Chapter 4
The next day, I got a call from the patient's family.
On the other end, a middle-aged man was cursing me with the nastiest words he could find. "You quack. You murderer.
"My dad's gonna be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. I won't let you off the hook.
"Just you wait. I won't let you off, not even in death."
I listened in silence, not saying a word in my defense.
From the moment I agreed to help Ella, I knew all of this was bound to happen.
Harassing calls, threatening texts, paint splashed on my door, and garbage dumped outside my place—this became my everyday reality for the next two years.
I asked Yosef if he could talk to the family, maybe help calm them down a bit.
He waved me off, clearly annoyed. "They're a bunch of idiots. Why waste my time on them?
"Just don't go outside, problem solved.
"I've already handed them a pile of cash. What more do they want from me?"
He thought I was blowing things out of proportion. "Nina, you never used to be like this.
"Since you got suspended from work, you've turned into such a bundle of nerves."
I stared at him, and for a moment, he felt like someone I'd never known.
I used to think our marriage had a few cracks. But now, I realized it had been rotten all the way down to the roots for a long time.
As Yosef had promised, the medicine for Nancy always arrived right on schedule. He never missed a single payment, covering the steep monthly bills without fail.
That was the only thing left between us. It was also the heaviest chain holding me down.
For Nancy's sake, I swallowed all my grievances and resentment.
I was so naive, thinking that if I endured these two years, everything would finally get better.
I thought I'd return to the hospital and get back to surgery.
Nancy's illness would finally improve.
Maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for Yosef and me.
But I was wrong. I underestimated how cold Yosef could be, and I overestimated people's sense of decency.
*****
The days stuck at home after being suspended dragged on, long and torturous.
I was too afraid to go outside, so I shut myself in my apartment every day.
The only comfort I had was my weekly visits to see Nancy at the hospital.
She was so thoughtful, never bringing up my work troubles.
She'd squeeze my hand and say, "Nina, you've gotten so skinny.
"Stop worrying about me so much, okay? You have to take care of yourself, too."
Every time she said that, it felt like a knife twisting in my heart.
To cover Nancy's sky-high medical bills, Yosef started working overtime more often, moonlighting as a freelance surgeon whenever he could.
He was coming home later and later; sometimes he wouldn't come home at all, staying out all night.
Our only communication revolved around Nancy's illness.
I said, "Settle this month's expenses."
He would ask, "How's she responding to the new medication? What did the doctor say?"
He was like a cold investor, always calculating the payoff of his "project."
One time, I dropped off some lunch for him at the hospital.
By the department entrance, I saw him standing with Ella.
Ella was in her white coat, her smile bright as she handed him a cup of coffee. "Yosef, you've been working so hard. I brewed this for you."
Yosef took it naturally, took a sip, and his frown melted away. "You really get me."
His tone was gentle in a way I'd never heard from him before.
I stood there, holding the lunchbox, feeling like a total fool.
When Yosef saw me, his smile froze for a second. "What are you doing here?"
There was a hint of reproach in his voice, as if my arrival was interrupting something he'd rather keep private.
Ella noticed me, too, her smile unwavering as she nodded in my direction. "Hi, Nina, you are here. Yosef and I were talking about you.
"We were saying that once you're back, our department will have another valuable member."
Her words were smooth as silk, and her posture the picture of composure.
All I could feel was pure disgust.
I said nothing. I jammed the lunchbox into Yosef's arms and walked away.
He chased after me and caught my arm at the end of the hallway. "Why are you making a scene again?
"Ella and I are merely colleagues. Can you stop being so paranoid?"
I yanked my arm free. "Yosef, we're still married. So please, keep some boundaries with your so-called 'colleague.'"
He was momentarily stunned, his expression twisting with anger. "Nina, don't forget who's footing the bill for Nancy's meds.
"What makes you think you have any right to tell me what to do?"
Yeah, what right did I have? I was nothing but a pathetic nobody, clinging to his handouts to keep my sister breathing.
My heart hit rock bottom.
From that day on, I never set foot in the hospital again. My relationship with Yosef had reached a freezing point.
Sometimes, it felt like we were nothing but strangers to each other.