Rules or Life on the Line

I just saved a man's life against direct orders from my chief of surgery. The patient was

coding, brain bleed expanding fast, and protocol said wait for the attending.

But he was ten minutes out and this guy had maybe three. My ex, the neurosurgeon

I swore I'd never work with again, was scrubbed in beside me. We locked eyes.

He nodded. I made the call. Drilled the burr hole right there, released the pressure,

stabilized him. When my chief walked in, his face went white. Now I'm facing a

disciplinary hearing that could end my career. But here's what keeps me up at night.

That patient has a wife and two kids who get to see him tomorrow. My chief says I