Chapter 1

"Hurry! The patient's vitals are crashing!"

The shout cut through the room as an elderly man was wheeled in. His thigh had been mangled after getting caught in farm machinery.

"Prep for surgery now!"

The department head, Melanie Brooks, moved fast. She was already pulling on her mask as she gave orders, calm and precise.

The tension in the room and the sight of the man in shock on the bed made me blink hard.

I snapped back to myself.

Wait… Why was I here? I should be…

I looked down at my gloved hands, my whole body starting to shake.

I was back?

"Don't bother, Dr. Brooks. He's not making it past today."

The cold voice hit me before I could process anything else.

Astrid Stokes, the intern who had just started at the hospital, suddenly spoke up. Her tone was flat and detached. It was the same line she had used last time, delivered with calm and unquestioning confidence.

Melanie's face darkened, and she immediately barked at Astrid. "Is that something a doctor should say? Astrid, I don't care what you think you can see. As long as there's a chance, we don't give up on a patient!"

The others chimed in, clearly annoyed.

"You just got here, and you're already talking about this supernatural stuff?"

"We're doctors. We save people. That's the job."

Astrid lifted her chin, stubborn and sure of herself. "Believe it or not, it's still a waste of effort…"

"Enough!" Melanie cut her off sharply. "Get ready for surgery!"

At that moment, Colin Spencer pulled on his gloves and stepped forward.

"Dr. Brooks, maybe Dr. Fadeley should take the lead. He specializes in amputations, right? He's got the doctorate, too."

Melanie nodded.

I glanced at Keith Fadeley, already prepping, and my chest tightened.

In my last life, he had led this exact surgery.

He failed.

The old man died, and the family turned violent. Keith got slashed in the fallout, and he never practiced medicine again. After that, his whole family struggled.

Since I was back here now, there must be a reason.

I stepped forward before I could hesitate.

"Dr. Brooks, let me take the lead on this one. My graduate work focused on this, and I've handled major cases this year. I can do it."

Every head turned toward me.

Colin frowned, his voice tense as he looked at the patient. "Ruth, don't be reckless. You don't have enough experience for something this delicate."

He was my boyfriend. Once he said that, the rest of them followed his lead.

No one trusted me.

Melanie and Keith tried to talk me down as well, saying this wasn't something to take lightly.

Last time, however, I had assisted in this exact surgery. I knew where it would go wrong. Right now, no one here was more suited for this than I was.

Astrid looked me up and down, then let out a short laugh. "Doesn't matter who does it. He's dead by tonight."

I ignored her completely and met her gaze.

"Is that why you became a doctor? So you can stand there and watch people die? If that's how you think, you'll never be a good doctor."

Her face tightened for a second before she forced it back under control.

I didn't back down.

Melanie studied me for a long moment, then gave a small nod.

"Do your best, Dr. Johnson."

That settled it.

No one argued after that.

Once I started the procedure, though, something felt off.

In my last life, there had been a major vascular rupture in his leg. This time, it never happened. The amputation went smoothly. His vitals stabilized faster than expected.

By every standard we had, he was out of danger.

I stood there, thinking, a strange unease settling in my chest.

After the surgery, word spread quickly. The others laughed openly about Astrid.

"Death countdown, huh? Astrid, maybe lay off the TV dramas and web novels."

She clenched her fists, said nothing, and left as soon as her shift ended.

The day passed without incident.

I let out a quiet sigh.

Colin was on night duty, so I wasn't worried.

The next morning, however, a coworker rushed up to me the moment I walked in, pale and shaking.

"Dr. Johnson, something's wrong! The amputee patient died last night!"