Echoes of Resilience

50

"Please state your name for the record." The bailiff directed once Richard was seated at the witness stand.

"Richard Webber."

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"Yes." Richard nodded.

"Dr. Webber, you're the chief of surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital, correct?" Isabella asked as she approached the witness stand.

"That is correct." Richard confirmed.

"So when there's an issue among employees it is typically brought to you?"

"Yes, maybe not right away, but I am always made aware of any major issues."

"How long have you had the position of chief of surgery?"

"Twelve years."

"Although your title is chief of surgery, you also oversee the nurses, correct?"

"I oversee all the staff. The title chief of surgery can be a little misleading, at our hospital the chief of surgery is also chief of staff." Richard explained.

"So both Izzie Stevens and Rose Stamille were your employees?"

"Yes. Stevens was a surgical intern while Rose was a scrub nurse."

"State's exhibit L: the missing persons report for Rose Stamille, filed by Dr. Richard Webber." Isabella placed the folder in front of Richard. "Dr. Webber, can you tell us what led you to file a missing persons report for Rose?"

"Rose was scheduled to come in at 6:30am but she never showed up, which was highly unlike her. I tried calling her, as did several other hospital employees, but she didn't answer the phone."

"To your knowledge, was Rose in a relationship?"

"I do my best not to get involved in my employees personal lives, so I didn't know if she was in a relationship or not. What I did know was for her not to be at work or answering her phone meant that something was wrong. I assumed she was sick, so I pulled her employee file and got her address and drove to her apartment building, but the doorman said she never came home the night before. Once I heard that I immediately called the police and reported her missing."

"When was the last time you saw Rose?"

"The night before. She was in surgery with our previous chief of neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd. To my knowledge, she left the hospital once the surgery was over."

"State's exhibit M: Security footage from the parking lot of Seattle Grace hospital taken the last day Rose Stamille was seen alive." Isabella clicked play on the tape, it showed Rose walking out the main lobby door and through the parking lot to her car, completely alone. "As you can see here, Rose left the hospital alone and was then never seen alive again. She was found three days after she was reported missing by the ferry boat dock. This video is time stamped as being taken at 7:34pm, does that line up with when she got out of surgery?"

"Yes, the surgery ended around 7pm so it would make sense if she left the hospital around 7:34pm."

Isabella walked back over to the prosecution table and picked up another folder, distributing the contents among the jury, judge, defense attorney, and Richard. "State's exhibit N: Crime scene photos from the Bainbridge island ferry dock. Dr. Webber, I know that these photos are gruesome, but if you look at the cuts on Rose's body, would you say they are consistent with cuts made by a surgical scalpel?"

"Objection!" Burke's lawyer called out as she stood up. "The witness is not qualified to say what implement caused the cuts on the victim."

"Dr. Webber has been a surgeon for over twenty years, as a surgeon he cuts into human flesh with a scalpel for a living. Therefore I believe he is qualified to give his opinion on whether or not these cuts are consistent with cuts made by a surgical scalpel." Isabella argued.