My husband, a Chief Physician, desperately tried to stop me from operating on Maya, Director Thompson’s daughter, who had fallen four stories.
All so his ‘precious’ first love, Veronica, a surgical specialist fresh back from overseas, could take the lead.
It was the same in my previous life. She knew absolutely nothing about actual surgery, only theory, no practice.
We almost missed the optimal window for the operation.
I was the one who fought tooth and nail, insisting on the initial treatment plan, pulling Maya back from the brink.
But Veronica felt humiliated. She actually jumped from the hospital rooftop, ending up with high paraplegia.
In retaliation, my husband banished me to a tiny rural clinic for “training,” even arranging for people in the village to torment and humiliate me.
I tried to hide and call for help, but his voice on the other end was ice cold.
“Scarlett, it’s just one surgery. Do you *really* have to hog all the glory from Veronica?”
“Then you should taste what it’s like to be tormented.”
My location was exposed because of that call, and I was ultimately humiliated to death.
When I opened my eyes again, the emergency gurney was already being wheeled in front of me.
This time, I didn’t rush. My hands were in my pockets, just waiting to see how his beloved first love would handle all of this.
.
1.
“What’s taking this overseas doctor so long? We’re racing against death here!”
“The patient’s body temperature is already rising, and her limbs are swelling.”
“If she starts convulsing, we might not be able to save her.”
Everyone in the operating room was behind me, frantic.
But no matter how anxious they were, how much they urged, all they got was Derek’s angry shouting.
“What’s the rush? Do you honestly think any of *you* can save this patient?”
“Veronica graduated from the best hospital overseas. As long as she’s operating, there’ll be no problem.”
Derek’s yelling left the surgical team disoriented.
But he always had full control over major surgeries, and no one dared question him.
Chloe, a neurosurgeon from my university days, who was standing behind me, couldn’t hold back.
“If we wait any longer, we might not save her. Let’s just get her into surgery, intubate her, at least that’ll buy us some time.”
Every department in the hospital had rushed to the consultation, desperate to finalize the best surgical plan and save her life.
But Chloe’s words didn’t sway Derek; they only made him more irritated.
“This entire operation is under my full authority! You neurosurgery folks just wait for my orders.”
Chloe got angry.
“How are you talking to me? All departments are equal here!”
“Besides, I’m giving you advice!”
But Derek’s face was cold. He looked at the Chief of Neurosurgery.
“Replace her. Send her back to Neurosurgery. We don’t need her here!”
Chloe turned away furiously, glaring at Derek before she left.
Then, Derek’s eyes landed on me.
“Scarlett, what do *you* think?”
Chloe was my college roommate. Derek had just yelled at her and sent her away, only to ask me after she’d gone.
His meaning was crystal clear.
I looked at him and smiled faintly.
“You’re the Chief of Surgery and the one in charge of this operation. Of course, I’ll follow your lead.”
Derek hadn’t expected me to be so compliant today.
He gave a satisfied laugh, then looked at the consulting doctors behind him.
“See? *This* is the kind of obedience a doctor should have.”
I stood calmly behind him, watching it all unfold.
In my previous life, I chose to fight him to the bitter end, and in return, he had me killed in the countryside for Veronica.
This time, I wouldn’t be that foolish.
2.
Just as everyone was anxiously waiting, Veronica finally arrived, fashionably late.
She had a perfectly made-up face and strolled in without a hint of urgency.
Maya’s body temperature was steadily rising. Veronica walked up to the patient, looking around.
“Did you take X-rays? How am I supposed to pinpoint the fracture without X-rays?”
Nurse Reynolds immediately handed her the imaging films.
The nurse’s swift action cut Veronica’s pretentious speech short.
But Veronica still didn’t admit she couldn’t do the surgery.
“Just images aren’t enough. I also need to know the amount of blood loss, whether it’s suitable for an incision.”
Nurse Reynolds finally lost her patience. She looked at Veronica, her eyes full of disdain.
“Dr. Veronica!”
She emphasized “Doctor” with a hint of thinly veiled sarcasm. “You’re supposed to be a *doctor*! Are you even capable of performing this surgery?”
“This isn’t the time to assess blood loss! We need to get her into the operating room immediately. Every second counts; every minute she’s out here increases her risk exponentially!”
Veronica bristled. She looked at Nurse Reynolds and spoke coldly.
“Am I the lead surgeon, or are you?”
