Angel of Mercy, Angel of Death
Jane had never been able to just accept other’s suffering. Every time she had encountered someone who was in pain during her youth, emotionally or physically, she had tried to help. Naturally, the job of a nurse had been the next logical step.
After years of studying, she had finally earned her degree and was able to call herself an advanced practice registered nurse. She had access to everything she desired and believed that she was now capable of providing the maximal amount of help.
She was wrong.
The first few years were alright for Jane. She enjoyed caring for the patients, encouraging the families and even accompanying dying patients during their last moments. Jane was the hospital’s angel and everyone loved her. But year after year, Jane grew more frustrated with one certain fact: She wasn’t allowed to grant terminally ill patients euthanasia to stop their pain.
There were so many patients suffering silently and sometimes not so silently that could just not be cured. They were in pain, horrible pain and sometimes even begged Jane to just end it, once and for all. But she wasn’t allowed to. As much as she wanted to help, she couldn’t.
Until one day, when she decided that it was enough.
Jane knew, that there were certain chemicals that would kill a person quickly and barely left any trace. Some of them were available at the hospital, but not all could be accessed by her. In the end, she decided on using potassium chloride which, in high doses, could stop the heart.
It was the most humane way of ending someone’s life she could think of.
At first, she only helped those who asked her to die. There were many of them. A young woman who had been infected with HIV because of a lover who kept it a secret that he had been infected had been her first.
The woman had been unaware of the virus that was spreading in her body. Typically, HIV patients could lead a relatively normal life when being treated, at least recently. But the woman didn’t know what was happening and didn’t search out any help until it was too late.
When she finally arrived at a hospital, the third stage of the HIV infection was already advanced. Opportunistic infections attacked her body and her destroyed immune system wasn’t able to fight against them. Every day, she looked sicker and sicker. Every day, she complained to Jane about the pain she was in. She knew, that she didn’t have much longer to live.
Some patients used this knowledge to live the rest of their life to the fullest. They said goodbye to their families and friends, maybe finished a bucket list. But this woman? She didn’t have anybody. And she begged Jane to release her from her suffering.
One day, Jane gave in. At her next night shift, she stole a vial filled with potassium chloride and made her way to the woman’s room. With a syringe, she injected the solution into the IV and held the woman in her arms while she did her last breath, comforting her with soft words.
When it was over, she quickly left the room to avoid being caught.
The woman’s death was ruled “natural causes”. Jane had gotten away with it.
It didn’t take long until the nurse moved on to patients that were not able to ask for her help. Some were in a coma, some were so sick that they just couldn’t utter the words. But Jane was sure that she knew best who was suffering and who wasn’t.
When she encountered the young man with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, she believed that she had found another poor soul she had to relieve from the burden of living.
The neurodegenerative disease had rendered the man unable to move and talk. Only his eyes conveyed the agony he was in, when Jane caringly stroked his hair.
”It will be over soon, my dear”, she whispered in his ear, as she injected the deadly solution. ”You won’t feel a thing. It’s alright. It’s alright.”
The more people were granted a premature death, the less inhibitions Jane felt. It was as if the hospital got lighter and the atmosphere got less depressing every time a patient in agony drew his last breath.
One night, Jane was sitting at an old woman’s bedside.
”You have led a long life, haven’t you”, Jane asked the woman, who woke up, startled by Jane’s voice.
”Who are you?” The woman asked.
”I am the one who will release you from this world by granting you the death you seek”, Jane explained with a soft smile. ”You will not have to suffer any longer.”
”But I am not suffering”, the woman said. ”I have family. They visit me every day. I know I am old and yes, I am in pain, but I enjoy every day I have left of my life. I don’t want to leave just yet.”
Jane frowned.
”That is not your decision.”
”It is not?”
”No, it is not. I know what is best for you. You are in pain and that pain has to end.”
”Please, don’t!” The old woman called out, when Jane injected her poison. *”Why are you doing this? You can’t decide who lives or dies! You can’t…”
The woman’s heart stopped and Jane left the room. How did that patient dare defy her? Didn’t she see that Jane was merciful? That death was the better alternative?
This was her hospital and she was the once who decided who lived or died.
Sources:
What is an “Angel of Mercy/Death”?
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Progression of HIV/Aids
Detectability of Death by Potassium Chloride
Euthanasia laws around the world
Got a scientific topic which you want to see as a story? Leave me a comment!
Check out @steemstem and the #steemSTEM channel in steemit.chat to support scientists on steemit!
Picture taken from pixabay.com
This was nice one, well written once again :)
Though this may be how some see euthanasia. In Finland, there is discussion about active euthanasia and some people are afraid that doctors and nurses will start to kill random people in the hospital. "Yay"
That was exactly my angle. I'm generally not against assisted suicide but there are certain dangers
True. It has some very serious risks, but most common risks can be in certain level of control.
I mean, there are still doctors and nurses stealing strong durgs too, even though there is control for that. If a nutcase nurse kills someone, even if she is exposed and caught, someone has already died.
Totally agree
@reggaemuffin got you a 100.0% @minnowbooster upvote, nice!
Really Amazing Stuff and Beautifully Presented...
A Big Thumbs up From my side for effort you put in this post...
Thank you for sharing and have a blessed day :)
well written story. Though I think it is wrong to decide to end someone's life eve out of mercy
Hah, a very uplifting story. But seriously, I am enjoying your series on science shorts. Here's another idea: a story about how passengers would experience riding in a space elevator.. Or more interestingly, a malfunction one. There would need to be control system to make sure the speed of ascent is matched to the dynamics of the cable and the carriagr (eg the lateral tack do to coriolis vs the pendulum motion of the counterweight). Or how would thr carriage be constructed to accomodate a trip that may last days going to GEO or beyond?
Glad you're enjoying it!
Hm, your idea would need physics... I'm more a biology person. But I'll put it on the list and look into it!
I will have to think of a bio one. Give me a few days :-)
This really made me think!
I was afraid Jane would turn into an Angel of Death even with her "good intentions" we are all led to believe she has got. But underneath it I feel she was always like that. Maybe she didn't want to let patients die and free them from their sufferings, but she had this grasp of "death" in her all the time and it came out when she sipped the first drop of being the Judge of the Hospital.
I liked very much the way you conducted the story @suesa, and thank you so much for the reading!
I'm glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much for your comment!
Yes, good intentions are often the cover for something darker. That's usually the problem when people discuss assisted suicide/euthanasia.
Something like this is never without risk because there might always be somebody who thinks they know best.
Exactly! There is always something behind the intentions. If good or bad, I really don't know, but we can lead the story to every place we want. What is interesting to me is that you use science and natural events to adequate your stories, and I try and use spirituality and psychology to write mine. I am curious about what may come if we fuse all these ingredients into one story.
I am having ideas @suesa! =)
Keep me updated, I'm not opposed to collaborations
Woah, that escalated quickly
This was nice one, well written once again :)
Though this may be how some see euthanasia. In Finland, there is discussion about active euthanasia and some people are afraid that doctors and nurses will start to kill random people in the hospital. "Yay"