CHAPTER 1: Wild Animal or a Wild Human

DEITRICK ALEXANDRO De MEDICI

My eyes are throbbing with pain, my whole body is hurting like hell, and the reason is that I didn't get my head down until this time of night to get even a wink of sleep which almost turned me dead on my feet.

What is more irritating is the fresh smell of antiseptics and disinfectants that is literally killing my nose. I am afraid to lose my sense of smell if I remain another hour or more here sitting in this hospital.

This is the most advanced hospital on the whole continent, located in the territory of Medici Dukedom and owned by me. Basically, it was a project that was started by my deceased father, the former duke of Florence but completed by me in his stead due to his short life. The girl that we found yesterday in a very miserable condition was sent to this hospital by me.

The question that arises here is what was she doing in a mountainous area and, furthermore, at that time of the night?

And how did she reach in such a condition, to begin with?

This other side of the coin can only be known when she gets consciousness.

Five hours of a major operation have passed, but still, the doctors are inside the operation room and are not telling me about the condition of the girl behind the close the doors of operation theatre that is a reason why my patience is running short.

It's not that I am some kind of fool not to notice that the injuries on the body of the girl were this much to be operated for five hours straight. Three hours were enough even if she got some internal injuries.

"Flavio?" I called out for my assistant.

"Do you think that the injuries on the lady were caused by a wild animal or a wild human?" I asked in suspicion.

"If that was a wild human, then doctors would've told by now, your grace." He calculatedly replied with an expected answer to my question.

"You are right, somehow." I said, taking a look of the time on my wrist watch. "Don't you think that it took a bit too much long for this operation? I wonder if they are doing an open heart surgery?"

"To my understanding, I should've taken only two hours for an operation like this, your excellency." He replied.

If I'm not wrong then there is something that doctors are hiding until now, I thought and a frown formed on my forehead in this process.

"Do they know that patient was brought by the Duke himself?"

"Most probably, Your excellency." He replied after thinking for a while.

That's the thing. Isn't it?

They are sweeping something under the carpet.

If I wasn't trained in medical field enough to save a life I didn't have seen through this. The operation required a few stitches and a few broken bones, if I am not mistaken.

And what's more, broken bones doesn't seem the case in this situation.

"Do one thing for me Flavio." I said shifting my position to sooth my aching muscles. "Go check, who is the girl whom we found and also in charge of this surgery team."

"Yes your excellency." He walked away getting notice of what I said.

After fifteen minutes, he got back with the file in his hands.

"What did you find out?" I was surprised at the efficiency of my subject.

"She is to-be heiress of Preface Enterprise, your excellency." He said handing over the file in my hand.

"If I am not mistaken then isn't it the company with which we were going to sign a contract, Flavio?" I opened the file in my hand.

"Most certainly, Your grace." He replied.

I read between the lines of the information of the file to have a right sow by the ear.

By the time I read it, I understood that this thing is not as simple as you think of it. I stood up and made walked towards the operation theatre.

I want to have a word with the good doctors we have here, who are doing a great job not letting me know anything and the first thing I am going to do is to walk into the doors of theatre.

Suddenly I looked at the red light of the operation theatre went off before I reached the door and a bunch of doctors came out in their hospital gowns and with masks on their faces making it difficult for me to study their expressions and draw some results from it.

"How is she?" I asked simple but meaningful question not beating around bushes.

"Patient is out of danger, your grace. There were some superficial injuries but the wound on her femoris, I mean thigh muscle, is a little deep." Doctor said in low voice keeping in mind the status that I have right now.

"If there weren't any deep wounds other than that then why did it took so long for you to treat her?" I asked keeping my temper in check still my voice raised in this process as a warning shot across the bows.

What the hell they were doing in there for past four hours if it was a matter of few sutures not to mention that they didn't tell me anything about the condition of that girl?

"There were internal injuries, Your excellency." He was frightened due to a sudden raise in my pitch "We had to operate to stop internal bleeding."

"What happened to her that she injured as if she has been in the wars?" My expressions turned cold enough to freeze the surrounding.

He showed troubled expression, "There is something that I want to tell you, your excellency."

Ah! There is something more! As if, internal bleeding was not enough. "Just tell me in one go, Doctor Bernard before my patience is completely gone," I said, trying not to do something bad for keeping me in the dark.

Is Duke's authority a mote in their eyes?

"My apologies your grace. We were confused at that time." He replied with his eyes glued to the ground.

"Now that you are not confused anymore, that's what I am seeing right now, then clear the air." I said rubbing my temples with my hands to take things easy

Not wasting any word he replied, "Virtually, it looks like that the lady was tried to be raped by someone. However, she was strong enough to protect her chastity but she is severely injured in this expense. "