Shattered

21. The End?

Dressed in her scrubs, Beth stood outside the OT. It was three days since Christmas. Three days since she had left Alec.
She was living with Lucy. She had refused to let Beth stay alone in her apartment.
Alec had not tried to contact her till now. She had not called him. It was clear their relationship was over and all she was waiting was for her marriage to end.

She pushed open the water tap to scrub her hands and mentally revised her case, in hope to forget about everything that was going on her personal life.
Age 43, female, the plaque was on right coronary and - Suddenly she felt her hands burning. She noticed a cut on her hand. This wasn't good. She didn't have one until she started scrubbing. Then she noticed few more began appearing. She couldn't understand what was going on.
The cuts just began appearing more and more on their own. Then she noticed, her right elbow was covered with a plaster. She tried to move her arm but it was stuck in the plaster. But it couldn't be possible, she didn't have any injury, especially the one which would cause her to wear a plaster.

She tried using more force but her hand wouldn't move. She tried scratching it off but the thick plaster just wouldn't budge. She couldn't possibly perform a surgery with a plaster on. Then she heard the beeping noise, the familiar rhythmic tone of heart rate monitor. The monitor was attached to her, showing her heart rate and blood pressure. She couldn't understand why it was showing her reading, or why she needed to get a reading in the first placr. But then she realized, she was not in her scrubs. She was in a hospital gown, lying on a hospital bed. The IV fluid entered through her left hand. The scratchy sheets and blankets were covering her. The nasal tube provided her with fresh oxygen. And her cuts were fresh wounds from the shattered glass of the car. The car Noah was in.

And from the distance she heard someone calling her name. Then a hand on her shoulder pulled her back into the reality.

"Beth? You okay? Everything okay?"
Grace asked.

"Yes. I am fine." She lied.

"You don't look fine. You look pale." She looked concerned. Beth cursed on her body. It was giving away her lies.
"I am fine, Grace."

"Okay but if you don't feel well you don't have to do this. I can ask someone else-"

"I can do this, Grace. Don't worry." She finished her washing and went inside the OT. The bright lights greeted her. Blinded for a minute she tried to regain her lost momentum. "Can someone please fix these lights?" She snapped. Her residents quickly obeyed her while the nurse helped her wear the robe. When she wore her gloves, she saw the scars on her hands again.

She shook her head and picked up her scalpel. Her hands began trembling. The scalpel started to slip from her hand. She could feel herself hyperventilating.
"Ma'am everything okay?" Her resident asked.

"Yes, everything is fine. " But everything wasn't fine. Because now she couldn't see her patient. Instead she saw a road in front of her. She saw Noah looking worried next to her. And then that animal, it crossed the road. Her car toppled and with it, she felt herself falling.

The OT lights shined brightly as her eyes closed.

•

Alec looked in his watch, it was three in the morning. Three in morning of thirtieth December.

Another year was going to come to end and with it his marriage too.

He was going to divorce Beth and that was final. He knew the repercussions of this decision but he couldn't just keep up the whole charade that his marriage had become. Marrying Beth to get his inheritance matter was a mistake. He knew then and now he had decided to fix everything. It was also going to fix his problems with Hosley.