throw my mother out?"

Marcus feigned innocence. "Sophia, I don't know what you're talking about. But I heard about your mother's situation. I can help you, you know."

Sophia's anger flared. "Why would you help me? Since when have you cared about my mother?"

Marcus sighed, his voice taking on a remorseful tone. "I know I should've shown more concern. I made mistakes, Sophia, but I want to change. For you. Just come back, and I'll settle everything. Whatever you want, I'll make it happen if you'll just reconcile with me."

"Dream on, it will never happen?" She shouted at him before hanging up, her fury leaving her breathless. 

She returned to her contacts list, her fingers hovering over Alexander's name. She pressed call, anxiety twisting in her stomach.

Just as the call connected, Alexander's voice came through, calm and cold. "I've taken care of everything. Your mother will be fine."

Before she could thank him, the line went dead.

Relief washed over Sophia, and for the first time since she arrived, she allowed herself a small smile. Ethan stared at her in bewilderment, unable to understand her sudden calm.

"It's going to be okay," she told him quietly. "No one is going to throw Mom out."

As if on cue, the hospital director himself appeared, his face pale with fear. He approached them, a nervous twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"What…what seems to be the issue here?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

The male doctor stammered, struggling to explain their actions. "Sir, we were, uh, just making room for other patients…"

The director's face turned a deep shade of red, his eyes flashing with anger. He raised a hand, delivering a sharp slap to the man's face. The sound echoed in the hallway, shocking everyone.

The director then turned to Sophia, bowing slightly. "Miss, please accept our deepest apologies. This was a gross misunderstanding, and I assure you, those responsible will face immediate consequences."

Everyone was dumbfounded including Sophia. Why is he so respectful and afraid of me? She wondered.

The hospital director turned to the man and the woman with an icy glare. "As the department head, is this how you should treat patients?" He asked, pointing at the man. 

The man, Christopher Walen, panicked, "I'm sorry, sir, it was just a misunderstanding on our part."

The hospital director turned to the woman, Janet Mason. "And you, as a nurse, is this how you attend to patients."

"Please forgive me, sir; it won't happen again." Janet pleaded.

The hospital director scoffed and then said coldly, "You two are dismissed from this hospital. From now onwards you are no longer employees here."

They both knelt begging. "Sir, don't dismiss me; I can compensate them however you want, but please don't fire me.  Pleaded.

"Please, sir, don't dismiss us. We have families to feed, and we need this job." The woman begged. 

Sophia was at a loss and couldn't believe they were the same people who were so rude to them. She approached them angrily looking at the man. "Compensate us? Where is your conscience? You wanted to chase my sick mother out of the hospital, do you know what might have happened to her if you succeeded? How much can you compensate for that?" She questioned, her rage boiling.

She then turned to the woman. "Did you just say you have a family to take care of? My brother begged you not to chase our mother out. Did you pity us? Doesn't our mother have a family just like yours too? I also tried to reason with you two but did you care about us? You're not worthy of mentioning family in front of me. She lectured them, and they just lowered their heads, unable to defend themselves.

The hospital director saw the rage I'm Sophia and knew he needed to satisfy her.

"Don't worry, Mrs E..I mean, Miss, I'll make sure they pay for what they did." He knew very well who she was. The wife of Alexander Evans. He has to do his best to make sure she's satisfied. These two should have kept quiet with just being dismissed, but their begging only intensified Mrs. Evans's anger. The hospital director thought.

He turned to the two again, "You are also blacklisted from working in any hospital under Vision Care hospitals." He shattered any hope they had in their career. Vision Care Hospital was one of the best in the country and had many branches. Being blacklisted by them means no other major hospital will hire them.

The woman ran to the director's feet, begging, "Sir, you can't do this to us; we were just acting on orders."

The man seemed to understand that Sophia wasn't just a nobody and they closed the wrong person. He crawled to her begging. 

"Miss, please forgive us; we were paid to do so. It was Evelyn and Lauren Hawthorne. Please, it had nothing to do with us."

Sophia just clenched her fist simmering in anger. She already knew the Hawthornes were the culprit, but this time they'd gone too far. Luckily she had Alexander. She ignored them and went to help their mom with Ethan.

The two turned to the director again but the director's gaze was icy and his voice cold. "For a price, you sold your integrity. Never again will you set foot in any respectable hospital. Security, send them away."

Desperation filled their eyes as they begged for another chance, but the director's expression remained unforgiving.

Sophia watched in silence, her heart still racing. It was only when they escorted her mother back to her room that she allowed herself to relax.

What she didn't know was that Alexander's power extended far beyond his wealth. His influence reached every corner of the country, every institution. To him, it was nothing more than a phone call, but for the hospital staff, it was a lifeline they couldn't afford to cross.

The director apologized again before leaving Sophia and her family alone. Catherine and Ethan were still processing everything and Sophia could feel their gaze. It was Catherine who broke the silence. 

"Honey, is there something you're not telling us?" She asked, looking at her daughter.

"Mom, what are you talking about? Shouldn't you be happy now that they won't chase you away?" Sophia evaded her gaze trying to sound natural.

Ethan looked at his sister with curiosity too. He wanted to question her as well but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

Catherine tried to sit up, but her body was still weak. "Mom, what are you doing? Just lay down and get some rest." Sophia stopped her.

"How can I get some rest when you're hiding things from me, dear? You can't fool your mother. First, my surgery, the slander, and now today. How are you going to explain all this? After your divorce with Marcus, you seem to have everything figured." Catherine asked in a tired but curious voice.