• Bite me

    "The patient in room 213 just flat-lined, sir."

    "Damn! Who's in charge of the second floor?"

    "Dr. Nellings, sir. The new night shift girl."

    "Of course she is...” The chief of staff grumbled. “I'll see to this.”



    Doctor Collins, chief of staff, sprinted up the steps to the second floor, moving faster than he
    had in years. He'd had a bad feeling about this Dr. Nellings, a young woman who wanted
    only night shifts, and was going to refuse her employment even with the hospital
    desperately understaffed.

    Room numbers zipped past: 209, 211, 213! He stopped abruptly: room 213's door was open. Was she already inside? Taking a deep breath to focus himself, he entered the
    darkened room.

    Collins' first instinct was to turn on the light (“How could she stand the dark?” he thought with a shiver). The harsh white light blinded him, and his eyes took a moment to register his surroundings.

    There she was, face hovering over the patient's head!
    "Is it customary to check for a pulse with one's face now, Dr. Nellings?"

    She drew back reflexively from the patient, immediately bringing a hand up to cover her mouth.

    "I'm sorry, sir. It's just so sad..." She sobbed and began to turn her head in his direction.

    He dashed for the bed-turned-gurney.

    "How did he die? The man was on life support, for Christ's sake!"

    Nellings looked down at the new corpse, moving across the bed from Collins.

    "The life support didn't fail, sir... I... I just couldn't stand to see him suffering..."

    It was Dr. Collins' turn to gasp.

    "YOU PULLED THE PLUG!? That's murder... Bloody MURDER!"

    Collins, now manic, grabbed a defibrillator from the bedside tray, muttering all the while;

    "You're going away, gone to jail - out of a job - FIRED!"

    "It's too late, sir."

    He raised his head suddenly to stare her down.

    "Bite me, bitc..."

    He'd started to say it, but couldn't finish. How could he possibly insult such a wonderful person? She looked so sad, so anguished. You could see the pain in her beautiful ruby eyes, on her strong pale face...

    He couldn't bear to add to her pain at this moment.

    Why was he even angry?

    "Sir, you look tired, go get some rest. Close the door on your way out, I'll handle things." She pointed toward the hall.

    "Of course."

    Ah, that Nellings. Always looking out for him.


    That was too close. She’d underestimated the hospital’s electronic equipment.

    Then again, it was to be expected from Collins. What was off about her act? He was the only one with any doubts about her...

    The patient in room 213 opened his red eyes. Almost immediately, his hand went to feel the still fresh bite in his neck, where he’d been given new life.

    “The pain is gone...”

    Dr. Nellings smiled warmly at him.

    “Don’t get up until I tell you to. I will free you at the end of my shift.”

    Nellings produced a packet of blood she’d hidden beneath her white coat.

    “Drink this now, then hold still.”

    The patient emptied its contents in a single ravenous gulp, then lay obediently immobile, save for a whispered
    “Thank you...”