Not Your Doormat Anymore

I knew all of this was just an excuse. Dr. Crowell's real purpose was to come after me because I did not choose to save his father-in-law first.

"That old man lives alone, and his neighbor brought him in. If we had waited around for a relative to show up and sign the risk consent form, he would've been dead already." I met Dr. Crowell's glare without flinching.

He scoffed coldly. "So, you signed the surgical risk waiver yourself. Are you his son? His family? As a doctor, what you did goes against professional standards!

"If a patient has no children, they must sign the form themselves. No signature, no surgery-it's the hospital's policy. Dr. Ranford, you blatantly ignored our rules. I'm docking one month's pay and suspending you from surgery for two weekends. Any objections?"

I stood tall, staring him straight in the eye. "If you want to punish me, you'll always find a reason. Since you've already made up your mind, I'll accept whatever you decide."

"Oh? Are you accusing me of targeting you?" His eyes narrowed. "So, are you not happy about this?"

"If I had to do it all over again, even 100 times, I'd make the same choice. To me, a patient's life comes before anything else." My voice was cold but firm.

Becoming a doctor was my dream. Saving lives was the principle I lived by. I would not compromise that for personal connections or power, no matter the consequences. I followed my dream with no regrets.

"Well, well, well... Dr. Ranford, you certainly have a sense of justice for someone so young." Dr. Crowell smiled, but his tightly knit brows betrayed his displeasure. "Now get out."

I returned to my office and called Nora over. "Has the other patient had their surgery yet?"

She shook her head. The procedure was highly complex, so most surgeons would not be able to perform it. The doctor who was supposed to switch shifts with me had just gotten back, but in the end, I was still the only one qualified.

"Prep the operating room." I took a deep breath.

No matter who they were, every patient was equal in my eyes. Even if Dr. Crowell tried to play games, I would not let that affect me.

Nora nodded, but came back not long after.

"What is it now?" I frowned.

"Dr. Crowell issued a new order-you're not allowed to perform the surgery. He brought in a top specialist from another hospital to take over the surgery."

That was when I remembered—he had already suspended me from operating for two weeks.

"Who did he bring in?" I asked, genuinely curious. I wanted to know who he trusted enough to operate his father-in-law in my place.

Nora hesitated, but I gave her a look and nodded. "It's okay. Tell me."

"Dr. Huxley from NewtonCare Hospital."

Of course. The Newton family had borrowed a substantial sum of

money

from my family in the past t made sense that they would use it to bring top-tier medical talent. Samuel Huxley was one of them-an overseas-trained surgeon with a stellar reputation.

There was only one reason he had agreed to work at NewtonCare Hospital-he liked Casey.

I knew that very well. I had even

talked to Casey about it before, but she did not care. She said if

someone liked her, it was because

of her charm, and I should not try to control her.

Later, when my research results were stolen and publicly claimed by someone else, it was Samuel who released them. He and Casey had been in on it together from the start.

I composed myself. "Since Dr. Crowell invited him, so be it."noveldrama

To be honest, I had been overwhelmed with work lately. Maybe this two-week break was just what I needed to rest and recharge.

Samuel's surgery went smoothly. Dr. Crowell praised him to the skies and even made an exception to hire him as the new chief cardiac surgeon in our department, supposedly to "fill the gap I left".