Surrogate for My Brother-in-law - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Ethan pulled me around beside him instead of behind him, and wrapped an arm over my shoulder.
“You've met Dr. Angel before,” he said.
“Doctor Angel?” Leo questioned. He blinked. “Oh, your latest lover. I thought it was just a pet name.”
“Nah, just my little joke.” Ethan chuckled and gave my shoulders a soft hug. “She works at my hospital, as a healer.”
“Oh, that's nice, but why are you here?” Leo asked. “And why exactly is she with you?”
“Well, you see we're here to check on the patients,” Ethan said. “Dr. Angel and I have heard some disturbing rumors about this place.”
“Rumors?” Eva asked. “Who's saying bad things about m- about this facility?”
I wondered what she'd been about to say.
“I'm not sure, that's how rumors work, Luna,” Ethan said with a charming smile. “I thought I should check into it personally, and I am glad I did.”
“Why?” Leo asked. “What have you seen?”
“Neglect, mostly,” Ethan said. “There is one nurse on duty, doubling as a receptionist. There's one janitor for the entire facility.”
Dr. Farron spoke up, stuttering slightly. He was visibly nervous speaking to two alphas.
“We are understaffed, Alphas, but you must understand it's not by choice! Manpower has been at a premium since the Rogue attacks. Medical staff mostly go to the bigger hospitals.”
“Hm,” Leo said. “I can understand that.”
“What about training non medical staff in house?” Ethan suggested.
“Training? We don't have the resources for that!” Dr. Farron protested.
“You could hire cleaning staff from the manors,” I pointed out. “They're already used to cleaning for large groups, and many would be happy either for a change of environment or a chance to pick up extra money part time.”
Dr. Farron blinked. “I hadn't thought of that.”
“You have to think outside the box sometimes,” Ethan said.
Leo nodded.
Eva crossed her arms. I could tell she was getting more and more upset. I shifted my position just a little more behind Ethan.
“I-if we had more funding, maybe those options would be viable,” Dr. Farron said, “but as it is we just have to make do with what we have.”
“That's why I thought you should invest here,” Eva piped up, wrapping both her hands around Leo's arm and leaning into his side.
“Hm. Perhaps an inspection tour is in order,” Leo said. “Ethan, would you and Dr. Angel like to join us?”
“Certainly,” Ethan agreed before I could say anything.
I wanted to smack him. The more time I spent around Eva and Leo, the more likely they were to realize who I really was.
“A t-tour?” Dr. Farron stuttered.
“Yes,” Leo said. “A tour.”
“Right now? With no prior warning?” Dr. Farron whimpered.
“Think of it as a surprise inspection,” Ethan said. “Because it is.”
“Now, really, is all of this necessary?” Eva asked. “I'm sure Dr. Farron is a very busy man.”
“Oh, that's all right,” Ethan said. “We can take a self guided tour. Or one of the staff can show us around.”
“No!” Dr. Farron protested immediately, then, in a softer voice, “I mean, Alphas, Luna, Doctor, that I would be honored to give you a tour. My duties can be put aside for a short time.”
“There we go, then,” Ethan said.
No one in the tour group was happy. I was nervous about Eva and Leo looking too closely at me. Ethan was unhappy about the conditions in the facility. Leo had apparently expected the place to be very different based on whatever Eva had told him. Eva was angry but I didn't know exactly why.
“So how long has this facility been in operation?” Leo asked as the tour began.
“Roughly ten years, Alpha. We opened to provide long term care for the most injured members of our packs,” Dr. Farron answered.
“That's quite admirable,” Leo said.
“We like to think so,” Dr. Farron said.
He preened a little at Leo's praise and puffed up as he showed us the sanatorium's various amenities. On the surface of it, the place did look very nice.
But I found myself agreeing more and more with Ethan's misgivings. The workload on the staff didn't seem so bad to me, but his concern was genuine. Was this place really too big for one janitor?
I cleaned at least as much as he did on a daily basis on top of my other chores. The sanatorium was not much bigger than the manor, and had far fewer occupants at the moment. But then, it was housing two packs.
“How many patients are there?” I asked.
“Oh, well, we currently have about fifty long term patients, and half that many temporary residents that we are optimistic will be able to return home within a few months,” Dr. Farron said. “We have an excellent physical rehabilitation program. Would you like to see?”
“Yes, please,” Leo said. “That would be helpful.”
Dr. Farron showed us the gymnasium. He explained that nurses would help patients relearn how to stand, walk, and perform other daily tasks. The equipment looked worn but sturdy.
Leo questioned the nurse's methods and the patient's rehabilitation schedule. Ethan questioned the staff's experience and training. I realized it was odd for a “doctor” to have no questions and asked about emergency care in the case of a patient injury.
Dr. Farron's answers were hesitant and uncertain. I had all of my medical knowledge from bitter experience and old texts. Yet I was confident I could give more coherent answers.
“You're all being far too critical,” Eva said. “This is a wonderful facility. They just need a little more funding to deal with the manpower situation.”
“Yes, precisely,” Dr. Farron agreed.
“See?” Eva simpered up at Leo. “I bet with your backing, this would be the best sanatorium in the province.”
“I don't know,” Leo said. “I agree that we need more medical facilities, yes, but I'm not comfortable investing without a lot more background.”
“We definitely need a look at the financial records,” Ethan agreed.
“Why would you need to do that?” Eva asked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot in annoyance.
Before anyone could answer her, there was an ear piercing scream from somewhere deeper in the sanatorium. Leo and Ethan took off towards the sound at a dead run. I followed close. Eva and Dr. Farron followed much more hesitantly.
In one of the long term wards, a patient was struggling between two nurses. His eyes were wide and he strained against their hold. He screamed again when he saw the approaching alphas and dropped his weight to the ground.
The nurses lost their grip and the patient scrambled back against the nearest wall. It was obvious he was terrified. I saw one of the nurses reach for a pair of handcuffs. They weren't proper medical restraints at all; they were just reinforced steel.
Surely they didn't intend to use those on the poor man?
I rushed forward and grabbed the nurse's wrist. I couldn't just stand by and watch this happen.
“What do you think you're doing?” I demanded.