My Father Chose the Killer

The corridor fell silent.

Leonard Whitaker tossed the liability waiver onto my chest without sparing me another glance. He crossed the hall in long, purposeful strides and stopped at Damien Whitaker's side.

"Don't be scared, son. I'll operate on you myself. You're going to be fine."

He took Damien's hand with care, his eyes brimming with tenderness.

I lay in the middle of a busy corridor, drenched in my own blood. I was watching the emergency operating room that should have been mine get handed over to a convict with barely a scratch.

That morning, before I left the house, Leonard looked me in the eye and told me to be careful out there. He said he would wait for me to come home so we could celebrate my birthday together.

Yet on my 20th birthday, he signed away my life without a moment of hesitation. All because the convict on death row was his biological son.

My consciousness started slipping. I watched Leonard walk past me without a trace of emotion, calling every last member of the medical staff into the operating room. He did not look back once.

The doctors who had been gathered around me did not dare defy the deputy chief. One by one, they turned and walked away.

I could hear their frustration as they left.

"Is he serious? That guy's on death row. Even if they save him, he's got enough charges to be executed a hundred times over. He'd give up on his own son for someone like that?"

"Maybe the deputy chief has his reasons. Let's just get in there. Even if something goes wrong, it won't be on us."

Footsteps scattered down the hall. I could feel warm blood seeping steadily out of my body, but I did not want to die like that. I clung to what little consciousness I had left and grabbed at the coat of a passing nurse with everything I had.

"Please save me. I don't want to die."

She stopped. After a brief hesitation, she said, "I'm sorry. I'm just a nursing intern. I can't perform surgery on my own."

Something inside me went still. When she pulled my hand free, everything went dark. Tears slid from the corners of my eyes before I could stop them.

I still remembered the day I got into the police academy. Leonard had clapped me on the shoulder, beaming with pride, and told me that since I had chosen this path, I should never forget my duty to protect and serve.

He was only my adoptive father, but he had taught me so much over the years. We had been each other's pride.

Now, the man I was so proud of had shoved me into the abyss with his own hands.

When I came to, several members of the medical team were standing around me. A nurse held my hand tightly, doing her best to keep me calm.

"Don't be scared. Dr. Hendricks is one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons we have. You're going to be okay!"

Before I could respond, the lead surgeon's expression darkened.

"The rebar pierced dangerously close to the heart. One wrong move could make things worse. Dr. Whitaker is probably the only person in this entire hospital who can pull this off."

"Hurry, get Dr. Whitaker in here!"

The operating room doors swung open and shut as chaos erupted inside.