There was something in her tone that put me on guard. I took another closer, slower assessment this time, and I realized who she was. This was Mrs. Shields, Sevyn’s mother-in-law. The sonwho had visited looked exactly like her, and everything about her screamed prestige and entitlement.
“Who are you?” I asked, turning the question back on her.
“I am Deborah Shields, and that young lady in there is my daughter-in-law.”
“How often have you visited her, Mrs. Shields, during the two weeks that she’s been here?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation,” she replied in indignation.
“And neither do I owe you one.”
I turned away from her again just as the doctor came out of the room. “Doctor, my name is Mrs. Shields, and I am the mother-in-law of Sevyn Shields. What can you tell me about her condition?”
“Is Sevyn okay?” I asked.
Dr. Cruz looked from me to Mrs. Shields and cleared his throat. “Yes, she is fine now. She’s stable again, and we have her vitals under control.”
“What about her long-term prognosis? When will she be able to wake up, move, or talk again? I have questions.”
“She will need some time, Mrs. Shields. She’s been through a lot. We have a team of experts working on her to get her healthy, but it won’t take place overnight. As to when she wakes up, that depends on how well we can reduce the swelling in her brain and how she responds when we pull her out. Her body is healthy, and we have great hopes for her. I don’t know what her mental or psychological status is, and we won’t know that until she is fully awake and we can run more tests on her.”
“Is that it?” Mrs. Shields asked in disbelief.
The doctor looked from me to her again, and when I gave a brief nod, he shrugged. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Shields. That’s all I have for now.”
“Dr. Cruz,” she stated, reading his nametag. “I would like to restrict the number of visitors my daughter-in-law has for her recovery.”
“Mrs. Shields, I don’t think that will be necessary. At this time, she has only had two visitors on a consistent basis. One is her best friend, Waverleigh Collins, and the other one is him,” he stated, pointing at me. “She hasn’t had a steady stream coming through. She had a few coworkers visit when she first arrived. Other than that, she has had two sporadic visitors with one visit each between them, yourself and another young man.”
“Your son,” I chimed in.
They both looked at me, and Mrs. Shields crossed her arms over her chest. “I would like to restrict her visitors to myself, my husband, and my son, Liam.”
“That would not be a problem, if you were listed as the next of kin on her records. The only next of kin that she has listed is her husband, Ethan Shields, and from my understanding, he is deceased. Nurse Waverleigh Collins has power of attorney.”
“So, you just let random strangers walk in here and visit your patients without a background check or clearing it with the patients’ family first?”
“No, we do not. We require everyone to complete paperwork, submit a copy of their ID, and confirm that they are approved by the patient.”
“I’m sure that she didn’t approve his visit,” she stated, waving a hand carelessly in my direction.
“How would you know? After all, this is your first visit,” I declared.
“Who is he, and why is he here?”
“This is Officer Deuce Fullwood. Besides being a police officer, he’s a volunteer here. Waverleigh Collins approved him on the visitors’ list. But I don’t believe that you or your son are on that list, Mrs. Shields. You will need to get Ms. Collins’approval before you can visit,” the doctor stated prior to walking away.
She turned to face me and searched my eyes. “I have no idea why you’re here, but I assure you, if it’s for ill intent, I will find out about it.”
“I would think you would be glad that someone is here to visit your daughter-in-law, to keep her company, and make sure that she’s not alone.”
She stepped closer. “My husband demanded that my son have that young lady sign a prenuptial agreement. She gets no money, and he did not leave her in his will; therefore, you will not get a single dime, if that’s why you’re hanging around.”
“I hate to be the one who breaks your disillusionment, but everything in the world isn’t about money. Sometimes, people do things because they actually care about others, and they’re doing it for the greater good.”
I watched as she spun around and stormed off. I might have had selfish reasons for being here, but I wanted what was best for Sevyn. Her family didn't give a shit about her.
ONE WEEK LATER
