This Time, I Hold the Scalpel

At two o'clock in the morning, the alarm on the bedside cabinet vibrated sharply, and I snapped my eyes open. Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting slender beams across the floor. I touched my mobile phone, and the date on the screen made my heart squeeze— it was that nightmare night three years ago. On this day in my past life, my colleague, Mancy Cyrus, eager to boast about her "single-handed delivery" gimmick, forcibly shortened the labor, causing the maternal patient to suffer severe postpartum hemorrhage. After receiving the emergency call, I rushed back to the hospital overnight to save her, only to be cruelly framed by Mancy, who blamed the error on me. In the end, I was fired from the hospital, had my license revoked, and was forced to sell the house my parents had left me. The mobile phone kept vibrating; it was the hospital's emergency call number. I stared at the screen, my fingertips icy cold. This time, I didn't get up immediately like I did in my past life. Instead, I pressed the power button and tossed the phone back onto the bedside cabinet. In the darkness, I curled up under the blanket, listening to my own heartbeat. Mancy Cyrus, Lambert York, Dr. Ray... those who once pushed me into the abyss—this time, it's time to repay the debt. At first light, I showed up at the hospital on time. In the obstetrics and gynecology office, Mancy sat crying in a chair, surrounded by a circle of colleagues. The moment she saw me enter, she immediately stood up and pointed her finger at my nose, accusing, "Claire Michele! Why was your phone off last night?" "The maternal patient had postpartum hemorrhage. I tried contacting you multiple times but couldn't reach you. Was it intentional?" Her voice was sharp, deliberately laced with feigned grievance. I didn't rush to argue back; instead, I glanced at Dr. Ray, the Hospital Director, who was standing nearby. "Dr. Ray, Dr. Cyrus must have given you a detailed report about last night's situation, right?" Dr. Ray's face turned grim as he cleared his throat. "Claire, come with me to my office." I followed him inside. Just as the door shut, I overheard Mancy outside telling a colleague, "She's definitely jealous of my skills and deliberately turned off her phone to watch me embarrass myself!" In the office, Dr. Ray sat behind his desk, his fingers tapping on the surface. "Claire, this time the matter has blown up. The maternal patient's family has already come looking for us." "Why did you turn off your phone last night? Dr. Cyrus says it was your responsibility. How do you explain that?" I took a document out of my bag and placed it in front of him. "Dr. Ray, this is the approval form Dr. Cyrus submitted last night to Simplify the Delivery Process, signed by our Deputy Director, Dr. York." "Her so-called single-handed delivery doesn't comply with medical standards at all; it's a textbook case of dangerous practice." Dr. Ray picked up the document, his expression growing darker and darker. Just then, the office door was pushed open. A man in a black suit walked in, followed by several men who looked like bodyguards. The man radiated a cold, sharp aura; his piercing gaze swept over us with oppressive force. "Dr. Ray, I am Jeremy Crowe." "The maternal patient who had the incident last night is my sister, Linka Crowe." Dr. Ray visibly stiffened when he heard the name "Jeremy Crowe." As the head of the Crowe Group, he was someone no one in the city dared to provoke. Mancy also rushed in, her face instantly turning pale when she saw Jeremy. She tried to argue, "Mr. Crowe, it was Claire who deliberately turned off her phone last night, that's why I..." "Dr. Cyrus," I interrupted her, pulling out my mobile phone to play the recording. "This is your conversation with the nurse last night. You said, 'Delivering the baby single-handedly will definitely make the news, and by then Claire will have to acknowledge me.'" The voice from the recording came through clearly, and Mancy's face completely drained of color. Jeremy's eyes were as cold as ice. "Dr. Ray, I need an explanation." Dr. Ray wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked toward Lambert's office. "Dr. York, you should come in as well." Lambert York pushed the door open, and when he saw the approval form on the desk, his face instantly darkened. "Dr. Ray, I... I just thought Dr. Cyrus was skilled. I never expected something would go wrong." "Skilled?" I sneered, "Dr. York, as the deputy director, don't you know that the Simplified Delivery Process can cause postpartum hemorrhage?" Jeremy picked up the approval form, his fingers whitening from the tight grip. "Dr. Ray, it seems the management issues in your hospital are far worse than I thought." "I heard you wanted to promote Lambert York to Director, but now it seems there's no need." Dr. Ray immediately nodded. "Of... of course, Mr. Crowe, rest assured, we will handle this seriously." Lambert slumped into a chair, his eyes vacant. Mancy stood still, trembling all over. I looked at them, feeling not a single flicker of emotion. This is only the beginning. What they owed me in my past life, I will reclaim bit by bit.