Chapter 2. The First Calls

Sophia's POV

I woke up with the noise of the alarm clock and yawned, looked at the time and it was time to go back to work. Apparently nothing had happened while I was sleeping. I got up, took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, did my business, then changed into a clean new uniform, fixed my badge and left the room.

Soon I'm on the 42nd floor, the first thing I noticed is that some guards had changed shifts, as well as the doctor in charge. I arched an eyebrow at the updates next to the tablet I picked up at reception.

“Hey Julie, good morning.” I greeted my friend.

“Hi Soph, glad you’re back.” I heard her speak, relieved.

"Something happened?" I got tense, but I didn't take my eyes off the tablet, going through the information on each patient, it seemed that the majority that were there had not yet been released, it was because there was a trace of silver in the organism.

“These people, you know…” Julie spoke in a low tone and I took a deep breath.

They were the kind of people I hated, who wanted their way and weren't going to have anything less. Money didn't buy everything, although it did buy a lot of things.

“Relax, go home, you need a break.”

I spoke while indicating her departure from shift and asking for her replacement.

"Thanks! You save lives!”

I let out a low chuckle and turned around, starting to walk towards the bedrooms. I noticed that the guards were trying to intimidate me with their eyes and I just ignored it, I had seen worse.

The first patients could soon be dismissed, the medication to remove heavy metals from the body was already working, when I got to the last three rooms, there were many more guards.

“Tsi…” I couldn't help it and blurted out the expression before entering the first room.

Mr Andreas Lykaios, multiple slashing and stabbing wounds, with a high level of silver in the system, but with good recovery while the blood was filtered. I approached the bed and realized that there was a woman sitting in the chair next to it, which, by all indications, was the wife of the man lying down.

He had a large build, almost pure muscle, with several scars, including one that took part of his face on the left side, he was someone that many would fall at his feet, but I didn't care. I checked the vitals, the plumbing and asked for the sheets to be changed and also for a sponge bath.

“You must be the head nurse they talk about.” I heard the woman's voice while I was looking at the state of the bandages.

"Yes it's me." I answered dryly.

“Hmm… They say you tend to be more receptive.”

I lifted my face and looked at the woman, she had dark brown eyes, black hair and olive skin.

“I am, for those who deserve it.” I started walking towards the exit and I realized that she wanted to answer me, but she kept the words to herself.

I walked towards the second bedroom. Lord Achilles Lykaios, Andreas's older brother, upon entering the room I noticed that there were two guards inside as well, but there didn't seem to be any wives or husbands there. He was in a similar state to his little brother, I just walked over to the bed and started doing the checks.

Unlike Andreas, Achilles was smaller, yet he had well-sculpted muscles, dark brown hair, serious features, also with several scars on his body, but none on his face and despite not liking that type of man so much, that one even called her my attention, but I wasn't there to admire anyone's beauty.

Looking at the chart, I took a deep breath, he had at least twice as much silver in his blood as his brother, it was a miracle he was still alive. I wrote down some treatment suggestions and sent them to Doctor Miriam, they were alternative treatments so she would need to approve, I left the room without exchanging a single word with the people who were there.

I then looked at the third door and for some reason I felt my heart racing, that was the room of the head of the Heroux family. Maybe that was it, after all I'm sure that if he died there the hospital would be in serious trouble and the people who worked with him would be fired.

I walked into the room and the first thing I noticed was the woody smell, like pine, apple, pine, mixed with something that resembled aged leather. I arched an eyebrow, I would ask them to clean the room immediately and I looked at the two guards who were there and also the woman next to the bed.

“Please, this is a place that should be kept as clean as possible, please go change, if I can smell you from here, it's not a good sign.”

I didn't care if they would be offended, I approached the bed, looking at the chart, Perseus Heroux, male, 32 years old, light brown hair, curly and short, body not very muscular, but certainly from someone who usually trains, he seems to emit some aura of authority, even though he was unconscious, maybe it was the scars.

I was in difficult conditions because I was not able to filter the toxins in the blood, since I have the Bombay type, that is, false O, I arched my eyebrow again, after all, that was my blood type.

