The patient was awakened by an erratic pulse hammering away inside his torso. The doctor seemed surprised to see his glistening eyes, and that he was strong enough to utter a single word.
“Maniac.”
He’d been called much worse, but it still felt unfair. In this world, you’d be hard-pressed to find a man with half a heart, and here he was blessing one with thirty or more.
“Consider this a gift,” the doctor said, then hurriedly gathered his tools and left the room.
The patient looked down at his newly zippered torso, watching helplessly as the rumbling organs broke loose every last stitch.
(C) William Pauley III, 2022
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