The Watcher On The Ward (updated weekly)

Chapter 4- Divide

Karla sat at her desk in the staffroom, the events of the past few days weighing heavily on her mind. The incident with Mr. Thompson had left a dark cloud over the hospital, and she knew that the repercussions were far from over. The staff whispered in hushed tones about what had happened, and Karla could feel the eyes of her colleagues on her whenever she walked through the corridors. The weight of their scrutiny made her feel uneasy, but it was nothing compared to the conflict brewing between Jason and Cameron.

She knew she had to make a decision, and it was tearing her apart.

As she stared at the blank pages of her notebook, trying to clear her mind, the door to the staffroom creaked open. Karla looked up to see Cameron standing in the doorway, his face shadowed with stress but his expression carefully neutral. There was something in his eyes, though-a spark of desperation that made her uneasy.

"Karla," Cameron said, his voice unusually soft as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Can we talk for a minute?"

She hesitated, then nodded, gesturing for him to sit down. Cameron walked over and took a seat across from her, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her heart race.

"Look," Cameron began, leaning forward slightly, "I know things have been...difficult lately. The whole situation with Mr. Thompson, the inquiry-it's been tough on all of us."

Karla nodded, though she remained silent, watching him carefully.

"I've been thinking a lot about what happened," Cameron continued, his tone measured. "I acted on the best information I had at the time. Maybe I was a bit hasty, but I genuinely believed I was doing the right thing. You understand that, don't you?"

His eyes were pleading now, and Karla could see the cracks in his facade. Cameron was trying to manipulate her, to pull her onto his side. He wanted her to believe that he had made the right call, that it was all a misunderstanding that could be smoothed over if they just stuck together.

Karla wasn't convinced.

She remembered Mr. Thompson's pale face, his laboured breathing, and the panic that had filled the room when things went wrong. She remembered Jason's desperate attempts to save him, and the way Cameron had stood by, frozen, while the patient slipped away.

The image haunted her, and she knew that siding with Cameron would mean betraying her own sense of right and wrong.

"Cameron," Karla said carefully, her voice steady, "I understand that you were trying to help, but...the way you went about it was dangerous. You didn't listen to anyone else, and that's what led to Mr. Thompson's death."

Cameron's face hardened, his eyes narrowing as he sensed the shift in her tone. "So you're siding with Jason? You're going to throw me under the bus for a mistake that any one of us could have made?"

Karla shook her head, battling with her morals. "It wasn't just a mistake, Cameron. It was a choice-a reckless one. And I can't ignore that."

For a moment, Cameron looked as though he might lash out, his frustration bubbling to the surface. But then he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. When he spoke again, his voice was low and edged with bitterness.

"You're making a big mistake, Karla. You think Jason's so perfect, don't you? But he's just as much to blame as I am. He didn't stop me-he didn't do anything. And now you're choosing him over me?"

Karla met his gaze, unflinching. "This isn't about choosing sides. It's about what's right. Jason tried to stop you, but you wouldn't listen. That's the difference."

Cameron's expression darkened, and he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine. I see how it is."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as Karla and Cameron stared at each other, the tension between them thick and heavy. Finally, Cameron stood up, his movements sharp and angry.