Chapter 3

Olivia's fingers were already swiping across the screen of her phone, her attention completely stolen from the open chest cavity just feet away. The beeping of the heart monitor seemed to grow louder, a frantic counterpoint to her casual disregard.

"He's probably upset," she said, more to herself than to me. "I need to make sure he's okay."

She started to walk towards the door, phone pressed to her ear.

This was it. The moment of her betrayal. The moment she chose her petulant lover over a human life. In my first life, I let her walk away. This time, I wouldn't.

I moved quickly, stepping between her and the door. I put my hand out, not to touch her, but to block her path.

"No," I said, my voice firm. "You are not leaving this room."

She stopped, looking at me with disbelief, then fury. "Get out of my way, Ethan."

"Your patient is on this table, Olivia. We are in the middle of a heart transplant. Liam's scraped knee or whatever triviality he's calling about can wait. This man's life cannot."

"He said you harassed him! He's probably going to file a formal complaint. I need to handle this!" she hissed, trying to push past me.

I stood my ground. "Handle it later. Right now, your hands are needed here. You swore an oath. Remember that?"

My words struck a nerve. A dark, ugly emotion twisted her face. The mask of the calm, professional surgeon fell away, revealing the venomous woman beneath.

She shoved me. Hard.

I stumbled back a step, shocked by the physical aggression. The shove wasn't just a push; it was a violent rejection of everything I was saying, of her duty, of the life hanging in the balance.

"You have no right!" she spat, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. "You don't control me! Not anymore!"

The other staff in the OR stared, frozen in shock. The junior nurse' s eyes were wide with fear. Dr. Chen, from behind her equipment, looked at Olivia with undisguised disgust.

"Dr. Hayes," Dr. Chen said, her voice trembling slightly but firm. "Dr. Blackwood is right. The patient's potassium levels are rising. We need to complete the anastomosis now."

Olivia didn't even glance at her. Her eyes were locked on me, filled with hate. "This is your fault! You and your sanctimonious act!"

She shoved past me again, this time succeeding. She stormed out of the operating room, leaving a stunned silence in her wake. The door swung shut behind her, sealing her decision. She had abandoned her patient. She had abandoned her oath.

For a second, I felt that old, familiar despair. She had done it again. But then, a surge of adrenaline sharpened my thoughts. I couldn't let it end this way. Not again. The councilman's life depended on it.

"I'll get her back," I said to the room, my voice tight. "Dr. Chen, keep him stable. Do whatever you have to do. I'll be right back."

"Ethan, you can't leave too!" the nurse cried out.

"I have to," I said, my eyes fixed on the door. "We can't do this without a second surgeon. I'll drag her back here if I have to."

I ripped off my gloves and gown and ran out of the OR. The hallway was empty. I could hear Olivia's muffled voice coming from around the corner, in the direction of the doctors' lounge. I started running.

As I rounded the corner, I ran straight into a wall of people. A woman and two young adults. Their faces were etched with worry. I recognized them instantly. The Thompson family.

The woman, Mrs. Thompson, grabbed my arm. Her grip was surprisingly strong. Her eyes were wide with terror.

"Doctor! Doctor, are you Dr. Blackwood? How is he? How is my husband?" she asked, her voice cracking.

I looked at her, at her son and daughter clinging to her, their faces pale. Last time, I never saw them until the trial. I only saw their grief from across a courtroom. Now, their hope and fear were right in front of me, a living, breathing weight on my shoulders.

"The surgery is at a critical point," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "We're doing everything we can."

"We saw the other two doctors leave," her son said, his voice accusatory. "They looked upset. Did something go wrong?"

The weight on my shoulders felt a hundred times heavier. All I could think about was the promise I had made to myself. I would not let this family suffer the way they did in my first life. I would not let them lose him.