'Female, twenty years old. A female voice exclaimed, "Acute appendicitis," as I opened the door. Our records show that you should report to Operating Room2 at 5:20.

The sound of receding footsteps coincided with a brief knock, and the heavy wooden door to my room was shoved open before I could respond. The doctor's arrival caused my mom to sit up straight and perk up. A mere two steps inside the room, and he turned around to examine me.

My lungs instantly emptied of all their contents.

Carl stopped moving, a look of shock and dismay on his face.

Carl's wide-eyed stare travelled from me to my mom to the...