Chapter 1

I got called in for an emergency and was reported for attitude. The department head fired me on the spot.

My patient's mother smirked and said, "Serves you right. You had it coming."

I walked out and joined a private hospital; my salary tripled overnight.

The very next day, that same woman rushed her kid into the ER, pleading, "Please, save my son!"

The child had a rare condition. Only three doctors in the city could treat it.

Two were abroad.

The last one was me.

"Sorry," I said. "I don't work at your hospital anymore."

My old boss showed up with the hospital director. "Just tell us what you want."

I pointed at the woman. "Have her stand guard outside until my mother is out of the ICU."

Three months later, I took half the doctors from my old department with me when I left.

*****

It was two in the morning, and the ER at Doriaten Hospital was like a gaping, never-healing wound, laid bare in the belly of a city that never truly sleeps.

The air reeked of disinfectant, blood, and the sour tang of vomit. It was so thick that one could almost taste it.

The hallway was crammed with makeshift beds, and all those noises. Groans, coughs, desperate whispers from families, and the endless beeping of the monitor came together in a hopeless symphony.

I was wearing that white coat, stained with blood and other mysterious marks, and I'd already been on my feet for 18 hours straight.

My feet felt like I was walking on shards of glass. Each step sent agony shooting up my legs.

My eyelids were so heavy that I could barely keep them open, my temples pounding, and my whole brain felt like it was marinating in formaldehyde, dull and numb.

I was in the middle of giving a patient a nebulizer treatment for a severe asthma attack when my phone started vibrating like crazy.

The caller ID lit up with Hedy, and there were 12 missed calls staring back at me.

My heart dropped, and a wave of dread hit me so hard it felt like I couldn't breathe.

I hit answer, and Hedy was screaming, her voice torn with desperation. "Dr. Langley, your mom's heart stopped. The ambulance still isn't here."

It was like a bomb went off in my head.

My mind went completely blank, and the world went silent except for the piercing ring in my ears.

The nebulizer mask slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a sharp crack.

It took me a few seconds to get my voice back, and when I finally spoke, it was shaking so much that I could barely get the words out. "Start CPR right now. Do it exactly how I taught you. Press hard. Don't stop, no matter what."

My voice came out high-pitched and frantic, completely out of control.

Right then, a woman holding her kid, clearly impatient, shot up from her seat.

Her name was Linda Summers, and I remembered her all too well. Her kid just had a normal fever, but she'd been making a scene for two hours straight.

"Doctor, don't you have any sense of responsibility? My son's been burning up for two hours, and you're just yakking on the phone?" Her voice was sharp and biting, every word like a poisoned nail.

My eyes were stinging with tears of panic, but I didn't even register her presence. My voice cracked as I yelled into the phone, "Press harder. Do you hear me? Don't stop. Whatever you do, don't stop."

"What kind of attitude is that?" Linda suddenly jumped up, shoving her phone right in my face, recording every second. "Is this how doctors at Doriaten Hospital act? I'm going to report you. I'll make sure everyone sees this online."

My eyes were red and full of tears as I pleaded, "My mom's in cardiac arrest. Please, just let me take this call for a moment?"

"Everyone's got emergencies, right?" Linda shot back with a cold laugh, her face full of that smug, unforgiving attitude. "So your mom's crisis matters, but my son's doesn't?

"If my kid's brain gets fried from this fever, are you gonna take the blame? What makes your problem more important than mine? Admit it. You're just trying to dodge work."

Her words cut through me like a venom-tipped knife, hitting me right where it hurt the most.

Just then, James Harrington, the department head, showed up after hearing the commotion.

His usual bureaucratic smile disappeared in an instant when he caught sight of the footage on Linda's phone; his face darkened immediately.

He yanked me into the office next door and slammed the door shut, shutting out the chaos from the hallway.

"Eloise," James said, rubbing his hands, looking all pained and dramatic. "This is bad, really bad. Doctor-patient relations are already tense, and now you're making us all look bad."

I was shaking, my voice cracking, on the verge of tears. "Dr. Harrington, please, my mom's heart just stopped."

"Enough of it," James cut me off, his tone cold and official. "You're suspended. Come in tomorrow and deal with your resignation."

I looked up at him in disbelief, feeling like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water over me. "W-What did you just say?"

James wouldn't meet my eyes. He just stared at the hospital rules posted on the wall. "You know how it is. Patient relations are everything. You're not new here. I don't have a choice, okay? I've got to keep the family happy."

The office door slammed open, and my partner, Felix Abernathy, stormed in, his face blazing with fury. "Dr. Harrington, Dr. Langley's been working three night shifts in a row.

"Her mother's fighting for her life right now. How can you even think about firing her?" he said.

"That's enough," James snapped, waving his hand like he was shooing away a fly. "The hospital's made its decision. It's done."

Linda leaned in, half her body in the doorway, her face lit up with a smug, gloating grin. "Serves her right. You treat me badly. You deserve to get fired."

That smug grin burned into my eyes, making them sting.

I bit down on my lip so hard that I could taste blood.

Without saying a word, I yanked off my heavy white coat, stained with other people's blood, and hurled it onto James's spotless desk.

Then I turned and bolted.

"Eloise," Felix called after me, his voice full of worry.

I was already inside the elevator.

The doors slid shut, cutting off all the noise from the hallway.

The harsh white light from the hospital corridor was sliced into a thin strip, then vanished completely.

In that cramped, sealed elevator, I pressed myself against the cold metal wall, and it felt like every ounce of strength had been sucked out of me.

The dam finally broke. I started to cry, unable to hold it back any longer.