Bombay blood type, it was a type that did not have the A and B carbohydrates in the membrane, it was not as rare as the Null Factor, but it was still a big complication since it could only receive donations from the same type.

I started to look at the information on the panels, writing down the numbers and making some changes that would have to go through the doctor in charge for approval and I twisted my mouth seeing that now Dr. Miriam was responsible.

“Tsi…” I whispered again and started looking at the bandages, seeing that some were stained with blood. What shouldn't happen, the more blood that was spilled, the worse it would be for recovery, even if it was just a little.

I don't know what was coming over me, but being close to this man made me want to touch him in ways that weren't professional at all, but I managed to maintain the correct posture.

“Will he be all right?” I heard the question asked, the voice male, cold and charged with menace.

“That is a question to ask the attending physician.” I replied in a joking tone of voice while I finished checking the last bandage I had on his abdomen.

“You should have known that using that tone with me could get you fired.”

I looked up to see who was talking to me, even though I already had a pretty good idea who it was. It was a man who appeared to be in his 50s, very similar to Perseus, but an older version.

“I highly doubt it.” I arched my left eyebrow. "Since I'm the best at what I do and it was specifically requested for me to be here, whereas I could be at my house sleeping."

I turned my gaze to the tablet and started to add the information and started walking towards the exit of the room and I felt when he grabbed my arm.

"If I were you I would be careful, nobody is irreplaceable."

The threat along with the squeezing of his fingers was almost enough for me to freak out, but I took a deep breath and calmly counted to 10, I tried to pull my arm lightly, but he wouldn't let go.

“You have two options, let go of my arm and I will forget about that threat… Or you can keep holding me and regret it.”

My self-control was almost gone, I know that my voice shows how serious what I was saying and that I didn't accept being treated the way he wanted and that no, I wasn't afraid of him, or his family.

"You're just a girl who..."

I opened my eyes and pulled my arm hard enough for him to let me go and when I went to turn around I heard the door open.

“Sophia Turner!”

Miriam was there, looking right at me and I just walked out of the room as I placed the tablet in her hand.

"You can have someone else put in my place, I'm going home."

I warned in a low, calm voice and that was worse than screaming. Miriam knew there would probably be nothing that would bring me back to this floor.

“Soph…”

Miriam started calling me but I just ignored it and kept walking to the elevator, I pressed the button and took out my cell phone to check my messages and emails and soon the first thing that popped up was that the Heroux family were paying for anyone with blood type Bombay to come and donate blood at the hospital.

“Money can't buy everything…”

I whispered and went through that news and went to the next one which was an article about the attack at the restaurant

Olympus.

“Soph… Please…”

I heard the elevator beep, I looked to see if he was really there and I got in and turned around, being able to see Miriam and behind her that man who had threatened me, probably he had also threatened my boss and before the door closed one of the guards held her. I looked directly into his eyes coldly and saw him flinch for a second, but he didn't let go of the door. As I had my cell phone in my hand, I started dialing the police emergency number.

“Either you let me go or I'm going to call the cops and tell them that the Horoux family is making threats to the hospital staff and that I'm a hostage.”

I calmly warned with my finger near the power button.

“It won't work, simple, who would believe a simple nurse?”

The man's voice was mocking and his eyes showed he didn't care about my threat.

I pressed to call and before they answered me the security guard entered the elevator to remove the cell phone from my hand, the elevator door closed while I dodged the attack.

"How about keeping quiet or there's going to be a scene right in the middle of the ground floor with a lot of witnesses."

I warned and disconnected the call before someone on the other end answered.

“Warn your boss that money and threats don't buy loyalty and dignity, that if he wants you to come back, he better beg me on his knees, because I won't accept anything less than that.”

I straightened my lab coat as I faced the elevator door.

“Um… I'll probably get my jaw broken when I say this and also because I didn't hold you.”

I heard his voice, it was serious, but also fun, a strange mix.

"You're pretty nimble for a..."

"Woman? Yeah, yeah… I do self-defense.” I replied before he finished his sentence.

I heard the beep of the elevator and then the doors opening, I left calmly.

“My next shift is in 12:00, if he wants to talk he better be willing to put his head down.”

I spoke before the door closed and the guard returned to the 42nd floor.