Release

This is a story about euthanasia and 'Dr Death,' as many people helping others to die for a fee have been called.

Liz Porter couldn't believe her eyes. He was here – he was really here! And, no less, he was here to help her. It may have cost a fortune, but that wouldn't matter once he had finished with her. There wasn't anyone to leave her possessions to, so the money would not be missed. After all, she needed this. She couldn't live with it any more. The cancer she had been burdened with her whole life had finally spread; next to come was organ failure. After 23 years of remissions and relapses, her body was finally going to just succumb to it and, in time, death would come. So really she wasn't killing herself – just speeding the process along a little. And she couldn't do it herself – she knew she would just chicken out and end up in a hospital bed, possibly even in the psychiatric ward rather than the all-too-familiar cancer ward. As she invited the man in, she felt nothing. A serene state had come over her and she felt, for the first time in her life, completely at peace with the world around her.

 

Dr Michael Scott, alias Dr Death, stepped into the home of the woman who had paid him to end her life. Looking around, there was no evidence of any life outside her illness. The bookshelves were filled with books about her illness and there were no photographs anywhere. Just from a quick survey of the hall, he could tell there was no family involved in this woman's life – or death, as it may be. No tell-tale shoes and bags by the door, no bikes outside and not even a doorbell; a sure sign that no-one ever came to visit. He started to feel sorry for the woman in the kitchen making him a cup of tea, but quickly shook it off. This was exactly the reason he liked to meet his clients in crowded cafés in town – he didn't have to feel involved personally the way he did once he knew more about their life. Well, that and the fact that no-one gets suspicious if you don't make a show of hiding what you are talking about. That way, he could practice in broad daylight without anyone noticing.

 

As Liz nodded and took a deep breath, Dr Death pushed down on the plunger, injecting a chemical cocktail into her veins. It would be an easy death, painless and brief. If he had timed it right, Dr Scott had 40 minutes to get out of there and to the airport, where he would immediately board the plane back to America. This was more time than he usually allowed himself, so he knew he could manage it. He didn't know why, but there was some  strange force drawing him towards this client. He felt it was only right to stay with her until her heart had stopped beating, since there was no-one else to be there for her. He didn't even know how long it would be until her body was discovered, but somehow knew that her demise was the only way to bring her peace and happiness, so as long as he managed to help her, it didn't matter how long she was in that chair before being found.

 

The rhythm that had been steadily slowing beneath his palm stopped completely. He sat her upright in the chair, picked up the bag containing his equipment and the $30,000 cash and locked the door on his way out. This much, at least, she deserved. Her first few moments of peace should not be interrupted. These few moments were hers to enjoy so this is how he left her, making peace with herself as she drifted away from the life that had caused her so much pain.