The Killer Queen

Ulrich was suddenly consumed by panic. He rushed over and began inspecting Noella’s body meticulously.

“Noella, did you hurt yourself and not tell anyone at home?”

“Calm down, Ulrich. The patient who was rushed in isn’t me.”

She stood right in front of Ulrich, perfectly fine.

“Besides, Elara and I don’t have the same blood type.”

Calvin removed his mask. “The emergency case was Dr. Caleb’s intern, Dr. Lowry. She attempted suicide by slashing her wrists. We managed to save her, but her will to live is dangerously low. She needs careful monitoring.*

Ulrich frowned. “Then why was Noella in the OR?”

Calvin explained without skipping a beat. “I saw potential in Noella’s medical intuition and wanted her to get some hands–on experience. I’ve taken care of all the paperwork.” NôvelDrama.Org © 2024.

Noella didn’t need Calvin to access the operating room, but she preferred not to reveal her extraordinary medical skills and often used Calvin’s name to book the OR.

Ulrich grew even more puzzled. “I had no idea Noella was interested in medicine.”

Noella subtly changed the subject. “Why did Dr. Lowry attempt suicide?”

A teary–eyed intem pulled out a suicide note found in Dr. Lowry’s pocket.

“She was overwhelmed, said she couldn’t take it anymore.”

The note, written in elegant script, detailed a deep sense of despair.

[I’m sorry, I can’t be the workhorse you want. I’m so tired. I was supposed to have a day off, yet here I am, working overtime again. Endless paperwork, assisting surgeries, and never enough learning–just grunt work. Can’t even go home for Thanksgiving, and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in over seventy hours. My heart feels like it’s going to burst, yet I’m expected to keep working? At least now, I can finally rest. Goodnight. This world is beautiful, but I won’t be coming back…]

The note wasn’t long, but each word was heavy with hopelessness. It was clear Dr. Lowry was in a dark place.

The intern sobbed uncontrollably. “Why would she give up like that? We were almost done with our internships. Things were about to get better…”

Noella handed her a box of tissues, her gaze shifting to Ulrich.

“Ulrich, has the hospital always been this harsh on interns?”

Ulrich shook his head. “No, at least the interns under Professor Calvin and me get regular days off. The paperwork is endless; there’s no need to work them to the bone.”

A middle–aged doctor in a lab coat hurried over from another OR upon hearing the news and joined them.

“How is she? Can you believe this? Why would she think of such a drastic step?”

The newcomer was Dr. Lowry’s supervisor, Caleb.

Noella’s gaze landed on Caleb, her voice cool. “It’s your refusal to let her rest and your exploitation of her that led her to despair. If you’re looking for someone to blame, maybe start with yourself.”

Caleb’s face turned beet red.

“That’s nonsense! We’re all doctors here; who hasn’t gone through tough times? Did I force her to stay up all night doing paperwork? That’s on her for not being up to par! I managed my paperwork without losing sleep over it! I’ve done three days and nights straight in the OR. If I could handle that, why can’t she handle some paperwork without resorting to suicide? Young people these days are just too fragile, too selfish!”

In Caleb’s view, Dr. Lowry simply couldn’t handle the pressure, which he saw as a rite of passage for all doctors.

Even Ulrich, a prodigy, endured his fair share of hardship during his internship, although his family’s influence undoubtedly smoothed his path.

“Not everyone is Ulrich. Ordinary people need to climb the ladder step by step! Being a doctor requires dedication. If you can’t handle adversity and aren’t willing to push through, maybe it’s time to consider a different career.”

Noella’s brows furrowed slightly as she listened to Caleb, who was vehemently denying any wrongdoing.

“Since that’s what you believe, would you then subject your own child to the same conditions? No rest, on call 24/7, just to file reports. Would you be okay with that?”

Being Caleb’s intern came with an unspoken rule of being always on standby, or risk not receiving certification for their training, effectively derailing their future careers. Interns had no choice but to endure, though not all could bear it.

During the rescue, Noella noticed that Dr. Lowry’s physical state was already on the brink of collapse. Even if she hadn’t resorted to suicide, the likelihood of her collapsing or dying suddenly at work was alarmingly high.

Caleb was silent. To have his own child go through medical training under such conditions? Of course, he wouldn’t want that!

Seeing Caleb speechless, Noella’s mocking laughter filled the air.

“Can’t bear the thought? Then have you ever considered that those you exploit are someone else’s children too?”

Caleb choked out, “You don’t know anything! Being an intern is supposed to be tough!“.

Ulrich pulled Noella closer, his gaze on Caleb cold and wary.

“Dr. Caleb, my interns don’t go through that and they still successfully completed their training. If, in your eyes, the only way to improve is through exploitation, then I’ll request the hospital to send you on a mission to Africana. Maybe that will ‘improve‘ you.”

Africana? An assignment there would mean missing out on all opportunities for advancement back home!

Noella’s eyes held a hint of chill.

“Dr. Caleb, taking students‘ research papers, putting your name on them, winning numerous awards, and having your wife listed as co–author on several? If I’m not mistaken, your wife isn’t a scholar in the medical field. It’s quite remarkable that she could produce such outstanding papers.”

Caleb broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. Exploiting students for personal gain was not new to him; it was a common practice in the industry, wasn’t it?

Elara spoke up with fury, “As a fellow researcher, nothing disgusts me more than academic theft! Dr. Caleb, I’ll be filing an official complaint against you.”

As a respected figure in the research community, Elara’s complaint would lead to a thorough investigation of Caleb’s publications, potentially ending his career.

Trembling with rage and fear, Caleb could barely stand.

“Ulrich, you’re just trying to snag that promotion right out from under me, aren’t you? Trying to set me up? Well, I’m not scared, I’ll tell you that much. And who gives you the right to send me to Africana? Even if you report me, you can’t just make stuff up. And I’ll also expose how the Schnabel family pulls all the strings around here. Why is it always you, Ulrich, getting all the accolades?”

He seemed to have forgotten that he and Ulrich weren’t even on the same level when it came to being surgeons.

Caleb was still trying to reassure himself, thinking it didn’t matter much since Elara was just a researcher, and not even in the same field.

Noella, with her head bowed, tapped on her phone screen.

Half a minute later, everyone’s phones suddenly lit up with notifications, pulling their gazes down. It was a report initiated by Polaris Star Lab!

The report accused Caleb, a surgeon at Imperial Third Civic Hospital, of academic misconduct and exploiting students to the point of driving one to suicide.

The whistleblower – Polaris Star’s Loadstar.