"Stop pulling my ear! I've got a reputation to uphold, you know."
"Cut the crap and get moving."
Hannah Hale had no intention of letting go. This kid had stolen from her and talked back to her; pulling his ear was a perfectly good way to blow off some steam.
She finally managed to half-drag, half-pull him into the hospital room. After shutting the door, Hannah Hale sat down on the sofa. "Alright, out with it. Where were you trying to go just now?"
"I really don't have any money for treatment. It's no use keeping me here. No one is going to show up and pay for me."
The boy had been trying to slip away under the cover of darkness. He was afraid the doctors would call the police on him for not being able to pay the fees.
Hannah Hale leaned back against the sofa, pinching the bridge of her nose wearily. "Why did you steal?"
"None of your business."
"You stole *my* money, so how is it not my business? You think I won't call the police and have you arrested right now?"
