Chapter 16: The Aftermath

As Brian sat inside the police lockup, he recalled the events of the night before.

He had rushed to the hospital, along with Victor. His medical ethics and years of training were in action. Victor had suffered a major stroke, and it was stronger than the earlier one. He had done everything he could, but Victor needed immediate brain surgery to release the pressure built up.

They reached the hospital quickly, but the only available neurosurgeon was busy with another surgery. The next one could only make it in one hour. They did not have enough time.

Brian immediately stepped up and proposed to do the surgery himself. He was not certified to do this yet, as he had yet to complete his residency for neurosurgery. Anna readily signed the consent, and the available general surgeon stepped in to help. They completed the formalities, and Brian started his very first brain surgery.

He had been an assistant many times and had practiced his skills enough. His lack of experience did not matter, nor did his relationship with the patient. He was in his zone as he experienced the calmness of mind after a long period of mental trauma. His hands were steady and his focus was on the patient in front of him.

The operation went on for eight long hours, and Brian showed his skills and knowledge to the best of his abilities. The general surgeon present in the room had a look of worship on his face. Like a god, Brian had fought with the reaper to keep this patient tied to the living world.

When Robert learned about Victor’s second stroke, he vowed revenge. Both strokes happened after Victor had attacked Brian, and the old man was not buying it as a coincidence. His son’s life was at stake, but he could not touch Anna yet. She had become too powerful for him to deal with. He would deal with Anna later, but right now he resolved to destroy Brian for good.

With circumstantial evidence and a significant bribe, he finally got the arrest warrant issued against Brian. He walked into the hospital with police to nab Brian, only to learn that Brian was doing the surgery on Victor.

He tried to cause the ruckus and get another neurosurgeon but it was not a practical choice at that point. While he was waiting for the operation to complete, he learned that there was a delay before Victor was brought into the hospital.

Brian’s efforts at saving Victor’s life did not matter to Robert. He latched onto that single point and used it to implicate Brian for medical negligence. As soon as the operation was complete and he confirmed that Victor was out of danger, he moved on to grab Brian.

Victor was out of danger, and he would live well. They could not estimate the damage yet, but Brian knew some sort of paralysis was inevitable. He left the Operation Theater and grabbed a cigarette. With each puff of smoke, he allowed his nerves to settle. All the events of last night and the stress after that were catching up to him.

Brian sat down, holding his head on his knees, as he started sobbing. He was not sure what he wanted in his life anymore. Even after completing his first major surgery, he had no joy on his face.

He was arrested in his medical garbs as he was sobbing in the smoking zone. On Brian’s part, he was shocked to hear the absurd charges against him. For god’s sake, they were arresting him for the person he had saved just now.

What broke Brian’s mental state was the utter indifference on Anna’s and Maria’s faces. They did not even bother to look at him as he was dragged in cuffs. This treatment was uncalled for, but Robert had left no stone unturned to burn Brian to a crisp.

Brian was not Victor’s assigned doctor. As the incident happened on private property, Brian had no obligation to help, but the ethical obligations of the doctor worked against Brian. It was enough to keep a chance of doubt for Robert to push his agenda to implicate Brian.