"Does this have something to do with Debra?" Kale was puzzled.
Drake turned to leave without answering. He simply ordered, "Clean up the scene. Lock them up and interrogate them. If they won't talk, just deal with them."
...
Outside the Jovial Hotel, Juan hobbled along, dragging his injured leg. Blood trailed behind him, leaving a winding path to the apartment building across the street.
Inside the apartment, William had dozed off while waiting.
A sudden noise from the door woke him up. He jumped off the couch and rushed over, only to see Juan collapse at the entrance.
"My God, how did you lose so much blood again?" he muttered, helping Juan up.
Being a doctor wasn't easy. He had been flying all over the world to work at multiple sites. Treating the wealthy was highly remunerative, but it was exhausting.
"Let me check your wounds."
"It's a knife wound."
William lifted Juan's pants leg. His thigh was covered in blood, and the leg he used to walk on had a prosthetic. The area around the prosthetic's joint was swollen, and blood had begun to drip.
"Did you run here?"
"Yeah."
"You got into a fight?"
Juan didn't reply.
"You used your leg to fight?"
Juan remained silent.
"Your leg got shot overseas, and you dragged the treatment on for too long. Sure, it was ruined, but it didn't have to be amputated. Why did you make that choice? You could've just kept the leg, even if it wasn't pretty. You care too much about your image."
Juan didn't have the energy to argue. The reason he had amputated the leg was that he still had a lot of work to do. He needed to walk normally, and only a prosthetic could make that possible.
But on a deeper level, it was a way to punish himself. The prosthetic would help him walk like a normal person, but the wear and tear on his bones was immense.
He accepted it all because he knew it was nothing compared to what Debra had endured.
He said, "Disinfect it and apply some medicine. I need to go back to Seamar City in a couple of days."
"That is impossible." William shook his head. "You'll need at least two weeks to recover. I'm not joking. You already pushed your luck coming to Orkgate to congratulate Debra on her marriage."
"I'll pay more."
"Seven days. Give me seven days."
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