The Pattern
Susan was exhausted by the time morning rounds ended.
The hospital buzzed with life... stretchers rattling down corridors, nurses calling for meds, ventilators humming in the ICU
But her mind wasn’t on her patients. It was on the three who never woke up.
She slipped into the records room when no one was looking, clutching a cup of coffee she hadn’t had time to drink.
The smell of paper and ink was oddly comforting, a brief refuge from the noise. She pulled out the charts one by one.
Three young patients.
Three routine surgeries.
Three comas.
And then.. something else.
Her finger froze on the page. A detail she’d overlooked before jumped out. All three procedures were done in the same place...
The infamous Operating Room 8.
The realization hit her like a punch. It wasn’t coincidence.
The door creaked. Susan slammed the files shut just as Dr. Bellows, the chief resident, stepped in.
Dr. Bellows (the chief resident)
Wheeler? What are you doing here?
Susan Wheeler
Just reviewing post-op notes. *forcing a smile*
Bellows narrowed his eyes.
Dr. Bellows (the chief resident)
Don’t waste your time chasing coincidences. Focus on your rotation.
He left before she could respond.
Her pulse raced. OR 8 wasn’t just a number.. It was a warning.
At lunch, she tried to bring it up with her friend Jenny, a surgical intern.
Jenny (her friend, a surgical intern)
Three coma cases?
Jenny (her friend, a surgical intern)
*Jenny frowned, pushing her salad aside*
Jenny (her friend, a surgical intern)
That’s… weird. But you’re on thin ice already, Susan.
Jenny (her friend, a surgical intern)
If you keep digging, the attendings will notice.
Susan Wheeler
I don’t care. *Her jaw tightened*
Susan Wheeler
Something’s wrong.
Jenny (her friend, a surgical intern)
*Jenny hesitated*
Jenny (her friend, a surgical intern)
Talk to Mark. He’s close to the anesthesiology team. Maybe he knows.
That night, Susan caught Mark outside the OR lounge.
Susan Wheeler
Mark, you know about the coma cases, right?
Max
*He glanced around before answering*
Max
Everyone does. They’re calling it anesthesia complications.
Susan Wheeler
But the surgeries were simple! And all in OR 8.
Max
*Mark stiffened* Drop it, Susan.
Max
You don’t want to get involved.
She searched his face. He looked worried.. not for himself, but for her.
Before she could press further, a nurse rushed past.
Nurse
Code Blue in recovery!!!
The moment was gone, and Mark disappeared into the crowd.
Susan stayed behind, unsettled.
Later that night, Susan checked the vitals of a new patient, Mr. Richards, a healthy man in his 30s, in for a routine knee surgery. His wife clutched Susan’s hand.
Mrs. Richard
Please… he’s strong. This is nothing serious, right?
Susan smiled faintly, but inside, dread twisted in her stomach.
Tomorrow, Richards would be wheeled into surgery.
And if she was right… he might never wake up again...
Comments
ansley_wilmer
ot seems kind of mystery thriller
2025-08-23
1