No Longer A Nobody

Chapter 2

"But I already paid the deposit!" Novan's voice cracked with desperation. "You said we could begin treatment once…”

"Policies changed." Dr. Edmund Voss cut him off with a sharp, dismissive wave. His lips curled into a sneer that made Novan's stomach turn. "Full payment upfront right now. Not tomorrow. Not next week, now.”

The words hit like a slap. Novan's mind raced, this wasn't hospital policy. This was Grandma Rocks' doing.

 She'd made one phone call, and suddenly the rules had changed. The deposit he'd scraped together working three jobs for six months? Everything had become worthless in the face of power.

"That's not…" Novan started.

"Not what?" Dr. Voss stepped closer, his expensive cologne mixing with the sterile hospital smell. "Not fair? Life isn't fair, *boy*." He said the last word like it tasted bitter. "Especially not for people like you."

A small crowd had already gathered, nurses, visitors, even a few patients in wheelchairs. The commotion was too juicy to ignore.

Dr. Voss raised his voice, playing to his audience. "Aren't you that useless son-in-law? The Rocks family's pet project?" He laughed, sharp and cruel. "Why don't you go beg them for money like you always do? Oh wait," He snapped his fingers in mock realization. "They don't want you anymore, do they?"

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

"He's not just leeching off the Rocks family," a nurse whispered loudly. "Now he wants to leech off the hospital too!"

"What a parasite!"

"People like him shouldn't exist. Just draining resources from actual hardworking people."

The words stabbed at Novan from every direction. He knew the truth,the hospital policy hadn't changed for anyone else. Just him. But no one would side with him. He was the useless son-in-law, the man who'd somehow tricked the beautiful Alexia Rocks into marriage. They were jealous, vindictive, and loving every second of his suffering.

Dr. Voss straightened his white coat, practically glowing with self-importance.

 "You know what your problem is, Novan? You think the world owes you something. You think because you have a dying sister, everyone should bend over backward to accommodate your poverty."

Novan's fists clenched. "I can pay, I just need time..”

"Time?" Dr. Voss threw his head back and laughed. "Time is money, and you have neither!" He snapped his fingers. "Security!"

Four guards materialized, their faces hard and unsympathetic.

"Ward 24," Dr. Voss ordered, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Remove the patient. Toss her out on the street where she belongs."

The blood drained from Novan's face. "No, you can't…”

"Can't?" Dr. Voss's smile was poisonous. "Watch me."

The guards moved past Novan like he was invisible. He tried to block them, but one shoved him aside effortlessly. His shoulder slammed into the wall, pain shooting down his arm.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted, but his voice was lost in the crowd's jeering.

"Look at him! Can't even afford his sister's treatment!"

"Bet he'll run back to Grandma Rocks and kiss her feet!"

"I heard his wife doesn't even let him sleep in the same room. Makes him sleep in the servant's quarters!"

Each word was a dagger. Each laugh twisted it deeper.

They wheeled Olivia out on a stretcher. Her face was paper-white, her lips cracked and bleeding. The IV had been ripped from her arm, leaving a trickle of blood on the sheets. Her eyes were half-closed, but she was conscious enough to see him.

"Novan..." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Something broke inside him. Rage. Helplessness. Shame. All of it collided in his chest until he couldn't breathe.

"Please!" He grabbed Dr. Voss's coat. "Please, just give me two days.”

Dr. Voss recoiled like Novan had contaminated him. "Get your filthy hands off me!" He shoved Novan backward. "You think begging will work? You think your pathetic tears mean anything?"

The security guards grabbed Novan by both arms, their grips bruising.

"Maybe if you had actual connections," Dr. Voss continued, smoothing his coat with exaggerated disgust, "maybe if you were someone who mattered, things would be different. But you're nothing. A bottom-feeder. The kind of person who gets walked over and forgotten."

He turned to the guards. "Take both of them out. And if he comes back without the full million, call the police. We'll have him arrested for trespassing."

The crowd murmured their approval.

"Finally! Someone's putting him in his place!"

"About time trash got taken out!"

The guards dragged Novan toward the exit. Olivia's stretcher rattled beside him. His vision blurred, whether from rage or painfulemotions, he couldn't tell.

Then the hospital doors burst open.

A man strode in, and the temperature in the hallway seemed to drop ten degrees.

He wore a black suit that fit like it had been tailored by gods. His shoes clicked against the linoleum with perfect precision. His face was calm, almost expressionless, but his eyes, his eyes held something dangerous.

"Stop," the man said.

One word. But it sliced through the noise like a blade.

The guards hesitated. Even Dr. Voss paused mid-gesture.

"You cannot remove her," the man continued, his voice steady and cold. "Release them. Now."

For a moment, no one moved. The man's presence was suffocating, an invisible pressure that made people want to step back without understanding why.

