บททั้งหมดของ My Father Chose the Killer: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 9

The young nurse wiped the sweat from my forehead. Tension crept into her expression, but she steadied herself and told me not to worry.She said Leonard was the best cardiothoracic specialist in the country, that he had pulled patients back from the brink of death more times than anyone could count. She told me to hold on just a little longer.I thought about what had happened in the corridor. Nothing stirred inside me.The monitors beside me began to shriek."When's the deputy chief getting here? The patient's vitals are dropping!"Dr. Hendricks' voice was tight with urgency as he shone a penlight into my eyes with unsteady hands. My pupils were already starting to dilate.The operating room doors opened. The nurse who had gone to find Leonard came running back, drenched in sweat. "Dr. Hendricks, Dr. Whitaker left right after his surgery. Word is he went out to buy daily supplies for the convict."She caught her breath. "And his phone's been busy this whole time. We can't get t

I ignored Leonard's polished excuses and watched in silence as he ladled out the chicken noodle soup. The rich smell of meat filled the room, but my stomach turned.In all my years of knowing him, Leonard had never once cooked. He was a doctor and the deputy chief of a military hospital. His days were consumed by work. We rarely even sat down for a meal together.Hence, when he brought the spoon to my lips, I turned my face away."I don't want it."Leonard paused. He set the bowl on the table and let out a long sigh.I thought he was going to leave. Instead, he placed a document in my lap."I promise I'll take care of you and your mother from now on. You're still young. Once you graduate from the academy, I'll use every connection I have to make sure you have a real future."He lowered himself until his eyes were level with mine. "Keith, Damien is the only child I'll ever have. I can't just watch him get sentenced to death. I know you have evidence against him. I'm not asking yo

Until that moment, no one had known about the connection between Leonard and Damien. All they knew was that Keith Holloway was Leonard Whitaker's son.Now that Mom had said it out loud, the color drained from every face in the room."What? The killer is Dr. Whitaker's biological son? If that's true, then it all makes sense. No wonder he insisted on saving the convict first. Even so, you can't just throw someone else's life away like that!""Keith's lucky to be alive. If he'd actually died, they would've gotten away with the whole thing. Officers, arrest him! A man like that has no business working in a hospital!""Exactly! What kind of father does something like that? I've truly seen it all now."The crowd's outrage showed no sign of dying down. Leonard stood with his head bowed, his expression hidden from everyone in the room.It did not take long for the police to catch Damien trying to slip out through the hospital's back exit. He was convinced that Leonard and I had conspired

As he spoke, Damien pulled out a canister of gasoline he had prepared in advance and doused the doorway. The sharp, acrid smell seeped through the cracks.My jaw tightened. He was planning to burn us alive.I turned and untied Mom, then tried the window. It was no use. We were on the 23rd floor. Going out that way would kill us just as fast.I went back to the door and threw my full weight against it, trying to kick it open."Damien, are you really going to keep making things worse? Turn yourself in with me right now and there's still room to negotiate. I'll testify on your behalf and push for a lighter sentence."If you actually start this fire, it's over. There's no coming back from it. Your father was willing to throw away his entire career to save you. Doesn't your own life mean anything to you?"Nothing I said made a difference. He scoffed."Don't bring that man up around me. I never asked him to save me. Does he think I'm supposed to be grateful just because he covered up