Chapter 2

2: 2

The deputy director hesitated, then turned to me, displeased. “Bailey, what were you thinking? A surgery this important, and you drank?”

I was almost in tears. “Director, I really didn't drink.”

“I was on call for the first half of last night and slept in the dorm for the second half. I never left the hospital at all.”

The deputy director shot Gilbert a look. “You said just now that she'd been drinking. Did you see it?”

Gilbert stumbled over his words. “I didn't see it with my own eyes, but I smelled alcohol on her.”

The deputy director's voice rose in anger. “Ridiculous! One whiff and you can accuse a colleague of drinking? Then why didn't I smell anything?”

He turned to me. “Dr. Whitfield, I'm sorry to put you through this, but go to the lab right now and get your blood drawn. Better safe than sorry, and it'll shut everyone up.”

I nodded and was about to go.

But Gilbert blocked my way.

He said to the deputy director, “But the patient's family is demanding a different surgeon.”

The deputy director's face went dark with rage. “Gilbert, is this your first day as a doctor?”

“How many pre-op meetings has the department held for this surgery?”

“Bailey as lead surgeon, you as second assist. That was all settled.”

“How many times has the whole team run through the simulation? And now you want to swap people at the last minute? Is this a game to you?”

Gilbert opened his mouth to say more, but the deputy director glared him into silence.

Then he said to me, “Dr. Whitfield, go get your blood tested now. Leave the family to me, I'll explain it to them.”

I nodded gratefully and ran flat out toward the lab.

Time really was tight.

When the lab tech heard I had surgery in half an hour, she got a shock.

She frowned. “Has Gilbert lost his mind? Pulling something like this now, of all times.”

“Dr. Whitfield, I'll go as fast as I can, but the test procedure is fixed. Some of the steps I can't speed up.”

I nodded.

The minutes ticked by while I paced back and forth outside the lab door.

One minute, two, three……

The hands crept around the clock, and it felt like a year dragging by.

Then the tech spoke up. “Dr. Whitfield, the result's in. You're clear.”

I thanked her and ran back with the report.

There were twenty minutes left. If I moved fast, I had plenty of time to finish scrubbing in and prepping, and I was confident I could carry the surgery off perfectly.

When I reached the elevator, I saw Gilbert.

I shoved the test slip into his hand. “I didn't drink. Feel better now?”

But just as I was about to step into the elevator, Gilbert grabbed my arm.

He said coldly, “Bailey, you and the lab people worked this out together, didn't you?”

I froze. “What?”

He sneered. “You swapped the blood sample, didn't you? Faked a clean result.”

“Let me make this perfectly clear. As long as I'm standing here, you are not getting into that operating room.”