September 19 2020
CONFERENCE ROOM, HOSPITAL ADMIN FLOOR
The room was cold. Not in temperature — in energy. Glass walls. White light. And five board members seated at the long table, folders open and pens clicking.
Lexie, April, Jackson and Parker sat in a row of chairs along the side. All in dress code. All silent.
Lexie's leg bounced uncontrollably. April stared ahead, red-eyed and exhausted. Jackson and Parker looked like they were ready to take a bullet for both of them.
Across the table sat Dr. Bailey , the Chief Medical Officer, leading the review.
And beside him — AJ Brewster, Head of Neurosurgery. Calm. Collected. Wearing all black.
The room fell quiet as Dr. Bailey finally looked up.
Bailey- Dr. Brewster, thank you for making time for this. I understand you're fresh off the OR floor?
AJ -Always
AJ said coolly.
Bailey - You were the attending responsible for the interns during the Chen case.
AJ - Yes.
Bailey We've reviewed the chart and the incident reports. The facts are clear — two interns acted outside of your instructions, and the patient suffered critical deterioration.
AJ didn't blink.
AJ - Correct.
Bailey -We've called this review to determine whether these interns should face formal suspension, probation, or in the case of negligence—termination.
Lexie swallowed hard.
April's hands were shaking in her lap.
Dr. Bailey leaned forward.
Bailey - What's your recommendation?
The room stilled.
AJ's eyes moved over her interns — all of them — then locked on Lexie and April.
And she said, with full weight:
AJ - If it were just this incident? I'd say probation.
Bailey - But?
Dr. Bailey asked.
AJ didn't hesitate.
AJ -This isn't the first time they've ignored my orders.
A pin-drop silence.
AJ - In our field, there is no space for impulsive heroics. Neurosurgery isn't just medicine. It's milliseconds and margins. I've mentored hundreds. And what I've learned? It's not skill that kills patients. It's ego. And fear pretending to be confidence.
April looked like she was about to cry.
Lexie stared at the floor.
AJ - So yes
AJ continued.
Aj - If I were running this as a pure team leadership decision? I'd fire them.
Gasps. Even Jackson's eyes widened.
But AJ wasn't finished.
AJ- That said — they're not just interns who messed up. They're students who *came back* after the mistake. Who sat by the patient's bedside. Who haven't gone home in days. Who are terrified, but still showed up this morning ready to learn.
She stood slowly, voice firm.
AJ - So here's what I'm saying. Suspend them if you want. Put it on their records. But if you do that — know that you're cutting out the next generation of surgeons before they ever get the chance to grow. They failed. They owned it. Now let them earn their way back.
Another beat.
AJ- Under my supervision. On my terms.
---
OUTSIDE THE ROOM
The board deliberated. The interns waited. And waited.
Finally, the doors opened. Dr. Bailey stepped out.
Bailey- Interns Lexie smith-Grey, April Sosa — you will not be suspended
She said.
Bailey-But you are officially placed on a 60-day supervised remediation rotation. You will report directly to Dr. Brewster. Any further protocol violation will result in termination.
April exhaled hard.
Lexie looked stunned.
AJ walked past them, heading back toward the elevators. She didn't stop walking — but she said just loud enough to hear:
AJ - You better make this worth it.
And kept going.
