Chapter 1

“Daniel Collins!”

By the time the nurse helped me inside, over two hours had passed since Stella Sloan and Eric Barker had left the emergency room. The pain in my back was so intense I couldn’t straighten up, leaving my posture stiff and bent over.

The nurse, however, didn’t leave right away.

“Dr. Grey, the wound on this patient’s arm is infected. He has a history of diabetes and a penicillin allergy. Just earlier, he fainted from the pain, tumbled down the stairs, and injured his foot as well.”

As she spoke, she casually handed me a warm cup of hot chocolate.

A bitterness hit me. Even she remembered that I couldn’t go on an empty stomach due to my diabetes, yet Stella didn’t.

When I was waiting for my turn earlier, Stella had clearly seen me, but she had still given the only breakfast item in her hand to Eric.

“Also, he’s Dr. Sloan’s–”

“Could you please stop my bleeding first? And give me something for the pain?” I interrupted the nurse.

Stella hated it most when I used her status as attending surgeon to get special treatment at the hospital. In the past, I would’ve dug deep into this, feeling hurt and upset, and demanded an explanation from her. Now, all I felt was relief and acceptance.

The nurse seemed to realize that as well, so she stopped talking about my relationship with Stella.

The moment I stepped out of the emergency room, I ran straight into Stella.

“Don’t forget to apply a warm compress when you get back. The painkillers I had Dr. Jefferson prescribe for you usually take effect within three days.

“You’ll be working in the waiting area all day, so you’d have to organize files and move medical records. Constantly pulling on your arms will only slow down the recovery of your injury.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a hand warmer from her white coat and gently placed it against Eric’s hand. Her eyes were filled with tender care, as if she was looking at her boyfriend.

“Alright, got it.” Eric’s lips curled into a smile. “My dear Dr. Sloan, even though you’re packed with surgeries, you made time to accompany me to my checkup. I promise I’ll take good care of myself from now on so you won’t have to worry.”

The medicine in my hands dropped to the floor, the glass bottle shattering everywhere. Only then did Stella notice me. She hurriedly let go of Eric’s arm and strode toward me.

“Why are you still here? Wasn’t it just a simple consultation? Forget it, don’t pick it up.”

When she didn’t get an answer from me, she adjusted her glasses impatiently and continued, “I’ll write you another prescription so you can pick up another box from the pharmacy. Make sure you watch where you’re going. You can’t always be so clumsy.”

I had no idea whether she was trying to cover up a guilty conscience or whether she truly felt guilty.

In the past, she would never issue me a prescription or let me cut in line. Even when I stood in the corner crying in pain, she kept a cold face and acted strictly by the book.

“As the attending surgeon, I cannot play favorites. And as my family, you should be mindful of avoiding conflicts of interest.”

Yet now…

“It’s fine.” I pushed away the prescription she handed me, without any of my usual hysteria. “The hospital isn't the only place to get it. A regular pharmacy works just as well.”

With that, I picked up the glass shards on the floor and threw them into the trash bin.

“Is Daniel angry?” Eric put on a thoughtful facade and spoke up. “How about… I give you mine? Please don’t get into a fight with Dr. Sloan because of me.

“She just has a stubborn temper, and her words cut like a knife, but after some time, you’ll realize that when she cares about someone, she takes everything to heart and never holds back from showing it.”

He spoke as if he understood Stella best, while I was the outsider.

I looked down at that box of imported specialized painkillers he handed over, and my heart sank.

The last time I was breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain, I had looked it up. This medication had the best pain-relieving effect, but only the heads of departments had the authority to request it.

When I brought it up to Stella back then, she had lectured me. “Hospital medications are strictly regulated with set quotas. They cannot be allocated privately on a whim. Besides, yours is just a cut. You can tough it out. There’s no need to use specialized drugs.”

However, she seemed to have forgotten that my arm was injured because I saved her. And now, she had given the medicine, the one she had refused to break the rule to get for me, to Eric.

“Eric’s injury is worse than yours. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”

Before I could even speak, Stella rushed to push the box of medicine back into Eric’s arms.

“The hospital recently relaxed the quota for specialized drugs. I can request some for you as well.”