All Chapters of Not My Patient: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

At six-thirty that evening, I came back from campus still wearing the white coat I hadn't had time to take off after my afternoon clinical rotation.I carried takeout toward my apartment building and noticed a group of older residents gathered beneath the courtyard gazebo.My neighbor, Gloria Vance, sat among them with one arm around a thin little boy. She was complaining, "My grandson only just came to live with me. He's had diarrhea for days and barely eats. I'm worried sick."Someone noticed me passing and called casually, "Miles, you're back. I heard you go to Bellmont University. You're studying medicine, right?"I stopped and answered politely, "Yes, ma'am."Gloria's eyes lit up immediately.She set the boy beside her, hurried over, studied me from head to toe, and stared at my white coat before grinning. "Medicine? Perfect. Come examine my grandson."She grabbed my wrist with surprising strength, digging her nails into my skin.I frowned and pulled free. "Mrs. Vance, ple

Chapter 2

That night, after I finished showering and checked my phone, I found the residents' group chat in chaos.Gloria had posted a long voice message, choking back theatrical sobs."I'm just an old woman who came to the city with my grandson. We don't know anyone, and I can't afford a hospital. The medical student next door wouldn't even look at my sick grandson. When did people get so cold-hearted?"A second message followed right after."I get it. He's a university student, and people like us are poor. He studies fancy, important things. Why would lives like ours be worth his time?"Several neighbors who knew nothing about the situation had already joined in."He couldn't spare five minutes?""Young people are so selfish these days.""I heard he studies medicine. He's got no ethics at all.""Someone like that should be kicked out of school before he hurts anybody."I stared at the screen, shaking with anger.I'd barely started typing an explanation when someone removed me from t

Chapter 3

While everyone piled on, I crouched down until I was level with Gloria's eyes."Mrs. Vance, I've explained this clearly. I'm not refusing because I don't care. I genuinely can't treat your grandson. Take him to the Bellmont Community Health Center. A basic visit costs far less than letting him get worse out here."Gloria looked up with reddened eyes."Far less?" Her voice trembled. "Easy for you to say. I'm from a rural town, I've got no pension, and I don't have money for a clinic."Someone nearby murmured, "The community health center does have a reduced-fee program."Gloria whipped around and glared until the speaker fell silent.Then she softened her voice and turned back to me. "Please, just take pity on an old woman. All I need is for you to look at him and suggest some medicine. I'll take all the responsibility if anything happens.""Mrs. Vance, responsibility isn't the issue...""Then what is?" she cut in, suddenly raising her voice. "You just don't want to help. You de

Chapter 4

I was sound asleep when pounding on my door jolted me awake in the middle of the night.I climbed out of bed half-awake and heard Gloria shouting from the hallway."Miles Douglas! Open the door! Save my grandson!"Irritation flared up in me immediately.Wasn't making a scene all day enough for her?I threw on a jacket and looked through the peephole.Gloria stood outside in wrinkled pajamas with a coat thrown carelessly over them. Her hair was tangled.The thin boy lay in her arms, wrapped in a light blanket with only his pale little face showing.Gloria's eyes and nose were red, and she looked worn out and disheveled.After hesitating a couple of seconds, I opened the door anyway."Mrs. Vance, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"The moment she saw me, the tears came. "Miles, I've got no other choice. Eli's spiking a fever again, and he's burning up. I've got no medicine at home, and every pharmacy's closed. Please, help me."She pushed the child closer.T

Chapter 5

I came back to the doorway with my wallet but didn't hand her the money right away."Mrs. Vance, I need to ask you something."Gloria paused, and suspicion flickered in her eyes. "What?""Is this child really your grandson?"Her expression froze.Her mouth opened, but after just two seconds she rearranged her face into wounded disbelief. "Miles, what are you accusing me of? If he weren't my grandson, why would I be carrying him around at midnight? What would I get out of it?""I'm asking because the neighborhood-services coordinator says you live alone and have no son on record."Gloria's face changed.Her eyes darted away. She lowered her head and spoke through tears. "I got divorced years ago. My son went with his father. He had this boy with some woman who abandoned them, so the child got left with me."The explanation sounded plausible enough, but there was panic trembling under her words."Then why wouldn't you take him to a clinic during the day?""I already told you.

