Pools of Blood

Chapter 8

" What are you saying? It's impossible!", I stammered in disbelief. Jasmine scoffed at me.

-" Yes. It's true."

-" But how can that be true? The man who was arrested for the murder and robbery confessed his crime. He is probably rotting in jail."

-"Michael, this case is way deeper than you imagine."

My face went pale with shock. I felt as if Gods were mocking upon me. They were hurling one shock after another. Everything was connected. But how?

-"Jasmine, I want to know everything. From the very beginning. How it began and all."

She nodded. Closing her eyes, she leaned on the bedpost and began.

" I was sent to Paris for an exchange program from the hospital. It was for two months. One day while going to my Med class, I saw a man on the road running after a much burly tall man. He caught hold of him and started to beat. I heard each hit as it landed, saw blood and cracked bones, felt the impact of fists and feet and knees and elbows. The younger man was a hero in a black suit. How dashing he looked! He whirled, kicked, and butted, and with each punch, the burly man crumpled in pain. My driver suddenly saw a clear lane and brought me to my hospital. I couldn’t see what happened to those two men after that.

I was already late for my class. On arriving, the professor didn’t allow me to enter. Instead, he sent me to check new patients and collect new reports. I was fuming in anger. It was all that man’s fault. He and his fights stopped the traffic and I got late. As I was on my way to the ward, suddenly someone called me from behind. I turned around to find the same young man who was showing off his skills on the road and caused me late. On this stretcher beside him, laid that giant whom he was whacking on the street.

" Doctor. Please treat my friend here." He came and requested. He had a slight bruise on his cheek.

 I was so angry with him that I blurted out, " Who the hell do you think you are? First, you fight with people on road and then you bring them here for treatment. On top of that, you interrupt with traffic and you got me late for class."

I was panting for breath. My eyes must have flashed anger. He looked amazed and spellbound by my speech.

"Please", he said again. There was no tone of urgency in his voice. It was more of a casual request as if he didn’t care if the man lived or died. I was still angry. He could have said a sorry. But there he stood like a tower with his ego as a halo.

-" I am not going to help you. Find someone else.", saying that I was about to turn and leave when he caught hold of my hand.

"Please Doctor. You should help a man in need. Shouldn’t you? What was that oath which you guys take before becoming doctors."

-"Huh." I snorted. "Fine bring the patient to the ward. I will see what I can do. Why do you fight when you have to pay for his treatment later?"

He simply smiled at me. He looked like a Hollywood Asian hero with sunglasses, black pants, and a white shirt with top buttons opened. The man who was beaten had multiple fractures and broken ribs. A shoulder had dislocated and there was a black eye. How could someone beat like this, I wondered while plastering his body. The irritatingly handsome man was standing alone, in a corner watching me doing my work. As I was about to leave the chamber, a young man with a child on his shoulder arrived searching for him. He went straight towards him and thanked him heartily. I was curious to know the reason for his doing so, so I went towards them and asked.

"My boy was kidnapped a few days ago. The kidnappers demanded a million euros. Despite paying the ransom, they didn’t return our child. So we contacted Interpol. They sent their best CIA and we got back our son."

 Then looking at him, the man continued," Nobody could do what you have done. You risked your life and exposed the whole clan. Thank you."

The man smiled. He knelt and kissed the child on his forehead and said, "It's my duty. No worries. Go home. Your son needs rest." He bowed and went away. So he was a CIA, a policeman. That explained a lot, I thought. 

He looked at me and said, "This guy here is the leader of the gang. He was fleeing and what you saw there on the road was to stop him. I would have killed him, but death is a boon for criminals like him. I want him to suffer. So after his statement he would go to jail and spend eternity there", saying this he handcuffed the criminal with the bedpost.

" Oh, I see!", I was tongue-tied. I felt my face burning in shame. I said so many rude words to him without even trying to know the story.

"I apologize for making you late for class."

 I blushed.

-"We can apologize to each other over a cup of coffee."

He smiled and nodded.

"By the way, I am Jasmine Parker."

He shook my hand and smiled.

"Wang. Alfred Wang."