I sat at my desk the next morning, hands steady as I typed Jazmine Rivera's name into the hospital's patient portal. The system hummed, searching. Part of me still hoped there was an explanation. A coincidence. Something that would make sense of the chaos my life had become.
The screen populated. Janelle Rivera. Prenatal care. OB-GYN: Dr. Spencer.
I pulled up her intake form. Emergency contact: Jazmine Rivera. Relationship: sister.
The coffee in my stomach turned to acid. I scrolled through the address, phone number, family history. Every detail matched. This wasn't random patient aggression. This was orchestrated.
For a moment, I just sat there, staring at the screen. Then I began to document. Every detail, every timestamp, every witness. I printed the intake form, the security log from the day of the incident, Janelle's medical history. I organized them in a folder I labeled 'Patient Case Review.' I wasn't ready to call it what it really was yet.
I made my way to the nurses' station. Chloe Park was there, charting, her dark hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. She looked up when I approached, her expression softening.
"Dr. Spencer," she said, setting down her pen. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine," I said. The lie came easily. "Actually, Chloe, I wanted to ask you about Ms. Rivera's visit last week. Do you remember anything unusual? Anyone who might have visited her before the... incident?"
Chloe glanced around the station, then lowered her voice. "There was someone. A young woman, very put-together. Designer clothes, expensive-looking bag. She visited Ms. Rivera's room about an hour before everything happened. I remember because Ms. Rivera was calm when I checked on her earlier, but after this woman left... she was agitated. Angry."
My pulse quickened. "Can you describe her?"
"Dark hair, like mine, but straight. Beautiful. She had this way of moving, like she owned the place. I caught a glimpse of her when she was leaving—she was on her phone, laughing. Seemed happy about something. I thought it was strange, given Ms. Rivera's condition."
"Would you be willing to write a statement?" I asked quietly.
Chloe's eyes widened slightly. "You think it was planned? That someone deliberately...?" She trailed off, then nodded. "Yes. I'll write something down. But Dr. Spencer... be careful. This feels dangerous."
I thanked her and walked back to my office, my mind racing. I didn't confront Dalton. What would be the point? He'd already chosen his side.
Instead, I continued documenting. Every detail. Every connection. I was building a case, though I wasn't yet sure what I was building it for.
A week passed. I threw myself into work, staying late, taking extra shifts. It was easier than going home to an empty apartment, to the ghost of a marriage that had been dead for longer than I wanted to admit.
It was nearly 9 PM when I finally clocked out. The hospital was quiet, most of the staff gone for the day. I gathered my things and headed to the parking garage, mentally rehearsing the conversation I would have with Dalton. How I would tell him I knew. How I would leave.
The garage was dimly lit, concrete pillars casting long shadows across the empty spaces. My footsteps echoed as I walked to my car, keys in hand.
I didn't see them until it was too late.
Janelle stepped out from behind a concrete pillar, flanked by two men. She was no longer pregnant, her belly flat beneath a tight black shirt. Her eyes were cold, triumphant.
"Well, well," she said, her voice echoing in the concrete space. "Look who's finally leaving. Right on schedule."
I froze, keys clutched tightly in my hand. "Janelle. What are you doing here?"
She smiled, a cruel twist of her lips. "Finishing what we started. My sister sends her regards, by the way. She thought you might need a more... permanent lesson."
One of the men stepped forward, his face impassive. The other circled behind me.
"Let's see how good you are without these," Janelle said, nodding toward my hands.
I looked down. My surgeon's hands. The instruments of my life's work. The last piece of myself I had left.
