Chapter 2

I returned to the doctors’ office in cardiothoracic surgery.

I took off my bloodstained white coat.

Then I pulled a cardboard box from the cabinet and began packing up the personal belongings on my desk.

My trainee, Jamie, had just returned from making his rounds.

The moment he saw what I was doing, he panicked.

“Doctor, what are you doing?”

“Did I hear that bastard Richard Cole fined you?”

“What right does he have?”

“If you hadn’t smashed open that cabinet that night, the young man from the car crash would be dead!”

“I’m going to the administrative office to demand an explanation!”

Jamie’s face flushed red with anger, and he turned to charge outside.

“Stop.”

I called him back.

I placed my water cup inside the box.

“I’m taking a month of leave.”

“During that time, keep a close eye on the critical patients in the department.”

“If anything comes up that you can’t handle, report it to the higher-ups immediately.”

Jamie stomped his foot in frustration.

He grabbed the cardboard box.

“Doctor, you absolutely can’t leave!”

“If you leave, won’t that be exactly what Richard Cole wants?”

I stopped what I was doing and looked up at him.

“What do you mean?”

Jamie gritted his teeth and walked to the door to glance outside.

Then he closed the door and leaned close to my ear.

“Doctor, you spend every day in the operating room. You have no idea what’s happening outside.”

“Richard’s nephew, Ethan Cole, just returned from studying abroad last week.”

“Richard has always wanted to force him into our cardiothoracic surgery department as deputy director.”

“But all the positions in our department have been filled for ages.”

“And you’re the backbone of the department, so there’s no place for him.”

“He deliberately used the epinephrine incident to target you!”

“He’s forcing you out so he can make room for his nephew!”

I stood there, stunned.

So that was it.

No wonder he had blown up the issue over two doses of epinephrine worth less than twenty dollars.

No wonder he had completely ignored the fact that I had just performed three major surgeries in a row.

In his eyes, what did human life matter?

What did the hospital’s medical standards matter?

Only the power in his hands and his nephew’s future mattered.

I looked at Jamie’s furious face and shook my head with a mocking smile.

“Jamie, this whole mess is filthy.”

“I’m tired. I don’t want to fight anymore.”

“If Richard Cole really thinks this hospital can keep running without anyone, then let’s see how well he runs it.”

I picked up the cardboard box and walked straight out of the office.

In the hallway, several patients’ family members saw me and greeted me one after another.

“Dr. Morgan, are you heading home?”

“Dr. Morgan, thank you! My dad was able to sit up and drink soup today!”

I forced down my heartache and gave them a smile.

“Take good care of yourselves. I’ll be on leave for a few days.”

I hurried to the hospital’s first-floor lobby.

I was about to leave when I saw Richard Cole standing in the middle of the lobby.

Beside him stood a young doctor wearing a brand-new white coat.

The young man looked about twenty-six or twenty-seven.

His hair was slicked back, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose.

The moment Richard saw me carrying the box, he called out loudly.

“Oh, everyone, look! Our great Dr. Morgan is packing up and leaving!”

There were plenty of people in the lobby.

After he shouted, many of them turned to look at us.

I didn’t want to deal with him, so I quickened my pace.

Richard took a step sideways and blocked my path.

“Don’t rush off, Dr. Morgan.”

“Come on, let me make a grand introduction.”

He pointed at the young doctor beside him and raised his voice so everyone could hear.

“This is Dr. Ethan Cole, a brilliant graduate who just returned from one of the world’s top medical schools!”

“Starting today, he’ll be the acting director of cardiothoracic surgery.”

“Dr. Morgan seriously violated hospital regulations, so he’s taking a month off to reflect at home.”

“During this time, Dr. Ethan Cole will take full charge of all departmental operations.”

The nurses and patients’ family members around us began whispering.

Everyone pointed and murmured among themselves.

Ethan lifted his chin proudly.

He extended one hand in a condescending gesture, as if granting me a favor.

“Dr. Morgan, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“I heard you were suspended for stealing medication?”

“Don’t worry. Go enjoy your leave.”

“I’ll manage cardiothoracic surgery even better.”

“At least I know the most basic hospital regulations, unlike you.”

I stared at his hand hanging in midair.

Then I looked at Richard’s smug, self-satisfied face.

Suddenly, the whole scene seemed ridiculous.

I didn’t take Ethan’s hand.

Holding the box, I looked directly into his eyes.

“The operating table in cardiothoracic surgery isn’t there to give people like you a chance to polish their résumés.”

“The people lying on it are living human beings.”

“I hope the scalpel in your hand is worthy of the white coat you’re wearing.”

With that, I shoved his shoulder aside and strode out through the hospital doors.

Behind me came Richard’s disdainful snort.

“What are you so proud of?”

“The earth will keep turning without you!”