Chapter 6

Before Jenna got back to me, Gloria was already stirring up more trouble.Early that weekend morning, shouting and crying broke out in the hallway outside my apartment.A sense of dread rose in me.I threw on my jacket and stepped out.Gloria was sitting outside my door holding the child, surrounded by at least twenty people.The boy's face was colorless, his lips were blue, and his eyes were barely open.Gloria's piercing wails carried through the whole building."My grandson! Eli, open your eyes and look at Grandma! You were fine last night. How could you end up like this overnight?"My chest tightened.Last night?Hadn't I given her forty dollars and told her to take him to the ER?The second Gloria saw me, she jumped up and rushed over with the child."Miles Douglas! You've got the nerve to show your face? Look what you've done!"Her accusation stunned me. "What did I do?""Don't play innocent." Gloria's voice got even louder. "I brought Eli to you last night. After y

Chapter 7

Gloria's face changed in an instant.She waved both hands in a panic. "No, no, no. Don't call the police. I don't want to blow this up any bigger than it needs to be."We're all neighbors here, and I don't want to leave a black mark on his future. If he just pays some compensation, I'll let the whole thing go."A chill ran through me as I looked at her.So this was what she'd been after all along."How much?" My voice stayed calm."Three thousand dollars." Gloria said it like the demand was perfectly reasonable. "Pay three thousand, and I won't take this any further."Three thousand dollars.I couldn't help letting out a laugh."Mrs. Vance, you came to my door last night saying your grandson had a fever and asking me to look at him. I told you I couldn't treat him and gave you forty dollars to take him to the ER. You took the money and left. I never gave that child a single pill. And now you're turning it around, saying I poisoned him, and demanding three thousand dollars?"G

Chapter 8

When Gloria realized the crowd was turning against her, she switched tactics.She threw herself down and started pounding the pavement with her fist, again and again."I don't want to live! You're all trying to drive me to my death! You think it's easy for a lonely old woman to raise a grandson? He's questioning whether the boy's even mine—he just doesn't want to pay up, so he's changing the subject!"She struck the ground hard enough to scrape her knuckles raw.Someone couldn't watch anymore and moved to pull her back. "Ma'am, don't do this. We can talk it out."Gloria shook the person off and wailed even louder. "I won't get up! Somebody's about to kill my grandson!"Right when Gloria was at her loudest, an ambulance pulled up outside Cedar Grove Residences.That's right—I'd already called 911.A doctor strode over, pushed through the crowd, and crouched down."Move aside, please. I'm a doctor."When Gloria heard someone claim to be a doctor, she froze for a second, then cl

Chapter 9

Gloria's eyes darted wildly, and her lips trembled without an answer coming out.In the middle of the standoff, a police cruiser came screaming up.Gloria tried to run, but I caught her arm before she could get away.Three Bellmont police officers came over. The one leading them was the middle-aged lead investigator, Detective Marcus Reed—Jenna's supervisor.Jenna came in behind him and gave me a reassuring look.She must have confirmed Gloria was the one behind the missing child and come straight to the scene before she even had a chance to text me back."Which one of you is Gloria Vance?"I pointed at the woman trying to slip away. "That's her, officer. I think she abducted this child."A gasp went through the crowd.The doctor spoke up too. "I'm an emergency physician at St. Alder Medical Center. This child appears to have suffered prolonged abuse, and right now he's showing signs of drug poisoning. He needs to be hospitalized immediately."Detective Reed glanced at the ch

Chapter 10

In the next interview room, Gloria was crying her eyes out."Detective, I swear I'm innocent! I just love my grandson and wanted to get him treated. He was sick, and I panicked!"Detective Reed pushed open the door, sat down across from her, and watched her without any expression."You're telling me this child is your biological grandson, correct?""Yes, yes, he's my own flesh and blood!""All right, then." Detective Reed took out a report and slid it across to her. "Then how do you explain this kinship test?"Gloria's hand froze in midair.She looked like she'd just seen a ghost."I... I found him."He was born unable to speak, his parents threw him away, and I took him in out of the goodness of my heart. I'm really not a kidnapper."Detective Reed set the paper down, his eyes going cold."Gloria Vance, you're still lying. We already traced this child's disappearance back to you."Gloria's lips trembled, and she couldn't say another word.In the end, the police establishe

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