Chapter 4

“Milo Lane?” The lead police officer flashed his badge, his tone firm and official.

“Jonah Hill has accused you of deliberately administering penicillin to the preoperative note. You knew Henrik Nichols was allergic, yet you forced its use, which led to the patient’s death. You’ll need to come with us.”

I froze for a moment. Then, my gaze shifted to Shannon and Jonah. They were standing not far away with smug smiles on their faces. Shannon even secretly made an “OK” gesture toward Jonah.

“You were the ones who reported me?” I asked coldly.

Shannon immediately stepped forward. Facing the police, she squeezed out a few tears, looking as if she had suffered a terrible injustice.

“Officer, it was him! He knew Mr. Nichols was allergic to penicillin, yet he deliberately used the wrong medication and then tried to frame Jonah for it. I have evidence!”

As she spoke, she pulled a folded medication administration record from her bag. When she unfolded it, the line on the form clearly read that I was the dispensing physician. The signature looked about seventy percent similar to my usual handwriting.

“And next to it is Dr. Hamilton’s official stamp.”

“Look!” Shannon said loudly. “His signature is right there, along with Dr. Hamilton’s stamp of approval. How could he possibly claim he had nothing to do with the medication preparation?”

Jonah quickly chimed in, his voice full of performative outrage. “Officer, I can testify! Milo has always been jealous of my relationship with Shannon. He’s also jealous that I’m about to be promoted to attending physician, so he deliberately killed Mr. Nichols just to ruin my reputation! Just yesterday, he even told me that people like Henrik Nichols, who exploit others, deserve to die.”

By now, the commotion had drawn a crowd. Doctors, nurses, and even patients’ family members gathered around, whispering and pointing at me.

“No wonder he was shouting about the hospital code of conduct earlier this afternoon, like he’d gone crazy. It turns out he’s planned this all along!”

“Using a patient’s life just to get revenge? That’s pure evil!”

“Poor Jonah, threatened but still brave enough to tell the truth…”

Amid the chaotic noise, I suddenly heard a familiar voice. It was my dad’s.

“Stop talking nonsense! My son isn’t that kind of person!”

My dad pushed through the crowd, my mom following close behind him, her face pale.

When my mom saw the police surrounding me, she immediately grabbed one of the officers’ arms and cried out, “Officer, there must be some mistake! My son has been practicing medicine for years and has never made a mistake!”

My dad spoke as well, his voice low, “My son must have been framed. He’s an honest man. He would never do something so cruel. Please investigate this. Don’t wrong an innocent person.”

However, the crowd only grew more agitated. Someone picked up scraps of paper from the floor and hurled them at me, while a medicine bottle flew past my dad’s ear, the glass shards slicing his cheek and drawing blood.

“Murderer! Get out of the hospital!”

“Parents who raise someone like that can’t be any better!”

Dr. Hamilton, who was helped forward by a few people, cleared his throat and said, “I’ve practiced medicine for over forty years. I would never falsify records. I personally reviewed this document. Milo was indeed in the dispensing room at the time. I saw him with my own eyes.”

Suddenly, a male doctor in a white coat rushed forward. He grabbed my mom by the hair and slammed her head against a nearby bulletin board. She screamed as blood immediately began seeping from her forehead.

At the same time, a nurse brought over a basin of disinfectant and dumped it over my dad’s head. The harsh liquid made him choke violently, bending over in a coughing fit.

Yet even then, he kept shouting in broken gasps, “My son is innocent… He’s been framed…”

“Dad! Mom!”

I struggled desperately to reach them, but the police pinned my shoulders down. The handcuffs dug painfully into my wrists.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Jonah rushed forward. He grabbed my hair and slapped me hard across the face.

“You lunatic!” he shouted. “Wasn’t killing Mr. Nichols enough for you? And now you want to drag Shannon and me down with you?”

Shannon then stepped closer, pretending to be concerned. She took out a tissue as if to wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth, but her fingernails deliberately dug into the wound.

“Milo, I know you think it's unfair, but even if Mr. Nichols wasn’t a good person, you can’t take your anger out on his life… If you confess, maybe I can plead for you.”

I stared at the smug satisfaction she couldn’t hide in her eyes. Then, I looked at my parents, who were being attacked by the crowd. The despair from my previous life washed over me. Could it be that, even in this life, I couldn’t escape their trap?

Just then, the crowd suddenly fell silent. All eyes turned toward the far end of the corridor, where a voice rang out, breathless from running.

“Officer, wait! I have something to say about Dr. Lane’s timeline!”