I Am A Forensic Pathologist Who Was About To Perform An Autopsy On A Young Woman. Then I Realized Her Heart Was Still Beating. What Do I Do Now?

The Diligent Pathologist

David Miller never felt ashamed of his work and believed that he was doing a necessary job for the good of society. Being a forensic pathologist at the morgue, he was used to spending his days facing death, which took on a new guise each time. Sometimes it was death from natural causes, while in other cases a clearly criminal nature of the incident was evident.

Each specific case required a unique approach; that was David’s task: to figure out whether each particular death was natural or if the cause required an investigation. David’s acquaintances only shook their heads, unable to understand how he can work in such an unpleasant place.

But the man himself didn’t mind it, since he was never afraid of difficulties and knew his responsibilities were very important and he had to perform them diligently. Even when the police officer stopped by, they couldn’t help but ask him:

“How can you have lunch or drink coffee here?”

To which David always replied:

“Well, I don’t eat in here. This room has to be kept too sterile.”,

A Mother’s Ambition

He had long grown used to such questions and stopped paying attention to them. However, few people in David’s life knew that he dreamed of becoming a musician when he was little and could even play the piano very well. The boy’s delicate, graceful fingers were perfect for it, and his teachers unanimously predicted a great career as a pianist for him.

The Miller family couldn’t be happier about such a prospect. David’s mother was especially excited about it since she used to study music herself but never achieved any particular success in the field and now placed high hopes on her son,.

“Mom, what if I don’t succeed in becoming a musician? Or what if I change my mind?”

David inquired cautiously. Samantha Davis raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“What do you mean change your mind? We’ve been teaching you to love music ever since you were born. Even when you were just a baby, I’d play works by famous composers and judging by the smile on your face, you really enjoyed them.”

After this kind of argument from his mother, David usually withdrew into himself and tried to steer the conversation in another direction.

A Change of Heart

Time went by, and the older David got, the more doubtful he became of the choice of his career path. It’s hard to say what would have become of the boy’s future if he hadn’t met a woman named Monica one day. Her parents moved their family to Boston in search of a better life.

They used to live in a neighboring state and worked in the field of medicine. It was Monica who awakened David’s interest in medicine by telling him stories about the peculiarities of her father’s profession,.

“Mom, what if… what if I were to become a doctor? A surgeon? It’s a prestigious job, not worse than being a pianist or a composer,”

The young man suggested cautiously. Mrs. Miller frowned.

“Son, I thought we made this decision a long time ago and now you’re opening this discussion again. Becoming a surgeon isn’t easy, trust me. It requires a lot of studying. Are you willing to put in so much effort?”

“I am, Mom. Monica says I’d be great at it and also her dad’s fingers are just as long as mine. He believes that it’s an important quality for a surgeon. Monica supports me and also plans to apply to medical school,”

David replied without any doubt. Samantha Miller looked quietly at her son and shook her head. Only then did she realize that David had finally developed his own opinion.

Finding His Calling

Time flew by, making adjustments to the lives of the Miller family members. By the time he finished high school, David had definitely made up his mind about becoming a surgeon and virtually stopped playing the piano,. Despite the fact that he went to prom with Monica, their relationship didn’t develop any further.

Moreover, Monica changed her mind about med school at the last moment, leaving David to deal with it all alone. David, however, didn’t waver and did get accepted to med school. Unfortunately, it was probably more out of spite towards his parents and Monica than out of a genuine desire to become a surgeon.

At first, David struggled through his studies, cursing himself for rushing to give up on music,. But when he finished his sophomore year, the situation changed for the better. David suddenly realized that there were still so many mysteries in medicine that no one would be able to uncover yet.

Seeing that their son had finally become passionate about something specific, his parents breathed a sigh of relief and prepared themselves for having a medic in the family. That was the case until the moment when David ended up in his first ever autopsy conducted by a well-known pathologist,.

The Unlikely Specialist

It was during this seemingly complex and unpleasant process that the med student realized that he wanted to specialize in forensic medicine. David’s mother was beyond surprised.

“Son, you can’t keep doing this. First you stop pursuing music, now you’re changing your mind about becoming a surgeon. What’s next? Are you going to drop out of school and live on the street?”

“Mom, come on, it’s not like that. I’m not dropping out. I’m just changing my specialization. It’s not that big of a deal,”

The young man retorted,. However, in Samantha Miller’s understanding, only someone with obvious mental problems could choose to become a forensic pathologist. Nevertheless, she couldn’t convince her son to change his mind; therefore, she had no choice but to accept his decision.

David never crossed paths with Monica again and soon erased all memories of her from his mind. David’s colleagues teased the young forensic pathologist, hinting that he devoted too much attention to dead people instead of spending more time with the living. But it wasn’t easy to get David to lose his composure.

After the extremely painful breakup with Monica, the phlegmatic and thoughtful young man was in no hurry to tie his life to anyone. He wanted to be completely sure of his interests and feelings first. Sure, he had some relationships in his life; however, none of them ever led to anything serious.

David’s parents kept pestering him about grandchildren, but David was consumed by work, which took up more and more of his time with each passing day. Being an excellent specialist in this field, he didn’t just understand the intricacies of death but also provided valuable advice to those investigating the circumstances of someone’s demise.