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بيت / Behind the White Coat / Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

مؤلف: Little Footprints
One of the traffic police officers looked at me. "Are you the owner of the vehicle with license plate 7KX-9241? The one involved in the single-car accident on Jefferson Avenue?"

I nodded.

The family froze.

"What accident? He was really in a car crash?"

The officer opened the footage from his body camera and turned the screen so that everyone could see.

"At 10:11 am, this vehicle suddenly lost control and crashed into the roadside landscaping at high speed. The driver, Mr. Porter, suffered a fractured right tibia. The hospital's CT scan confirms the injury."

The video showed my car smashing into the bushes along the road. The front end was crushed, and the airbags had deployed.

Garrett's wife turned pale. She looked at the video, then back at me. Her lips trembled. "Then... you didn't perform the surgery?"

I slowly raised my head, and my voice was so hoarse it was barely audible. "I never even made it into the operating room."

Tiffany stood up. Her voice was not loud, but it was firm.

"Mr. Porter was admitted to the emergency department at 10:25 am. He had a CT scan at 9:40, and his cast was put on at 10:00. During that entire time, he was in my exam room. He never went anywhere."

The family immediately turned toward Lilian.

Garrett's wife's eyes were red again. This time, it was not from grief. It was pure anger. "Ms. Jones! You just told us he made a mistake during surgery! How could he have operated in this condition?"

Hidden inside her lab coat pocket, Lilian's hand clenched into a fist. However, the sorrowful expression on her face never changed.

She opened her mouth, ready to speak.

Before she could, Ethan pushed his way to the front. He held up a sheet of paper high above his head so everyone could see it.

"Who says he wasn't involved?" His voice was sharp, carrying the desperation of someone making one last gamble. "This surgical record has Shane Porter's signature on it!"

The surgical record was held up for everyone to examine.

Nash Gibson, another doctor from our department, leaned in for a closer look. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "This... really does look like Mr. Porter's handwriting. I've seen his signature before."

Several nurses nearby nodded in agreement.

My heart sank, but I did not panic.

Lilian stepped forward, speaking with the expression of someone who looked heartbroken but determined to do the right thing. "Shane, the evidence is right here. Just admit it. I'll pay the compensation. You're a talented surgeon. You can always rebuild your career."

Ethan moved closer as well. He kept his voice low, but every word was loud enough for Garrett's family to hear.

"Dr. Porter, if you refuse to admit it, the family can report you to the State Department of Health. You won't get away with it. And if they hire a lawyer or take this to the media, it'll be a disaster for the hospital."

The moment he finished speaking, Garrett's wife suddenly looked up. "The media? That's right! My cousin works at a TV station! I'll call her right now!"

She pulled out her phone, found a number in her contacts, and hit the dial button. Her voice shook as she spoke. "I need you to expose a corrupt hospital... Brighton Medical Center, sixth floor of the emergency building... Yes. Bring a camera crew and come right now!"

For the first time, Lilian's composure cracked. She turned to me and lowered her voice. "Did you hear that? If this blows up, I won't be able to protect you either. Admit your mistake now. I'll do everything I can to handle it and keep this under control."

'Keep this under control.' Those were the exact words she had said to me in my previous life. Then, I died and she ended up sleeping with Ethan in my house.

I stared at her without saying a word. Lilian mistook my silence for hesitation. Her voice grew even more earnest. "Shane, think about your father and think about your career. Admit you were wrong, pay some compensation, and I'll make sure this all goes away."

The moment she mentioned my father, my throat tightened. In my previous life, he had died alone at home and no one even knew.

I finally spoke. "That signature... I didn't sign it."

The expression on Lilian's face instantly darkened.

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  • Behind the White Coat   Chapter 13

    I never missed a single day of physical therapy, not because I was afraid of being left with a limp, but because I did not want Dad to worry.By the time the hospital's annual awards ceremony came around, I had not planned on going. Tiffany practically dragged me there."You're definitely winning something this year. It'd be a shame if you missed it."She pulled me into the conference room, and we took seats in the very last row.Onstage, Howard was giving his speech. He talked about everything the hospital had accomplished that year, the dedication of the doctors and nurses, and the importance of patient safety.As I listened, my mind slowly drifted away. I thought about everything that had happened over the past year. Being reborn, surviving the car crash, breaking my leg, and confronting them outside the operating room all felt like scenes from someone else's life. Then came the forged signature, the tiny mole that unraveled the truth, Lilian being led away in handcuffs, and

