Forged accident

Mercy felt the gentle caress of the breeze as she stepped out of the room into the compound. A whirlwind had passed through the dense forest near the hospital, rustling the leaves and sending a refreshing wave of cool air into the compound.

The moment Rita laid eyes on Mercy, her face lit up with a beaming smile. She rushed over and enveloped Mercy in a tight hug, overflowing with warmth and affection.

Mercy, overwhelmed with gratitude, together with Rita, they ventured into the clinical rooms for the care Rita urgently needed, only to find the rooms completely vacant. A patient informed them that Ken and Mike both mentioned heading out for lunch from a nearby restaurant. Mercy doubted their return since they often avoided eating at the staff dining hall to sneak out of the hospital.

Mercy also noticed that Rita seemed hungry and without a second thought, she whisked Rita off to the staff dining hall so they could enjoy a meal together.

Their meal was absolutely fantastic and truly captivating. The succulent grilled salmon fillet they indulged in, accompanied by herb-roasted baby potatoes and sautéed garlic green beans, made them feel like they were dining with the angels in heaven.

Mercy finished her meal before Rita and went out to wash her hands but took a bit longer. Rita eagerly awaited Mercy's return to the dining hall. Little did she know, Mercy had gone off in search of Mike and Ken. When Mercy didn't find any of the two and came back to Rita, she whisked Rita away to the dispensary side. Rita settled back into her seat as Mercy proceeded to enter the room.

But before Mercy entered, she stood by the doorway and said to Rita, "My daughter, I beg you to wait for a few minutes. When I left you in the dining room, I checked in the two clinical rooms and found no one, but they will soon get back. I hope you are feeling better now." 

"Just wait until you hear this," Rita exclaimed with excitement. "I'm feeling amazing, and I can't wait to leave and come back tomorrow."

Mercy, beaming with joy, replied, "I'll make sure you receive a full check-up before you go. I'm so glad to see you at least had something for lunch."

Rita just waved in response and Mercy entered the room with a big smile on her face. Mercy's mood, however, changed before reaching inside the room. Jeering, her lips were pursed, and her face reflected someone crying. 

"What? What again?" Esther asked Mercy as soon as she noticed her expression.

"The devils did it again!" Mercy exclaimed, wiping her face. 

Esther was very eager to know what had happened. "What have the devils done?" She inquired again.

Mercy burst out, "Ken and Mike are not in the hospital now, I went and checked on them twice to help Rita but I didn't find any of them any of the times. What should we do?" 

Esther got overwhelmed with fear as she expressed her discernment, "Oh sorry, I find it complex. It is complicated indeed. Dealing with this issue requires tactful steps, and seems cannot be completed today. These two people have stepped us down with their shoes like black ants under the hooves of a horse without any ability to move a single step. I don't know what we can do."

Mercy nodded and responded sharply "Those people are not two, they are three. Ken, Mike, and even the in-charge, Dr. Lee are clever devils at this hospital. They are indeed very wicked, and we ladies are very vulnerable in their hands. We must have sound minds in whatever interactions we have with them."

"What do you mean by we ladies being vulnerable?" 

"It is quite hard to start speaking about it. Esther, do you remember the time a man came here complaining that Ken was stinking of alcohol and dozing off as he wrote?"

"Yes, I do remember," Esther answered sharply.

"Yeah, I know that is all you are conscious of. You didn't know what happened afterward when I went to report the matter to Dr. Lee."

Esther was showered with wonders. She queerly rolled her eyes as she gazed at Mercy, and with enthusiasm, she asked, "What happened?"

Mercy just responded with a horselaugh and expressed her disbelief with a narration,

"Hmm… When I told him the client's complaint about Ken's behavior, he first behaved so chaotically to me, telling me not to speak more about it.

I turned out to be very serious about the matter and subsequently became uncontrollably wild, and he started calming me down slowly and telling me to leave the matter with him; he would handle it diplomatically.

In the end, I was caught by surprise, he pulled some money from his pocket and tried to give me, but I refused to accept it. Do you know what he did to me?

He smiled at me, rolling his eyes like a suspicious man in love. I was unresponsive and keenly observing his behavior.

He showered me with such beautiful words... you cannot fathom how deeply I adore you. If you agree, you will be the sole person in my heart, the only one I desire. I want to take you away, purchase your dream car, and construct a spectacular residence, even grander than a royal palace that will leave everyone envious. Our home will become a popular tourist destination! I will treat you to luxurious international vacations every month. You will only wear the finest attire fit for royalty. Your meals will be airborne before they even reach you. I have never experienced this level of emotion before. Your radiance has completely transformed my world most extraordinarily...

I believe if I had asked for the keys to all his three cars to accept his proposal, he would have given them to me, but the future would be very dark for me. I was shocked. It was as if I was responsible for him breaking up with his wife. Dr. Lee, of all men? A home with wealth but with no peace is like a prison. I need a peaceful man, whether wealthy or not. 

And when he pushed his hand to grab me, I pushed him together with his seat and he fell helplessly, thereby bruising his face."

Dr.Lee's marriage only lasted ten months. Their breakup was attributed to unresolved issues surrounding the mysterious expenses linked to the 20 USD he had entrusted to his wife for the market expenses. Unfortunately, she couldn't provide a clear account of the funds, leading to irreconcilable differences. 

