All Chapters of My Mother's Killer Came to Me for Surgery: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“Dr. Lowe, please wait! The former hospital director's daughter insists on meeting you, no matter what!”Jason stepped directly in front of my car, looking as though he was prepared to throw himself in front of it if necessary.“Vanessa Hart?”“You know her?”Of course I did.She was Ethan's wife and Simon’s only daughter.Twenty years ago, she was still a student, yet she had already walked around the hospital as if she owned the place because of her father's status.“No. I've just heard the name.”Jason let out a sigh.“The patient's son, Ethan Lancaster, is Vanessa Hart's husband. He's also one of the leading neurosurgeons in Kingsford... one of the senior neurosurgeons in our department.”He carefully chose his words, speaking to me with obvious caution.“Dr. Lowe, I'm sure you have your reasons. But if this situation blows up, it won't be good for either of us. How about staying a little longer and at least meeting with the family before making a final decision?”“There's nothing

“Dr. Lowe, what's your reason for refusing this surgery?”The man speaking was Robert Greene, Deputy Director of the Kingsford Health Authority.The next morning, the case review meeting convened.In attendance were not only the department heads from the hospital, but also two representatives from the Kingsford Health Authority.“I can't guarantee that I'll be in the proper state of mind during the operation.”“What exactly does that mean?”Robert flipped through the documents in front of him.“Dr. Lowe, I've reviewed your record. Over the past three years, you've performed forty-seven high-risk surgeries as lead surgeon with a perfect success rate. How can you suddenly lack confidence in this case?”“Because this one is different.”“Why?”I didn't answer immediately.The other representative spoke up.“Dr. Lowe, we respect every physician's professional judgment. However, this case is unusual. The patient's surgical window is extremely short. If you refuse the case, his chances of sur

“To everyone here today, the document I'm submitting today is a formal request for recusal.”The conference room was even more crowded than it was the day before.In addition to the hospital's physicians and administrators, four representatives from the Kingsford Health Authority were present.“A recusal request?”Robert looked up.“Dr. Lowe, do you have any idea what people are saying about you online right now? And you're still asking to recuse yourself?”“That's exactly why I need to explain everything here today.”I opened the folder and pulled out the first document.“The patient scheduled for surgery is Victor Lancaster, the surgeon responsible for my mother Linda Lowe's death twenty years ago.”The room fell silent.Everyone stared at me in shock.“On July 10, 2004, my mother was admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery at Kingsford General Hospital after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. “The lead surgeon was Victor Lancaster, then Chief of Neurosurgery. During the procedure,

“Fine, Suzy. You win. Happy now?”The afternoon after the press conference, Ethan showed up outside my hotel room.Vanessa stood behind him, stripped of the fiery confidence she usually carried.“What do you want?”His voice was rough and exhausted.“If it's money, name your price. If you want an apology, you'll get one. If you want me to resign, I'll resign. Just tell me what it is you want.”“I don't want anything.”“That's impossible!”His composure finally cracked.“You've spent twenty years preparing for this. You went to all this trouble. Don't tell me it was just to make a scene at a press conference.”He stepped forward and blocked my path.“I know you hate me. I know you hate my father. Fine. But he's dying. Whatever he did before, right now he's just a patient.”I took a step back and leaned against the doorframe.“Ethan, if you'd thought that way twenty years ago while standing over my mother's operating table, do you think she'd still be alive today?”His mouth opened.Then

“Mom, I'm here.”A simple grave and a modest headstone were all that remained of my mother.“Mom, I found the truth.”I crouched down and placed the photograph beside the grave.The image Margaret took was blurry, the figures faded with age, but I could still make out the silhouette.“The man who hurt you didn't die by my hand.”I paused.“He was destroyed by his own greed.”The night before, Victor's condition deteriorated rapidly.The disease progressed beyond anything medication could control.He drifted in and out of consciousness, and each period of wakefulness grew shorter than the last.In the end, no one ever performed the surgery.He slipped into a coma and never woke up again.Vanessa had already divorced Ethan.As his ex-wife, she formally declined all responsibility for his father's medical decisions.Ian stood nearby, quietly waiting.“And then there's Ethan.”I pulled a court notice from my pocket and placed it beside the photograph.“He's going to prison.”I thought back