Chapter 2 - The Mask in Room 302
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The attending physician, Dr. Patel, stepped into the quiet room carrying a thick blue medical folder. She paused at the foot of my bed, her dark eyes shifting slowly from Luke’s tear-stained face down to my bandaged chest.
She didn't speak immediately. The silence stretched until the hum of the heart monitor seemed deafening.
“Mr. Ellis,” Dr. Patel began, her voice smooth, level, and entirely devoid of warmth. “I’ve been practicing emergency medicine for sixteen years.”
Luke wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I know you’re doing everything you can, Doctor. I just want my wife to be okay.”
Dr. Patel opened the file. She didn't look at Luke; she looked directly at me.
“Her burn patterns are completely inconsistent with a spill accident,” Dr. Patel stated flatly. “A splash or a dropped pot creates downward spill lines and localized pooling around the lower legs and feet. Caroline’s burns are concentrated heavily on her upper chest, neck, and shoulder, coming from a direct forward trajectory.”
Luke’s posture stiffened instantly. The sorrow on his face hardened into something rigid and defensive.
“What are you implying?” Luke snapped, dropping his hands to his sides. “She was hysterical! She was rushing around the kitchen and tripped. Are you calling me a liar?”
“I am stating medical facts,” Dr. Patel replied, her gaze unwavering. “And there is something else we discovered when we pulled her complete historical chart from the regional health network.”
My heart hammered violently against my ribs. The monitors began to beep faster.
Luke stood up from his chair, taking a step toward the bed to assert his physical presence. “My wife has been through enough trauma today. She doesn't need to be interrogated by a hospital staff that clearly doesn't know what they’re doing.”
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“We reviewed her historical OB-GYN records,” Dr. Patel continued, ignoring his outburst entirely. “Caroline was never infertile. Her body was never incapable of carrying a pregnancy.”
Luke went deathly pale.
