PERSONAL JUSTICE by Ramlee Awang Murshid

1

MIA SARA stood outside the room, a uniformed police officer from the NYPD who was on duty had refused to let her in to visit the patient, even though she had identified herself as an officer of the Malaysian Embassy at Washington D. C.  Mia Sara quickly demanded the doctor who had attended to the male Malaysian be summoned to explain the man's condition. At first, the police officer refuses to do so, but when Mia Sara threatened to report the matter to NYPD's high level, he relented. The police officer grabbed the telephone in the patient's room and contacted the nurse on duty at the front desk counter. After receiving feedback from the nurse, the police officer told Mia Sara to wait for the doctor's arrival.

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FROM the glass window, Mia Sara could see a man lying on the bed unconscious. The man's left hand was cuff off to the bed-post.  Looking at the man's condition, Mia Sara felt sad. Tears welled in her eyes. She tried to hold back her tears from falling to her cheeks. Her fingers, instinctively, ran over her chest. A shock pierced through her heart. She could feel his pain. His misery.

The police officer kept his eyes on Mia Sara. His face broke into a smile. He was attracted to her beauty - tall and fair skin. The woman's hair was slightly blonde, wavy, and rested at the shoulder like Nicole Kidman's. The police officer bit his lips once or twice. Something interesting and sexy played on his mind.

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SOUND of footsteps distracted Mia Sara from her thoughts. She turned. A man in white overall over a blue shirt with a white polka dot on black tie walked toward her. Almost within reach.

"Hello..." The man spoke to her. "Dr. Cohen," he identified himself extending a hand to her. Mia Sara shook hands with the doctor, who was probably half a decade old, with a cold smile.

"Hello, doctor. I'm Mia Sara from the Malaysian Embassy in Washington D. C." Her tone was a bit official. She showed her duty card as a confirmation of her identity. 

"What can I do for you, Sara?" Dr. Cohen asked returning the Mia Sara's duty card to her after scrutinizing it. 

"How's the patient, doctor?"

Dr. Cohen turned and looked through the glass window for a while before turning back to Mia Sara. " I felt sorry for him. His daughter is under intensive care. He is still unconscious. He woke up once and turned violent... well, I had to jab him, then," he explained. 

Mia Sara let out a heavy sigh. "How did it happen, Dr. Cohen?" She frowned. The lines on her face showed a heavy burden. Her chest contracted.

"NYPD should have the answer to your question. Anyway, his car was involved in an accident. I believe he was drunk. There was 200 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of his blood, which is very, very high!" Dr. Cohen volunteered.

"That is bullshit!" Mia Sara mumbled to herself. Her whisper, nevertheless, connected weakly to Dr. Cohen's hearing.

"Err... I'm sorry... can you say that again?" Dr. Cohen suddenly became suspicious. 

"Emm... no. Nothing... really... ha... ha... I'll get him a lawyer... a really good one!" Mia Sara said as she shook Dr. Cohen's hand as if conveying her thanks for giving her the information. Dr. Cohen just nodded and smiled dejectedly.

Before leaving, Mia Sara looked back toward the room. Hilman still did not show any change in his condition. He was still lying weak and unconscious. Mia Sara sighed. 

Moments later, she started to make her way out. She even smiled at the police officer who was standing at the door.

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"I WAS not drunk!"

Mia Sara stopped suddenly. The voice echoed in her heart. 'That is Hilman's voice,' she whispered. She turned. Dr. Cohen was still there standing like a statue. So was the police officer. They were both staring at her. Mia Sara frowned. Curious. This was the first time she had experienced such phenomena. It was strange. Mystical!

Again, Hilman's voice could be heard screaming from inside the room. His screams were incoherent. No clear words were spoken nor heard. Dr. Cohen and the police officer rushed into Hilman's room. Moments later a couple of nurses half-ran passed Mia Sara, pushed the door, and quickly entered the room. 

Mia Sara was both curious and concerned. She walked back toward the room. Through the glass door, she could see that Hilman was not himself. His screams were loud as though he was hysteric. His eyes were wide and his face was contorted. The police officer held Hilman's arms down with the help of one of the nurses. While the other nurse extended a syringe to Dr. Cohen. Mia Sara felt hapless as she watched the change in Hilman. His physical strength was extraordinary.

Several times the police officer was pushed back as Hilman swung his arm. The nurses were not spared either. One of them even dropped to the floor during the struggle. Angrily, the police officer stance himself and threw a punch on Hilman's face. The force of the punch caused Hilman to weaken. He groaned in pain. His struggle weakened. His voice lowered as he murmured deliriously. Dr. Cohen harshly drove the needle into Hilman's left arm. He pumped the liquid from the syringe and it quickly coursed through Hilman's veins. 

"Don't!" Mia Sara suddenly shouted.

Dr. Cohen turned his head. He felt uneasy when he realized that Mia Sara had seen what had just transpired. He said something to one of the nurses. The nurse turned and looked at Mia Sara. She nodded and moved to the door. Mia Sara was taken aback as the nurse roughly drew the curtain across the glass window thus blocking her view. She sighed disappointedly. Her heart suddenly pained as if a knife had just cut into it. 

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HILMAN murmured weakly. The tranquilizer had taken its effect. His eyes remained wide staring at the ceiling. He was left lying alone. No further treatment was necessary for the time being.

 Hilman's lips moved slowly saying something incoherent. His voice stuck in the throat. His eyelids looked drawn.

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A SHOT rang out. Hilman was stunned. His half-closed eyelids suddenly opened wide. His chest heaved with the breath. The shot existed only in his mind. His memory spun across time.

"Inspector Hilman! Inspector Hilman!"

Hilman's eyeball shot upward. Both his fists balled tightly. His body arched as though suppressing a pain caused by an electric shock that shot through his body. His voice held by his throat.

"Banja Luka! Banja Luka!"

Hilman breathed in hard. The tranquilizer had definitely taken its effect. His eyelids were getting heavier. 

"Banja Luka..." he said. His voice toned down to a whisper. His lips shivered, dried and slightly cracked. 

"Banja Luka..." He whispered again. Slowly his eyes began to close. "Banja Luka... Ban... ja... Lu... ka."

Hilman began to disappear within himself.