Some unscrupulous person?
Harper suddenly remembered the scene where Joseph was forced to wear a doctor's uniform by her and was teased.
She wondered if he could be considered a bit of unscrupulous.
"Harper?"
Patrick reached out and waved his hand in front of her. "What are you thinking about? You seemed lost in thought."
Harper snapped back to reality and smiled apologetically. "Nothing. Sorry, Patrick. I should have told you earlier and saved you from worrying."
"Patrick, you should get back to work. We can have lunch together later if you're free."
Harper thought Patrick would leave, but to her surprise, he put on a serious expression and said, "Actually, there's something I want to talk to you about."
"What is it?"
Patrick looked at her with a determined expression, as if he had made up his mind, and said seriously, "Harper, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Harper was completely stunned.
Early in the morning, right next to her workstation, Patrick was confessing his feelings to her.
"I'm sorry, Patrick, but I'm not currently interested in dating anyone."
After all, she was married.
Although the marriage was on the verge of ending, she was still in the legal period of marriage, so she couldn't date anyone.
Patrick was a good person, but she just didn't have feelings for him. She had always seen him as a good friend, like an older brother.
Hearing this, a hint of hurt flashed across Patrick's face, but he was still somewhat persistent and looked at her, asking, "Don't rush to reject me. After all, you don't have a boyfriend."
Harper's mouth moved, not knowing how to respond for a moment.
She didn't have a boyfriend, but she had a husband who was about to divorce her.
Thinking she didn't say anything, Patrick thought she had agreed and regained his confidence, saying, "As long as you don't have a boyfriend, I will continue to pursue you until the day you say yes. I hope you will give me this chance."
Harper felt speechless. She didn't know how to respond to that. She looked at Patrick's serious expression and felt nothing but awkwardness.
At that moment, her phone suddenly rang, saving her from the awkward situation.
She took out her phone and saw the caller ID, feeling like she wanted to kiss Grace through the phone.
"I'm sorry, Patrick. My best friend is calling and I have to take this call!"
Harper apologized to Patrick with a smile, then left her workstation and answered the call in a low voice, "Grace, you just saved my life!"
Grace on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, then said in a mournful voice, "Harper, it's you who saved my life!"
Harper immediately realized something was wrong. "Take your time. Don't worry. What happened?"
Grace seemed to have been crying, with a hint of hoarseness and confusion.
"My dad, my dad is sick. He has a tumor in his head, and the doctor says he needs surgery as soon as possible!"
"How did this happen so suddenly?" Harper's heart skipped a beat. She never expected it to be such a life-threatening situation. She continued to ask, "Which hospital is Gregory Parker in? When is the surgery?"
"We're at the Second Hospital. The surgery hasn't been scheduled yet. It will take at least three months for my dad to get a slot at the Second Hospital. The doctor suggested that if we can find someone who can help, we should transfer him to the Central Hospital. I'm in the process of arranging the transfer. Can you tell Joseph and ask him for help?"
Joseph was a top neurosurgeon at the Central Hospital, and with Harper's ability, Grace was sure he would help.
"Don't worry. I'll talk to him." Harper agreed without hesitation. She couldn't think of anything else at the moment. She comforted Grace, "Don't worry. Mr. Gregory will be fine. Take care of yourself and wait for my news."
"Okay." Grace felt like crying when she heard Harper's words. "Thank you, Harper."
"You're welcome." Harper comforted her a few more times before hanging up the phone. She dialed Joseph's number but hesitated to press the call button.
Deep down, Harper didn't want to trouble Joseph.
But this was a matter of life and death, so she had to do it! She finally made up her mind and dialed Joseph's number, waiting nervously for him to answer.
"Hello." Joseph's calm voice came through the receiver, with its unique magnetism. "What's up?"
"Are you busy?" Harper asked.
"Not really."
Harper took a deep breath and said in one go, "Grace's dad is sick. He has a tumor in his head. He's being transferred to the Central Hospital this afternoon and wants to have the surgery there. Can you help?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and Joseph's tone sounded a bit cold. "How can I help? My surgery is already scheduled for the second half of the year."
Harper was taken aback.
She didn't know that Joseph's surgery was so in demand.
Yes, if it weren't difficult to schedule, Grace wouldn't have thought of asking her.
She plucked up her courage and continued, "Can you make an exception?"
"An exception? For you?" Joseph was always a person of principle, and in his mind, every patient was equal.
There was no reason to give someone an extra chance just because they knew more people . Harper felt sad and her cheeks flushed instantly.
Who did she think she was?
She was nobody.
"I'm sorry to have bothered you." After saying that, Harper quickly hung up the phone.
Joseph held the phone, listening to the dejected voice on the other end, his expression unchanged.
"Joseph?" Olivia just came over and heard him finish his last sentence, then walked in when she saw him hang up the phone. "You don't look happy. Who called you?"
Joseph shook his head and didn't answer.
Olivia walked straight to the desk. "I looked at the schedule of the operating room. You don't have surgery the day after tomorrow. I want to buy some furniture. Could you go with me?"
She had just come back not long ago. There were a lot of things missing in the house that she had been planning to buy. And it was a good opportunity to get closer to Joseph.
Joseph opened all the transfer registrations for today on the computer.
After looking at it for a while, he sighed softly, "I'm sorry. I scheduled an emergency surgery the day after tomorrow. I don't have time."
Olivia was stunned for a moment, then smiled and joked, "Who has such a big influence that made you break the rules and add surgery?"
Joseph was a person who was known for his principles in the hospital. Over the years, many people had tried to bribe him to help, but he had never agreed.
Joseph's dark eyes were full of inexplicable meaning, and his expression was difficult to discern. "Consider it my debt to her."
Harper had hardly ever asked him for help, and now that she had spoken, he couldn't bear to refuse.
Olivia nodded thoughtfully, finding it hard to imagine who he would owe.
In the evening, Harper worked overtime until after nine o'clock.
She hesitated with her phone, not knowing how to tell Grace.
But the phone in her hand rang first, and it was Grace.
"Hello?" She intended to apologize to Grace, her voice a little listless. "Grace, I just got off work."
"Harper, my dad had a comprehensive physical examination at the Central Hospital this afternoon, and the indicators are good for surgery. He can have the surgery the day after tomorrow!"
Harper was taken aback. "So soon?"