“You’re just a Head Nurse; how dare you speak to me like that!”
Nurse Reynolds had worked in this hospital for over twenty years, accumulating as much knowledge and experience as any doctor.
Veronica, utterly arrogant, then turned to Derek, whining slightly.
“Derek, darling, since they all look down on me so much, maybe I should just leave.”
Derek quickly stopped Veronica, then looked at me.
He whispered conspiratorially in her ear.
I didn’t hear what they said, but Veronica finally conceded.
“Fine, let’s get her into the operating room.”
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, quickly wheeling the patient into surgery.
But then came another long wait.
Everyone in the operating room looked at me, hoping I would take charge.
I looked at the girl’s increasingly faint heartbeat on the cardiac monitor, feeling a wave of helplessness.
“Scarlett, please, at least stabilize her breathing, get the airways clear. We can prevent further lung damage to the child.”
I hesitated for a moment, just about to nod.
Veronica, dressed in surgical scrubs, strode in.
Everyone’s eyes fixed on her, filled with an unspoken resentment.
If this precious life were to be lost because of this imbecile, they’d tear Veronica limb from limb.
But Veronica remained oblivious. She walked forward arrogantly, glanced at the girl’s body, and spoke indifferently.
“It’s not as serious as I thought. To call me here for *this*? I hadn’t even finished my facial mask yet.”
Nurse Reynolds gritted her teeth in anger but held back.
Then Derek walked in. Veronica huffed, then went to Derek’s side.
“Derek, darling, with you here, this surgery is bound to be a success.”
Derek tenderly brushed her cheek.
“Of course, you’re the best doctor in the world.”
Their intimate display made the other doctors in the operating room exchange glances, their gazes involuntarily drifting to me.
My mask hid my face, but it couldn’t hide the simmering resentment in my eyes.
Not for their private affair, but for the life on that table.
I finally couldn’t hold back.
“Can we start now?”
Veronica rolled her eyes at me, then scoffed.
“What, you want to do it?”
“Ordering me around now, are you? *I’m* the lead surgeon!”
“Go get an overseas doctorate if you’re so capable.”
I didn’t speak, but the cardiac monitor suddenly shrieked.
Nurse Reynolds yelled in a panic.
“Oh no, the patient’s heart is in ventricular fibrillation!”
3.
The atmosphere in the operating room instantly became frantic.
“Quick! Get the defibrillator ready!”
“Asynchronous defibrillation, 200 joules!”
“One! Two! Three! Clear!”
The nurses were a flurry of motion, everyone passing the torch to extend a life.
Veronica, however, was terrified by the commotion. She ran into Derek’s arms, whimpering dramatically.
“Oh, Derek, darling, this is too scary.”
“I don’t want to stay here. I want to leave.”
No one in the operating room had time to deal with her sickening display, and neither did I.
Derek, however, guarded Veronica like she was precious cargo.
“It’s alright. Just let them resuscitate her, and then you can continue.”
Finally, after more than two minutes of CPR, the girl’s heart resumed beating.
But there was little time left to waste. Nurse Reynolds was barely able to control her inner anxiety.
“Dr. Veronica, can you or can you not operate on this patient?”
“If not, then get out of here!”
Veronica shot her a venomous glare, then looked at me.
“This kind of surgery isn’t worth my time.”
“You.”
She raised her hand and pointed at me.
“You do it.”
I frowned.
A shiver of surprise ran through me.
I had been hiding my presence, waiting until the last moment when I absolutely *had* to step in.
But not only had Derek singled me out earlier, Veronica, too, seemed to have a tracking device on me.
She had zeroed in on me.
I pressed my lips together. In my moment of hesitation, Derek also spoke.
“Scarlett, since Veronica wants you to do it, then you do it.”
Derek’s expression was calm, making it impossible to guess what they were truly planning.
And everyone else in the operating room, hearing Veronica pick me, ask me to do the surgery, felt like a ray of hope piercing through the storm clouds.
Nurse Reynolds quickly ushered me to the operating table.
“Dr. Scarlett, we really can’t let them mess around anymore.”
“This is a human life! They’re wasting precious time like this!”
I reassured Nurse Reynolds with a glance, then began preparing for the surgery.
Incision, intubation – a seamless, practiced flow.
Nurse Reynolds stood beside me, handing me the surgical tools.
I didn’t need to speak; I’d just extend my hand and receive the exact tool I needed.
