Chapter 2

Just as everyone's patience wore thin, Lily finally strolled in.

Her face was caked in flawless makeup, and she walked as if taking a leisurely Sunday stroll.

The director's daughter was burning up with a rising fever. Lily walked over, giving the gurney a careless once-over.

"Did anyone take X-rays? How am I supposed to locate the fractures without imaging?"

A nurse thrust the scans right into her hands.

Lily choked on her own words for a second.

Still, she refused to admit she was out of her depth.

"Imaging alone isn't enough. I need to know the estimated blood loss before deciding if she's fit for the knife."

Nurse Brenda couldn't take it anymore. She stared at Lily with raw disgust.

"Dr. Parker!" Brenda emphasized the word 'Doctor'. "Do you actually know how to perform surgery?"

"Right now isn't the time to calculate blood loss! She needs to be in the OR this second. Every minute out here puts her closer to the morgue!"

Lily glared back, her tone sharp.

"Are you the lead surgeon, or am I?"

"You're just a charge nurse. How dare you talk to me like that!"

Brenda had worked in this hospital for over twenty years; her clinical instincts and experience rivaled any physician's.

Lily looked haughtily toward Ethan, whining,

"Ethan, if they look down on me this much, maybe I should just walk away."

Ethan immediately stopped her, glancing my way.

He leaned in close, whispering something in Lily's ear.

Whatever he said, Lily finally conceded.

"Fine. Move her into the OR."

A collective sigh of relief swept through the room as the team scrambled to wheel the patient in.

Yet once inside, another agonizing wait began.

The staff turned to me, desperately waiting for me to take charge.

I watched the girl's heart rate plummet on the monitor, my expression steady.

"Claire, please, at least secure her airway so her lungs don't collapse," someone pleaded.

I hesitated, on the verge of stepping forward.

Just then, Lily walked in, fully scrubbed.

Every eye in the room fixed on her with palpable contempt.

If this young girl died because of a quack, the staff looked ready to rip Lily apart.

Oblivious to the hostility, Lily sashayed forward, glanced down at the patient, and sneered.

"It's not even as bad as you made it sound. Calling me in like this... I didn't even get to finish my face mask."

Brenda gritted her teeth so hard they nearly cracked, but held her tongue.

Ethan walked in right behind her. Lily gave a pleased hum and stepped beside him.

"Ethan, with you here, this surgery is guaranteed to be a success."

Ethan leaned down, gently brushing his cheek against hers.

"Of course. You're the best surgeon in the world."

Their shameless intimacy made the surgical team exchange baffled, uncomfortable glances, before looking at me.

Behind my surgical mask, my eyes betrayed a storm of fury.

Not because of their tawdry affair, but because of the fragile life slipping away on that table.

Unable to hold back any longer, I spoke up.

"Can we begin now?"

Lily rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"What, you want to do it?"

"Who are you to boss me around? I'm the lead surgeon!"

"If you're so capable, why don't you go earn an Ivy League doctorate yourself?"

I didn't answer. Suddenly, the vitals monitor let out a piercing, erratic alarm.

Brenda shrieked in panic.

"Code blue! She's in V-fib!"