Two months after Dr. Lee sent his wife away, he bravely returned to their home, hoping to reconcile. To his surprise, he found that she had remarried. Overcome with emotion, he refused to accept the unfortunate reality and also refused to leave before seeing her. However, he cried like a child when he was given a photo taken during the marriage ceremony, and he was eventually escorted away but with a few canes. Since then, he failed to get another woman.

Esther couldn't stop laughing for quite some time. Hearing about Dr. Lee's fictitious accident knocked her socks off. She responded with enthusiasm, "Wow! So, Mercy, you're the accident Dr. Lee has been telling us about?"

Mercy was taken by surprise and couldn't resist asking, "Which accident are you talking about?" She hadn't heard anything about an accident involving Dr. Lee that had any connection to her before.

Esther's response was unexpected. "Well, Dr. Lee has been sharing that he was in a minor car accident that left him with a not-so-beautiful face! Whatever is done in the dark will always come to light. So, are you the real accident?"

Mercy proclaimed, "Forged accident! Esther, he was lucky that I didn't confront him for speaking such nonsense. I believe he would have learned the inner strength of a woman like me! Only then would he understand that maize flour comes from maize grains."

Dr.Lee didn't take any action on the matter. The speculation about Ken bribing Dr. Lee was the talk of the hospital. The rumors were validated when a lab employee eavesdropped on Dr. Lee and Ken conversing behind the lab. They were bargaining over the size of a potato as a requirement for Ken to remain at the facility with limited alcohol consumption. Ultimately, they settled on a payment of 10 USD per day, regardless of Ken's sobriety.

After the incident, Mercy was walking in the compound and found the lab attendant telling a friend how he recorded their discussions. He played the audio to them for a while, and Mercy also told them of her encounter with Dr. Lee.

"So, shall we proceed?" Esther inquired.

"Definitely! We shall take legal measures. Evidence for all his acts is available. The lab attendant recorded Dr. Lee's discussion with Ken over his pay, and me too, my record is in audio. Dr. Lee couldn't be sensible enough when he saw me put my phone on his table by the time a negotiation was tending towards a disagreement and hostility. It was set to record our interaction for future reference."

Esther was so amused. She opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't. Her mouth froze, and she just continued smiling silently as she gazed at Mercy. Mercy however discovered, "Well, I see you have something you want to say, speak it out!"

Esther faltered at first, speaking something that only she could understand. Later on, she became comprehendible, "I-I don't think I will risk losing my job as I had thought. With all these solid shreds of evidence you talked of, no more worry should overwhelm me. The two will reap what they sow together when their forty days culminate. What of the third devil? What do you know about him?"

Without reacting to the question, Mercy rose to her feet. Appearing tired and exhausted, she stretched for a while, and then moved and stood by the door for about two minutes, looking outside and enjoying the fresh air that was being drawn into the room from the environment.

She came back to her seat looking a bit confused. What did she see in the compound that confused her?

"Esther, the patients are returning. What do you think could have gone amiss?" Mercy inquired upon sitting down.

Esther quickly glanced through the window and whispered, "I can't tell what's wrong. Maybe even the third person is also heavily intoxicated today. He arrived late, at 10:00 am. But he's not always like this. What bothers people most is that he acts as Dr. Lee's informant. So, it's important to be cautious when discussing anything related to Dr. Lee in his presence, as Dr. Lee compensates him for his work."

"Wow," Mercy exclaimed, "Dr. Lee pays him to be his eyes and ears? I had no idea! I'm shocked to hear that. I always thought he was just a moderate drinker, but lately, he's been stepping it up. I bet he's going to become the ultimate drinking champion in no time!"

Mercy peaked her voice as she spoke. This instigated a lot of fear in Esther and subsequently made her feel embarrassed. "Mercy, please reduce your voice. What if he is standing by the window and hearing whatever we are discussing here? Don't you think he can modify what we are saying and slander us to suit his pay from Dr. Lee?"

"Well, I don't care about that. It will be so great if he is to slander me therefore because by that, I shall be actively participating in feeding his family."

This time Mercy's voice was even louder. Esther rose to her feet and started speaking as she advanced towards the door. Almost shivering, she opened the door at once.

"What is it? Esther, hold on, please. Where are you heading to?" Mercy shouted, but Esther just jerked forward to exit the room. Then she turned about and frowned at Mercy with a scary and shocking unpleasant countenance.

Mercy automatically realized her fault and spoke in a voice as low as that used by people searching for a thief in a thick forest.

"Please, come back and we see what we should do for this child."

Esther seemed unwilling to return to Mercy. She turned and faced where Mercy was with a scatty stare. Suddenly, she spoke miserably with a palm on her cheek. 

"There is nothing else we can do all right for this child apart from sending her to be re-examined by Mike. Consider this very young and bright child being your own biological, and you find such information written in her book, how would you feel after looking at such a rough-and-tumble but also despicable work of a medical worker? To be sure, you will be chivvied beyond a reasonable doubt every time you look at the child and then the book."

"You are extremely right." Mercy ticked in the air with a pen she was holding in her hand and glanced at Esther. "We being mere pharmacists, can only work within our limits. Remember that beyond giving out recommended drugs, we shall be indulging in another vile act that can be punishable by law if things go astray. So, Esther, go and check if Mike is around so that we can send her there or else she will have to return to Ken so that he can recommend a laboratory test."

Even before Mercy was done speaking, Esther was already holding the door to open it. "Well, that is a great suggestion. Let me go and check on him," she said opening the door spiritedly and exiting the room.