A Doctor’s Oath

At 1:10 p.m., a staff member brought in a questionnaire.

“Dr. Lane,” she said, “in ten minutes, Mr. Reid from the hospital administration will come speak with you about the investigation. Please get ready.”

“Alright. I’ll prepare,” I replied.

I took the questionnaire and deliberately took my time filling it out. However, in my mind, I was calculating the timing. The meeting scheduled for 2:00 p.m. would take at least an hour. By then, the surgery would be over.

At 1:20 p.m., Mr. Reid arrived right on time, holding a folder with my records.

“Dr. Lane, we just want to understand the situation regarding the incorrect medication you wrote in Mr. Nichols’s preoperative note. Please explain your thoughts at the time.”

I followed the explanation I had prepared, speaking in a sincere tone, “At the time, there were some issues at home, and I wasn’t in the best emotional state. My mind was a mess, and I wrote the wrong drug by mistake. Later, when I realized the error, I immediately accepted the suspension. I know this was my fault, and I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Mr. Reid nodded, then asked a few more questions about medical safety protocols. The conversation continued until 1:50 p.m. and ended there.

At 2:10 p.m., the door to the records room suddenly burst open.

Nurse Kieren rushed in, crying. “Dr. Lane! Mr. Nichols is crashing! Jonah administered penicillin. He’s in anaphylactic shock!”

I instantly threw down the handbook and ran with her toward the operating room. I nearly stumbled along the way. Just as I reached the door, I saw Henrik start convulsing. His face turned a frightening shade of blue, and his breathing became rapid and shallow.

I rushed forward and yanked out the IV needle while shouting to the nurse, “Dexamethasone! Ten milligrams, IV push! Kieren, go to the pharmacy and get backup epinephrine as fast as you can!”

In the corner of the room, Jonah and Shannon stood frozen. Their faces were pale, their eyes darting nervously.

After thirty minutes of frantic emergency resuscitation, Henrik was still unconscious. A neurologist was called in for consultation and diagnosed him with mild brain damage caused by a penicillin allergy.

I stared at Henrik lying motionless on the hospital bed. A wave of helplessness washed over me. Even after everything, the tragedy from my previous life still couldn’t be avoided.

Just then, the heart monitor let out a long, piercing tone, signalling that Henrik’s heartbeat had stopped. The room fell into an eerie silence. Only Shannon’s crying grew louder and louder.

A few seconds later, she suddenly pointed at me and shouted to the police officers who had just rushed in through the door.

“It was him! Milo told Jonah to use penicillin on purpose! He knew Mr. Nichols was allergic! He was trying to kill him!”