
Except it wasn't quiet at all.
During my second week, I noticed something strange happening in the pharmacy wing. Three staff members kept showing up during my rounds: Dr. Martinez from the ER, Nurse Thompson from ICU, and Jake from maintenance.
But they weren't there for medical emergencies. They'd slip into the pharmacy storage room around 2 AM, stay for exactly fifteen minutes, then leave through different exits.
At first, I figured it was some kind of medical protocol I didn't understand. But then one night, I was checking the security cameras and saw Jake wheeling out a laundry cart that looked way too heavy for dirty sheets.
My gut told me something was wrong. So I started paying closer attention.
The following Tuesday, I hid in the supply closet across from the pharmacy. At 2:17 AM, they showed up like clockwork. Through the crack in the door, I watched Dr. Martinez unlock the pharmacy with his keycard while Jake kept watch.
They were stealing prescription drugs. Opioids, anxiety meds, everything valuable. Nurse Thompson had a whole system—she'd replace the stolen bottles with identical containers filled with over-the-counter pills.
I took photos through the door crack. Clear shots of their faces, the stolen medications, everything.
But here's where I got smart instead of just calling the cops.
See, I had access to the hospital's scheduling system as part of my security clearance. And I noticed these three always coordinated their shifts to overlap on Tuesday nights.
So I started making some... adjustments.
First, I created a fake "Enhanced Security Protocol" memo and left it on my supervisor's desk. I claimed there'd been reports of "suspicious activity" in the pharmacy wing and recommended random security sweeps every night between 1-3 AM.
My supervisor loved it. Made him look proactive to administration.
Then I volunteered for extra shifts and convinced him to let me bring in "volunteer security assistants"—my brother Mike, who's a retired police detective, and my neighbor Carol, who used to work hospital security.
I told them we were just doing enhanced patrols, nothing specific. But I made sure they were always positioned near the pharmacy during the 2 AM window.
Within a week, the thieves couldn't get near the pharmacy without running into one of us doing "random" security checks.
But I wasn't done.
I used my access to the staff scheduling system to create chaos in their coordination. Dr. Martinez suddenly got assigned to day shifts. Nurse Thompson found herself working weekends. Jake got transferred to the morning maintenance crew.
Every time they tried to meet up, their schedules conflicted.
Then I started leaving those photos I'd taken in strategic places. One in Dr. Martinez's locker. One taped inside Nurse Thompson's car windshield. One slipped under Jake's apartment door.
No threats. No demands. Just the photos with a note: "Tuesday nights are dangerous. Maybe find a new hobby."
Within two weeks, Jake quit and moved to another state. Dr. Martinez requested a transfer to a different hospital. Nurse Thompson suddenly decided to pursue "other career opportunities."
The pharmacy thefts stopped completely.
Hospital administration never figured out what happened. They just assumed their new security protocols scared off whoever was causing the "inventory discrepancies."