"Oh my God! He's losing blood!" Grayson, an elderly man in a lab coat, shouted, his voice strained. He glared at Helen, whose forceps gleamed crimson under the harsh white lights flooding the operating theater.
"Do something! We can't let him die!" Ella, a young girl, hyperventilated behind her face mask, gloved hands running through her hairnet in agitation.
"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Helen grunted, sweat beading on her face, stinging her eyes as it rolled unheeded. Her hands, clenching the forceps, pressed against the pale man's chest. The rhythmic beeping of the life support system mirrored the slow, agonizing descent of the patient's chest. Blood seeped, then oozed, staining her gloved hands a deeper crimson.
BEEEEEEP…..
A long, desolate wail from the machine.
"No…" Ella faltered, slowly retreating to the wall, her gaze fixed on Helen.
"I'm sorry, Helen. I'm so sorry." Grayson's voice, a weathered rasp, held a note of profound regret as he looked at her through the web of his wrinkles, then took a sharp, short breath and nodded.
"Shit… Dammit!" Helen's hands stilled, leaving the forceps embedded in the chest. With a frustrated roar, she slammed her fists onto the pale man's sternum, the operating table vibrating faintly with the force of her despair.
"You've failed the exam, Helen." Grayson's voice cut through the silence, sharper and more painful than any knife, deeper than any wound. The heavy white lights dimmed, revealing the sterile, unforgiving expanse of the operating theatre.
"Damn…" Ella sighed, looking as though she might faint. Above them, the muffled chatter of other students observing from the gallery filled the space.
"Doctor Grayson… Does that mean…?" Ella's voice trembled, her hands shaking visibly.
"Yes, it means she's carrying over this course." Dr. Grayson's tone was flat as he picked up a file, marking it with a decisive stroke of a red pen.
No…
But how did I fail?!
Me?!
Helen's hands clenched, her muscles tensing, a desperate denial raging within her.
"Oh, the hotshot doesn't look too great now, does she?" A voice, dripping with disdain, cut through the air from above. It was Lara, a brunette with eyes like fire, her teal medical uniform crisp as she smiled down.
"Hey! That's not nice!" Ella shouted, looking up at Lara. But Lara merely continued smiling, idly admiring her perfectly manicured nails before waving them dismissively in the air.
"Well, neither is flunking the course." Lara chuckled, her gaze piercing Helen. Dr. Grayson, witnessing the exchange, grunted, moving to the side of the table and looking upwards.
"Lara, that is no behavior befitting a doctor! Watch your tone!" He pointed his file at her. Lara reclined from the edge, blowing out her cheeks like a dismissive horse.
"But wait, Doctor, how exactly did I fail? I followed all the procedures correctly." Helen faced Dr. Grayson, removing her hairnet and shaking her head, a desperate plea in her voice.
"That should be quite obvious already. This further proves your lack of skill." He lowered his head, eyes sweeping over her file.
"The great Helen of Massachusetts… Said to be smart and gifted, but I don't see it." He smacked his lips together, glaring at her.
"Sir, that's a bit too…" Ella began, but Helen held up a hand, silencing her with a look over her shoulder.
"Please, can you tell me where and what exactly I did wrong?" Helen's tone lowered, her voice now laced with cynicism.
"I followed everything in the manual that you gave out to the class---which wasn't cheap, by the way." She walked closer to Dr. Grayson, her shoulders rising with her voice, a simmering rage beneath her words.
"So I shouldn't fail! I did everything by the freaking book!" She shouted, grinding her teeth at him.
Dr. Grayson slowly backed away, a bead of sweat trailing down his blobby nose. He stopped, then abruptly walked towards her, his gaze momentarily fixed on Helen's bulging cleavage, before he gulped and cleared his throat.
"If you did do as you said, then explain this!" He gestured towards the dummy corpse's hand, where a tube with liquid connected to an IV bag.
"What's there to explain? That's anesthetic." Helen bristled, her head held high, a dismissive sniff escaping her nose.
"Look at the bag clearly, Miss Helen, since manners seem to not exist anymore." Dr. Grayson hiccuped, a nervous sound. Helen leaned in closer, checking the IV bag.
Her eyes scanned the label as her mouth spoke the chilling word:
"Cyanide…"
Wait, Cyanide?!
"What's cyanide doing here?!" Helen's voice rose, her gaze snapping back to Dr. Grayson.
"Why are you asking me? It was an exam. A medical professional is supposed to check all their materials and to be sure of them." He screamed, pointing his pen at her.
"You…!" Helen's face contorted, her eyes narrowed like a predator about to strike.
"That isn't fair, now! Dr. Grayson!" Ella shouted, her finger raised in accusation.
"How was she supposed to know? That was an exam and it wasn't anywhere in the manual!" Ella pouted, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration.
"It's the medical field! She's supposed to expect the unexpected!" Dr. Grayson retorted.
"Yes! How would someone who wants to become a doctor not even check their equipment before a surgery?" Lara's voice echoed from above, dripping with smug satisfaction.
"Total amateur!" Her voice dragged like a stone against guitar strings, harsh and grating.
"Hey, shut up!" Helen shouted, pointing up at Lara. Ella tugged Helen by the arm.
"Let's just go…" Ella whispered, her voice barely audible.
"But no! This isn't fair! How was I supposed to know?!" Helen cried out, even as Ella tugged her towards the door.
"Isn't this a university?! Isn't everything supposed to be prepared beforehand?!" She continued to shout, but Dr. Grayson let out a soft, mocking chuckle.
"This is just… This is just…!" She gnashed her teeth, her furious gaze fixed on Dr. Grayson's sneering face.
"You!" She let out a guttural roar, as if her vocal cords were being pulled taut.
"Fu---" Before Helen could finish, Ella clapped a hand over her mouth, dragging her out of the theatre.
Ella pulled Helen through the doors and slammed her against the corridor wall, Helen's hair slightly ruffled from the rough treatment.
"What were you thinking?! You want him to fail you for every course here?!" Ella shouted, grabbing Helen's shoulders tight.
Helen merely glanced at her face, her anger slowly dissolving into despair, her chest heaving with defeated breaths.
"What's the point? I've already failed this course. What's there to lose?" She let out a ghastly, humorless smile.
"I'm not making it to next year." She lowered her head, defeat etched onto her features. Ella, seeing this, pouted her face and nodded, thinking she was offering sound advice.
"Well, it's already in the past. It's been done. Sulking here won't help." Ella nodded her head, convinced of her wisdom.
Helen slowly raised her hand, removing Ella's firm grip from her shoulders, and turned away.
"Yeah, it is, but what about my
future?" She looked over her shoulder, her eyes burning.
And that damn Lara!
Helen clenched her fist, fury rekindling.
Ella, at a loss for words, bent her head down, watching Helen drag her feet away. Then suddenly, an idea popped into her head.
She quickly raised her head and reached out a hand for Helen.
"Wait!"