“Weapon to Kill” by Yi-Liz 8A

Beeepppppppppppppp, went the flat line of the machine hooked up to the patient's heart. I switched off the monitor

Time of death. “9.54pm,” Dr. Adam announced as he checked the time.

They say it gets easier with each passing patient People die all the time, even more so in hospitals and in the Intensive Care Unit. Yet, my heart felt heavy. Dan was only in his forties. He was on the mend, and his prospect for recovery high This was totally unexpected

I pulled the white sheets to cover his face Outside the unit, I could hear faint sounds of cries Through the small tinted glass, I could make out three figures in an embrace A mother who has to bury her son, a wife who has lost her life partner and a baby who will never know her father. The angel of death has won yet again ***

“Hello,” Ms. Turner a Senior staff from the hospital Risk Management department said whilst stepping onto the small platform, demanding attention. Her audience, doctors and nurses who had filed into a meeting room. “We want to make you aware of an event in this hospital There has been an incident in the hospital which we are investigating. We thought it best to bring you all together, to let you know that the police are involved.”

“What sort of event?” a senior doctor blurted out

“There’s been an issue with a patient's death in the ICU ”

“Was the death suspicious? If the police are investigating...” Another from the crowd asked.

“I want to be very clear, we’re investigating with the assistance of the police,” Ms. Turner interrupted her. “ As external parties are involed, Mr. Beattie, our attorney is here, and he would like to say something.”

“Thanks,” he said as he steps up onto the platform, “I just want to say in your interviews with the police, patient confidentiality is of utmost important Hence, for every interview that you may be called upon by the police, either I or Ms Turner wil be present at all times Thank you”

“Amy, come in.” Mr. Beattie said as he open his office door. I fixed my white nurse jacket before walking in. “This is Officer Braun,” he continues “Have a seat ”

I nodded “Do you remember Jane Martinez?” Braun questioned

Startled, I replied, “Yeah, Jane was my patient.”

“Do you recall or remember anything strange about what had happened to her?” Braun inquired

Confused, I asked, “Strange?”

“Well, she died.” Braun stated.

“Yeah It was very sad, we didn’t expect it,” I said

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a lady popped her head in “I don’t mean to interrupt but can I see Mr. Beattie for a minute?”

“Is it urgent?” Mr Beattie asked sighing

She nodded her head

“Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

Officer Braun’s eyes glistened He flipped open his file and placed a sheet of paper in front of me “Do you see any deviations here?”

My eyes ran through the sheet of paper containing Jane’s blood test results. I examined the amounts of hemoglobin, lipids, salt and so on “Wait Her glucose The blood sugar levels are wrong There’s no C-peps ”

“What does it mean?”

“It means that the insulin in her system wasn’t made from her body” I was as perplexed as he was “She isn't diabetic... The insulin would’ve been a double medication error, which is rare.”

“Would that have killed her?”

“It could ”

The conversation quickly ended when we heard footsteps approaching He swiftly stored away the paper

“Sorry about that,” Mr. Beattie said. “Let’s continue.”

“So, we understand that you work with Charlie and Ron ” Braun prompted, “Could they be involved in this?”

“They weren’t there Jane died on the day shift we work nights ” I replied defensively “They are very good nurses.”

“There’s no reason to suspect anyone,” Mr Beattie interjected, “Thank you Amy” ***

As I drove into the front porch of my home, standing at my front door, Officer Braun. A week had passed since I last saw him Exhausted from a long day at work, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened to him, but I can’t ” I stammered as I got out of my car

“Who’s him?”

“Keith Anderson, I mean ”

“Has there been another death? Another double-medication error? Were the Cullens with him?”

“This has nothing to do with them.”

“How well do you know them?”

“They have just been here for four months, but they are my friends ”

Braun filled me in quickly that the Cullen brothers had been working at nine hospitals prior to this “None of the hospitals will talk about them They are stone walling us Amy,” Braun replied frustrated “I know they are your friends but if there is anything you have missed out that you might be able to help us with, please contact us.” As soon as he left I picked up my phone, I knew just who I needed to call

“Hey Sarah, have you heard of the Cullen brothers?” I asked an ex-coworker from Saint Barnabas hospital.

“Yes,” Sarah replied after a long pause.

“Well, I’m working with them now,” I said slowly

“Oh Amy, you know, there were rumors about them That they were responsible for a patient’s death,” she said in a hush tone “They found insulin and digoxin in the victims saline bag The scary part was, when they searched the stores, they found tiny needle pricks in the saline bags!” I bit my lips.

“Amy, I am telling you this as a friend. When they arrived our code blue was two to three times a week. After they left it was back to once or twice a month.” A chill ran down my spine. Drugs like digoxin when employed in large enough doses and injected via IV stream was lethal Combined with insulin it would send patients into a spiraling diabetic comas. As both drugs were transparent, injecting them into the saline bags would go unnoticed

In the hospital medical supply storage, Amy slumps down the floor as she discovered tiny holes in the saline bags It all became clear to her The tampered saline once hooked onto the patient, enters the bloodstream slowly, taking hours or even a day to kill the patient, explaining why the victims didn’t die during the Cullens shift. Not too far off, with music blaring at maximum volumn, the Cullen brothers drove off to Pennsylvania where their next nursing jobs awaited

“Who would notice we were gone?”

***