ISLA
My shift ended at four.
I was bone-tired, as usual, but grateful for the quiet stretch of the late afternoon.
I had just finished signing off my charts and was already packing my things to go home.
“Hey, girl,” Riley called as she approached—she was also ready to leave.
“Hey.” I flashed her a tired smile while slipping my phone into my bag.
Together, we headed out, chattering along the way.
“So, what’s the plan for tonight?
It’s Friday,” she grinned.
I exhaled deeply.
“My plan is to get some good rest.
I’m tired as hell.”
For two consecutive days, I had faced the most stressful surgeries.
Though I loved my work, my body couldn’t take it anymore.
Riley’s expression shifted to teasing.
“Oh, I almost forgot—you’re already married.
Even if I were in your position, I’d be content just watching my hot, handsome husband naked on our bed,” she blurted exaggeratedly, giggling.
“Oh, please.
Stop,” I grunted, rolling my eyes.
“What?
I’m just telling the truth about how lucky you are!”
Ever since she learned I was married to Alistair, she couldn’t stop running her big mouth about it.
We kept chatting as we made our way toward the exit—until a couple suddenly blocked our path in the hospital lounge.
The woman’s eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked vaguely familiar, while her husband’s jaw was tight with anger.
Riley and I slowed, both confused by the sudden appearance of the strangers.
“Dr.
Bennett,” the woman spat, her face contorted with rage.
“You killed our son!”
I was stunned—and so was Riley.
“Excuse me?” I asked, bewildered.
“You heard her,” the man said, his voice booming across the hall.
Heads began to turn.
“You cut into our boy, and now he’s dead!
And you think you can just walk around this hospital like nothing happened?” His anger flared as he pointed at me.
Riley couldn’t hold back.
She stepped in.
“Excuse me, sir, you can’t just barge in here and slander someone without solid evidence.
And we have no idea who you’re even talking about.”
”Here!
Now tell me if you still can’t remember my poor boy!”
The woman threw medical records at me along with some photos of a boy wearing Northgate’s hospital gown.
I knelt down and picked up the papers.
Patient’s name: Shayne Carter
Attending physician: Dr.
Isla Bennett
This boy had been in a car accident, and his right leg was badly broken.
It had needed to be amputated, or else infection would have spread further up his thigh.
No wonder the woman seemed familiar.
“Do you still dare deny it?” Mrs.
Carter snapped.
I drew in a slow breath and met her sharp eyes.
“Your son was discharged in stable condition, Mrs.
Carter.
The last follow-up showed he was healing well.
I’m deeply sorry if he passed away, but his surgery was successful.
There must have been other medical factors involved—”
”Don’t you dare!” Her voice cracked, tears streaming down her face.
“He was fine until you touched him!
Now he’s gone, and you should pay for it!”
A small crowd had started to gather.
Whispers rippled from other medical personnel and hospital staff.
I could feel every eye on me.
Mr.
Carter jabbed a finger toward me.
“Three million dollars.
That’s what you owe us.
Or we’ll make sure you’re stripped of your license and kicked out of this hospital.
Everyone will know what kind of butcher you are.”
The slander hit hard, but I didn’t flinch.
I lifted my chin.
“If you truly believe malpractice occurred, there are official channels to address that.
Threatening me for money in a hospital hallway is not one of them.”
”Or are you just deliberately slandering Dr.
Bennett to extort money?” Riley sneered.
“Mr.
and Mrs.
Carter, your son’s soul wouldn’t rest knowing his parents were using him for swindling.”
Gasps circled the onlookers.
The Carters’ outrage only grew louder.
“You bitch!
I’ll cut your tongue, I swear—!” Mrs.
Carter lunged at Riley, but her husband stopped her.
Another voice slid into the space, soft but laced with something sharper.
“This matter needs to be properly investigated,” Dr.
Hayes chimed in, her expression carefully neutral.
We hadn’t even noticed her arrival.
“Grief makes people desperate. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
But…
complications do happen in surgery, Dr.
Bennett.
Sometimes, something small is overlooked.” She threw me a look.
Her words were smooth, but the implication couldn’t be denied.
She wasn’t passing fair judgment—she was fanning the fire.
I turned my head toward her slowly.
“You were not part of that surgery, Dr.
Hayes.
Don’t suggest what you don’t know.”
Before Elise could respond, another voice cut in—firm, steady, and commanding.
“That’s enough.”
Dr.
Simon Ellis strode into the circle, his presence instantly silencing the growing murmurs.
His eyes flicked to the Carters, then to Elise, before settling on me.
“I supervised that case,” he said, sweeping his gaze through the crowd.
“Dr.
Bennett performed with absolute precision.
The boy’s recovery was documented as normal under my review.
Whatever tragedy occurred later, it was not because of her surgery.”
The crowd hushed.
Even the Carters faltered under his certainty.
Simon took a step closer, his tone hardening.
“If you insist on your twisted beliefs, Northgate Hospital is willing to cooperate in further investigations.
But if you continue slandering my resident in public, you’ll be dealing with more than hospital administration.
False accusations carry consequences.”
The couple exchanged a glance, their bravado flickering.
Muttering under their breath, they turned and stormed off down the hall.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
I exhaled, realizing only now how tightly I’d been holding myself together.
“Thank you, Senior,” I said quietly to Simon.
His gaze softened a bit—or maybe I just imagined it—when it landed on me.
“Don’t thank me.
You didn’t need saving—you handled yourself just fine.
But I won’t stand by and watch your name dragged through the mud.
It’s my role to protect my employees as the hospital’s director.”
Behind him, Elise lingered just long enough to meet my eyes.
The faintest glint in her gaze betrayed something I couldn’t mistake.
Malice.
Then she turned and walked away.
And deep down, I knew there was more chaos to come.