Chapter 4
Still weak after surgery, she was sitting in a wheelchair but immediately reached out and hugged me.
She said, "Dr. John, thank you for working your magic!
"There was less than a five percent chance this surgery would succeed. I really thought I wouldn't make it."
Sobbing, she said, "Thank you for giving me a second chance at life..."
A warm feeling washed over me.
As a doctor, there was no greater honor than when a patient called me a miracle worker.
Bella held her side, her face pale, but she was still thanking me endlessly, her words tumbling out in excitement.
I quickly steadied her.
I said, "You don't have to thank me.
"It's what any doctor is supposed to do."
Bella shot Lauren a resentful look and let out a cold laugh.
She said, "Dr. John, not every doctor cares like you do."
If her wound hadn't still been healing and she could stand, Bella would've marched over and slapped Lauren across the face.
She said, "She kicked open the operating room door and barged in! She even told my mom to stop crying, saying it would mess up the filming!
"If it weren't for Dr. John, I would've died!"
Bella had come prepared. She pulled out her tablet and announced, "I've got a video to show you all.
"Everyone's saying Lauren is the victim and Dr. John is the workplace bully.
"Let's see for ourselves what really happened!"
Doctors and nurses from all over the floor had already gathered, here for the gossip and the show.
Everyone was staring wide-eyed at Bella's tablet.
It was a video from outside the operating room.
I never thought the one to speak up for me wouldn't be the coworkers I see every day and call friends, but a patient.
I asked, confused, "How did you get this video?"
Bella said, "My mom's a lawyer. When the crew was making a scene outside the operating room, she started recording right away. It's just second nature for her."
In the video, Lauren walked up to the operating room door, impatiently told the patient's family to stop crying, and then kicked the door open.
People around me started whispering and commenting.
Someone said, "Is she crazy? How can she even pretend to be innocent and sweet?"
Another said, "Dr. John did the right thing! I would've slapped her too!"
Someone else said, "How did someone like her even get hired at our hospital?"
But soon, the chatter turned to praise.
Someone exclaimed, "Man, Dr. John's hands are rock steady! He didn't even blink when the door got kicked open!"
Another chimed in, "That's why he's the top dog in surgery here! Cool as ice!"
Even Adam and Chad paused for a moment when they saw how calm I stayed with Lauren barging in. They gave me a few looks, their expressions hard to read.
The crowd's mood flipped fast.
Someone said, "Good thing Dr. John was the one operating. That patient really got lucky."
Another chimed in, "I'm speechless. How did a two-faced airhead like Lauren even think she could try to frame Dr. John?"
Someone else snorted, "If I were Dr. John, I wouldn't just slap her. I'd stab her a couple of times."
Leon cut in, fed up. He said, "Enough already. Who are you to judge anyone? Just shut up."
I gave a cold smile and said, "Who are you to police what people say? It's not your place to silence anyone."
Leon glared at me, his jaw clenched.
He said, "Bethany, that's enough!"
I shot back, "Funny how you never thought about stopping when you were busy trashing me online and spreading lies."
Leon snapped, "You!"
Adam cut in, "Enough! Haven't you embarrassed yourselves enough?"
He broke up our argument, sent the gawkers packing, covered all of Bella's medical expenses, and even set her up with a month of luxury meal plans as compensation.
Once everything was settled, he left with a dark look on his face, not saying a word.
Adam's neutral stance made my heart sink.
Lauren's mistake was so bad, she deserved to be fired.
But Adam was clearly covering for her.
Bella said, "Dr. John, don't worry about all that online drama. I'll set the record straight for you."
As she spoke, she sent me a copy of the video and even sent over her mom's contact info.
She said, "If anyone starts trash-talking you again, just reach out to my mom. She'll help you take legal action.
"People can't just mess with the person who saved my life."
With that, Bella gave Lauren a long, pointed look, her hostility and contempt written all over her face.
Lauren started crying in hiccups, her words coming out between sobs.
She said, "I... I didn't think that video of me kneeling would get posted online.
"Bethany, I know I'm not that smart, but I swear I'm not a bad person. I never wanted to hurt you, and I definitely didn't want you to lose your job. You're so smart and kind... you'll forgive me, right?"
Her voice got quieter and quieter as she spoke.
Lauren was practically sobbing as she spoke, her voice all choked up.
Bella rolled her eyes.