Chapter 37: Cleaning Up the Mess
Ethan laid Mary on the examination table and began treating her wounds properly. He removed the crude stitches on the surface; the wound was deep, piercing straight through the abdominal aorta. Mary had only sewn the outer layer.
With an injury like this, death usually comes within ten minutes—yet now, apart from the superficial cuts, the fatal internal damage had virtually healed.
After re-suturing, applying antibiotic ointment, and bandaging, Ethan finished the work, but Mary still hadn't regained consciousness.
This was the first time Ethan had used the Resurrection spell on a human. The outcome looked good—Mary had survived—but the process had been a nightmare.
He'd lost count of how many times he'd cast the spell to gather the scattered fragments of light back into Mary before she finally opened her eyes.
"This thing's pretty inefficient, huh? Forget about those comic book moments where a hero snaps their fingers and the whole city comes back to life."
"At minimum it should revive one person per cast. And from what that Void entity said just now, if you've been dead too long the soul wanders off; Holy Light can't reach it, you'd need Shadow to drag it back by force."
So Holy Light only works on the recently deceased? Pretty underwhelming.
Can't the soul just return on its own? Back in WoW, corpse-running was basic gameplay—unless you played hardcore permadeath… and hardcore players aren't normal people.
According to the Void, once you've been dead a while only Shadow will work.
Ethan believed it; if Holy Light could bring back your loved one, some people wouldn't need to turn to Shadow.
Suddenly the Resurrection spell felt impractical.
Feeling somewhat restored, Ethan casually followed up with a Healing spell on Mary.
Surveying the clinic's devastation and the body outside, Ethan debated whether to call the police.
He didn't have to decide—sirens were already wailing up to the clinic.
The flashing lights of patrol cars and ambulances lit up the entire street.
Paramedics and NYPD detectives burst through the door, footsteps echoing down the corridor.
The air still reeked of blood, sharp enough to catch in the throat.
After quick assessment, Mary lay on a stretcher while EMTs checked her vitals.
Ethan's neat bandages were carefully opened; the police needed wound documentation.
Mary had regained consciousness: bloodless face, pale lips, but alert enough to answer softly.
A female detective knelt before her, running through standard questions.
"Miss Mason, I need to confirm a few things."
"Do you know your assailant?"
Mary drew a shallow breath, voice raspy: "I don't."
The detective kept writing while she asked.
A crime scene tech snapped photos and bagged evidence inside the clinic.
Officers searched for signs of struggle, secured the weapons, and reviewed exterior security footage.
"Single penetrating wound to the left abdomen, deep laceration; bleeding controlled, vitals stable. Sutures, antibiotics, and tetanus prophylaxis already administered."
After a rapid examination, a dark-haired paramedic looked up at the detective.
"Abdominal wall injury—fortunately limited to musculature, no apparent organ perforation or internal hemorrhaging. Still requires hospital observation."
Mary turned her head toward Ethan, eyes holding a complicated, unspoken question that never left her lips.
Ethan gave her a reassuring nod. "Thanks, everyone."
"Miss Mason, we've reviewed the footage—it was clear self-defense," the detective said, closing his notepad. "You're not facing any charges."
Mary's eyes closed as enormous relief washed over her.
The detective turned to Ethan. "Dr. Rayne, we saw the entire assault. You were first responder, correct?"
"Yes." Ethan nodded. "Mary called me; I took a cab. Found the guy unconscious outside but came straight in, found her barely conscious, stabilized and sutured her—then you arrived."
Fortunately the security cameras only covered the exterior.
The female detective nodded. "Textbook response—no issues. Thank you for your cooperation."
The interview lasted about fifteen minutes, covering the attacker, the sequence of events, and the footage.
Wrapping up, the detective dipped his head. "Long night, Doctor. We'll follow up with her at the hospital after she's had some rest."
They loaded Mary into the ambulance.
Before the doors shut she mouthed something to Ethan; he waved back.
The ambulance departed, the crime scene tape came down, the body was removed by the medical examiner, red-and-blue lights fading at the intersection.
Ethan pulled out his phone, hesitated, then dialed Max.
Max answered groggily: "Who's calling at one-thirty in the morning—bill collector or creep?"
"It's me." Ethan cleared his throat.
"Oh, big spender. Thought you'd skipped town on your tab. What's up?"
"Mary's had an incident. Clinic's closed for cleanup—hold the cupcakes until I call."
Max snapped awake: "Hold on—what do you mean 'incident'?"
Ethan gave her the abbreviated version; after two seconds of silence Max swore.
"Jesus—New York's insane. Even doctors get attacked. Ever consider working at a big hospital? Safer."
Ethan murmured, "We'll see. Probably won't be necessary."
They talked a bit longer before Ethan hung up.
The clinic fell eerily quiet, as if all the air had been sucked out.
Surrounded by disarray and bloodstains, Ethan stood alone for a moment.
I actually brought someone back from the dead! He stared at his hands in disbelief.
Could start a cult, he mused darkly.
Regaining his composure, he eyed the pools of blood—biohazard and evidence contamination. Best to clean it tonight.
He grabbed a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and began scrubbing.
Mopping, wiping, disinfecting, disposing—hours later the last blood-speckled grout line gleamed clean.
He slumped against the wall and rubbed his temples.
A sleepless night suddenly caught up with him.
Ethan yawned deeply; the ordeal was finally over.
"Sleep first, then visit Mary at the hospital and get our stories straight. Clinic stays shut a couple of days."
He stood, killed the lights, locked the door.
A faint dawn was already touching the horizon.
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