Chapter 9

Mrs. Jane didn’t survive the ordeal. She was pronounced dead after two hours of continuous resuscitation efforts. It was later reported that Dr. Keller wasn’t ready to let her go. He kept fighting for her long after everyone else had stopped, long after the team knew there was nothing more to be done. He was frantic, almost manic, refusing to step back.

Staff talked about how he’d crossed professional boundaries once he realized he couldn’t save his patient. Yet those same conversations also painted him as someone who always acted in his patients’ best interests. He was already known for that, and this incident only added to his reputation, praising him for going to any length to try to save a life.

None of that mattered to me.

What mattered to me was that Mrs. Jane, the woman I’d grown emotionally attached to without even realizing it, was gone.

It was heartbreaking to see how a person’s dreams and hopes could disappear in a single moment. One minute, you were alive, full of plans and thoughts about the future, and the next, everything ended. It was devastating to realize how little control we truly had.

Somehow, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Mrs. Jane’s moment hadn’t come naturally. Someone had played a role in it.

And of course, it was no one else but Dr. Keller.

What if he hadn’t harassed me in front of her?

What if he hadn’t stressed her so much, pushing her tender heart beyond its limits?

There was a chance Mrs. Jane might still have been alive.

Her sudden death was a shock to everyone. People were saddened by her unexpected passing, yet life inside the hospital moved on quickly. Conversations shifted to other things. Lately, Dr. Keller and Dr. Brooks have become the centre of quiet discussion.

Dr. Keller had been acting strangely for days, even before Mrs. Jane’s death. Rumours had already begun circulating that something was happening in his personal life. Then came the Code Blue incident. Since Dr. Brooks was part of the Code Blue team, she’d had no choice but to respond when Dr. Keller’s patient was announced as a Code Blue. It was possible she didn’t realize the patient was Dr. Keller’s until she arrived on the floor.

Either way, the way they acted like complete strangers during the Code Blue became the talk of the hospital. As soon as the team pronounced Mrs. Jane dead, Dr. Brooks left. She didn’t stay behind, even while witnessing Dr. Keller’s insistence on continuing resuscitation, even as he spiralled. She didn’t stay the way a girlfriend would. It became obvious to everyone that they were no longer together.

After Mrs. Jane’s death, Dr. Keller grew withdrawn. It was clear that it affected him deeply. He didn’t come at me with his sharp words for several days. That wasn’t a relief for me. I couldn’t move past the way Mrs. Jane’s life ended. As days passed, everyone else seemed to forget her. I didn’t. Her face didn’t fade. Every night, when I closed my eyes to sleep, she was still there.

A week after her death, Dr. Keller slowly began returning to his usual self. His nasty remarks and constant picking at me came back with double the strength. Mrs. Jane’s death affected me so deeply that his cruelty no longer reached me the same way, at least not internally.

One afternoon, Kim asks, “You’re coming to the party on the 24th, right?”

“What party?” I ask, confused.

“You haven’t heard about it?” she says, staring at me. “We’ve been talking about it forever. Haven’t you seen the notices on the board? Forget that. Didn’t you hear about it during the morning huddle on Wednesday?”

“I was off Wednesday,” I reply.

She clicks her fingers. “Oh, right, you were off. Still, it’s been the biggest talk around here.”

“I don’t talk to many people,” I say.

Kim laughs. “Of course you don’t. You keep to yourself and focus on work. Anyway, we have annual celebrations every year.”

“The surgical floor?” I ask.

“No, it’s the fourth floor. Surgical and medical together.”

“What time?”

“Six to twelve in the evening, so most people can attend.”

“What about evening staff?”

“Unfortunately, some evening staff won’t be able to attend since this is a twenty-four-hour facility. We ask staff around, and some prefer not to come to the party, so they stay on the evening shift.”

“Then put me in that group,” I say quickly. “The work group, not the party group.”

“You should come. It’s your first year, so you don’t have a choice,” she says with a wink. “The schedule’s already done. We don’t need extra evening coverage.”

“You said you asked everyone, but you never asked me,” I point out.

“That’s what I said. New hires don’t get an option. We want to show them that we can be fun too, apart from all the busy work.”

“I really don’t want to come,” I say.

“Why?” she asks. “There’s music, good food, and some drinks. It’s a lot of fun.”

“I still don’t want to.”

“Why?” she repeats.

I hesitate, then ask quietly, “Dr. Keller will be there, won’t he?”

“Yes. It’s not only for nurses. Unless there’s an emergency surgery, he’ll be there. That’s how they met,” she adds.

“Who?” I ask.

“Dr. Brooks and Dr. Keller. They started connecting two years ago at the annual party and began dating, though they had known each other from before. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out,” she sighs.

“Are you sure they broke up?” I ask.

“Daniel never said anything, but Dr. Brooks hinted at it when I asked why she isn’t around the surgical floors anymore. It’s sad.”

“What could be the reason?” I ask.

“I’ve no idea,” she says, shaking her head. “They were perfect together. But you know Daniel. He’s a workaholic. People like that struggle in their personal lives. They don’t know how to balance things. No matter the time, even in the middle of the night, he’s here if we need him. That’s why his patients trust him. They believe nothing will happen under his care.”

“Still, Mrs. Jane,” I say quietly.

“It was her time,” Kim says in a sad voice. “This never happened with any of his patients before. You should’ve seen him when he realized she was gone and couldn’t be revived. He was shouting at us to continue, even when we all knew she was gone. He had to be escorted out.”

“Really?” I ask, still uncertain.

“And I’m sorry about what happened to you that day,” she continues. “I know you and Mrs. Jane shared a bond. You wanted to be there. He was rude to you. He shouldn’t be. I didn’t defend you because it wasn’t a situation where I could focus on anything else. Mrs. Jane’s life was the only thing on my mind. I planned to talk to you afterward, but I thought bringing it up again would only make you more upset.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “I know you try to make things better. He doesn’t get it. That’s beyond your control.”

“Exactly,” she says. “It’s not something I can fix, but I can try. That’s why I want you to come to the party. It’s not like work. It’s more relaxed. You might get a chance to talk to your colleagues. Maybe even Daniel.”

“I don’t want any conversation with him.”

“Still, please come,” she says, almost begging. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t pick on you that day. Please.”

I stay silent, clearly disagreeing. She reaches out and grabs my arm. “For me. Please,” she says.

When I look into her pleading eyes, I cannot say no. “Okay,” I finally say. “I’ll come.”