THE PATHETIC GIRL (TWO)

Two o'clock in the afternoon, Harper was inking her medical record to write down the results she got from her visit to Florentina's and Mr. Claford's room.

Florentina was admitted to this hospital three days ago because of her suicide attempt. The young girl's soul was shaken after being subjected to the mistreatment of her neighbor. According to her mother's testimony, Florentina had never shown a gloomy or weird attitude before a week ago. Suddenly the girl often locked herself in the room, daydreaming, and sometimes also crying in the middle of the night. Whenever her mother asked the reason behind her attitude, Florentina always told her mother that she was okay. The poor girl always used the excuse that she missed her father when her mother caught her crying while drowning her face in the pillow.

But Florentina's strange attitude from day to day became more and more worrying. Her mother said that Florentina had asked permission for two days not to go to school because she complained that her body hurt. There was not the slightest suspicion that the mother managed to catch when the girl decided to stay at home and shut herself up in a room, apart from the suspicion that her daughter had been infected with the virus. She thought Florentina just had the flu and missed her father, who had worked as a technician on a cruise ship for three years.

Two days later just passed. The next day Florentina returned to school as usual. Her mother even admitted that she felt relieved that her daughter was not attacked by a dangerous disease. But later that evening the mother suddenly felt like her heart stopped for a few seconds when she found her daughter's body lying covered in blood in the bathtub. In a panic, Mrs. Hudson immediately dialed 911 and also called her neighbors to move Florentina's soaked body into the bath tube to be taken to the hospital.

With a slow sigh, Harper wrote down Florentina's mental development this afternoon. She is grateful because, on this third day, Florentina has started to open up to her. The girl slowly started to bring out her emotions. Florentina cried for twenty minutes in her room when she came to check. In her tears, Florentina told her that she had been raped twice by her neighbor's son who was twenty years old. The condition of her house, which was always deserted, made the man have the heart to commit crimes at Florentina's house because the man felt that Florentina would never dare to talk about the rape to anyone.

But unfortunately, one week ago Florentina found that her menstrual cycle was not happening. She then frantically tried several test packs at once which she bought secretly at the pharmacy to test her terrible guess. Of the three test packs she used, all three showed positive signs that she was pregnant.

After that, the world of Florentine seemed to collapse. She no longer has the zeal to live. The girl even admitted that she hated seeing her face in the mirror. Two days ago her mother screamed hysterically in her daughter's nursery when she found Florentina breaking a glass sink in her bathroom. After that, the medics immediately drugged her and cleaned all the broken glass from Florentina's bathroom so that the girl could not attempt suicide again.

Remembering Florentina's condition, Harper felt her heart pinched. She is concerned about the condition of her patients who are mostly victims of sexual violence. Looks like this world is already full of bad people.

How lucky she was that she had never felt their pain. Even though her life couldn't be said to be beautiful, she felt grateful so far. Her uncle and aunt who live in Montreal love her very much. She is the embodiment of a dream child that they never had. As for her mother's father, they died many years ago. Long before she knew their figures. So far, she feels grateful because she doesn't need to feel sad. After all, her parents left her. But even so, sometimes she also keeps her curiosity about the figure of her parents which she can only remember through photos of their youth.

Well... she was grateful that she never felt the sadness of losing her parents. But she was unlucky because she met that man. He was the one who gave her pain for the first time. And he is the one who makes it difficult to get a new love at an age that is mature enough to have a lover.

Like Amber who owns Tyler. She also wants to have someone who loves her. But so far that fear still lingered in her heart. The man made her so afraid to step into a man's arms. Although men out there volunteered to be her lover openly or through code, she is too reluctant to respond to them. She is still afraid to look back on her dark past with that man.

"Huh..." While exhaling roughly, Harper immediately closed her medical record book and put the thick book into the drawer.

"Get out of my head, Alex!"

-00-

The phone on the table kept ringing loudly. But everyone was too busy just to pick up an incoming call from a phone set in the middle of the criminologist's office. Everyone is too dizzy with the various crime reports that came in today or months ago.

But once again the phone rings. A man who just came back from the meeting room stared irritably at his guys who were busy whizzing like a bee without paying attention to the sound of the phone which was almost muffled by their whirring sound.

"Toronto Police Station, criminology division."

The standard greeting he had memorized from his years on the police force in Toronto took off before he could think of the words he could utter in the bustle of his division.

"We've got a 911 call, there's been a murder in Sherbrooke."

"That's the Quebec region, not ours."

While holding the phone, the man with the uniform and badge pinned to his shoulder stared at his guys who were now starting to notice his presence among them. Automatically they lowered their whirring sound and no longer sounded so loud in front of their division head.

"The victim is still listed as a resident of Toronto."

Shit! The man silently cursed because of a new case that had come at a bad time. Amber would have been very angry with him if today he canceled his promise to buy an engagement ring again.

"What happened?"

“A resident recently found the body of a woman in a sewer near his house. When found, the corpse was rotten. There were many beating wounds all over her body."

"A woman? Murder?"

Tyler massaged his forehead dizzy at the report. If the body is a resident of Toronto, he cannot turn a blind eye to the investigation. Most likely the woman was killed and dumped in Sherbrooke because the place is quite far away and not as busy as Toronto. But that investigation will take some time. Even though he has an engagement party in five days.

"Seems so. Nobody recognized the woman. Only one identity card was found in her pocket."

