Chapter 3

The OR descended into chaos.

"Quick! Charge the crash cart!"

"Defibrillate at 200 joules!"

"Clear! One, two, three—shock!"

Nurses scrambled while everyone threw themselves into saving her.

Terrified by the sudden panic, Lily threw herself into Ethan's chest and began sniffling.

"Ethan, this is terrifying!"

"I don't want to be in here. Let me out!"

Nobody had time for her cheap melodrama, least of all me.

Ethan cradled her like a porcelain doll.

"It's okay, babe. Once they stabilize her, you can take over."

After two brutal minutes of CPR, the monitor registered a steady rhythm.

But our window was slamming shut. Brenda was on the verge of snapping.

"Dr. Parker, are you going to operate or not?"

"If not, get the hell out of here!"

Lily shot her a venomous glare, then pointed a gloved finger at me.

"This kind of low-level procedure is beneath me."

"You," she commanded, "you do it."

I narrowed my eyes.

A chill ran down my spine.

I had purposely stayed in the shadows, waiting until the absolute breaking point to intervene.

Yet Ethan had called me out earlier, and now Lily was locking onto me like a heat-seeking missile.

As I hesitated, Ethan piped up.

"Claire, since Lily asked you to step in, do it."

His expression was unreadable, masking whatever scheme they were cooking up.

The moment the room heard that I was taking over, a wave of relief washed over everyone's faces, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

Brenda rushed to guide me to the table.

"Dr. Bennett, we can't let them play games anymore."

"A girl's life is on the line, and they're treating it like a joke!"

I gave Brenda a reassuring nod and stepped up to the table.

Incision, intubation, suction—seamless and swift.

Brenda stood beside me, passing instruments with practiced precision.

Without a single word spoken, every tool I reached for was already in my hand.

Even though I had performed this exact surgery in my past life, I didn't dare drop my guard.

The girl was in critical condition. Falling from several stories up had crushed her skull and shattered the bones in all four limbs.

Every step required surgical perfection.

Sweat beaded across my forehead. While the neuro team closed the cranial repairs, I took over the limb reconstruction.

Once the craniotomy was done, the neurosurgeon stepped back, nodding at me.

I prepared to debride and set the fractures when Lily piped up again.

"Ethan, I want to learn trauma surgery from Claire."

I glanced at her in disbelief. Her face was plastered with a provocative smirk.

Without a second thought, Ethan said,

"Of course. Lily can watch whatever she wants."

"Claire, you don't mind, do you?"

I couldn't refuse, nor did I have the time to argue.

Lily sashayed over, physically bumping Brenda out of the way.

"Claire, let me be your scrub tech."