Dr. Voss blinked, confusion flickering across his face. He looked at Novan, weak, poor, powerless Novan, and then at this stranger who radiated authority.

Then Dr. Voss laughed.

It started as a chuckle, then exploded into full-blown laughter. He doubled over, clutching his stomach. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

"Oh—oh my God!" He wheezed. "This is the best you could come up with? This?" He pointed at the man, still laughing. "You hired some actor? Spent your last few dollars on a suit and a confident walk?"

The crowd caught on and erupted in laughter.

"He really thought this would work!"

"What's next? Is he going to claim this guy is royalty?"

"I can't breathe, this is too good!"

Dr. Voss wiped his eyes, his arrogance reaching new heights. "Let me explain something to you, Mr. Nothingness." He stepped forward, jabbing a finger at Novan. 

"You are poor. You are useless. You are nothing The most powerful connection you could possibly have is another homeless bum on the street."

He turned to the stranger. "And you? Nice suit. Good posture. But I've seen street performers with better acts."

The man didn't react. His face remained perfectly calm.

"Don't make me repeat myself," the man said again, his voice dropping an octave.

Another wave of laughter tore right through the halls.

"He's still going!" someone cackled.

"Give him an Oscar!"

"I can't wait to see him get dragged out too!"

Dr. Voss crossed his arms, his smirk widening. "You know what? I'll play along. Since we're all acting now," He spread his hands theatrically. "Who exactly do you think you are to give me orders? Hmm? The mayor? The governor? God himself?"

The stranger's eyes locked onto Dr. Voss. "The owner of this hospital."

The silence was deafening. 

Then the laughter returned, louder than before. People were practically rolling on the floor.

"THE OWNER!"

"Oh my GOD, he said he's the owner!"

"Does he think we're idiots?"

"Is he suggesting he's the Mayor?”

Dr. Voss laughed so hard he had to lean against the wall for support. "The owner? THE OWNER?" He straightened, his face red with mirth. "You do know this hospital is owned by Mayor Alden Cross, right? The newly appointed Mayor who hasn't even made a public appearance yet?"

The crowd's laughter faded into shocked whispers.

"The Mayor owns this hospital?"

"I didn't know that..."

Dr. Voss's chest puffed up with pride. "Oh yes. And let me tell you something else." He stepped closer to the stranger, his voice loud and boastful. "I know the Mayor personally. We've had private meetings. We eat from the same plates. I have his direct line in my phone."

Gasps echoed through the hallway.

"He knows the Mayor?"

"Oh my God, Dr. Voss is connected!"

"He's way more powerful than we thought!"

Dr. Voss soaked in the attention like a sponge. "I'm not just some hospital doctor. I'm friends with the most powerful man in this city. So you," He jabbed his finger into the stranger's chest.

 "Thinking you can waltz in here and impersonate him? That's not just insulting to me. It's insulting to Mayor Cross himself."

The crowd murmured their agreement, their gazes turning hostile toward the stranger.

"That's actually disgusting."

"Impersonating the Mayor? That's got to be illegal."

"Someone should call the police!"

Dr. Voss snapped his fingers, and more security guards appeared, surrounding both the stranger and Novan.

"You know what? I'm feeling generous." Dr. Voss's smile was cruel. "I was going to just throw you out. But now? Now I'm having you arrested. Both of you. Trespassing. Fraud. Impersonation of a public official." He leaned in close to the stranger. "The court is going to have a wonderful time with you."

The guards closed in, hands reaching for the stranger's arms.

"Grab them.”

"STOP!"

The voice boomed through the hallway like thunder.

Everyone froze.

The hospital's main doors swung open, and Director Richard Cole stormed in. His face was pale, his eyes wide with panic. His expensive suit was rumpled, his hair disheveled like he'd been running.

Dr. Voss's face lit up. This was his moment. The Director himself was here, he could show off his competence, prove his worth in front of everyone.

He straightened immediately, smoothing his coat and adjusting his collar. His ego practically radiated off him in waves.

"Director Cole!" Dr. Voss stepped forward with an outstretched hand and his most professional smile. "What an honor! I was just handling a situation here, some imposters trying to.”

Director Cole walked past him.

Like he didn't exist.

Like he was air.

Dr. Voss's hand hung in the air, his smile frozen on his face. Confusion rippled across his features.

The hallway went silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Director Cole walked straight toward the stranger. His steps were hurried, almost frantic.

And then he stopped.

And bowed.

Not a polite nod. A full, deep bow. The kind reserved for royalty.

"I'm so sorry for being late, sir." Director Cole's voice shook. "I came as soon as I heard the Mayor was here. I dropped everything to attend to you personally!"

He stayed bowed, his hands trembling slightly.

The hallway exploded into chaos.

"Wait—WHAT?"

"Did he just call him…”

"THE MAYOR?"

Dr. Voss's face went white and then red.

Then white again. His mouth opened and closed like a fish drowning in air.