The Surgeon

“I felt the urge to look at the patient’s face as if it could hold some answers. I took a small step past the surgical drape—and froze, mouth agape under the mask, hand stuck in midair.”

In this moment of crisis, Anne crosses a critical professional boundary. The surgical drape symbolizes the clinical detachment necessary for her work, and stepping past it signifies her shift from an objective surgeon to a personally involved individual. The author uses diction relating to physical paralysis (“froze,” “hand stuck in midair”) to convey the shock of recognizing the patient, marking the precise moment that past trauma compromises her medical judgment.

“She’ll have the hanger steak too. That’s what hunters eat. […] Medium, with a touch of blood […] Because that’s what hunters do. They draw blood.”

Delivered by Paula’s boss, Mitch Hobbs, these lines metaphorically define Paula’s professional identity and foreshadow her predatory legal tactics. The comparison of a prosecutor to a hunter frames the pursuit of convictions not as a service to justice, but as an aggressive, primal act. This characterization thematically supports The Corrupting Influence of Unchecked Ambition, establishing Paula as someone who thrives on the “hunt” for convictions.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that once I knew who my patient was, I wanted him dead.”

This stark internal confession solidifies Anne’s central moral conflict. The direct, unambiguous language eliminates any doubt about her intent, introducing The Unclear Boundary Between Justice and Vengeance as a theme. By admitting her desire for Donaghy’s death, Anne acknowledges that her actions were influenced by a personal vendetta rather than purely medical considerations, framing her inaction as a deliberate choice.