The entire waiting room went dead quiet. Several seated patients looked up, stunned by the administrator's callousness.
Leo looked at his plastic badge, then at the computer screen where his livelihood hung by a thread. Then, he looked into the terrified, sorrowful eyes of the homeless veteran.
Slowly, Leo reached up to his chest, unclipped his hospital badge, and laid it firmly on the counter next to his credit card.
"He needs medical care more than I need this job, Mr. Vance," Leo said with steady conviction. "Process the card."
Vance’s face darkened with fury. "You foolish boy. You're out of here! Security—"
"Hold on," a sudden, clear voice cut through the room.
The frail, trembling posture of the old man dissolved in an instant. He stood up straight, his stooped spine straightening to reveal a tall, commanding presence. His cloudy, sorrowful eyes sharpened with the unmistakable authority of a man accustomed to commanding boardrooms.