panned out further. The
frame soon included two people. Bruce Mapleton was standing in front of his desk, pants bunched around
his ankles. Kneeling at his feet, head bobbing back and forth like a piston,
was Crystal Bridges.
Crystal snapped. She tore at the projection screen,
trying to stop the damning video, but instead the anchors ripped from the wall
and the screen fell at her feet. The
film did not stop. Now it was
projected, with equal clarity, on the whiteboard behind the screen. Crystal shrieked in frustration, vaulted
over a chair, and clawed her way to the projector. She pushed Eric Chambers aside, picked
up the computer, and threw it on the ground. It cracked, freezing the video at the
moment Dr. Mapleton reached his climax. The shot of Bruce, face twisted in ecstasy, remained projected on the
whiteboard.
Shocked silence fell over the room. All eyes swiveled to Crystal, who was
panting from her exertions. Crystal’s efforts had knocked her tight bun loose and now long dull
brown strands fell over her face. Her eye makeup and lipstick were streaked, giving her a clownish
appearance.
“He made me do it!!” Crystal screamed,
pointing a finger at Bruce. “He
forced me! He said he’d get
me fired if I didn’t do what he wanted!” Her voice screeched higher and higher as hysteria consumed her. “I’m going to sue! You’ll all be sorry!!” Crystal tugged at her bun and it
completely came undone, covering her face with a brown veil. She barreled out the heavy double doors
of the conference room and started running down the hall.
After her dramatic exit, everyone’s head
turned towards the front of the room, only to discover the seat previously
occupied by Bruce Mapleton was now empty. A door in the back corner of the room, leading to a shared kitchenette
area, was wide open.
The room erupted in confused
conversation.
Cole stood up and addressed the
audience. “Ok everyone,” he
said. “Let’s settle down.” The roar got quieter. “Eric, can you please shut the projector
off?”
Eric nodded and powered down the a/v
equipment. Bruce’s O-face faded
from everyone’s view, but not before a few faculty members pulled out their
phones and snapped a picture. Erick
stuck the memory stick into his pocket with a satisfied smirk on his face.
“It seems fairly obvious a very serious
violation of school policy has been committed by Dr. Bruce Mapleton. I move Dr. Mapleton’s hospital and
university privileges be suspended immediately, pending further
investigation. All in favor?”
The room ran with a resounding “aye” from the
assembled faculty members.
“All opposed?”
“Let the record show the faculty council
unanimously voted to suspend. Dr. Mapleton’s privileges,” Cole said. “Please be assured, I will put an
investigative team in place to immediately to assess these infractions. The next time we convene, we can discuss
the findings as well as the severity of Dr. Mapleton’s punishment. You are dismissed.”
Chapter
Fifteen
Sophie rode the elevator down to the
emergency room. She was covering a
shift as a favor for Dr. Evelyn Feldstein.
“Better to stay as busy as possible,” she
thought to herself. “The busier I
am, the less time I have to think about missing Cole.” Sophie recalled her last night with
him. She longed to be back in his
arms. Sophie sighed at the memory
and allowed herself a moment of grief before stiffening her spine. She thought, “Covering this shift is
going to be grueling. I’m going to
have a terrible night.” You never
knew what was going to come your way in the ER.
The elevator stopped at the third floor. When the doors parted a familiar looking
figure rushed in and slammed at the buttons for the basement. The woman was sniveling
uncontrollably.
frame soon included two people. Bruce Mapleton was standing in front of his desk, pants bunched around
his ankles. Kneeling at his feet, head bobbing back and forth like a piston,
was Crystal Bridges.
Crystal snapped. She tore at the projection screen,
trying to stop the damning video, but instead the anchors ripped from the wall
and the screen fell at her feet. The
film did not stop. Now it was
projected, with equal clarity, on the whiteboard behind the screen. Crystal shrieked in frustration, vaulted
over a chair, and clawed her way to the projector. She pushed Eric Chambers aside, picked
up the computer, and threw it on the ground. It cracked, freezing the video at the
moment Dr. Mapleton reached his climax. The shot of Bruce, face twisted in ecstasy, remained projected on the
whiteboard.
Shocked silence fell over the room. All eyes swiveled to Crystal, who was
panting from her exertions. Crystal’s efforts had knocked her tight bun loose and now long dull
brown strands fell over her face. Her eye makeup and lipstick were streaked, giving her a clownish
appearance.
“He made me do it!!” Crystal screamed,
pointing a finger at Bruce. “He
forced me! He said he’d get
me fired if I didn’t do what he wanted!” Her voice screeched higher and higher as hysteria consumed her. “I’m going to sue! You’ll all be sorry!!” Crystal tugged at her bun and it
completely came undone, covering her face with a brown veil. She barreled out the heavy double doors
of the conference room and started running down the hall.
After her dramatic exit, everyone’s head
turned towards the front of the room, only to discover the seat previously
occupied by Bruce Mapleton was now empty. A door in the back corner of the room, leading to a shared kitchenette
area, was wide open.
The room erupted in confused
conversation.
Cole stood up and addressed the
audience. “Ok everyone,” he
said. “Let’s settle down.” The roar got quieter. “Eric, can you please shut the projector
off?”
Eric nodded and powered down the a/v
equipment. Bruce’s O-face faded
from everyone’s view, but not before a few faculty members pulled out their
phones and snapped a picture. Erick
stuck the memory stick into his pocket with a satisfied smirk on his face.
“It seems fairly obvious a very serious
violation of school policy has been committed by Dr. Bruce Mapleton. I move Dr. Mapleton’s hospital and
university privileges be suspended immediately, pending further
investigation. All in favor?”
The room ran with a resounding “aye” from the
assembled faculty members.
“All opposed?”
“Let the record show the faculty council
unanimously voted to suspend. Dr. Mapleton’s privileges,” Cole said. “Please be assured, I will put an
investigative team in place to immediately to assess these infractions. The next time we convene, we can discuss
the findings as well as the severity of Dr. Mapleton’s punishment. You are dismissed.”
Chapter
Fifteen
Sophie rode the elevator down to the
emergency room. She was covering a
shift as a favor for Dr. Evelyn Feldstein.
“Better to stay as busy as possible,” she
thought to herself. “The busier I
am, the less time I have to think about missing Cole.” Sophie recalled her last night with
him. She longed to be back in his
arms. Sophie sighed at the memory
and allowed herself a moment of grief before stiffening her spine. She thought, “Covering this shift is
going to be grueling. I’m going to
have a terrible night.” You never
knew what was going to come your way in the ER.
The elevator stopped at the third floor. When the doors parted a familiar looking
figure rushed in and slammed at the buttons for the basement. The woman was sniveling
uncontrollably.
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