Chapter 2 - The Doctor Who Went Pale
Dr. Samuel Bennett arrived forty minutes later.
He was sixty, meticulous, and famously difficult to impress. He had operated on professional athletes, politicians, and men whose security details never left their sides.
When Dominic showed him the lower strap, the surgeon's expression changed.
“Who adjusted this?”
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
“That's what I'm trying to find out.”
Dr. Bennett crouched beside the chair and examined the buckle without touching it.
“This isn't the position I prescribed.”
“Could swelling have shifted it?”
“Not like this.”
The surgeon removed the brace according to the original fitting procedure. Beneath it, Dominic's skin showed a narrow band of bruising, and the surrounding tissue was irritated.
Dr. Bennett checked the knee, assessed circulation and sensation, and ordered imaging to determine whether the pressure had caused additional injury.
“The good news is that I don't believe this has caused a new fracture,” he said eventually. “But the pressure has aggravated the surrounding tissue. You need to stop using this brace until we establish what happened.”
Dominic remained motionless.
“Could the strap have moved during ordinary use?”
“It could shift slightly. It couldn't reasonably end up this way without being loosened and refitted.”
“By whom?”
“I don't know.”
Dominic looked at Vincent.
“Find out who had access to my medical equipment.”
Vincent nodded.
Dr. Bennett packed the brace into a protective case.
“I'll have a replacement fitted after the assessment. Until then, don't attempt to walk without assistance.”
Dominic's mouth tightened.
“I can walk.”
“You can also make your recovery considerably worse by refusing to follow instructions.”
For a moment, the room became very quiet.
Then Dominic gave a short, humorless laugh.
“Doctor, you're the only person in Chicago who can speak to me like that and leave with his job.”
“I'd rather leave with my patient still able to use his leg.”
When Dr. Bennett departed, Vincent remained near the window.
“Security records show three people entered the rehabilitation suite this month,” he reported. “You, Dr. Bennett, and Arthur Voss.”
Dominic looked up sharply.
“Arthur?”
“He said he was checking the equipment inventory while you were in physical therapy.”
“Why wasn't I told?”
“He has unrestricted access to the administrative wing. Nobody considered it unusual.”
Dominic stared at the closed door.
Arthur had managed his financial affairs for twelve years. He knew which companies could survive an audit, which politicians returned his calls, and which enemies were too frightened to challenge him openly.
He also knew exactly how much Dominic's independence mattered to the council.
If Dominic appeared unable to recover, Arthur could assume temporary control.
If Dominic's injury worsened, that temporary arrangement could become permanent.
“Get me the original fitting report,” Dominic said.
Vincent hesitated.
“There's another issue.”
“Speak.”
“The report in your medical file was replaced six days ago. The original version is missing from the physical records.”
Dominic's fingers tightened around the armrest.
“Who replaced it?”
“The electronic file lists an administrator's account, but the access log has been altered.”
“Can you recover it?”
“I'm trying.”
Dominic leaned back.
For the first time, the possibility formed clearly in his mind.
Someone might not merely have mishandled his brace.
Someone might have deliberately altered it.
He glanced toward the hallway where Ellie had disappeared.
A little girl had noticed one misplaced piece of metal.
May you like
Now Dominic needed to discover how many other pieces had been moved.
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