Chapter 3

3: 3

I forced down the anger burning in my chest and said to Gilbert, "Then what do you want?"

"Are you really doing this for the patient? Or do you just want to go after me?"

Gilbert said loudly, "Of course I'm taking responsibility for the patient."

"Fine, you can go to the OR, but I'm going to supervise while you get your blood drawn and tested."

I checked my watch. Less than twenty minutes until the surgery.

I shook my head. "There's no time. Even if the results came back, there wouldn't be time to change into scrubs and scrub in..."

Gilbert folded his arms and said coldly, "So you do have something to hide. You don't dare draw blood in front of me, is that it?"

"Bailey, stop making excuses. You're just an irresponsible doctor."

I gritted my teeth. "Gilbert, if there's a medical accident, there's no way you walk away clean."

But Gilbert said coldly, "What I'm thinking about right now is the patient's safety. I'm not like you. My head isn't full of who's going to get blamed."

Right then, Dr. Finch came over.

I was instantly relieved. I grabbed his arm. "Quick, tell Gilbert. Weren't the two of us together all last night?"

Dr. Finch looked baffled. "Yeah, we were. What's this supposed to prove?"

I gave him a quick rundown, and Dr. Finch said, exasperated, "Bailey didn't drink at all. I can vouch for that."

"Director Gilbert, stop giving her a hard time and go do the surgery. If there's a medical accident, it'll wreck both your careers."

Gilbert said coldly, "You two arranged this ahead of time, didn't you? Otherwise how is it such a coincidence that Dr. Finch just happens to be passing by?"

Dr. Finch's face went red with fury.

Just then the elevator arrived.

I shook off Gilbert and stepped in first.

Gilbert moved to follow, and I shouted to Dr. Finch, "Hold him back for me."

Dr. Finch nodded and blocked Gilbert.

I made it to the OR without trouble.

The deputy hospital director was still waiting there. When he saw me, he let out a breath. "Well?"

Before I could answer, Gilbert had already come up the stairs after me.

He seized my wrist, his grip like a clamp, and a stab of pain shot through me.

He said loudly, "Her test result is fake, I'm sure of it. I demand she draw blood again, right in front of me."

The deputy hospital director couldn't take it anymore and roared, "Gilbert! Have you had enough?"

"The surgery's about to start. Both of you get into that OR right now, according to the original plan."

Gilbert wouldn't let it go. "But the drinking..."

The deputy hospital director said furiously, "Bailey did not drink. If anything goes wrong, it's on me!"

Gilbert reluctantly shut his mouth.

The patient's family member looked unsatisfied and said to the deputy hospital director, "Can't you swap out this woman doctor? We don't trust her."

The deputy hospital director soothed him. "Bailey is an extremely skilled surgeon. She's the best person for this operation."

"And Gilbert is her second assist. Isn't Dr. Gilbert the one you trust most? He'll be right there beside her."

Only then did the family member give a grudging nod.

Into the OR, into scrubs, scrubbing in...

Everything went smoothly.

However much I resented Gilbert, for the sake of the surgery I forced myself to calm down.

I said to Gilbert, "Whatever's between us, we settle it outside. In here we're one team, and we have to trust each other."

Gilbert nodded too. "Don't worry. I won't bring my emotions into work. That'd be doing the patient a disservice."

Hearing him say that, I let out a breath.

The surgery went smoothly. I opened the patient's chest cavity and prepared to remove the heart.

This was the step that tested skill the most. I steadied myself and started the incision.

Right then, I felt a sharp sting in my arm.

Startled, I quickly pulled the scalpel back.

Then I saw Gilbert holding a syringe, injecting something into me.