Dr Anderson's POV
Once Dr Gilbert stepped out of the operation room, I started work immediately.
First, I sent a text message to Dr. Sofia, informing her of the successful "surgery". Then I brought out the blood bag from a hideous refrigerator in the suite, along with a sterile bandage roll.
I poured a lot of blood from the blood bag onto the bandage, to create the desired impression. From the prearranged surgical instruments on the mayo stand, I collected a pair of surgical scissors with which I cut the bandage, after applying it in overlapping layers around Stuart's head.
Sonia stirred just then from the bed where she had slept still for over four hours, prompting me to consult the clock on the wall which showed that it was currently 03:39 pm. She wouldn't be up till 03:55 pm so it was needless to worry about her. I couldn't help but commend myself for my stealthiness in injecting her without Dr Gilbert or even herself noticing. The drug which I injected her with, had worked like magic and had saved me from more stress.
Her steady breathing showed that she had resumed the deep and peaceful sleep which had overwhelmed her for over three hours. With my hands moving unsteadily, I feared Dr Sofia may have forgotten the plan, and arrive too soon with Dr Gilbert trailing behind.
By the time I was done with creating the impression, it was 03:54 pm. Dr Sofia had not forgotten about the plan as I feared.
I checked one last time to ensure that I created a convincing sight before I covered Stuart's supposed corpse with a white cloth.
Three. Two. One. Zero. I counted down in my head, waiting for Sonia's arousal from sleep, which I knew would happen anytime soon.
While I retrieved the sterile bandage roll, and the blood bag in their various positions, I heard light coughing from Sonia's direction which announced her arousal from sleep.
Rushing to the bed on which she lay, I watched as her eyes darted around the suite disorientedly.
"Oh my God! Please tell me I didn't sleep all through the surgery." She gushed out in fear amidst the realization of her induced professional "nonchalance".
"Relax." I said, in a bid to calm her down.
"Dr Sofia is on her way here and your looks will point out the fact that you have been sleeping." I said, smiling inwardly as I watched her fear increase.
"What should I do now?" Sonia asked, lips shaking in fear.
"Go to my office immediately, and stay there. I will excuse you if Dr Sofia asks after you" I offered, trying hard not to laugh at the figure scurrying out of the office in fear.
The thought that Dr Sofia will be more afraid to see Sonia in the room made me chuckle uncontrollably.
After waiting a couple of minutes for Dr. Sofia, and yet there was no sign of her, I brought out my phone and dialed her number. It was still ringing when the door to the operating room pulled open, ushering Dr Sofia into the suite with Dr Gilbert following behind her.
"How did it happen?" Dr Sofia asked, putting on the act.
"I did my best, Dr. I did all I could," I replied soberly.
Dr Sofia moved to the bed where Stuart lay, lifeless and with shaky hands, she lifted the white cloth from Stuart's face, letting out a terrifying sob herself. Such an actress. I muttered to myself while I let my eyes roam about.
My eyes caught Dr Gilbert, as he looked surprisingly at Stuart's supposed corpse, obviously surprised at Stuart's transformation.
"You should inform his parents now." Dr Sofia said, turning to me.
"I don't think I can do.." I started to say before I was interrupted by Dr Sofia.
"Don't worry Stuart, we will do it together." Dr Sofia said, moving towards the door, while I followed behind.
Dr Gilbert's POV
Once Dr Sofia removed the cloth from the dead boy's head, I knew for certain that something beyond the ordinary was surely going on. The bandage wrapped around his head was not there when I left some minutes ago, and the blood stain on the sterile bandage made me doubt even more. In fact, there had been no surgery at all, only an injecting spree, and all of a sudden there is a sterile bandage wrapped around his head and blood. Lots of it.
I suspected something fishy the moment my boss instructed me to help a doctor at St Louis Central Hospital but I convinced myself to think otherwise, the hospital's reputation coming in the way of my suspicion On the direction of Dr Anderson, we had expertly injected the boy with various drugs that for a moment I wasn't sure if we were actually treating him or killing him.
The look on Dr Sofia's face, when I told her of Stuart's death, had been first victorious before it turned sad on realizing herself, and my boss' presence in her office seemed really off.
"Dr Gilbert." I heard Dr Sofia call out to me. She was at the door, ready to go out with Dr Anderson already outside the suite. I took one last look at the corpse which had now been covered and followed them to the waiting room where Stuart's parents waited in hope for good news.
Unknown POV
Once the door to the waiting room pulled open, William Johnson who had spent the last three hours pacing, after two straight hours of sitting and pacifying his wife stopped abruptly. One look at the direction of the door revealed the presence of the doctors whom he had waited for in the past five hours. As quickly as he moved his feet towards them, his wife, Kate beat him to it.
The looks of the doctors showed just how unsuccessful the surgery had gone.
"We did all we could but Stuart did not make it." The senior Doctor of St Louis Central Hospital announced, with a sad voice while William held on to his wife who seemed like she was about to die herself.
The other occupants of the waiting room were attracted by Mrs Johnson's loud sobs. They offered their sympathies to her, with sad voices, and whispered afterwards amongst themselves.
"We are sorry for your loss." Dr Sofia sympathized, and made to exit the room, with Dr Gilbert and Dr Anderson following suit but William's question stopped her.
"Can we see the corpse?" William asked, his voice cold and sad.
"Yes, you can." Dr Anderson replied, bidding William to follow him.
"I can't bear to see him dead," Kate replied amidst tears when William tried pulling her along with him.
After several failed attempts to make his wife accompany him to the surgical suite where their dead son lay, William went in with all three doctors, leaving his weeping wife all by herself in the waiting room.
Once in the suite, he removed the cloth from Stuart's face, staring hard and long at the corpse who was once his son.
"What would I do without him?" William lamented, pushing his face and hair backward with both palms.
"Can I speak to you in private, Mr Johnson?" Dr Sofia asked, excusing herself while William followed, solemnly.
They walked in silence to Dr Sofia's office where Mr Crawford sat still, patiently waiting for them.
Once they all got comfortable in their seats "Good job William, here is the balance and a little tip."Dr Sofia said as she handed an envelope to William, and an uncomfortable silence ensued. Somehow, William knew there was more to the tip than being a gift from either Crawford or Sofia.
After about five minutes of uncomfortable silence, Mr Crawford, turning to William, announced.
"We have a problem."