Kayla was working at the end of her shift at a small cardiology clinic when her boss came in and asked her to stay late because a patient needed her care for a few extra hours after closing. The request was strange, as the patient in question seemed to be a healthy and athletic woman in her mid twenties who complained of chest pains, she hadn't spoken except to stay since she was admitted and all of her blood work was fine thus far.

"Yeah, sure. I'll do it"

He smiled and walked off "Thanks, she is really adamant about having you take care of her, she a friend of yours?"

"No, I don't recognize her."

He made a bewildered smirk and carried on. Kayla was just as confused but thought it was time to check in on her unusually healthy patient. She waled into the doorway and smiled.

"Can I get you anything?"

The woman just weakly shook her head to say no.

As she walked out her phone buzzed in her coat. She pulled ot out and saw text in all caps from her roommate. "KAY COME HOME NOW!" "EMERGENCY!"

Her heart sank as her suspicions were affirmed

"Why?"

"SOMEONE AFTER YOU"

She knew it then. Her roommate was with her in witness protection after they called out a massive drug scandal between a few crime organizations and the last hospital she worked at. She then remembered the knife in the woman's belongings.
Kayla was watching people leave and was walking out the door when her boss called her back.

"What do you think you're doing? Forget your patient?" He said, laughing it off as he was getting ready to leave.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that" she said in a soft, noticeably distraught tone.

She didn't want to raise alarms but she couldn't be int he hospital by herself. She also couldn't be sure the woman was the person after her, or that her leaving wouldn't be just as dangerous. Right now, before the shift was finally gone she had the best chance. She walked in again and had to think quick.

'I touch the knife and she'll know...' she muttered to herself. She had to act like a cardiologist again. She looked at the pillow... but she was barely 100lbs and the woman on the bed could easily overpower her in a struggle. She went bedside, the woman's eyes opened slightly and looked toward the glass door where two nurses were still there waiting for the last minute to head out; the woman just shook her head to say no.

Kay wanted to get the upper hand but didn't want to harm an innocent woman. She looked around at anything she could use to defend herself. Suddenly her eyes caught onto the defibrillator. At least if she could shock the woman it'd give her an arm up. She quickly opened the door and spoke to the nurses.

"Just a second before you go, okay?" She knew she couldn't keep them long.

They muttered among themselves and nodded. Kay went back and talked as if nothing was up.

"You're ready for therapy; it'll only be a few minutes"

Kay's heart was pounding as she bluffed but the woman stayed still. She ripped open the packaging for the disposable adhesive pads and started to place them on the woman's chest. Never before had she been so careful. These pads could save her life. One on top and one to the left side, checking out the woman's rather toned and powerful physique and wondering how she'd handle a confrontation. She then hooked up the defibrillator. The old defibrillator that she had pestered the clinic to replace had just become her new friend.

With maliciousness she never thought she would have, Kay turned the dial on the old machine to 140 and stood by it. The nurses were gone now and she finally had to fend for herself.

"So tell me, what's going on? You're fine" she said nervously.

The woman motioned for her to come closer as if to tell her a secret. She carefully leaned over with her hand on the charge button, seeing that the woman had pulled out her IV.

"Thank you" the woman said softly. Suddenly Kayla felt both hands wrap around her throat with incredible strength. She couldn't breathe or even choke. She couldn't make a sound as the hands squeezed around her neck. Her own hand slammed against the charge button on the defibrillator and knocked the machine over. Suddenly a strong buzz coursed through her neck as the woman's arms were peeled away by her own body tensing outward from her chest. Kay dropped and started coughing with a considerable wheeze, her stethoscope dropping from around her neck. She jumped up and saw the woman crawling away from the bed. the woman tugged on her leads but Kay shocked her again, causing her whole body to tense. the woman's body dropped as she fell and and the beeping in the room turned into a long high pitched ring at around the time the leads pulled off from her body.

"Oh my god!" She frantically pulled out her phone but the woman got up on her arms and knees. Kay's hand went for the charge button on the defibrillator but the woman's body fell flat on the floor below her, taking a single breath before lying completely still.

Kay's mind was racing but she didn't think she could just leave her there... She grabbed her stethoscope from the ground and nervously pushed the woman over. She kept the defibrillator by her side and straddled the woman, then placed the earpiece in her ears and the bell on the woman's chest. Sure enough the woman's chest was all but silent; A heart quivering, struggling to beat among soft attempted breathing.

Suddenly Kayla was mixed. She could save the woman or leave her to die. Something felt strange to her. She couldn't explain why but she wanted to send a message to the assassin rather than just end her encounter like this. Her fingers idly grazing the woman's chest and belly before she removed her stethoscope and her hands locked into position.
She felt as if her body was acting on its own as she pushed hard and deep against the woman's sternum, then lifted her legs and shocked her. Unable to resist a smile as she watched the beautifully toned and powerful figure under her twitch at her command, sending a shock into her heart; it was almost cathartic. She continued compressions, working herself into a sweat. She struggled to lift the woman's body back up on the bed and reattached the leads. The line turned into a small vibration of waves. This time when she sent a shock through the woman's heart she could see the bar turn flat on the monitor. Again, compressing deeply, sweat dripping on the woman's body. She shocked her again. This time after the flat wave a pulse.... and a productive breath
Kayla stopped in her tracks and watched. At her amazement a heartbeat started trailing across the screen. But now she had her chance to send her message safely. She got up on the bed and again straddled her would-be assassin, wearing her stethoscope and placing the bell to the woman's chest. She made small smacks to the woman's cheek and she began to move her head. The woman looked up at her in a daze while Kayla sat on her, watching her heartbeat average out at 72 BPM. Kayla's own heart was pounding and shaking her body as she watched in both excitement and fear. Her rational mind was trying to break free from her uncontrolled actions. She searched for her phone to do the right thing and call the police, but when she grabbed it she felt the shattered screen having broken in her fall.

'I can't just leave her here, not even to open the door' she said to herself. Suddenly the woman started breathing harder. Kayla was lost in thought but suddenly she noticed the beeps getting faster, much faster. She looked at the screen and saw 101 BPM, looking down to see the eyes of a killer looking at her.

"You know what, it's your turn this time" Kayla's hand reached for the charge button and assassin waved no to her. Kay smiled and nodded. She instead pressed her stethoscope's bell against the woman's chest and scooted up to sit on it, then wrapped her hands around her neck and squeezed with all of her might. the woman pulled with her weakened arms but to no avail. Kayla only stared down and made a soft grunt as the woman's legs went to kick her back but she didn't budge. The rapid beeping in the room got faster and less rhythmic as the woman's struggling become weaker. Kay bit her lip as her ears filled with the sound of the struggling heart dying beneath her as the woman's arms and legs fell to her sides. As the stethoscope came loose from her ears from the struggling, she leaned in to continue listening to every last beat of the failing heart before getting up.