WHAT SHOULD NOT BE SEEN
1015 Words
The knock on the door had been sharp.
Not the polite, uncertain tap of a nurse checking on a patient.
It had been firm.
Authoritative.
Inside the room, Lily and Adrian both turned toward the door at the same time.
For a split second neither of them moved.
Adrian was still holding the folded investigation paper Lily had given him. Lily was standing beside him, close enough that their shoulders nearly touched.
Before either of them could say anything—
The door opened.
Malcolm Graves stepped inside.
The room fell silent.
Graves stopped just two steps past the doorway, his eyes moving slowly from Adrian… to Lily… then back again.
Something about the scene clearly caught his attention.
Not just Adrian standing in a patient’s room.
Not just Lily looking unusually comfortable in his presence.
But the unmistakable closeness between them.
It was the kind of quiet familiarity that people only developed when they trusted each other deeply.
Or cared far more than they were supposed to.
Graves’ expression remained calm, but his eyes narrowed slightly.
“I hope I’m not interrupting something important,” he said.
Adrian cleared his throat.
“No. Just discussing the investigation.”
Graves’ gaze shifted briefly toward the paper still in Adrian’s hand.
“Interesting,” he said.
Because the document was clearly not one the committee had officially released yet.
Lily stepped slightly away from Adrian, folding her arms as if trying to appear casual.
“You said you wanted to talk,” Adrian said.
“Yes.”
Graves closed the door behind him.
But he didn’t start speaking immediately.
Instead, he walked slowly across the room, studying both of them with the careful attention of someone used to noticing small details.
“Dr. Cole,” he said finally, “your recovery appears to be going well.”
Adrian nodded.
“I’m feeling better.”
“That’s good.”
Graves stopped near the window, turning back toward them.
“And Miss Lily… you seem to be recovering rather quickly as well.”
Lily raised an eyebrow.
“I heal fast.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Another quiet pause followed.
Then Graves spoke again.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss with Dr. Cole privately.”
Lily glanced at Adrian.
“I can step outside.”
Graves lifted a hand slightly.
“That won’t be necessary.”
His tone carried a subtle weight.
“Because what I’m about to say concerns both of you.”
Adrian felt a faint knot tighten in his chest.
“What do you mean?”
Graves looked directly at him.
“The investigation team has discovered irregular access to confidential files.”
Adrian’s fingers tightened around the folded document.
Graves noticed immediately.
“Files that were opened from this floor.”
Lily’s expression remained steady.
“And you think that has something to do with us?”
Graves didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he walked slowly toward the bedside table where Lily’s phone rested.
“You’re a curious person, Miss Lily.”
She tilted her head slightly.
“I like to know what’s going on around me.”
“Yes,” Graves said.
“I can see that.”
He turned back toward Adrian.
“And you, Dr. Cole… you’ve always been very careful with rules.”
Adrian frowned.
“I try to be.”
Graves gave a small, thoughtful nod.
“Which is why this situation is… unusual.”
The word hung in the air.
Unusual.
It could mean many things.
The access to confidential files.
Or the fact that a suspended surgeon was standing extremely close to one of his patients.
Graves’ eyes moved between them again.
“You care about each other,” he said quietly.
Neither Adrian nor Lily answered.
But silence often spoke louder than words.
Graves folded his hands behind his back.
“Ordinarily, that might not concern me.”
Adrian’s voice hardened slightly.
“But this isn’t ordinary.”
“No,” Graves agreed.
“It isn’t.”
He stepped closer.
“Because if the investigation committee finds out that a suspended doctor has become… personally involved with a patient connected to this case…”
Adrian felt the implication immediately.
“They’ll question my judgment.”
“They’ll question everything,” Graves corrected.
Lily spoke then.
“So what exactly are you saying?”
Graves looked directly at her.
“I’m saying the truth about the operating room is getting closer to the surface.”
He paused.
“And when that happens, every detail surrounding this case will be examined.”
His gaze shifted back to Adrian.
“That includes you.”
Adrian exhaled slowly.
“You didn’t come here just to warn me.”
Graves’ eyes darkened slightly.
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
Graves reached into his jacket pocket.
This time he pulled out a small flash drive.
“The surveillance team finished analyzing the extended footage.”
Adrian’s pulse quickened.
“And?”
Graves held up the drive.
“They finally enhanced the image of the person standing outside the operating room that night.”
The room grew very still.
“Do they know who it is?” Adrian asked.
Graves nodded once.
“Yes.”
Lily leaned forward slightly.
“Well?”
Graves’ voice dropped lower.
“The face isn’t completely clear.”
“But the badge is.”
Adrian felt his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
“And the name?”
Graves looked directly into his eyes.
“That’s the problem.”
Adrian waited.
Because the look on Graves’ face was no longer just serious.
It was troubled.
“The badge,” Graves said quietly, “belongs to someone who should never have been near that operating room.”
Adrian’s mind raced.
“Who?”
Graves hesitated for just a moment.
Then he said the name.
And the words hit Adrian like a shockwave.
Because the person connected to that badge…
Was someone he had trusted more than anyone else in the hospital.
And suddenly the entire case was no longer just about sabotage.
It was about betrayal.
- Writer
