Undying Smile

1
I was the lead surgeon in the nations worst medical disaster. In a joint operation, I deliberately botched a procedure, killing five patients on the spot.
My wifes mother was one of them.
The medical board stripped my license. The entire world demanded my life for theirs.
The victims families knelt before the courthouse, their cries echoing in the streets, pleading for my execution.
To appease the public fury, the court sentenced me to death by euthanasia.
As the Chief Investigator for the Ministry of Health, my own wife, Clara, was tasked with overseeing the sentence. She decided to activate the "Memory Replay," a new AI technology that could reconstruct the truth of the surgery.
But the families legal counsel objected.
Is that really necessary? Must we force these families to witness their loved ones die all over again? he argued, his voice ringing with indignation. The youngest victim was only eight years old! Just carry out the sentence.
I lie on a cold surgical table, my limbs shackled. My vocal cords were removed beforehand to prevent any outbursts.
The roar of the crowd is my death knell.
The murderer is finally getting what he deserves!
Id tear that monster limb from limb if I could!
On the massive LED screen above the judgment platform, my list of "crimes" plays on a loop:
Deliberately altered the surgical plan.
Intentionally administered incorrect medication.
Resulted in the deaths of five patients, shattering five families.
My wife, Clara Reed, stands at the center of the platform. She bows deeply to the crowd.
I am so sorry, she begins, her voice thick with emotion, her eyes red-rimmed. My husband has committed an unforgivable sin. He didnt just kill your loved ones he killed mine, too.
But I assure you, I will execute this sentence with absolute impartiality.
She holds up a syringe, injecting its contents into a small white mouse. The creature, once skittering with life, goes limp in an instant.
Then, she walks toward me. She presses the needle into my arm and pushes the plunger, emptying the rest of the lethal cocktail into my veins.
As soon as its done, her body sways, and she stumbles backward.
Dr. Leo Vance, standing beside her, catches her in his arms. You did the right thing, he murmurs, his voice a soft comfort.
Leo. My former protg. And the man who was always the one that got away for Clara.
I just cant believe Ethan could become this Clara whispers, her hand gently squeezing his.
She offers him a fragile, grateful smile. If you hadnt noticed something was wrong, the consequences could have been even worse.
A wave of sympathy ripples through the crowd.
Dr. Vance is the real victim here! Betrayed by the mentor he trusted most!
Hes a true hero for exposing Dr. Reed!
Exactly! If he hadnt caught it, who knows how many more would have died!
Clara takes a deep, steadying breath. Her gaze sweeps across the auditorium, finally landing on my face. Her brow is knitted, her eyes filled with an undisguised, searing disgust.
Suddenly, a chime echoes through the hall. The "Memory Replay" system activates.
It is the latest in AI technology, capable of flawlessly reconstructing every detail of a surgical procedure using surveillance footage, medical data, and the memories of those present.
The giant screen flickers to life. Unity General Hospital Emergency Room, three winters ago.
A twenty-six-year-old version of myself stands before an operating table. I have been on my feet for seventy-two hours straight, having just completed thirteen high-risk heart surgeries.
Not a single one had failed.
As the final procedure concludes, I pull off my gloves, and my body sways. A spray of blood erupts from my mouth, splattering across the white tiles.
Then, I collapse.
The auditorium falls into a stunned silence. A moment later, a wave of angry disbelief crashes through the hall.
Seventy-two hours without rest? What a performance!
Hes a murderer trying to play the martyr! Its pathetic!
Claras face darkens. She orders the technicians to immediately check the memory source for signs of tampering.
Leo moves to her side, whispering poison in her ear.
Dr. Reed is more manipulative than we ever imagined. He must have known theyd use the Memory Replay and altered his own memories to make himself look noble. He adds, Its a good thing we proceeded with the sentence.
Clara scoffs, the disgust in her eyes hardening into something unbreakable. Youre right. It doesnt matter if he collapsed on the table. It doesnt matter if he had died right then and there. It wouldnt absolve him of five murders.
Her expression softens as she turns to Leo. Thank you for being here with me through all this.
Leo pulls her into a comforting embrace, a flicker of triumph in his eyes. You never have to thank me.
Watching them, a bitter taste fills my mouth. Her eyes, which once held such tenderness for me, now only hold contempt. Even with my senses fading, a dull, eviscerating pain grinds away at my heart.
Leo was the true monster behind this tragedy.
But no matter how I tried to explain, Clara refused to believe me. She was the one who signed the order to have my vocal cords removed, silencing me forever.
The day before my sentencing, she stood before my cell, her eyes burning with hatred.
Ethan, why did you kill my mother?
I shook my head, frantically trying to sign I didnt.
She didnt believe me.
She took ten sharp needles and drove them under my fingernails, one by one.
The agony was blinding. I bit through my lip, the coppery taste of blood filling my mouth.
These are the hands that murdered my mother, she whispered, tears streaming down her face as she stared at my mangled, bleeding fingers.
On the screen, the memory shifts. The cherry blossom path of our medical school.
A younger Clara, in her crisp police cadet uniform, leans against a tree, waiting for me.
I run toward her, my arms full of heavy textbooks, breathless.
Like a magician, she pulls a lollipop from her pocket, unwraps it, and holds it to my lips.
Congratulations, Ethan Reed, she says, her voice bright. Your first solo surgery in the animal lab was a complete success.