Though I had performed this very surgery once before in my previous life, I still couldn’t afford any mistakes this time.
Maya was severely injured. She had fallen from five stories, sustaining skull damage and comminuted fractures in both arms and legs.
I had to proceed methodically, step by painstaking step.
My forehead was already glistening with sweat.
After the neurosurgeons finished with the skull, I would take over the arms and legs.
The skull work was done, and the neurosurgeons handed the reins over to me.
I nodded, ready to pick up a tool and begin on an arm, when Veronica, who had been silent, spoke again.
“Derek, darling, I want to learn from Scarlett how to perform surgical procedures.”
I looked at Veronica, puzzled. Her face was alight with a challenging smile.
Derek didn’t hesitate.
“Of course, darling. Veronica can go wherever she wants, see whatever she wants.”
“Scarlett, you don’t mind, do you?”
I couldn’t refuse, nor could I afford to.
Veronica came to my side, pushing Nurse Reynolds away.
“Scarlett, dear, let me be your assistant.”
4.
I knew that the person beside me wasn’t truly interested in watching my surgery, despite what she said.
But I looked at the monitors; the patient’s vitals were steadily worsening.
There was absolutely no time to waste.
I forced myself to focus all my attention on the surgery.
“Forceps.”
I spoke coldly, reaching my hand to the right to grab the tool.
But I waited and waited, and no tool came.
Veronica’s shrill voice cut through the silence.
“Oh, Scarlett, dear, there are so many forceps here! Do you want toothed forceps, or non-toothed forceps?”
“Non-toothed.”
Only after getting a definitive answer did she place the forceps in my hand.
And that was just the beginning.
After that, anything I asked for wouldn’t be provided immediately.
Finally, on the fifth time, she asked me.
“Scarlett, dear, do you want a laser scalpel or an ultrasonic scalpel?”
I swept a cold gaze over her.
The triumphant look on her face made me want nothing more than to plunge the scalpel in my hand straight into her cold, manipulative heart.
How could anyone be so careless with a human life?
“Do you know how to do this or not? If not, just stand aside and watch.”
I spoke calmly.
“Nurse Reynolds, please take over.”
I had no time to argue with her. Now that this surgery was in my hands, I *had* to complete it and save this child’s life.
Veronica scoffed dismissively.
She stomped angrily to the other side, then watched my every move, incessantly chattering.
“Scarlett, dear, if all the doctors in this country were as professional as you, wouldn’t our national medicine already be far ahead in the world?”
“Scarlett, dear, why don’t you teach me? I’ve only studied these things, I haven’t gotten any hands-on experience.”
I frowned, not looking at her.
“If you haven’t gotten hands-on experience, go watch videos and practice.”
She felt the sting of rejection, bit her lip, then huffed contemptuously.
“Fine, don’t teach. What’s with the arrogance?”
“You’ve just been stuck in this hospital longer. You’re nowhere near as capable as Derek.”
“He’s a Chief Physician now, and you’re just a lowly surgeon.”
I completely ignored her, which only fueled Veronica’s indignation.
She raised her hand and shoved me.
“Hey, I’m talking to you! Why aren’t you answering?”
The push itself wasn’t the problem; it was *when* she pushed me – just as I was about to remove the necrotic tissue.
Her shove made my hand falter, and the scalpel sliced through an artery.
Blood instantly began to spray, throwing everyone in the room into a panic.
“Quick, stop the bleeding!”
“Oh no, the patient’s blood pressure just dropped to 60! We need to stop the bleeding immediately!”
Even Veronica hadn’t anticipated such an accident. She froze, unable to move.
It was then that Derek finally spoke up.
“It’s alright, as long as you stop the bleeding.”
Veronica seemed to draw comfort from his words.
She continued her boorish chatter in my ear.
“Oh, Scarlett, dear, how could you make such a huge mistake!”
“If Director Thompson finds out you’ve caused his daughter more injury, what kind of punishment do you think you’ll get?”
I finally stopped being indifferent, glaring at her with wide eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Just then, more bad news came from the anesthesia team.
“Dr. Scarlett, bad news! The patient’s blood oxygen is dropping rapidly! We need to stitch the wound immediately!”
Veronica bent closer to me, whispering in my ear.
The blaring warning from the monitors and her words were like a demon’s whisper from the very depths of hell.
“I don’t think this child is going to make it.”
“But it’s fine. Even if the surgery fails, you’ll be the one to take the fall.”
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