Chapter 1

It was a busy public holiday, and an emergency call came in: a child at the amusement park had a sudden accident, sustaining an arterial injury that led to massive bleeding.

Halfway there, the head of the emergency team, Director Brenda, insisted on stopping the ambulance to take pictures.

I urged her to hurry, that a human life was more important than anything else.

But she just glared at me, her voice dripping with disdain, "Don't think a fancy degree can replace me. I'm still the one in charge of this emergency room!"

I had no comeback, only frantic worry.

Finally, she finished her photoshoot and got back in the ambulance. I thought we were leaving.

Instead, she told the driver to open the fuel tank.

"Siphon some gas into a canister for me. My personal car is almost out!"

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"Brenda, the child's parents are calling non-stop. If we don't get there soon, the child might..."

I was drenched in sweat, but I could only watch helplessly as Brenda, the current emergency room director, casually snapped photos with her camera.

"Stop rushing me!"

She scowled, glancing at me with contempt.

But her camera stayed firmly in her hands.

"Chloe Roberts, don't think just because you graduated from a prestigious university, you have the right to yell at me. Let me tell you, I still call the shots in this emergency room."

"Director Brenda, you misunderstand. I really don't mean anything by it. It's just that this child can't wait. They just called, said the child is unconscious, probably from excessive blood loss..."

Before I could finish, she cut me off sharply.

"What 'excessive blood loss'! Don't you know how people exaggerate these days? They make a tiny scratch sound like a major injury!"

"They're just petty-minded, thinking a little trick will make us arrive faster. They don't even consider that we're not gods, we can't just teleport there!"

"I've been doing this for years, I've seen it all. You just haven't seen enough!"

"But..."

I tried to continue, but she immediately flared up.

"Chloe Roberts, if you say one more word, you can get an Uber back to the hospital yourself! Who do you think you are, telling me what to do on my own call?!"

I didn't expect her to say that. I bit my lip.

Fuming, I slumped back into my seat.

Today was my first day on the job, and I never imagined I'd encounter something like this.

Brenda and I were old classmates, and in her eyes, "mortal enemies!"

Ever since school, she'd loved to antagonize me, always competing.

Even my current husband was the guy she'd been chasing for years, the one she considered her 'Mr. Right,' but never caught.

Later, after college, she pulled strings to get a position at the top regional hospital thanks to her family's connections.

I went straight into my residency after medical school, and right after graduation, I was assigned to this hospital for further training.

Just my luck, I ended up in her department.

As soon as I sat down, my phone rang again.

"Doctor! Are you there yet? My son... my son is fading... Waaah... he's barely breathing..."

Hearing the frantic voice on the phone, my heart clenched again.

From previous calls, I knew the child had accidentally fallen from a Ferris wheel, bleeding profusely, and likely had a damaged major artery. His situation was critical.

The accident site wasn't far from our hospital, only about a 10-minute drive.

But halfway there, Brenda spotted a newly built Transformers attraction through the window.

To humor her own son, she actually ordered Mark, the driver, to stop the ambulance right there and go take pictures!

And she'd been taking photos for a solid 20 minutes!

During that time, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, urging her no less than ten times, only to be met with eye-rolls and dismissals.

Helpless, I could only try to reassure the family.

"Almost there, almost there! Please find some clothes or strips of cloth to wrap around the bleeding points, reduce the blood loss, and hold on a little longer. We'll be there any minute!"

I gripped my phone, my back soaked with sweat.

If this child wasn't saved soon, it would be too late.

Without another thought, I "clunked" open the door and jumped out of the ambulance again, marching straight up to Brenda and snatching the camera from her hand.

"Director Brenda, are you going or not?! If you don't go now, I'll report you for criminal negligence!"

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