  • Behind the White Coat   Chapter 12

    I lowered my head and took a sip of my milkshake.She was right. I had changed. I had died once before. After that, I no longer trusted people so easily, but I also refused to give up so easily.After we finished our drinks, Tiffany drove me home.She had an old song playing in the car. The melody sounded familiar, but I could not remember its name."Tiffany.""Hm?""Thank you."She blinked in surprise, then smiled. "For what? I didn't do anything.""You brought me those medical records. When no one else dared to speak up, you did."Tiffany did not answer, but the tips of her ears turned a little red.…On my first day back at work, I stood in front of the mirror for a long time wearing my white coat. It was a little loose. I bought it years ago. After losing nearly 20 pounds over the past three months, it no longer fit the way it used to.I buttoned it up, clipped my ID badge to my chest, and walked into the emergency department.The nurse at the reception desk looked up,

  • Behind the White Coat   Chapter 11

    Three months without putting any weight on my leg had taken their toll. The muscles in my right calf had shrunk so much that my leg looked almost like a stick."You're healing very well," said Andrew Rogers, the head of orthopedics, after studying my X-ray scans. "One more month of physical therapy, and you should be able to walk normally again."I nodded and slowly pulled myself to my feet, using the wall for support. The feeling of my foot touching the floor was strange, but it also felt reassuring.As I left the orthopedic department, I ran into a few coworkers in the hallway."Shane! Your cast is finally off?" Zara hurried over, her eyes lighting up. "That's wonderful! When are you coming back to work?""Probably next week. I want to finish my rehab first.""We'll be waiting for you!"I smiled.When I returned to the emergency department, I realized a lot had changed.The nameplate outside Lilian's office had been removed. An official seal was taped across the door. Across

  • Behind the White Coat   Chapter 10

    Dad was silent for a couple of seconds. Then, he reached out and gently ruffled my hair. His hand was warm."You can stay as long as you want. I've always kept your room ready for you. I even aired out your blanket in the sun a few days ago."My eyes instantly stung. "Dad... you aired out my blanket?""I do it even when you're not coming home." He smiled. "You never know. Maybe one day, you'll suddenly decide to come back."I bit my lip as hard as I could, trying to hold back my tears. I failed. A tear slipped down and landed on the back of his hand.Dad did not say anything. He simply held my hand a little tighter.After a while, he stood up and gently patted my shoulder."Come on. That's enough for now. The meatloaf's been in the oven all afternoon. If we don't eat now, it'll get cold."I washed my face and sat down at the dining table. Dad brought over a huge platter of meatloaf. It was glazed to a rich, glossy brown, and the smell filled the room. He picked out the biggest

  • Behind the White Coat   Chapter 9

    Ethan had lost so much weight that he was barely recognizable. His skin was sallow, and dark circles hung beneath his eyes.The handsome young man who used to smile so brightly at the hospital, the one the nurses always called 'the cutie', was gone. Standing at the defendant's table was only a frightened, trembling shell of the person he used to be.The judge struck the gavel.Twenty minutes later, everyone rose to their feet.The judge's voice echoed through the courtroom, every word landing with the weight of a hammer on steel."The court has reached its verdict."The defendant, Lilian Jones, is found guilty of criminally negligent homicide, falsifying medical records, obstruction of justice, and related offenses. She is hereby sentenced to fifteen years in prison."The defendant, Ethan Smith, is found guilty of falsifying medical records, obstruction of justice, perjury, and related offenses. He is hereby sentenced to eight years in prison."The gavel came down. A single, sh

  • Behind the White Coat   Chapter 8

    Tiffany pushed my wheelchair back down the hallway. It was a long corridor. The wheels rolled over the tile floor with a steady, rhythmic sound.Tiffany said suddenly, "Shane, how did you come up with that little hook at the end of your signature?"I stared at the white wall at the end of the hallway and answered softly, "I've done it ever since I was a kid. I used to think it didn't mean anything. Today, I realized that sometimes, the smallest habits can save your life."Tiffany did not ask any more questions.Back in my room, a nurse replaced my damaged cast and cleaned my wounds again. I lay on the hospital bed, staring up at the painfully white ceiling.My phone buzzed. It was a message from my dad: [Shane, are you coming home for dinner today? I made meatloaf.]My eyes were instantly filled with tears.At this point in my previous life, my dad had still been alive. He would wait for my calls every single day. Whenever I did not call, he would send me a message instead.The

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