Fast Fiction Challenge: Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Title: Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Word: iatrogenic
Challenger: malkavs_child
Length: 200 words exactly She died at a few minutes before three in the afternoon. It wasn't exactly a surprise to the doctors and nurses as she'd been fading away for the past two days and the only puzzling thing was that no one could understand precisely why she'd died.
That was my hope, anyway.
It had taken me seven months of diligent research: hours during the day spent in the library, and almost as long at night breaking into pharmacists to steal the necessary combination of drugs to provoke the illness.
Why her? Despite ostensible appearances, it was nothing personal. She just happened to live nearby and she was one of those who had milk delivered; I'd had an easy medium into which to inject the poison. And being elderly, her lowered immune system reacted so much better.
The first time I'd done it, it had been with my father and I'd never been happy with how fast he'd gone. Too much chance that someone might suspect foul play.
This was much more intellectually satisfying.
And, of course, with what I'd used, there was a much greater possibility that it would be deemed iatrogenic, with one of the medical staff blamed.
Sorry, Mum.
© Lee Barnett, 2005
Word: iatrogenic
Challenger: malkavs_child
Length: 200 words exactly She died at a few minutes before three in the afternoon. It wasn't exactly a surprise to the doctors and nurses as she'd been fading away for the past two days and the only puzzling thing was that no one could understand precisely why she'd died.
That was my hope, anyway.
It had taken me seven months of diligent research: hours during the day spent in the library, and almost as long at night breaking into pharmacists to steal the necessary combination of drugs to provoke the illness.
Why her? Despite ostensible appearances, it was nothing personal. She just happened to live nearby and she was one of those who had milk delivered; I'd had an easy medium into which to inject the poison. And being elderly, her lowered immune system reacted so much better.
The first time I'd done it, it had been with my father and I'd never been happy with how fast he'd gone. Too much chance that someone might suspect foul play.
This was much more intellectually satisfying.
And, of course, with what I'd used, there was a much greater possibility that it would be deemed iatrogenic, with one of the medical staff blamed.
Sorry, Mum.
© Lee Barnett, 2005