I was being irrational

INT. HOSPITAL WARD – NIGHT

The room is quiet, lit softly by the dim glow of the machines beside Harper's bed. The rhythmic beeping of her heart monitor is the only sound. Quincy sits beside her, leaning forward with worry carved into his face, elbows on knees, hands tightly clasped.

The door creaks open. He turns, instantly alert.

Angel enters slowly. Her head is wrapped in a thick bandage. Pale and weak, she drags her IV pole beside her. Her eyes fall on Quincy and Harper.

He scoffs softly, shaking his head.

"You feel better now?"

"Yes Quincy, the doctor said that you searched the whole hospital to get me a blood transfusion." Her voice is faint, almost ashamed.

"Why are they exaggerating? I didn't search anywhere, I just told them to look for it." He looks away, clearly bitter.

"You still saved me anyways. I'm so grateful for that."

"I didn't save you because of you. I just don't want Harper to be sad when she wakes up." His tone is sharp, eyes cold.

"How is she?"

"In the predicament that you left her in."

Angel lowers her eyes, chest rising with guilt.

"I'm sorry Quincy. I didn't mean to harm her."

"But you meant to harm me?" He stands, folding his arms, voice rising with every word.

"I was just trying to protect my sister. Logan lied to me. He told me y'all held my sister hostage and I have to get rid of Harper before he can tell me anything."

"And your senses didn't tell you immediately that Harper is your sister?"

"I was being irrational."

"Or stupid?" Quincy steps closer, face tightening with disbelief. "I can't believe you, Angel! Your sister was Harper and you do not know? You couldn't recognize your own sister? I can understand Harper not recognizing you because you left when she was just 10 years old, but you were already grown up—what happened to your memory?"

"I'm sorry Quincy."

He laughs bitterly, hands on his hips.

"I always thought that you were so smart, but you just proved me wrong! Your sister's name was Harper, they were the same age—but you can't even find any connection with her at all even though she served you for two years. She fought whoever tried to mess with you—but you hated her. You only kept her as your escort because you hated her! When she became a courtesan you hated her more, you implicated her several times and now you wanna kill her."

A soft, weak voice cuts through the air—

"Quincy!" Harper calls out, barely audible.

He spins around.

"Harper! You are awake?"

"Yes."

Quincy immediately rushes to her side, gently helping her sit up. She winces, and he holds her delicately.

"Sorry baby."

Harper's gaze falls on Angel, trailing down to her bandages. Her eyes widen in alarm.

"What happened to you?"

"She got hit by a car."

"What?"

"Yes! While she was running away after shooting you down."

Harper's face contorts with a mixture of confusion, pain, and disbelief.

"Sincere, why did you do this? Why did you turn out this way?"

"Harper!" Angel steps forward, but Harper flinches and leans away from her reach.

"Don't touch me!"

"I'm very sorry, Harper. I never knew it was you."

"Sincere, you left home for 10 years and never came to look for me once."

"Harper, I was taken away! Daddy sold me out to Ross. I was struggling too."

"No! You were not! You definitely don't care about me at all! You were already a courtesan since you turned 20! You have Logan with you, Sincere! You were the best courtesan for the past three years but you never tried to look for me."

"I did that to protect you!"

"You think you were protecting me? You abandoned me! All alone to deal with Philip and his mother! They were treating me like trash in that household! Philip bullies me at every opportunity he gets and they drain my blood for him every time he shuts down. I had to sleep alone, eat alone and cry alone without anyone."

Angel covers her face, tears pouring down.

"I'm so sorry Harper! I didn't mean to! If I had tried to find you then Logan would know about you and use you to threaten me."

"Even if we were to die together, you shouldn't have left me alone! You were my only family, Sincere."

"I didn't abandon you, Harper. I always had you in my mind. I always get anxious thinking about you. I wanted to work so hard and have everything so I could take care of you."

"It doesn't erase the fact that you were a mean person! You are such a bad person, Sincere! Do you know what it took me to terminate your contract from the courtesan house because you were such a pest? A bully! You made life difficult for me and everyone around you! Until your contract was terminated—that was the only time you regretted your bad behavior and decided to look for the sister that you abandoned. Do you feel bad? Treating your only sister this way? Treating me badly and even shooting me down?"

"I have no words."

"Just leave! I don't wanna see you again. You are no longer my family."

"Harper! Please don't do this to me."

"I will! And I'm very serious about this."

"Harper!"

"Angel, please leave. Don't provoke her, she barely survived the gunshot."

"Quincy…"

Without hesitation, he grabs her hand and drags her toward the door.

"Angel, do you have any shame? Do you?"

"I just wanna be with her." Angel sobs.

"After making her go through so much shit? See her wallowing in tears! Because of you she knelt outside for 12 hours being shamed by all! She took poison just to make you go away. Now she's shot by you. Will you still wanna see her if she already died from your gunshot?"

"I'm so sorry."

"Just leave her alone for now. We can discuss this later."

"Quincy…"

"Go back to your ward!"

Angel wipes her tears with the back of her hand, staggering away down the corridor.

Quincy mutters under his breath as she walks off.

"A good sister you are." He scoffs and shakes his head.

Then suddenly—his gaze sharpens. Something shifts in the air. He sees movement in the hallway—suspicious.

"Paige!!" Quincy shouts, he appears immediately drawing his gun.

BANG! A single shot echoes as Paige takes someone down just behind Angel, who screams and ducks instinctively.

The corridor erupts into panic.