He turned slightly, looking at Sophie curled up in a chair, crying silently.
“You called her a beggar,” he said. “Is that hospital policy? Or just your personal way of deciding who deserves care?”
Karen’s face drained of color.
“I—I didn’t mean—”
“You meant exactly what you said,” Daniel replied calmly. “And you said it loudly.”
He walked over to Sophie and knelt in front of her.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“S-Sophie,” she whispered.
“I’m Daniel. Does it hurt a lot?”
She nodded, biting her lip. “A lot.”
Daniel stood and turned back to the desk.
“This child will be seen immediately,” he said.
“By the best pediatric doctor you have. In a private room. Now.”
Karen hesitated.
Daniel leaned closer.
“If that doesn’t happen within the next sixty seconds,” he added quietly,
“I will personally make sure this hospital, and your job, regret it.”
Karen’s hands shook as she reached for the phone.
“Yes—yes, sir. Right away.”
The Truth Comes Out
Sophie was rushed into a treatment room.
Daniel stayed.
The doctor returned twenty minutes later, his expression grim.
“She’s severely dehydrated and has a serious intestinal infection,” he said.
“She’s malnourished. This didn’t happen overnight.”