"Weird," muttered Tyler thoughtfully. Likely, the body was deliberately dumped in Sherbrooke to be found. "Her other stuff? Or any other clue regarding the corpse? Maybe robbery."

"Sorry, nothing. The corpse was completely alone and was floating near a sewer belonging to residents. The local police have come to alleviate the residents' anxiety, but the local police leave the investigation task to the Toronto police."

"I'll send my men there. Thank you."

Tyler immediately hung up the phone and turned to his guys, who were now no longer making a sound. The whirring sound suddenly disappeared as Tyler stared at them one by one with faces as flat as the streets of downtown.

“New case. The Sherbrooke murders."

Tyler knew immediately that his guys were not interested in this case. They are all preoccupied with the pursuit of a suspected terrorist who had screwed up in LA last week. He was even confused by a group of suspected terrorists because they are currently hiding in a place in Toronto. Or maybe they are already preparing to move to another city after tearing up Toronto like what they did in LA one month ago.

"Sorry sir, we are short on personnel. Most of our members are currently going undercover to pursue the terrorists."

"I'm sure there are still a handful of people who are not preoccupied with the pursuit of terrorists."

Everyone is silent. Nobody took the initiative to raise their hand and accept this case as the next task to be completed. To avoid Tyler's glare, some people began to busy themselves with papers that contained whatever they were. For Tyler it was disgusting. His guys, Frankly, didn't want to get involved in this new case. They must be lazy because that case was the case at Sherbrooke. But unfortunately, the case will still belong to his division. Or if not, the killer will find another victim who can be executed.

“Damn it! Don't just shut up! Morris, Andrew, Jackson, you guys come with me on this case. No rejection!"

Tyler immediately issued absolute orders and a threatening glare at his guys who almost made a subtle refusal.

"Sorry sir, Andrew is on leave, his wife gave birth."

"Shit!" Tyler cursed loudly at this. There is no other choice but to join the case and put aside his engagement with Amber. To hell with that woman. He knew that Amber would be angry and reluctant to be his wife later. But he always had a thousand and one ways to force her, Tyler thought irritably.

"We're leaving now. Priston, you can find out more about the identity of Miss Emerson, maybe right now her family is busy looking for her," said Tyler firmly before he walked out of his division's cramped room, slamming the brown door behind him.

-00-

She continued to grumble and shout shamelessly in front of her office. Five minutes ago her work hours were over. The plan was that she would buy a ring for an engagement party in five days. But unfortunately, the man again broke his promise for a variety of reasons for his busy life.

"You have denied it over a hundred times."

"Forgive me."

“Is that all you can say? Forgive me?" the woman sneered.

She had even been looking forward to this day with great impatience. Today's working hours seem so slow because she wants to hurry up and buy an engagement ring with Tyler this afternoon. But then all failed because the pretentious, busy, and powerful man returned to having a job he couldn't be bothered with.

"I have a case to solve."

"It's always the case that is your excuse. I'm sick of you, I'm tired of this relationship. We'd better just cancel our engagement," said Amber annoyed. Tears had welled up in her eyes as she said something completely contrary to her heart.

She loved Tyler very much. Even though Tyler is not a romantic man and is very cold, she really can't help but feel the love she feels. When that night she got a proposal from Tyler, her heart was so excited. But she tried to cover it up by being mean and annoying because she didn't want to be seen as the one chasing after Tyler.

But on the other hand, she was often numbered two by Tyler because of the work he had to do. She knew Tyler loved his job. Becoming a police officer and chairing the criminology division has always been Tyler's dream. But couldn't that man just prioritize herself?

“Don't mess around, Amber. I will not cancel our engagement."

The sound of Tyler's hiss on the other side was enough to let Amber know that Tyler was angry right now.

"You're not ready to get married. You love your job too much. "

Her voice choked and turned very quiet. No more screaming or shrill voices like a few minutes ago. All that was left of Amber now were tears and sobs she tried to hold back from being overheard by Tyler.

"We will not continue this conversation. You're tired, and I'm just as tired as you because of this case. I'll call you later."

After that, there was no more Tyler's voice on the other side. Without waiting for an answer, the man immediately turned off the line and walked away.

Amber felt her heart hurt to find that fact. Tyler prefers to stay away from her rather than face her to solve their problems. She then closed her eyes tightly and leaned against the door to her room which she had locked. For a moment she wanted to calm her muddled thoughts while lamenting the misfortune of loving a man like Tyler.

For a moment she will cry over the pain of her fate again in front of her practice room which fortunately is empty. But then she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, followed by the screeching sound of tires slowly getting closer. Amber quickly wiped her tears and straightened up again like a doctor who has just finished her practice time.

"Sorry."

Amber was surprised to hear a voice so cold behind her. Briefly, she glanced at her watch which had shown five o'clock in the evening. It is very late indeed. The sky outside even started to turn dim. There should be no more doctors practicing at this time except in ER.

"Ya? Can I help you?”

Amber glanced a little in surprise at a little girl who was in a wheelchair with a blank look that was so apprehensive. While behind her, a man in a suit looks so powerful and intimidating at the same time.

"Where is Miss Zoey's room?"

"Harper Zoey?"

The man nodded. Amber frowned in surprise, but she didn't dare to ask. She was too afraid of the intimidating aura that man was emitting.

"Please walk straight down this hallway, the room to the right of the second door."

Without saying thanks, the man immediately walked away while pushing his daughter's wheelchair with such steady and calm steps. Amber frowned inside. She then feels sorry for her best friend who is about to have a strange man with his pathetic daughter.