Chapter 2
“Dr. Park, why are you here?”
Lucas looked at Suji up and down with a cold face.
“Me?”
“Is there another Dr. Park standing here?”
“Ah… well, no.”
“Then answer. Why did you come here? What business do you have? Did Professor Crowell tell you to assist me?”
Suji slowly nodded.
“I clearly told him I don’t need any assistant.”
“…I will do my best. I know I lack a lot compared to you, and I may not be much help, but… I can keep all VIP information completely confidential.”
“Well, I don’t really agree.”
Lucas sighed and pushed his hair back. His smooth blond hair fell apart gently and still looked perfect.
“I don’t need you, Dr. Park.”
“I’ll work hard.”
“Saying you’ll ‘work hard’ is something only fools say. Just show the results.”
…Fool? Did he really call her a fool?
Suji had always been a top student in medical school. Even in high school when she was bullied, no one called her a fool. How could anyone call the number-one student a fool? They teased her for being a math genius instead. She still didn’t understand why being a genius was something to tease.
“Do you know the patient?”
“I do.”
“….”
“Dr. Park.”
“How do you know her?”
“The patient is Angela Chan. The one who brought her to the hospital was Jonathan Harrington—my father and the hospital’s major donor. Angela is my father’s secretary.”
“Oh.”
Suji finally understood why Professor Crowell had been acting extremely sensitive.
“So what exactly did Professor Crowell tell you to do?”
“Ah, yes. Drain management and painkiller injection.”
Lucas thought for a moment and then motioned for her to enter.
“Go inside. Do only what you were told and come right back out.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
Suji swallowed hard and stepped inside the room. As the door closed, the sound of the heart monitor suddenly felt much louder. A strange tension made her back stiffen.
“Excuse me.”
Of course, no answer came back. She wasn’t expecting one anyway.
Behind the curtain, she could clearly feel the presence of a person. It still felt strange that she was supposed to administer painkillers to a patient she had zero information about. But what could an intern do against a professor’s orders?
She carefully pulled back the curtain.
A young East Asian woman with black hair was lying there. But Suji couldn’t fully see her face because a translucent dome mask covered her nose and jaw.
And that wasn’t the only thing. She also had an L-shaped head shield, blocking most of her face. From the silhouette, Suji could tell she was very beautiful.
To suddenly get shot by a stranger… how terrifying must that have been?
The patient looked peaceful in sleep now, but Suji couldn’t imagine the pain she had gone through.
Suji checked her vital signs and looked over the drain tube. She pressed the transparent tube gently to make sure nothing was clogged.
“The drain is normal. I will administer the painkiller now.”
She picked up an alcohol swab and carefully cleaned the IV port. Then she connected the syringe and slowly pushed the plunger in. When the plunger reached the end, it made a small click. Suji let out a quiet breath and injected saline to flush the line so the medication flowed completely into the bloodstream.
Earlier that morning, Lucas had received a sudden call from his father, Jonathan Harrington.
“I’m on my way to Solas right now. Prepare an OR immediately.”
“What kind of surgery?”
“Abdominal gunshot wound. The victim is my secretary, Angela Chan. We won’t make a scene or call an ambulance, so keep it quiet. Absolutely quiet.”
“Who shot her?”
“I don’t know. A masked robber. Probably someone targeting me. I have many enemies.”
Even though Lucas wasn’t on duty, he got up and changed clothes. Not only because his father asked—sometimes when emergency surgeries lacked staff, the hospital contacted him anyway.
After the surgery, Lucas had told Professor Crowell that he would handle the case alone. Anything connected to his father always smelled suspicious. He didn’t want unnecessary people involved. So why did Crowell attach an intern—an innocent one—under him?
After meeting Suji, Lucas went straight to Professor Crowell’s office. The professor looked surprised at his sudden visit.
“What is it, Dr. Harrington?”
“I told you I can handle the patient alone. A nurse is enough.”
“Yes, you did. But… since Dr. Park was there at the scene, I thought it would be better to add her to the team. You know, for… keeping things quiet.”
“Keeping things quiet? What is that supposed to mean?”
Lucas stared at the professor’s face with no expression.
“If she’s already involved, she won’t go gossiping. Anyway, I think adding her was a good choice.”
“Professor Crowell. With all respect… no matter how much my father donates to this hospital, that shouldn’t change how we treat patients.”
“What nonsense! Of course I treat him like any other patient. I’m just giving some convenience.”
“…”
“It’s not too much to do at least that much for the hospital’s biggest donor.”
“If you’re planning to use an uninformed intern for your own convenience, I suggest you stop.”
Crowell’s eyebrows twisted deeply.
“You misunderstand me, Dr. Harrington. I never intended such a thing. ‘Use’? That’s a dangerous word. Someone might take it the wrong way.”
Lucas left the office. Something in this situation felt wrong and uncomfortable.
Did anyone even call the police?
If Angela had come in an ambulance, the police report would’ve been automatic. But since she arrived in his father’s car, the chances were low. And the hospital staff were probably too scared of Jonathan to report it themselves.
Lucas took out his phone.
After finishing her duties, Suji left the ICU with a lighter heart. She realized she had been more tense than she thought; her shoulders felt stiff. She massaged them as she turned the corner—
Two large men suddenly stepped in front of her.
“Hello, Doctor.”
“Uh—y-yes, hello.”
“We’re from the Boston Police Department, BPD.”
Because of their uniforms, Suji immediately understood why they were here.
“You’re one of the doctors in charge of the gunshot victim, Angela Chan, right?”
“Yes… I’m one of the team.”
“Could we talk with you for a moment?”
“Yes, of course.”
Suji followed them into the quiet VIP lounge. They sat down and began speaking.
“We’ve already collected the bullet from the patient’s abdomen, and we heard the general situation from Dr. Harrington.”
“I see. But… you also have questions for me?”
