text: It was silent, except the steady beep of a nearby monitor. She had to pause, blinking sweat from her eyes. It wasn’t hot, but the stress of this operation was starting to get to her. It was so important that this went well. The incisions had been made, opening up the patient. She’d done this a dozen times before, but every time she was surprised by the lack of blood inside the body. She shook off the pause, reminding herself what she was supposed to be doing. “Costotome.” She muttered. Slowly, she began to cut the ribs, forcing herself to move slowly and with care. But this was a well maintained tool, and it did not take her long to finish cutting through the ribs alongside the sternum. She shifted position and began to cut along the ribs at the patient’s side. “Adjust that hose.” She murmured. The suction tube that kept the area free of blood was adjusted and she went back to her cutting. She made short work of that side as well, easing into her task now. Though sweat still beaded on her forehead. She knew how easy it was to make a mistake. There was a groan behind her, but she didn’t turn. “Quiet them down, nurse.” Nothing could distract her from her task. It was going so well, she would not be distracted until it was finished. The groan didn’t sound again, and tension eased from her shoulders. Of course, she’d given the right dosage. It was just a reflexive sound. It had to be uncomfortable sitting there like that. Carefully, she moved the ribs, placing them in a special dish beside the operation bed. Ribs for dinner sounds good, she thought to herself. Get this all squared away and then I can pop off to the shop for some marinade. I might have some in the cupboard. I’ll have to check. Finally, the lung was clear. Gently, she eased her fingers underneath the delicate organ. It was so easy to crush the lungs. She didn’t want to damage it. Even though the patient didn’t need it anymore. She let the lung rest over the patient’s side as she leaned in closer to examine how all the tubes attached. “Hose.” She said. Suction stole away the blood left in the cavity the lung had been taken from. The tubes were stretched, grossly so. She hummed to herself, taking her scalpel again and poking at the tubing with the blunt end. She had to decide how far up the trachea she would have to cut. And then sew up the hole that would be left behind. Couldn’t leave them breathing into an empty hole. She clicked her tongue. Her eyes slid over to the ribs. She was getting bored of this now. Giving a sigh, she took up her bone cutter again and crunched through the ribs on the other side. These cuts were much rougher, but she didn’t care. Snapping ribs out of the way, she pulled the other lung from its cavity, letting it sit in the air like the other. It wasn’t quite the masterpiece that she thought it would be. But she had done it from the front. Luckily she had another subject to work on. And she was getting very confident with her cutters now. She washed her hands before she tapped her phone, turning off the monitor sound. The ribs were waiting for her in the dish, and she tossed the entire thing in the furnace. Once the body went cold, she’d cut it up and burn it as well. Or maybe she’d leave him hung up on a hook for his friend to see. Turning, she gave a bright smile to the other young man that was just starting to wake. He gave a muffled scream as he saw the room he was tied up in. She giggled, deciding to leave him for a few more hours before she offered him something to eat. Humming to herself, she headed up the stairs to start making herself some ribs for dinner. The operation had given her a craving for them.