“It wouldn’t be a waste of time. They take in people in your situation for a living. I suggest you stop by there once you get out of here,” he said. He ran a hand through his hair. “Alright, next- what are your emergency contacts? So we can inform someone that you are here at the hospital.”
Kace shook his head, still coughing. “N-No one. My parents and I fell out years ago and I don’t know any of their relatives.” Hell, Kace didn’t have any friends.
Lucian gave another nod of his head. “I see. Do you think that there would be anyone who would be worried about you being missing?” He asked after. He arched a brow, his knee bouncing in a restless manner. He never was one for sitting around.
Kace shook his head again, this time stifled in speech by his coughs. He. Just. Couldn’t. Stop!
Lucian frowned noticeably now. “Are you alright? You seem to have a bad cough, there..” he said slowly. “Do you feel anything else wrong?” He asked, running the causes through his mind.
Kace shook his head, though he could feel his head reeling at the shake. “No-no-nope. I’m okay. I just always have this-“ He cut off into more coughs.
“That really isn’t normal. That could mean a lot of things, coughing up blood and all. From a cut in the throat to lung cancer,” Lucian listed off. “You need to get evaluated.
Kace shook his head wildy. “No-no! I can't afford anything else. I’ll be okay.” He didn’t need a bigger hospital bill.
“Kace, I’m required to treat you,” Lucian huffed. “You shouldn’t fight with me on this,” he added with a frown on his lips.
Kace coughed a couple more times. “I understand, but I won’t be able to afford the extra cost! I’ll be paying it all out of pocket!”
Lucian gave a slight sigh at that. “You don’t have to pay it off now, you know. I am unable to force you into treatment, but I advise that you let me do so.”
“I’ll never be able to pay it off! If I had the choice, I’d stand up and leave now!” Kace twirled his fingers together fretfully.
Lucian’s brows arched at Kace’s words. “I understand,” he said with a sigh. “How about we drop this for now and we can continue with the questions?”
Kace sighed and nodded a little. “Fine. Go ahead.” He coughed a couple more times, spatting blood into his hand and wiping it on his side.
Lucian seemed reluctant to do so, but clicked his pen open. “When I found you on the street, you look like you had been shot and beaten by someone. Do you know who?” He asked.
Kace shook his head. “I don’t remember. I just remember a black beanie and a pair of sunglasses.” It was cold, too. This person was gangly… their hands were rough and angry as they handled Kace like a child…
Lucian nodded and still wrote that down. It would be useful possible in a police report. “Do you know what their race might have been? Eye color? Maybe they had an accent?” He questioned.
Kace shook his head again. “They were tall… their hands were really strong and they hurt my shoulders… then they sh-shot me.” He remembered the blinding pain of a bullet forcing its way into his shoulder…
Lucian made sure to write most of this down. He didn’t think that it would be much help, but it was something at least. “And where were you? On the street? In a building?” He asked. He resisted the urge to chew on the back end of his pen, a thoughtful habit of his.
Kace chewed on his lip, pulling off some of the pale skin. “I-I was on the street, walking to where I usually sleep. Then they came up and started to hit me and…” He cut off with a faint gasp.
Lucian nodded his head in understanding and took that down. “Is there anything else that you remember? Everything helps. The sooner we know what happened, the sooner the police can catch whoever did this,” he reminded.
Kace shook his head. “No, I don’t remember anything else. Just how much pain I was in. I hurt so much…”
“I would imagine so,” Lucian commented. “You were in bad shape when I found you. You were lucky I found you when you did. You might have died out there.”
Kace nodded. “I know, sir. Thank you for bringing me here.” The words felt stale and dull. He truly wished he died out there. No one really would’ve cared much. He was just a faceless nobody.
“Well I wasn’t going to let you die out on the street,” Lucian said, looking up at the other from his clipboard. “Are you sure you don’t want me to check out that cough for you?” He asked.
Kace coughed into his hands. “Mhm. I’m sure. I don’t want more to pay.” Whatever he had would require a bit of x-raying or whatever they did, and the bill for those were through the roof.
Lucian let out a huff, feeling a bit of annoyance towards the patient. “Alright. If you feel any pain, I can give you another dosage of medication to deal with that,” he said.
Kace coughed in his hands and shook his head. Prescription Medication led to addiction which led to Heroin addiction.
“N-n-no,” He stuttered out through coughs. “I don’t need more medication. When will I get out of here?”
Lucian resisted the urge to sigh at Kace’s response. How was he supposed to helpnhis patient if he didn’t want it? “If you recover how you are supposed to, then you can be out of here in a week at the most.”
Kace sighed a breath of relief. “Okay. Thanks.” He looked at Lucian expectantly, ready for the next question.