The secret of the operating room
Chapter One
My husband, Mark, pulled the plug on my C-
section the day of the surgery, replacing my
top–dollar surgeon with his childhood
sweetheart, Chloe.
“Honey, Chloe’s residency review is awful,
she’s on the verge of getting kicked out. If
she can successfully perform this surgery,
she’ll get a special exception!”
“Just do her a favor! A C–section is easy
peasy! It’s not like she’s gonna mess anything
up! Unless you just want some other dude
gawking at your bits?”
I shook my head furiously, refusing to let the
unqualified Chloe near my incision. But Mark
had already signed the consent form, and
threatened to leave me without anesthesia ifl
protested.
In th
In the operating room, Chloe deliberately
skipped the anesthesia. I passed out from the
pain, only to wake up to more excruciating
agony. Chloe, my so–called surgeon, was
leisurely using the scalpel to file her nails.
“Can’t handle it already? Serves you right for
stealing Mark from me!”
I screamed for help, hoping the experts
outside could intervene, but Chloe held a
scalpel to my throat. “You just don’t want me
to succeed! Scream again, and I swear I’ll kill
your baby!”
For my baby, I fell silent. But Chloe’s
incompetence caused the umbilical cord to
wrap around the baby’s neck, suffocating my
child. I collapsed into despair.
I woke up to a distraught Mark. He was
beside himself with regret, but I felt…a
strange sense of peace.
1
L
“No way! Dr. Smith is the specialist I’ve been
waiting five months to see! He’s the best C-
section surgeon in town! And I shelled out
$20,000 just to get him to do this at this
fancy private hospital! You can’t just swap
him out like that!”
The intense pain had me drenched in sweat,
but I clung to Dr. Smith’s sleeve, refusing to
let them remove him. Mark stood by,
impatient.
“Money, money, money! Is twenty grand more
important than Chloe’s future? This is the
best private hospital in the city! If she gets
fired, no other hospital will hire her. What
about her dreams of being a doctor? You only
ever think about yourself!”
I stared at Mark in disbelief. “Mark! I’m your
wife! This baby is ours! How can you risk our
lives by letting Chloe, someone who can
barely pass her residency, operate on me?!”
<
Dr. Smith added grimly, “Your baby’s breech,
and there’s a risk of the umbilical cord
wrapping around its neck. If an unqualified
person performs the surgery, it could be fatal
for both you and the baby.”
The door burst open, revealing Chloe, already
in scrubs, looking like a wounded rabbit. Her
eyes were red–rimmed, but her expression
was resolute.
“Yes, Dr. Smith, you’re very skilled, but you
can’t just criticize my skills! And sister–in-
law, I know you don’t like me, but I won’t
accept you dumping your personal issues
onto my career. It’s an insult!”
“If you don’t want me to do this surgery, fine!
I’ll leave this hospital, become a nurse
somewhere else. It’s better than being
unfairly accused.”
Chloe started to remove her scrubs.
Mark grabbed her hand. “Chloe, what are you
く
saying? At least here, I, as an investor, can
protect you. If you go elsewhere, you’ll get
bullied. You’re too good–natured to survive
anywhere else. Stay with me. I’ll always
protect you. Don’t listen to them.”
With a gesture, Mark’s security guards
escorted Dr. Smith out.
I tried to sit up, but Chloe performing the
surgery was a death sentence. I wouldn’t
consent.
But Mark looked at me like I was insane.
“Lana, it’s just a C–section. Plenty of women
in this country deliver babies on the street,
you getting one is a luxury! You’re so spoiled!
I’ve never heard of one going wrong!”
I scoffed. “You’re a shareholder here! Why
doesn’t your hospital just promote her? Just
give her a promotion, done!”
Mark’s expression softened, he sighed, “I
wish I could, but Chloe…”
<
Chloe clenched her fists, tears streaming
down her face.
“Mark said I could be head of the
department, but I refused. I want to earn
everyone’s respect fairly! I want to become a
top OB/GYN through my skills!”
“Sister–in–law, even if you’re a big–city
woman, it’s still undressing for a surgery. You
wouldn’t want anyone other than Mark seeing
you naked, right? Especially since you
specifically requested Dr. Smith, what will
others think of Mark? He’s generous enough
not to mind, but as his younger sister, I have
to defend him!”
Chloe’s voice rose. “I’ve wanted to be a
doctor since I was little, to help women avoid
these kinds of judgments! I don’t understand,
I’m the only female doctor in this hospital.
You could have chosen me, but you insisted on Dr. Smith. What secrets are you hiding?”
I looked at Chloe, trying to understand her
words, but anger bubbled up, and my
stomach cramped violently.
Seeing my pale face, Mark rushed to check
on me, then ordered everyone out.
“Honey, you’re in labor! Let’s talk later! Just
trust Chloe. She won’t hurt you! Mom and
baby’s safety is what matters most!”
He turned to leave.
I used my last strength to grab his hand,
whispering, “Another doctor, anyone but
Chloe.”
Mark clenched his fist, released my hand, and
signed the consent form. “Lana, I know you
have issues with Chloe, but she’s right, she’s
the only suitable person to operate on you. I,
Mark, won’t allow my wife to be seen naked
by other men.”
“Any delay is dangerous for both you and the
baby, and it will make things harder for Chloe.
I won’t let you delay this any longer. If you
refuse Chloe, you don’t get any anesthesia.”
My throat tightened, I couldn’t speak. Mark
knew I hated pain, yet he was willing to let me
suffer for Chloe’s advancement. He felt so
distant.
Before I could react, he swiftly cleared the
room, and then tenderly hugged Chloe. “Go on, do your best. I’ll always be here for you!”
They embraced, and I passed out from the
pain.
Before losing consciousness, I heard Chloe’s
sweet voice, “Mark, can I make a request? I
want to do this surgery alone, without an
assistant, because…”
Mark put a finger to her lips. “Chloe, you
don’t need to explain. I trust you.
When I woke up, it was to excruciating pain.
The sterile white ceiling greeted me, and
below, a horrifying red gash. I was strapped
to the table, my abdomen sliced open, blood
pooling around the exposed placenta
struggling to detach.
Every movement of the baby tore at my
wound, sending me into violent spasms. My
vision briefly blacked out from the pain.
Chloe had opened my belly without
anesthesia!
“Chloe, what are you doing! Why no
anesthesia?! Pain! Anesthesia…”
My survival instinct forced me to plead.
Chloe sat on a stool, nonchalantly filing her
nails!
I called for help, she finally stood up,
frowning. “Quiet! It’s almost the chorus!”
She was wearing Bluetooth earbuds and
listening to music!
I struggled to move, but the wound prevented me, so I cried, “Help! Dr. Smith! Help!”
Chloe impatiently removed her earbuds and
Г
slapped me. “Shut up! You wanted everyone
to come in, didn’t you? You just want to
sabotage me! I’ll tell you what, your life and
your baby’s life are in my hands. Misbehave,
and I’ll kill your child!”
