At first, Megan was trying so hard to process what had happened, but the moment Clarke and Mitchell announced that Thomas was dead. She broke down into uncontrollable tears. Hernandez tried to console her, but it was not working as she cried even harder.
"You!! It is all your fault, and you killed him!!!!! I told you she was never competent for this, and you chose to give her the job" Davis stared down at Petra, a look of disappointment clouding his face seeing her.
"Mrs. Megan, it's okay, everything will be fine. I believe that this was meant to happen for a reason" This statement seemed to have angered Megan, who looked up at Davis and, with a loud voice proclamation
"How was this meant to happen? She killed my husband because he was her ex-fiance!. There is no further explanation for this" Megan rose from the floor, aggressively walked up to Petra, who was saddened.
"Are you happy now? Have you seen the mess you have made with your stupid act? You will pay dearly for this. I promise you, and this would be fatal to your career" She was holding Petra's cloth, but the latter seemed not to respond as she just stared into space.
"To think I was with his child. I was going to have his baby for him, something you could not possibly do."
Petra took every word she heard from Megan. She could not say anything back at her. The looks of Thomas were dealing with her emotionally and psychologically.
"Madam, please calm down" Clarke and Mitchell had joined in consoling Megan, but she was not letting go of Petra anytime.
"Produce my husband for me. Produce Thomas for me," Tears fell gracefully from Petra's eyes as she was being dragged carelessly by Megan.
Lewis, who had heard the commotion, ran to the scene to see Petra sitting on the floor, looking dejected, he immediately ran to her and tried to help her up, but Megan was having none of it.
"What do you think you are doing? Helping a murderer to getaway? She is not leaving this place until she produces Thomas for me. Never has it been a crime for someone to dump a person he doesn't like. He owed his life to your care, and you messed him up for things that happened in the past,"
Lewis was shocked as Megan kept ranting at the top of her voice. He knew something was wrong when he saw Petra seated on the floor.
"Madam, I assure you, something would be done about this situation. All I want you to do right now is to be strong for your husband...be vital for Thomas, and I believe he would always watch you from the skies," Davis consoled as he signaled Lewis to carry Petra away from the scene.
Clarke and Mitchell, who have seen this, we're happy visiting Petra in the state of the mess that she was in, and they knew that without a doubt, her glory days were coming to an end.
****
When Lewis arrived at Petra's office with the latter, he immediately rushed to get a water bottle. Pouring the content into the glass cup, he handed it over to Petra, who was still once more staring into space.
"Petra, whatever happened there was never your fault. I believe you are a good person and would never have any hidden sinister motive for a patient," Petra sniffed. Taking the glass of water from Lewis, she gulped the entire content.
"Care to let me know what happened in there, finally?" Lewis asked after seeing she had calmed down a bit.
"Something is wrong somewhere, but I can't seem to place my hands on it. I just made an incision on the patient before he died...a simple incision that was done with so much precision."
It looked as though she was speaking more to herself than Lewis, who was listening attentively.
"Thomas was reported to be caught up in an accident situation. Davis called me while it was on the date with Matt's, informing me about an immediate surgery that needed to be done. Seeing that it was Thomas, I told myself that I would make sure that he lives...no matter how I deny it, Lewis, I still have feelings for him"
Lewis was trying hard not to be affected because Petra had feelings for Thomas. He knew that the latter was dead, and so, with time, the surface would die down.
"In the ER with Clarke and Mitchell, they were all present when I commenced the operation, and there was not a single element of negligence from my side."
Petra stood up from her seat, pacing around in the same manner that she always does while trying to solve a mystery.
"Could it be that Thomas was dead on arrival?" Lewis suggested, but Petra knew that was not the case. Everything in his body showed that he could survive.
"And to think he died, in the same way, the president, Mrs. Walker, could have died" Lewis's eyes widened, realizing what she meant.
"Could it be that someone is killing these patients, as the anonymous caller had once pointed out?" Lewis also thought as they both settled in comfortable silence.
He was about to say something when they heard the door open, and Matthews stepped in. Lewis didn't like the fact that Matthews was here. He wanted all the attention he could get from Petra, and now, with Matthews here, it meant he would have to keep mute and listen to the duo conversate.
"How did it happen, Petra? I have always known you to be very careful in whatever you do!! This does not feel right," Petra sighed in defeat; of all people to be her first death, it had to be her Thomas.
"There is a problem" Petra raised her head and stared at Matts, urging him to continue with whatever it was he needed to say.
"The council wants to see you" It was at this moment Petra knew that she was in serious trouble.
****
The entire atmosphere was tensed when Petra stepped inside the big board room, where the council of medical practitioners was seated.
Every single eye she stared at looked very unfriendly. Not that she wanted them to be good to her. To them, she had just negligently killed a patient.
"Mrs. Petra, I hope you do know why you are standing here before the board today?" Gareth Mcclurkin, one of the heads of the board, asked.
"Not fully aware, sir, although if it has to do with the death of Mr. Thomas, a patient brought here a few hours ago, then I want this board to know this very minute that I am innocent,"
There was murmuring amongst the medical practitioners, and after Gareth raised his hand as a sign to calm everyone down, he further speaks saying;
"Well, we don't seem to know the situation at hand. That is why we have Clarke and Mitchell come forward to give their testimony of what happened at the ER" She turned to see the duo step forward.
"Doctor Clarke and Doctor Mitchell, tell this board today what exactly happened at the ER."
Petra stared at them curiously as Clarke spoke, first of all.
"Doctor Davis Hernandez instructed us to take the position of having to assist Mrs. Petra Hills here while she performs surgery on the patient. From the report we got, the patient had a shred of glass beneath his abdomen, and aside from this, there was also a report of multiple internal injuries. We all here know that this situation is critical."
"I was engrossed in the reading of the reports that I didn't know what happened, till Mitchell here drew my attention over the fact that Mrs. Petra here didn't just administer anesthesia to the patient; she administered a lethal injection that is capable of killing the patient."
There was a loud gasp at the board. Petra was frozen in shock as she stared down at Clarke, giving false testimony to the committee.
"That is the most ruthless thing to have ever been done by a surgeon of your reputation," Davis commented. Mrs. Walker was seated at the center of the table, and she was, in fact, the head of the table.
"Mrs. Petra Hills, we will ask you this once, and we want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth from you. Did you or did you not administer a lethal injection to the patient put in your care"
All eyes were focused on Petra. She was not going to stand and be accused of something she would never dare.
"I know the rules and regulations of this profession, accusing me of having to administer a lethal injection, something that serves as a death penalty to criminals with capital offenses in the society, is just so unimaginable. I have only been working at the hospital for barely a month, and even when I worked here, you all witnessed the things I did for this hospital. How I saved the president, how I..."
"Oh! Please, nobody wants to listen to your chronicles, Mrs. Petra. The truth remains that you killed that patient with a hidden sinister motive. And to the board, here is proof of the lethal injection," Mitchell walked up to the table and placed the syringe right before them.