However, it was the sheer intolerability of impugning the skills and professionalism of her staff that most irritated her. The phrase had irked Hilda when she read the memo: “Attuned, not in tune, she isn’t a damn radio!” Hilda hissed to herself. They had never seen eye to eye, but when Andrew loudly “fired” a surgical nurse because they were “too slow” and “not in tune” with him, Hilda had developed an acrid dislike for Andrew. One of those who didn’t sing his praises was the chief nursing officer, Hildegard Bonaventure. However, that wasn’t quite how others saw him, and while he certainly had his admirers amongst the staff of Jackson Memorial Hospital, there were more who saw him as pushy, arrogant, and overbearing. It wasn’t that he was a bully so much as he took it upon himself to make decisions and press an advantage, even when there wasn’t one to be made or pressed. Typically, this was a professional advantage: As a neurosurgeon, time mattered, and indecision killed. He was apt to take charge of things when others were still sizing up the situation. The plots draw lightly from cultural beliefs around actions such as pointing at someone with a stick or knife, wishing in front of a mirror, or stepping on a crack.Īndrew was a “get out of my way” kinda guy. (Or is it?) The technical details surrounding the fatal (or near-fatal) event are drawn from real cases in the US OSHA incident report database or similar sources and are therefore entirely realistic, even if seemingly outlandish. Nothing supernatural, but just how things work out. ![]() In each story, a protagonist makes a wish that comes true with fatal results for someone, often the person making the wish. As such, they are tragedies more than either mysteries or horror, and would appeal most to readers who enjoy the inexorable pull of a story arc that leads to doom. This is one of a collection of stories that are like “Final Destination” meets “The Monkey’s Paw” (W.
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