A/N: I don't know a lot about police procedure so please don't judge too harshly if there are any glaring errors! I hope you can ignore them and enjoy the story. Please R&R, it's really encouraging.

A Smile can be Murder

It was the morning of another very busy day at Community General Hospital. Mark, Jesse and Amanda were taking a well earned break in the staff room during a sudden lull.

"Why is it that the hospital never provides us with good coffee?" grumbled Jesse after taking a sip from a mug Amanda passed him.

"Oh you mean compared to the delightful stuff you serve at BBQ Bobs?" said Amanda.

"What's wrong with the coffee at Bobs?" asked Jesse. "Bobs does great coffee."

"Jesse the last time I had coffee there you put chilli in it!" protested Amanda as Mark chuckled.

"You didn't like that?"

"You did?"

"Well think about it," said Jesse enthusiastically. "It makes sense really. It's a BBQ joint famous for its hot spicy ribs. What better way to finish a meal than with our new rich, spicy, chilli coffee? Or, as I prefer to call it Coffee with a Kick."

"Does Steve know about this?" asked Mark.

"Well I'm sure he…" Just then an announcement was made over the intercom.

"Would all available staff please report to trauma room one immediately."

"That's us," said Jesse draining his cup and heading out the door.

X X X

"What have we got?" asked Jesse as the paramedics wheeled the patient in on a stretcher. He was unconscious and had multiple grazes.

"White male, mid thirties, victim of a hit and run. K.O. at scene. Had bloods and morphine, query fractured ankle and ribs from impact."

"Ok, let's get him hooked up, I want a line in, check his vitals and then we'll send him up for a CT scan and x-ray when he's stable." Jesse went to work and despite appearances there was nothing seriously wrong with the man and he soon regained consciousness, although staying a little confused.

"What about the driver?" asked Mark as the paramedics were leaving.

"He fled the scene. The police are looking for him." Mark shook his head in disgust and turned back towards Jesse.

"Anything I can do?"

"See if you can find a name for this guy. Check his bag, it's over by the door."

"A Henry Finchley," said Mark after a quick search. "I'll see if we can find his notes and notify next of kin."

"Thanks," said Jesse, leaving the nurses to finish up now that he was satisfied the man was stable. "He was lucky. The driver couldn't have been going that fast."

X X X

Later that day Mark got a phone call from Steve.

"Hi Dad, just thought I'd let you know you got a DOA on its way in. Some guy found in a hotel room, can you get Amanda to check him out?"

"Of course," said Mark. "But I can tell that's not all you're calling for."

"Right. I want to come in and ask that guy who was involved in the hit and run some questions. Just routine. Is it okay if I drop by?"

"Yes, that's fine. He's got a broken ankle and a couple of fractured ribs but he's stable enough. Just give it an hour, I know he's about to go and have his leg set and plastered and that's a painful business."

"Don't I know it! Ok Dad, will catch up with you later."

"Bye Steve."

X X X

"Hi Amanda, how's it going?" asked Mark entering her pathology lab.

"Pretty quiet just now. I'm just writing up the report on Mrs Dale. It was as you thought Mark, she died from kidney failure brought on by years of alcohol abuse."

"It's a shame," said Mark sadly. "But the real reason I'm here is that Steve just called to say we are expecting a DOA any minute. Apparently he was found dead in a hotel room. Steve wants you to perform an autopsy right away to find out what killed him."

"Of course, bring him straight here when he arrives. I'm almost finished here."

"Thanks Amanda, I'll catch up with you later."

X X X

Fifteen minutes later two paramedics, known as Carl and David, wheeled in a stretcher covered in a cloth.

"Here he is," said Carl. "Although he has no I.D. I'm afraid he was already dead when we arrived. No visual reason as to the cause."

"Thanks, just place him in the middle of the room, will you? Incidentally who found him?"

"That's what slightly odd," said David. "Apparently reception got an anonymous phone call from the pay phone in the lobby telling them there was a dead body in room 201."

"And he didn't say how he knew this?"

"No. That's why we informed the police," said David. "It's a bit suspicious."

"Yes. Well, I'll get started straight away," said Amanda and the paramedics left. Amanda moved the bed directly under the light and put a new tape in the Dictaphone she used to record her findings. She then scrubbed her hands and put on a blue surgical gown.

"White male, late thirties, name unknown. Died of unknown cause. Patient still warm so can't have been deceased long. Will first draw some blood and send it off for analysis." Amanda swabbed a small patch on the mans arm and drew some blood with a needle. She then turned her back and walked over to a small table to store the blood in a vial. As she was doing this she heard a slight rustling sound and sensed a movement behind her.

Amanda spun round and screamed in shock. Her supposedly dead patient was standing up beside the trolley. She backed away involuntary and hit a table containing some surgical instruments, sending then crashing to the floor. The man advanced towards her and Amanda frantically reached toward a panic button attached to the wall. The man grabbed hold of her arm and covered her mouth as she went to scream again. He shoved her roughly aside and she stumbled and fell, experiencing a blinding pain as she hit her head on a sink and slumped to the floor. Amanda felt dizzy and scared as she felt the man bend over her and take hold of her wrist as if checking she was knocked out. She sat upright abruptly, making the man jump and release his hold, but before she could stand upright he drew back his fist as if to hit her. Amanda glanced around desperately and her eyes lit on a scalpel on the floor beside her. She seized it and stabbed it into the man's forearm. He let out a roar of pain and receded backwards, allowing her to scramble to her feet and make for the door. Suddenly a hand closed around her throat and a bloody knife was thrust in her face.

"Now you just stay still and quiet or I'll have to hurt you," said the man in a menacing voice, speaking for the first time. "It's not you I want." He then shoved her backwards and made her sit on the floor beside the trolley. He tore up a sheet and tied her hands to the rails and gagged her. Picking up the small vial containing the blood Amanda had taken from him, he pocketed it before turning out the lights and cautiously peering out of the door. Then he left, closing the door behind him and leaving Amanda alone in the dark.