I bite down on the candy, the sweetness dissolving on my tongue, but my heart is still pounding with fear.
My hands were shaking the whole time. I nearly nicked the aorta.
She takes my hand, lacing her fingers through mine. Dont be afraid, she says, her gaze intense. I know youre going to be the most famous surgeon in the country one day.
Her eyes sparkle, like they hold captured stars. What man doesnt want to be worshipped by the woman he loves? A warmth spreads through me. I say nothing, only tightening my grip on her hand.
The image freezes.
In the present, Claras body goes rigid. A complex, unreadable emotion flickers in her eyes.
Leo doesnt miss her hesitation.
He had so much promise back then, didnt he, Clara? he says, his voice laced with sorrow. Its a shame. In the end, he couldnt resist the temptations of fame and fortune. People change.
Clara snaps back to the present, her expression turning to ice.
Youre right.
I was a good doctor, I try to mouth, a desperate, silent plea. I was
The scene changes. I am reviewing a special case: an eight-year-old boy, Cody, with a rare congenital heart defect.
No other surgeon in the country would take the case. The probability of failure was too high. They were afraid of ruining their reputations. I wasnt.
I remember holding the small boy in my arms.
Dont worry, Cody. Dr. Reed is going to fix your heart.
He looked up at me with wide, scared eyes. After the surgery can I run like the other kids?
I smiled and nodded. Yes. You absolutely will.
The surgery took sixteen hours. My back was drenched in sweat as I opened his chest, wielded the scalpel, and stitched his tiny heart back together. Every movement was precise, perfect.
Finally, Codys heart began to beat on its own.
I let out a long breath, a deep satisfaction settling over me.
In the auditorium, someone whispers, Thats the eight-year-old boy.
He saved him then he killed him.
Leo pounces on the words.
Exactly! He saved the child, which means he knew his condition better than anyone! He must have done it on purpose! The mistake was deliberate!
Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd, though a few doctors in the audience frown.
But if he saved him before, why would he kill him? one asks.
Leo bites his lip. Who knows Money, maybe?
The screen goes black. When it lights up again, we are in the blood-soaked operating room.
It was a five-patient domino transplantfive recipients, one donor. A logistical and medical nightmare. One of the recipients was the eight-year-old boy, Cody.
The surgical team was comprised of twenty-three people. I was the conductor. Leo was my first chair.
In the memory, I stand at the central operating table, my eyes sharp and focused.
All teams, prepare. Begin.
The scalpel glides, blood wells. My movements are a blur of speed and precision.
Three hours in, everything is proceeding flawlessly.
Suddenly, the monitor above Codys table lets out a piercing shriek.
Dr. Reed! Patient on table five is crashing! Blood pressure plummeting, acute rejection!
I spin around. One milligram of epinephrine, IV push, now!
A nurse slaps a syringe into my hand. I am about to inject it when
Ah!
Leo, standing right beside me, cries out. He stumbles, slamming his body hard against my arm.
The syringe flies from my grasp, shattering on the floor, its precious contents splattering everywhere.
Sorry! Im so sorry, Dr. Reed! I I slipped! he gasps.
I have no time for him. I roar for another syringe.
But the delayjust a few secondsis fatal. On the monitor, Codys heartbeat flatlines.
We fight for thirty minutes, but its no use. Hes gone.
The first domino had fallen.
Codys death broke the organ chain. One by one, the other four patients suffer catastrophic complications. One by one, they die before my eyes.
Five families, shattered in a single afternoon.
I fall to my knees on the cold, hard floor, a deadening roar filling my ears.
In the present, the auditorium erupts.
See! It was him! It was his mistake!
If he had just held on tighter! If he had been faster! They wouldnt have died!
Leo covers his face, his shoulders slumping. Its all my fault, he chokes out. If I hadnt bumped into Dr. Reed
Clara places a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but her eyes, fixed on my image on the screen, are filled with enough hatred to burn me to ash.
Its not your fault, Leo. It was his hubris.
She points a trembling finger at my kneeling figure on the screen, her voice like a judge delivering a final verdict.
If he had just done the surgeries one by one, the other four would still be alive! He deserves to die for his vanity.
She spits the words out, each one a nail in my coffin. My heart feels like a crumpled piece of paper, unable to draw a breath.
The memory shows the investigation team storming the OR, dragging my hollowed-out form away. I dont resist. I am a puppet with its strings cut.
As they lead me through the hospital lobby, a woman breaks through the security line, screaming. In the chaos, I see the glint of a bottle. She throws its contents at my face.
Searing, white-hot pain. The liquid splashes across my body, and a fire ignites in my throat. My mind goes blank.
You demon!
Someone throws the first punch, and then the mob descendsreporters, family members, a frenzy of fists and feet. My hair is pulled, my scalp screaming in agony. My white coat is torn to shreds.
You killed my father! You deserve to die! a man roars, delivering a vicious kick to my stomach.
Pain explodes through my body. I curl into a ball on the floor, convulsing.
In the auditorium, Clara watches the screen, her knuckles white.
But from the crowd, cheers erupt. He deserved it! He killed all those people, he should have acid thrown on him!
Yeah! Serves the bastard right!
The memory on the screen suddenly freezes.
The AIs synthetic voice fills the hall: Anomalous data stream detected. Initiating deep-level retrieval

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