Chapter 6 - The Encounter at the Hospital
Two days later, I sat in the sterile, brightly lit private room of a downtown Chicago medical center. The hum of intravenous pumps filled the quiet space, a stark contrast to the luxurious silence of my Lake Forest estate.
In the bed before me lay my younger brother, Ryan.
He looked hollowed out. His skin had a sickly, grayish pallor, his cheeks were sunken, and the expensive designer clothes he usually wore had been replaced by a coarse hospital gown. The loan sharks, the high-stakes gambling dens, and the luxurious downtown penthouses had all vanished, reduced to this single, sterile room where his failing kidneys were slowly shutting his body down.
When the heavy door clicked open and I stepped into his field of vision, Ryan flinched, pulling the blanket slightly higher over his chest.
“Sebastian,” Ryan croaked, his voice cracking. “I... I heard about Mother. Is it true? Did you really have her arrested?”
I walked slowly to the side of his bed, keeping my hands in my pockets. I didn't look angry; I looked entirely empty of emotion toward him—which, for Ryan, was infinitely more terrifying than rage.
“She’s currently awaiting arraignment for extortion, conspiracy, and medical fraud,” I said evenly. “Dr. Harrison flipped within ten minutes. Every wire transfer, every forged document, every directive she gave to turn my home into a prison camp—it’s all documented and handed over to the federal prosecutor.”
Ryan swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously around the room. “She... she did it for me, Sebastian. You know how sick I am. If I don't get a transplant, or... or those stem cell treatments from the baby... I’m going to die.”
“And you were willing to let our unborn nephew be treated like a spare-parts inventory to save your skin?” I asked, my voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register.
Ryan winced, looking away. “Mother said... she said you wouldn't even notice. She said Claire was just a temporary fixture. I... I didn't want them to hurt Claire, Sebastian. I swear I didn't. But when you’re drowning in debt and staring at death, you stop caring about anyone else.”
“That’s the difference between us, Ryan,” I said softly, leaning down slightly so he had no choice, but to look me in the eye. “When I was drowning, when my first company collapsed and I had nothing left, Claire sold her grandmother's earrings so I could pay my workers. She didn't look for someone else to sacrifice. She sacrificed herself alongside me. You? You took everything everyone gave you, squandered it on greed, and then tried to consume a newborn child to keep your heart beating.”
Ryan began to cry, soft, pathetic whimpers escaping his chapped lips. “What am I going to do, Sebastian? They won't give me a dialysis machine much longer without payment, and the hospital is discharging me to a state facility. I’m dead. I’m completely dead.”
I stood there in silence, watching the brother who had once mocked my ambitions, who had helped my mother manipulate my life, now reduced to absolute nothingness.
“You won't die in a state facility,” I said finally.
Ryan’s head snapped up, hope flickering in his bloodshot eyes. “You... you’re going to help me? You’ll pay for the transplant?”
“No,” I replied coldly, straightening up. “I am not paying for illegal favors, and I am certainly not letting you anywhere near a matching donor list that involves anyone in my family. But I have instructed my corporate legal team to clear your medical bills and transfer you to a legitimate, long-term rehabilitation and palliative care clinic in Indiana—the same town where Mother raised us.”
Ryan stared at me in horror. “Indiana? That’s... that’s nowhere! That’s just a quiet little town! I won't know anyone!”
“Good,” I said, turning toward the door. “You can spend the rest of your life reflecting on what greed costs a man. You have a roof over your head, medical care for your failing body, and three meals a day. That is more than you deserve, and infinitely more than you ever offered anyone else.”
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“Sebastian! Wait! Don't leave me here like this!” Ryan screamed, thrashing against the sheets as nurses rushed into the room.
I didn't look back. I pushed open the door, stepped out into the hallway, and let the heavy metal door close behind me, sealing away the last remnant of my past life.
