"Those animals. Doing that to their own flesh and blood." He gripped my shoulder. "Don't worry. This hospital is ours. The doctors are the best money can buy. They'll pull him through."
But things were far worse than I'd imagined.
Two hours later, the attending physician emerged drenched in sweat, his face ashen.
"Mr. Dunn, sir... Mr. Harding's condition is extremely dire."
"He's had an excessive amount of bone marrow forcibly extracted. His hematopoietic stem cells have sustained catastrophic damage. He needs an immediate blood transfusion and emergency medication."
"However..." The doctor swallowed hard.
"However what? Spit it out!" I snapped.
The doctor's voice shook. "Ten minutes ago, every unit of compatible blood in our hospital's bank was requisitioned by the city's Department of Health. And the supplier for the specialized medication just called to terminate our contract unilaterally. They're refusing to deliver."
My head went blank, a single tone ringing through my skull. "Who did this?"
Malcolm's phone rang. He answered, listened for two seconds, and the color drained from his face.
He hurled the phone into the floor. It shattered into pieces.