Chapter 9: Surgery unsuccessful
Megan was devastated seeing her husband being moved on a stretcher into the ER with the nurses moving about
"Doctor, I hope he will be okay," She asked Davis, who was holding up a file in his hands and was also headed for the ER.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Thomas, and your husband would be in good condition.....I pray the surgeon we are waiting for arrives in time" Just then, Petra and Matts arrived.
The moment Petra laid eyes on Megan, all the anger she was harboring began to come back to her once more.
"Ah!! Here you, Mrs. Megan, meet Doctor Petra Hills. She would be the one in charge of the surgery" Megan looked at Petra with so much hate within and then turned to the doctor, saying.
"Wouldn't it be possible to let another person handle the surgery? This one is incompetent."
Petra took offense to be called 'incompetent," but she kept calm.
"Doctor, what seems to be the problem?" She asked, shifting her gaze to Hernandez.
"The patient's name is Thomas Wayne!"
Petra was in shock, and she snatched the file from Hernandez's hand, reading the report.
Car crash, excessive bleeding, multiple internal injuries, and glass stuck beneath his abdomen. Petra felt sad, for regardless of what Thomas had done to her, she still had feelings for him.
"And where is the patient now?" She asked, and Davis pointed towards the ER.
Before Petra could go, Megan raised the alarm, "SHE IS GOING TO KILL MY HUSBAND!!" Petra was sick and tired of Megan's constant lies.
"Listen here, Megan, you don't have the right to decide on this, you are not an expert, and I am. I have numerous records of survivors, and Thomas, is not going to be any different" Megan was pissed by her talk and turned to look at the doctor saying;
"I believe you are the head of all operative here. Find me another surgeon and not this dimwit standing here."
Petra could no longer hold her temper and laced a heavy slap across Megan's face.
***
Davis was smart enough to avoid a brawl that was about to happen, with Matthew having to hold Petra back. "Get me, Clarke and Mitchell," Davis instructed his nurse, and the latter moved out of the scene.
"Mrs. Petra, you have acted against the ethics of this profession; you should understand that a patient and the loved one are under your care. Having to slap Mrs. Megan is tantamount to assault, and she could easily sue you."
Petra was trying to get her cool down as Davis kept talking. "For this act of yours, you are no longer going to spearhead this surgery alone. Clarke and Mitchell will handle it alongside you." Petra looked at Davis in disbelief.
"But I can do this!" She commented, "The patient in question is my husband."
"Excuse me? Thomas divorced you," Megan interjected, earning a nasty glare from Petra.
"Still doesn't change the fact that you are not going to handle it alone. When Clarke and Mitchell come, they would handle the surgery with you."
.
.
Clarke didn't waste any time as he grabbed his coat and headed straight for the ER. Mitchell was right behind him. The latter was studying a patient vitals when she got the information.
When they arrived, Davis handed them the report "Petra was supposed to handle this surgery alone. However, seeing how she has reacted, I believe you both can assist her in doing this" Clarke had a smile on his face, seeing how Petra looked.
"Please, I am begging you both....save his life. He is my husband," Mitchell looked at Clarke, who was staring at Petra in return.
"You are not trying to call us incompetent, are you? We have been here before you and have conducted multiple surgeries on patients so that this one will be no different," they both assured Megan, who was in tears.
"Very well then, you all can be on your way," Davis instructed.
*
*
When Clarke and Mitchell arrived at the ER, everything was set and ready for them to operate. Before Clarke could touch any tool, Mitchell drew his attention to something.
"I think we can make this a little interesting," She whispered into his ears, conscious of the nurses in the room.
"How?"
"Killing this patient as a payback for Petra wouldn't be a bad idea" Clarke's eyes widened, and he turned to stare at Mitchell in disbelief.
"I never knew you could be a genius yourself, and this is a great idea!!" He commented.
"Exactly, nothing beats the joy of having to see her sad, discouraged, and frustrated. This would beat up all the confidence she has."
"The question is, how do we do this?" Clarke asked as they watched Petra wear her hand gloves.
"It is straightforward; all we need to do is to distract her, and then you can simply give an overdose of that substance," Mitchell indicated.
"You still have it with you?" Clarke asked and watched Mitchell tap her lab coat with so much smile.
"I always carry them wherever I go."
"That is a brilliant idea!!!"
"Let's see how she would be able to take all the accolade this time around" They both smiled and stepped forward to meet up with her.
***
Petra was about to make an incision below the abdomen of her ex-husband-to-be, and she was in tears seeing Thomas in such a state.
"I don't think the nurses have given the patient anesthesia yet," Mitchell drew her attention, and before she could reply, a report was brought up to her face.
"From the report given, we need to find a way to fix that internal bleeding and also make sure that object is removed from his body," Petra was confused as to why Mitchell had to stick the report on her face.
After Clarke administered the anesthesia, Petra made an incision to cut through the abdominal skin and muscle to reveal the organs in the abdomen.
"Scalpel!" She said, outstretching her hand to the nurse as she gave it to her. "Get ready for Incision!" She added as she was about to cut right through the abdominal skin to reveal his organs.
While doing this, Clarke and Mitchell watched, without uttering a word nor helping her in any form. Petra didn't care about their lackadaisical attitude. She knew they were filled with egos and would instead work on a patient of their own than hers.
Before she could continue, she noticed his body was stiffened.
"What is happening?" Clarke and Mitchell asked, seeing Petra check Thomas' Pulse, which so much nervousness.
"I don't know!!" Her heartbeat increased as she switched from checking his pulse to checking for any sign of pupil response.
"He is not responding." Petra sounds terrified about it right away.
"What have you done?" Clarke asked as they rushed to help her examine Thomas. They checked for heart sounds, but none was coming forth.
"Check the signs for brain death," Clarke instructed, and due to the anxiety which was creeping up Petra's skin, she couldn't.
The monitor's beep was slowly fading, and Petra could do nothing but shed tears as all indications were clear; that Thomas can't cheat death. It was evident that he didn't make it even before she could start operating on him.
No audible breath or heart sounds for greater than 1 minute. No palpable pulse for greater than 1 minute. No palpable cardiac pacemaker. Pupils are fixed, dilated and unreactive to light. There is no response to painful stimulus. The patient has died.
Petra felt a load of pain in her heart, seeing that Thomas is no more.
*
*
*
Davis Hernandez was comforting Megan. He had instructed some of the interns to check the patient's vital he was attending to.
When the trio came out of the ER, Davis stood up and studied their countenance, with Petra's own, showing a sign of distress.
"How is my husband?" Megan asked, still pissed over the fact that Petra was the one that treated Thomas.
"What is the situation report."
Petra didn't say anything to Davis. She just dropped to the floor in tears.
"Young lady, where is my husband? Where is Thomas!!!" Megan's voice increased as Petra continued to sob.
"Calm down, madam, Clarke, Mitchell, you both were there with her. What happened?" Mitchell urged Clarke to speak up, and the latter cleared his throat and said.
"DATE 26/June/2024, TIME: 2310: DEATH CERTIFICATION. Petra tried her best, but I feel her incompetency must have led to the death of Mr. Thomas, your husband."
Petra raised her head in disbelief upon hearing what Clarke had just said; how could anyone be so brave to accuse her of murder.
"Mr. Thomas died the moment she tried to make an incision."
"Mr. Thomas Wayne. 35 year old, died on the 26/June/ 2024 due to excessive bleeding, multiple internal injuries, and glass stuck beneath his abdomen."
Petra Announces the time and date of the death of Thomas Wayne as she sobs painfully at the accident that just took place.