“Yes, Alexander Van Every speaking,” said Alexander accepting the call with a feeling of dread clutching at his heart. Was it regarding his dad?
“Hello, Mr. Van Every! I’m calling from Columbia Hospital Critical Care Unit. Your fiancee, Beatrix Rotterdam has been admitted here for allegedly attempting suicide by slashing her right wrist. She is in the OT but we need you here for the formalities and police investigation.” Alexander’s jaws dropped with horror at the news. Surely there was some misunderstanding here! Why would Beatrix commit suicide?
“Are you sure about this? How serious is Ms. Rotterdam? Maybe it was just an accident,” he reasoned.
“No, Mr. Van Every. It is a suicide, and the patient is critical. Please come here as soon as you can.”
Alexander quickly changed and stuffed his wallet, and phone, and rushed over to his parents’ room.
“Mom, dad, I need to go to Columbia Hospital right now. Beatrix has attempted to take her life and is admitted to the Critical Care Unit. The police are already there waiting for me.”
His parents sat up, shocked to hear the news.
“Wait, we’re coming along,” said his dad. Alexander didn’t protest, since he needed all the help he could get. He called Ashton to arrive at the hospital to support him and the investigation. After five minutes, he drove over to the hospital, accompanied by his parents.
The moment they went in, they saw Ashton waiting for them. They reported at the reception, and the Chief Administrative Officer, Dean McCain, approached them.
“Please come this way, Mr. Van Every. Officers Tim Murray and Gavin Owen of the Anti-Crime Unit of NYPD are here to investigate the case.”
“What case? Why don’t you treat the patient instead of harassing us?” said his dad, intervening.
“I’m just doing my duty, sir. Please cooperate with the investigation. Since this is a suicide attempt, the cops won’t rule out the attempt at promoting suicide. It’s a crime!” said the man while Alexander sighed knowing that there was no way out without facing it.
“What proof do you have that we have promoted this suicide?” asked Daniel Van Every.
“I don’t have any proof. Looking for evidence is the job of the NYPD. The faster you cooperate, the easier this will be, sir,” said the man.
“It’s alright, dad. You go ahead to the OT in the Critical Care Unit. I’ll wrap this up and meet you there. Ashton will help you locate the department,” said Alexander. Ashton led them away and Alexander went with Mr. McCain to the room where the officers were waiting for him. He shook hands with them as they introduced themselves.
“Please be seated, Mr. Van Every. We will start the interrogation right away. So how long have you both been engaged to one another? Do you have a strained relationship with your fiancee?” asked Officer Owen.
“We had been engaged before, but Mr. Rotterdam fell ill and we broke apart. After his death, we again got engaged to one another for three months now. No, we don’t have a strained relationship. She was staying over at my parents’ house with me till this morning. Our wedding date has already been fixed. I’m as surprised as you are about all this,” said Alexander, not admitting the truth. He knew if he told them the truth, he would land up in trouble.
“Why would she attempt suicide when she is five months pregnant? Did you both have a fight? Did you push her somehow to take this extreme step?” asked the other officer. Alexander shook his head, completely suppressing the argument he had with her earlier. He really did not know that his decision would force her to take her life.
“Why would I, officer?” he asked, feigning ignorance.
“Look, Mr. Van Every, there will be a detailed investigation on this. We will take Ms. Rotterdam’s statement when she gains consciousness. Obviously, no one attempts suicide without being pushed to the edge. We just want to know if you were the one who promoted it.”
“I didn’t. Even I want to know the reason,” said Alexander, crossing his fingers that they would drop the investigation. It was a known fact that Beatrix wasn’t true to him. The gossip columns were filled with pictures of her with Sean Fairfield. If the cops asked anyone, they would know how much Alexander hated her. Only Beatrix could save him with her statement, but maybe she wouldn’t, after he had declined to marry her. He was really in a fix now!
“Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Van Every. We will come back later when Ms. Rotterdam is awake. You can go to your fiancee.” Alexander shook hands with them, thanking them for taking their time out. He rushed to the reception to complete the formalities and then joined his parents in the lobby.
