Chapter 2
Alistair pushed through the heavy double doors of the pediatrics wing. The air here smelled of antiseptic and artificial lavender, but to Alistair, it felt like a battlefield. He could still see the gold interface flickering at the edge of his vision.
MISSION ACTIVE: THE SILENT THREAT
TIME REMAINING: 18:42
He reached Room 302. Inside, ten-year-old Leo was sitting on the edge of the bed, swinging his legs. His mother was packing a small bag, a relieved smile on her face.
"Dr. Finch!" she chirped. "Dr. Thorne said we're all clear. Thank you for checking on us one last time."
Alistair didn't answer. As he stepped closer to the boy, his vision suddenly hummed. The world didn't change, but a translucent, glowing blue grid projected itself over Leo's torso. It was like looking at a high-definition CT scan, but in real-time.
SKILL ACTIVATED: ANATOMICAL OVERLAY (LVL 1)
TARGET SCANNED: LEO VAUGHN
DETECTING ABNORMALITIES...
Alistair's breath caught in his throat. In the center of the blue grid, a small area in the abdomen began to pulse with a violent, angry red.
"Leo," Alistair said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Does your stomach still hurt? Even a little?"
"Just a tiny bit, like a pinch," the boy said, pointing to his right side. "But the big doctor said it's just from the hospital food."
Alistair reached out. As his fingers moved toward the boy's skin, the System zoomed in. The layers of skin and muscle seemed to melt away in his mind's eye, revealing the mesenteric artery. There, tucked behind a fold of the bowel where no standard ultrasound would look, was a tiny, grape-sized bulge.
DIAGNOSIS COMPLETE: MESENTERIC ARTERY ANEURYSM]
STATUS: CRITICAL THINNING
PROBABILITY OF RUPTURE WITHIN 60 MINUTES: 94%
Alistair felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. Thorne had missed it. The "God of Surgery" had cleared a child for discharge while a lethal internal hemorrhage was seconds away from triggering.
"He can't leave," Alistair said sharply.
Leo's mother froze. "What? But Dr. Thorne said—"
"Dr. Thorne was wrong," Alistair interrupted. He grabbed a penlight and checked Leo's vitals again, but the System was already giving him more data than any tool could.
SYSTEM WARNING: HOST HEART RATE ELEVATED. STEADY HANDS NOT YET PERMANENT.
WARNING: CHIEF SURGEON APPROACHING.
The sound of those leather shoes returned, echoing in the hallway. Thorne appeared in the doorway, his face darkening the moment he saw Alistair.
"Finch? I told you to be at your desk," Thorne said, his voice vibrating with suppressed rage. "What are you doing in a discharged patient's room?"
"He has a mesenteric aneurysm, sir," Alistair said, standing straight despite his knees shaking. "We need to get him to the OR immediately."
Thorne let out a short, mocking laugh. "An aneurysm? The boy has minor abdominal inflammation. I reviewed the scans myself. Are you questioning my diagnosis, Resident?"
"The scans didn't go deep enough into the posterior mesenteric fold," Alistair countered. "If he leaves this hospital, he won't make it to the parking lot."
The tension in the room was suffocating. Leo's mother looked back and forth between the two doctors, her eyes filling with terror.
Thorne stepped into the room, his presence towering over Alistair. "You are exhausted, Finch. You are hallucinating. This is the end of your career. Security is already on their way to escort you out. Leave. Now."
BEEP... BEEP...
TIMER: 08:15
NEW OBJECTIVE: PROVE THE DIAGNOSIS OR FACE EXPULSION.
Alistair looked at the boy, then at the arrogant man in front of him. For the first time in his life, the fear of Thorne was smaller than the fear of failing a patient.
"I'm not leaving," Alistair said. "And neither is he."