Broken Soul

Part 1

"Look man, it's all I got." Henry says handing the guy a roll of dollars in his hand as he wrapped his one arm around his body. This year has been colder than his previous years and he is afraid that he might not be strong enough to stay in this weather.

"Listen, I told you, it's twenty or nothing." The guy in black hoodie with dark colored pants standing by the sidewalk says as his eyes lurked looking for potential red and blue for trouble.

"It's all I had, I promised I give the rest once I got my money." Henry tried to plead to this person's mercy knowing he wasn't standing in the street passing pity to people. "Beat it." He shoved Henry hard and it triggered him. Henry eyed him with anger and unknowingly shoved him back and the guy body hits against the wall. "You son of a -"

The guy grabbed Henry by his shirt and pushed him hard one more time before shoving him back and he accidentally tripped his ankle by the curb corner and stepped onto the street. But before he could actually realized he was in the vehicle lanes,  the next thing he knew is couple of bright lights coming from his side and he was met with darkness.

.

It was typical November night for Alex when he started his shifts at the New York county Emergency Room for the last three years now. He had his blue scrubs on and a stethoscope well placed on his shoulder as he fast walked towards his patients room with metal folders in his hand. He pulled the curtain revealing the guy sitting on the bed waiting for him.

"Look Frank, like I told you, we need the bed and you are ready to be discharged. Please, don't make me call the security." He says as he signed the papers and handed it to him. The guy, Frank is a frequent visitor in their ER for the past decades and this time around the year is where they would fake any sort of injuries to seek warmth inside their hospital.

But unfortunately for him, tonight they are over crowding and Alex had direct orders from his leader to discharged whoever is able. "It's cold man, where would I go?" The guy says as he took the paper from Alex and crumpled them in his hand before shoving into his coat pocket. He looks dirty with his pepper hair and his mustache not groom but Alex couldn't care less.  

"I don't know man, the shelter." Alex suggests and Frank clicked his tongue. "Shelter is full, plus with this cold, I bet it was full since 2002." Alex snorted before he helped Frank from his seat and headed out from the room.

"Listen, I know a place, it's downtown but I think they would help." Alex says as he scribbled some words over the paper and passed it to him. "This is way too far Alex, I don't have any bus money. I can't walk in this cold that far." He says and Alex sighed.

He took out couple of dollars from his pocket before handed it to him but before he could grabbed it Alex pulled back and shifted a warning look towards him, "No booze or drugs. This is for bus money and I expect you to use it accordingly." He warned and the guy sighed before taking the money from Alex's finger.

"Thanks Alex." He mutters and Alex smiled patting him on his back before seeing him leaving the hospital ground alone like he always did. He remembers the first time he saw Frank here when he was doing his residency and it was hard seeing him like this. Every couple of months he would come in complaining of pain over his foot or maybe his chest or sometimes his head but Alex knew, it was actually the company he wanted, not treatment. He was lonely. After losing his wife and his daughter in a house fire, he was homeless and the state had put him in bankruptcy after claiming he burn down their house for insurance purposes.

Little did they know, if he had a better lawyer or at least some money to fight, they would know he was an innocent man and the reason for his wife and his family died was actually the landlord failed to restore battery in the fire alarm and no one noticed the fire until it was too late. He was at work and he literally ran home when he heard the news but ended up losing everything he owned.