“What happened? What did the cops say?” asked Ashton.
“They questioned me about my relationship with Beatrix. They will investigate, take her statement when she gains consciousness.”
“I just hope she doesn’t hold you responsible for this,” said his mom, who had been quiet for so long.
“Where is she? Is she still in the OT?” asked Alexander, staring at the closed door of the OT.
“No. She has been transferred to the ICU. They have stitched up the wound. The attendant who brought her here had given very good first aid to stop the bleeding. She bandaged the wound so well that Beatrix didn’t have so much blood loss and the baby is still safe,” said Ashton. Alexander heaved a sigh of relief. If anything untoward had happened to her, he would have been doomed for life, landing up in prison on innumerable charges.
“Thank God!” he whispered.
“She will gain consciousness in two hours and we can meet her but under supervision. Since this is a police case, they won’t allow anyone inside alone till the investigation is through,” said his dad. Alexander was worried. How would he talk to her in front of someone? What if she gave a negative statement against him? What if she held him responsible for all this?
“Won’t they allow me as well? I’m her fiance, after all!”
“You’re the prime suspect now. I don’t think they will allow you at all before she gives the statement,” said his dad.
There wasn’t anything they could do. Ashton took his parents home while Alexander waited for Beatrix to gain consciousness. Mr. McCain arrived after an hour to announce that after she gained consciousness, the cops would visit her first to record her unbiased statement. He waited for another hour, dreading the arrival of her rowdy group of friends. He was sure that if they came to know and arrived here, they would spoil everything and hold him responsible.
After twenty minutes, Beatrix gained consciousness and the hospital authorities called the cops. Ashton joined Alexander and sat waiting for the cops to arrive and take Beatrix’s statement.
“I’m getting a terrible feeling about this, bro. I think she will try to frame me. This morning, I told her my final decision. I told her I won’t marry her and father Fairfield’s illegitimate child. We had an argument, and she threatened to harm me. I threatened to resign from the business. She pleaded with me not to desert her. It was really an ugly argument. Maybe that’s why she took this extreme step,” whispered Alexander.
“Let’s hope for the best, bro. Shh, don’t say a word here. There are cameras everywhere.” The cops arrived and marched straight into Beatrix’s room while they sat holding their breaths with apprehension.
“What’s taking them so long?” asked Alexander, unable to take in the tension.
“Don’t know. Don’t lose your shit, now. Sit patiently,” said Ashton, knowing his friend’s nature.
“I think she is blabbering everything to the cops. Dumb woman!” muttered Alexander.
“Quite possible!” whispered Ashton.
They sat with pale faces as twenty minutes went by, yet the cops didn’t emerge. A doctor and a nurse rushed inside, making them spring up from their seats with concern. What was going on? Ashton approached a nurse who emerged from the ICU.
“What’s going on inside? Is the patient okay?”
“No, she fainted before she could utter a single sentence. They are reviving her to take her statement,” said the nurse. Alexander looked furious and strode towards her room to take matters into his hands. Ashton rushed after him to stop him, but he had already lost his shit by now.
He pushed open the door, and all heads turned and looked up at him with surprise.
“What’s going on? Are you all planning to kill my fiancee with your interrogation? Please leave and let her heal. You can come back when she can give her statement. Doctor, how can you allow this after seeing the condition the patient is in?” he barked angrily.
“And you are?” asked the clueless doctor.
“I’m Alexander Van Every, the patient’s fiance. Please stop this interrogation right away. It can happen later. Her health is of utmost importance now.”
“We don’t want anyone to threaten the victim to give a false verdict,” said officer Murray.
“How can anyone threaten her under strict surveillance?” asked Alexander.
“Yes, please, officers. I’m sorry, but I have to stop this interrogation at the moment,” said the doctor. The cops left and Alexander heaved a sigh of relief.
He needed to talk to Beatrix before the cops did.