Hadley was awoken from a peaceful slumber by a sharp rapping at his bedroom door. He sat up with a start, only to realize that he was not in fact in his bedroom, but at his office desk. He'd fallen asleep over a pile of papers without even realizing it. Shaking off the disorientation from his rude awakening, he realized it was nighttime. It had still been light out last he knew, meaning he must have passed out for a good couple of hours.
"What, what?" he called, getting up with a yawn and walking over to open the door. He didn't even remember locking it. The door-knocker turned out to be his doorman, who he had creatively nicknamed Doorman to avoid having to learn his name.
"There's a messenger at the front door for you, sir," Doorman said, sounding a little grim. "Someone from Mount Earalas Hosptial."
Hadley's brow furrowed, and he wordlessly walked around doorman and down the hall to the front entrance. There stood a frowning woman who wore the type of face clio always wore before sharing very, very bad news. "Mr. Sterling?" she asked. When he nodded, she said, "I'm afraid there's been an accident involving your sister, Solange. She's in the--"
Hadley pushed past the messenger woman, already knowing what she was going to say. Mount Earalas Hospital. It was a mile walk and he wasn't going to waste any time standing there and listening to the messenger talk when he could be getting closer to where his sister was.
An accident. Solange had been out on one of her backpacking trips up the mountain. What could have happened? He knew she faced all sorts of challenges out there when she did this sort of thing. Rough terrain, sheer cliffs, wild animals. Which one had gotten to her? he wondered. What was her condition? He wouldn't know until he got to the hospital. He sped up his pace.
After what seemed like an agonizingly long trip, he finally arrived, striding right up to the front desk past a line of clio already there. "Where's Solange Sterling?" he asked the receptionist.
The receptionist looked up, surprised at his sudden intrusion. "Oh, you--you must be the overloridian--"
"I'm her brother," he cut in sharply. "What room is she in?"
"Ms. Sterling is in surgery right now," the receptionist told him. He felt his stomach drop. Surgery? "But you should know she's in stable condition."
"Why is she in surgery?" he asked, his voice a little louder.
"Well. Here, let me have a doctor come explain it to you," the receptionist said, glancing behind Hadley at the line of now very curious clio behind him.
Within a few minutes, Hadley was sitting off to the side in the waiting room with an ER doctor. Apparently Solange had fallen thirty feet while attempting to scale a cliff, and one of her legs was absolutely crushed. Just beyond saving. The surgery going on right now was to remove what was left of it.
Hadley was far from squeamish, but imagining this happening to his sister was enough to make even him feel sick. In a few hours Solange was going to be waking up from surgery without her leg. Hadley couldn't even imagine what that would be like, waking up suddenly without this integral part of yourself. Your life changed for the worse overnight. Forever.
"With a prosthesis and physical therapy, she'll be able to walk again," the doctor was explaining.
"What about all the stuff she likes?" Hadley asked. "Hiking and climbing? That sort of thing?"
Hadley himself had never understood why Sol chose the hobbies she did, but she was so passionate about them. They were such a part of who she was, he didn't know what she would do if they couldn't be a part of her life anymore.
The doctor was quiet for a moment, which was never a good sign. Finally she said, "A typical prosthesis wouldn't have enough dexterity to allow for those kinds of activities."
Hadley let out a pained sigh and rubbed his face with his hands. However, one little word that the doctor had said suddenly stuck out for him.
A typical prosthesis?
"What about one that wasn't typical?" he asked, suddenly thoughtful.
"I'm afraid I don't understand," the doctor said slowly.
"Nevermind. I'm just thinking out loud," he said. He sat back, forcing the emotions out of his head so that he could let his mind work. "I think I want to be alone now."
The doctor nodded sympathetically. "We'll update you as soon as we can," she said, before getting up and leaving.
Hadley had never been one to do things in a typical way. He did what he wanted, conventions be damned. And right now, what he wanted was to make sure Solange could keep on living the same type of life she'd always led. And he was going to make it happen.
"What, what?" he called, getting up with a yawn and walking over to open the door. He didn't even remember locking it. The door-knocker turned out to be his doorman, who he had creatively nicknamed Doorman to avoid having to learn his name.
"There's a messenger at the front door for you, sir," Doorman said, sounding a little grim. "Someone from Mount Earalas Hosptial."
Hadley's brow furrowed, and he wordlessly walked around doorman and down the hall to the front entrance. There stood a frowning woman who wore the type of face clio always wore before sharing very, very bad news. "Mr. Sterling?" she asked. When he nodded, she said, "I'm afraid there's been an accident involving your sister, Solange. She's in the--"
Hadley pushed past the messenger woman, already knowing what she was going to say. Mount Earalas Hospital. It was a mile walk and he wasn't going to waste any time standing there and listening to the messenger talk when he could be getting closer to where his sister was.
An accident. Solange had been out on one of her backpacking trips up the mountain. What could have happened? He knew she faced all sorts of challenges out there when she did this sort of thing. Rough terrain, sheer cliffs, wild animals. Which one had gotten to her? he wondered. What was her condition? He wouldn't know until he got to the hospital. He sped up his pace.
After what seemed like an agonizingly long trip, he finally arrived, striding right up to the front desk past a line of clio already there. "Where's Solange Sterling?" he asked the receptionist.
The receptionist looked up, surprised at his sudden intrusion. "Oh, you--you must be the overloridian--"
"I'm her brother," he cut in sharply. "What room is she in?"
"Ms. Sterling is in surgery right now," the receptionist told him. He felt his stomach drop. Surgery? "But you should know she's in stable condition."
"Why is she in surgery?" he asked, his voice a little louder.
"Well. Here, let me have a doctor come explain it to you," the receptionist said, glancing behind Hadley at the line of now very curious clio behind him.
Within a few minutes, Hadley was sitting off to the side in the waiting room with an ER doctor. Apparently Solange had fallen thirty feet while attempting to scale a cliff, and one of her legs was absolutely crushed. Just beyond saving. The surgery going on right now was to remove what was left of it.
Hadley was far from squeamish, but imagining this happening to his sister was enough to make even him feel sick. In a few hours Solange was going to be waking up from surgery without her leg. Hadley couldn't even imagine what that would be like, waking up suddenly without this integral part of yourself. Your life changed for the worse overnight. Forever.
"With a prosthesis and physical therapy, she'll be able to walk again," the doctor was explaining.
"What about all the stuff she likes?" Hadley asked. "Hiking and climbing? That sort of thing?"
Hadley himself had never understood why Sol chose the hobbies she did, but she was so passionate about them. They were such a part of who she was, he didn't know what she would do if they couldn't be a part of her life anymore.
The doctor was quiet for a moment, which was never a good sign. Finally she said, "A typical prosthesis wouldn't have enough dexterity to allow for those kinds of activities."
Hadley let out a pained sigh and rubbed his face with his hands. However, one little word that the doctor had said suddenly stuck out for him.
A typical prosthesis?
"What about one that wasn't typical?" he asked, suddenly thoughtful.
"I'm afraid I don't understand," the doctor said slowly.
"Nevermind. I'm just thinking out loud," he said. He sat back, forcing the emotions out of his head so that he could let his mind work. "I think I want to be alone now."
The doctor nodded sympathetically. "We'll update you as soon as we can," she said, before getting up and leaving.
Hadley had never been one to do things in a typical way. He did what he wanted, conventions be damned. And right now, what he wanted was to make sure Solange could keep on living the same type of life she'd always led. And he was going to make it happen.
