Chapter 2

I was carrying a cardboard box, just stepping into the lobby, when Manager Sneed slipped out from behind a pillar like some kind of ghost.

"Not so fast, Dr. Cole." He blocked my path, his small eyes glinting with calculation. "There's still a formality we haven't finished."

I stared at him, my eyes cold. "Get out of my way."

His expression froze for a second, then his grin widened. "Ha, still got quite the temper on you, Dr. Cole."

He acted like he hadn't heard me at all and kept right on talking. "In the interest of transparency, and to address the public's concerns, the hospital has decided to broadcast your disciplinary notice live, to the whole internet."

"What did you just say?" I thought I'd misheard him. A live broadcast? To everyone?

He pulled out his phone and waved it in my face. On the screen was the hospital's official account, and beneath it, a notice that had just gone up: A Public Statement on Dr. Nathan Cole's Overbilling Incident in the Surgery Department. Already, over a thousand comments had poured in.

My fingers shook as I opened it.

[What kind of doctor scams patients out of ten measly dollars?]

[How does someone like this even become a doctor? Investigate him!]

[Thank god the hospital's handling this fairly. He needs to be punished!]

Not one person asked why. Not one person mentioned that before that six-hour surgery, I'd already been through three operations back to back. Not one person knew that those two bags of glucose had saved an arm, and with it, a family's breadwinner. All they saw were the words "overbilling."

A chill shot from the soles of my feet straight to the crown of my head. This was the patient I'd nearly killed myself to protect.

"I refuse." My voice was ice.

Manager Sneed had clearly expected this. His smile didn't waver. "That's not up to you, Dr. Cole." He patted my arm. "This comes straight from the director. We need to give the public an answer, to put this whole mess to rest."

The director? The same man who'd once clapped me on the shoulder and told me I was the future of this hospital? My stomach turned again.

Manager Sneed seemed to be savoring the look on my face. He pulled out his own phone, dialed a number, and pressed it straight to my ear.

"Hey, Dr. Cole..." came the voice on the line.

I said nothing. After a few seconds of silence, the director spoke again, his tone stiff and awkward. "Did... did Manager Sneed already tell you? The hospital's under a lot of pressure right now. You know how public opinion is online; we can't get it under control. Just... just bear with it a little longer. I know this is unfair to you."

I listened, and almost laughed. Unfair? That was rich, coming from him.

"Once this blows over, I'll find a way to quietly make up your bonus for you this month. Take some time off, and whenever you're ready, come on back to work."

What a way to dress it up—stripping me of what I'd earned and calling it a favor.

I laughed coldly. "No need. Director. I quit."

The line went dead silent for a beat. "Nathan! Don't do anything rash! Over a small thing like this—"

"Small?" I cut him off. "To all of you, my reputation is small. My years of work are small. Even my dignity is just one more small thing you can wave away whenever it's convenient. I'm done with this place."

With that, I hung up and threw the phone back at Manager Sneed.

His expression changed. He hadn't expected me to actually quit on the spot. This clearly wasn't part of his plan. If I left, what was he supposed to use to prop up his good-for-nothing nephew and silence the whispers in the department?

He gave a cold laugh, his tone turning to a threat. "Dr. Cole, I'd think carefully if I were you. Even if you're quitting, you're finishing today's live broadcast first. That's hospital policy. Try to skip out on it, and I have plenty of ways to make sure you never work in this field again. I guarantee you, no hospital in this country will hire a doctor who's been publicly denounced and blacklisted by the whole industry."

He stared me down. "That precious skill of yours, the one you're so proud of? You can let it rot."

My hands tightened around the cardboard box. People streamed past in the lobby around us, and I looked at Manager Sneed's smug, self-satisfied face. I thought of everyone back home who depended on me. My jaw clenched, and the words came out through gritted teeth.

"Fine."