The Veiled Soul (Sample)

Chapter Two

Hunter Logan stepped back after exhausting all possibilities. "Time of death, ten forty-seven am," he called out, slipping his mask off his face. The young man's blood covered his surgical scrubs, and Hunter's neck was cramped from the awkward way he'd angled his head for a better view. He tried to avoid looking at his scrubs. He'd come to abhor the sight of blood.

After announcing the time of death, the other doctors and nurses bowed their heads in a moment of respectful silence. One of the nurses turned off the machines, amplifying the sounds of the sobs heard from outside the room. The acoustics in the hospital bounced off everything and could be heard from corridors away. It echoed the heartbreak and pain.

The worst part of his job was talking to the family. He'd long ago felt that he'd lost the compassion he needed. There were days where he felt like nothing more than a simple shell.

The Karkov family was highly influential in all parts of Colorado, and the hospital was no exception. The loss of their son within the walls of the facility would reduce their money flow to the hospital, and that meant his work here would be put under great scrutiny from the hospital administration.

He despised hospital bureaucracy. The board members focused on money, reputation, and politics first and let the real priority of the health of the patients fall by the wayside. The death of Alex Karkov would be high on their radar.

"Mr. and Mrs. Karkov, I'm Dr. Logan, a general surgeon here at St. Antony Central Hospital. I'm sorry to tell you that Alex suffered multiple internal injuries during his fall. As a result, he bled out faster than we could repair the damage. I'm sorry for your loss," he said, clasping his hands in prayer form as he talked.

"We are going to sue you for everything you have!" Alicia Karkov had not come from money, and thus flaunted and threatened with her newfound influence.

Her husband, however, was far more level-headed and wrapped his arms around his wife to avoid any violent confrontation. "Alicia, I'm sure the doctor did everything he could for Alex. Let's just concentrate on where we go from here," he said quietly, tears running down his face.

"The nurses will assist you with the procedure from here. They will also have all the paperwork, and you can call the hospital at any time if you need any more information on the details. Once again, I'm sorry for your loss. We did do everything we could for as long as we could." The automatic words poured out, but they were no less true. Hunter always did his best. To lose a life always seemed to strip another layer from his soul.

"Thank you, Doctor," Mr. Karkov said quietly.

"You are welcome to go in and say your goodbyes. Take as much time as you need." Hunter remained where he was until they were around the corner before letting out a small sigh of relief. The confrontation hadn't gone as badly as he first imagined.

Still, he knew that as soon as he was out of his scrubs and gearing up to go home, his boss would be waiting for him.

He had been called in on his day off to help with a car crash that had entered the ER six hours ago, and the Karkov boy landed on his table just as he was trying to change out of his scrubs. It had been a long and trying night. He did not want to deal with any board members. The loss of life was bad enough.

Hunter made his way to join the other doctors cleaning up. "Helluva mess," one doctor muttered to him.

"No kidding. I'm sure McCarthy is going to chew us out as soon as we're done here," another chimed in.

"Gentlemen, ladies, we did the best we could, and that's all anyone can ask of us," Hunter said, wearily. These days, he was making an effort to turn things around. His therapist had recommended an optimistic front whenever possible, even if he didn't feel it inside.