24!Aiming to humiliate me

Sylvia 

I walked into the hospital, my mind still tangled in knots from the drama at home. Maryanne’s snide remarks, Emily’s mockery, they echoed in my head like an annoying ringtone that refused to go silent. Although I stood up to them and trained myself not to be affected by their words, I couldn't just help it. My heart was heavy, my head was pounding, and I didn’t even notice where I was going.

That was when it happened.

I collided with someone, hard.

We both tumbled to the floor. For a moment, everything froze. My hand went straight to my side as a sharp pain shot through my waist. I winced but quickly scrambled to my feet. My first instinct was to help the person out.

"I'm so sorry!" I began, only to stop when I saw the woman I'd bumped into.

She was pregnant.

My heart skipped a beat. I was a little bit scared something had happened to her. "Oh my God, are you okay?" I rushed to help her up gently. “Please, I didn’t see you coming. I’m really sorry.”

But before I could finish, she exploded.

“Are you trying to kill my baby?! What kind of monster are you?” she shouted, her voice shaking the entire lobby.

Heads turned. People started slowing down, then stopping altogether. A crowd began to form around us.

“No, ma’am, please, I didn’t mean to. I was distracted. I’m truly sorry,” I said quickly, panic rising in my throat. I was almost on my knees.

But she wasn’t listening.

“Oh of course! You don’t have children, so you don’t know how it feels! You have no idea what I’ve been through! My baby is everything to me! And you just came charging like a mad woman! Or are you one?”

I felt my stomach twist. The words stung, even though I knew she was upset. She didn’t know my story, she didn’t know my pain. But the way she said it, like my lack of a child made me heartless, cut deeper than it should have. Her words were so harsh.

“I truly apologize,” I said again, trying to stay calm despite the embarrassment creeping up my neck. “Please, let me offer you full medical care, free of charge. Just to make sure you and your baby are fine. I can arrange it right now. Please, follow me.”

But she waved her hands dramatically. “You think money or free services can fix everything? What if something had happened to my baby, huh? Would your apology fix that? Or else you can get pregnant up to this stage immediately. I don't even want you to surrogate for me,” she said, looking at me like she just saw a pile of trash.

By now, whispers were swirling all around us. I could feel the stares, the judgment, the questions hanging in the air. Some nurses looked confused, others were already pulling out their phones. One woman near the reception whispered, “Isn’t that Dr. Sylvia? The one from the welcome party?”

The pregnant woman wasn’t done. She was just getting started. Her aim was to destroy me. “You're supposed to be a doctor! And you’re this careless? Is this how you treat patients here? Pushing people down?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but her words came faster.

“People like you have no business being in charge of anything! No child, no home training, no sense!”

My heart sank, this was a really bad day, all these just for me. “No, ma’am, that’s not true. I would never.”

“You think you’re special because you walk around here in heels and fine clothes? You think that gives you the right to knock over anyone in your way?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but she kept going.

“You doctors are all the same. Cold. Arrogant. Careless. You don’t care about people’s lives, only about your own pride. What if something had happened to my baby, huh? Would you still be standing there with your expensive perfume and fake apology?!”

Some people gasped. Others whispered. I saw two junior nurses exchanging nervous glances. My body tensed, but I forced myself to stay calm.

“I’m really sorry, ma’am. Please, let me offer you free care. I’ll personally ensure you and your baby are checked and safe,” I said again, gently. I didn't know how I was still this clam, because I was losing it inside.

“Oh, now you want to bribe me?” she snapped. “To shut me up before I report you to the media? That’s what you’re doing, right? You think your status and money can solve everything?”

I swallowed hard. “No, that’s not….”

“You must feel threatened,” she hissed. “Maybe you’re jealous I have something you don’t. A child. A family. A purpose.”

That one stung. Hard.

She wasn’t just angry now, she was aiming to humiliate me. And sadly, it was working. All around us, people looked at me like I was some villain, as if I had actually tried to hurt her.

“I’ve had enough,” she snapped. “I’m calling the press. Everyone should know how you treat patients. You’re dangerous. Heartless. You should be removed from this hospital!”

Something snapped inside me.

I took a breath and stepped forward, not with anger, but with the calm power I’d been practicing for moments like this.

“Ma’am,” I said, voice clear and loud enough for the crowd to hear, “I am sorry I bumped into you. I did not see you coming, and for that I take full responsibility. But please do not mistake my apology as weakness. I may not have a child of my own yet, but that does not make me any less of a woman, or any less capable of empathy.”

The room went silent. The woman blinked, taken aback.

I continued, “You are pregnant, and I understand that emotions can be high, especially in stressful situations. That’s why I offered you free care, because I care, not because I’m afraid of damage to my reputation.”

One of the senior nurses stepped in just then, placing a gentle hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Let’s get you checked immediately, ma’am. Please, follow me.”

She hesitated, then allowed herself to be led away, still throwing glares over her shoulder.

I stood there, forcing myself to stay still even though I wanted to sink into the floor. Then I heard someone from the back say quietly, “She handled that well.”

Another voice whispered, “People will twist anything just to tear others down.”

I straightened up and walked to my office, ignoring the murmurs that followed me. My back was straight, but inside, my emotions were all over the place. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to vanish.

But I had a job to do. And I hope this job won't be the end of me.