Tom headed straight for the administrative wing, his crisp shirt sleeves rolled up and the kind of determined stride that made nurses instinctively move aside. He found the reception desk and flashed the kind of charming-but-serious smile that made him both endearing and mildly intimidating.
“I need to speak with someone from operations or management. It’s urgent,” he said.
The receptionist blinked. “Are you a family member?”
“Nope. Best man. There’s a woman upstairs—Patricia McFee. She's in a critical condition, and we want to hold the engagement party up on the roof so she can be part of her daughter's memorable night. We’ve already changed the plans, and the guests are being rerouted as we speak. But we want to do it the right way.”
She hesitated. “That’s… unconventional.”
“I know,
