Chapter 174

"Don't worry, I'll take a break when I have time."

With that, Trent finished treating the small cuts on Abigail's hands and put the supplies away.

"Do you want to rest for a bit?"

As head of the department, Abigail had her own office, so she could rest there.

If she rested in her office, Trent could stay by her side.

"Sure, I'll take a quick nap."

She pulled out the folding bed and lay down, closing her eyes.

She'd been on her feet all night without a moment's rest.

On top of that, she'd been running on empty mentally, so she fell asleep before long.

Watching Abigail sleep, Trent's face was full of open tenderness.

Trent didn't know when he'd dozed off, but he knew what woke him up.

Hearing the commotion outside the office, he opened his eyes with a frown. He glanced beside him — Abigail's spot was already empty.

He snapped to attention almost instantly, yanked the door open, and rushed out to find Abigail surrounded by a crowd.

Patients in hospital gowns stood nearby, pointing and watching.

"And she's supposed to be a department head — couldn't even save the patient."

"Exactly. The family wouldn't be making this kind of scene without proof. Something must have gone wrong during surgery."

Listening to the whispers rippling through the crowd, Trent felt his anger rising.

These people thought that spreading rumors was easy and carried no consequences whatsoever.

His face dark, he pushed through the crowd and saw Abigail at the center, with someone shoving a phone in her face for a live stream.

"Tell me — was it your incompetence that killed my brother?"

The one confronting Abigail was the deceased patient's family member from the night before.

Standing beside him, an older woman was equally aggressive, tears streaming down her face as she pointed at Abigail and hurled insults.

"My son was still alive when they brought him in yesterday. You said he needed surgery, and we agreed right away. We paid the money, and you still couldn't save him — and now you're saying it's not your fault?"

She wept and wailed, working herself up, while constantly trying to stir up the emotions of the patients nearby.

"How is that fair? You take the money, you save the patient — isn't that how it's supposed to work?"

One of the nurses couldn't stand it anymore. She stepped forward and placed herself in front of Abigail.

"Ma'am, that's not right. You can't put a price on a human life. Dr. Taylor gave everything she had — she spent hours at the operating table all night long. Is it really her fault that your son couldn't be saved?"

Her words made some of the onlookers stop and think.

She had a point. A human life really couldn't be measured in money.

Besides, there were always risks once a patient entered the emergency room.

Doctors weren't God. They couldn't save everyone.

If there were a doctor who could, people would be begging for an appointment — money would be the least of their concerns.

"Come on, stop making a scene. The nurse is right — Dr. Taylor has always been a responsible doctor."

Someone in the crowd finally spoke up, which took some of the pressure off Abigail.

Still, with a phone livestreaming right in her face, she took a deep breath.

"I understand how hard it is for you as family members to accept this loss. But we did everything we could during surgery. If needed, we can pull the security footage."

The operating room had cameras — to protect both patients and doctors.

If Abigail had done anything wrong, they were welcome to bring forward the evidence.

This was nothing but unreasonable harassment.

"No livestreaming allowed in the hospital."

Security guards who'd been notified arrived and pushed through the crowd, positioning themselves behind Abigail.

One guard tried to block the older woman and the man from filming, but they shoved him aside without hesitation.

"We're not saying anything wrong. Your hospital has all the power here — we're just ordinary people. How could we possibly stand up to you?"

Their words instantly painted the hospital as the villain, as though the institution wielded some kind of overwhelming authority.

"A doctor who kills patients has no business being a doctor. You should quit now and stop dragging the whole profession through the mud."

Abigail stood quietly, listening to their shouting, feeling a bitterness she couldn't quite name.

She believed she had given her absolute best when it came to her patients.

She'd lost patients before, but no one had ever come after her like this.

This time, the whole thing left her feeling hollow inside.

The family refused to let it go. With security now on the scene and the situation escalating, they'd gotten what they came for.

Only then did they leave the hospital, still cursing under their breath.

Abigail was called into Raymond's office immediately.

"Abigail, what am I supposed to do with you?"

Raymond looked at her with exasperation.

Abigail wouldn't back down.

"Raymond, there was nothing wrong with how I handled the surgery. The patient's injuries were just too severe."

"I believe you did everything you could. But the family has made such a scene that the hospital has to take their feelings into account."

As a fellow doctor, no one wanted to see a colleague wrongfully accused like this.

Abigail had just started to feel some relief when Raymond's tone shifted.

"But when things get this out of hand, there has to be some kind of response. While you weren't watching, their livestream blew up. This has gotten big."

Raymond let out a quiet sigh. "The hospital leadership has decided to conduct a review. You don't need to come in for now — you're on suspension pending the investigation."

It sounded reasonable enough, but in reality, her reputation was taking a hit.

"Dr. Taylor, I hope you can understand the position the hospital is in."

Raymond gave her a meaningful look, then waved his hand.

"You worked through the night. You must be exhausted. Go home and get some rest for the next couple of days."

Abigail swallowed her grievance and nodded.

"Thank you, Raymond."

Seeing that she was taking it well, Raymond added one more piece of advice.

"If the public backlash gets too bad, you might have to swallow your pride and apologize to the family. Get it settled, and it'll all blow over."

Even so, Abigail couldn't quite let go of the resentment inside her.

She hadn't done anything wrong. Why should she be the one to apologize?

But if it really came to that, no one would be able to defend her.

She knew all of this perfectly well. There was nothing more to say. She thanked Raymond several more times and left.

She changed her clothes and found Aiden waiting for her in the parking lot.

"Mr. Smith, are you alright?"

Meeting Aiden's concerned gaze, Abigail managed a weak smile.

"I'm fine, thanks Aiden. Let's head back."

Aiden said a few words and started driving out, but somehow their whereabouts had been leaked.

When Abigail saw the crowd packed tightly around the car, blocking it completely, her heart sank.

If she still couldn't see that she'd been set up, she'd have to be completely oblivious.

But it seemed the family had stirred things up enough that people had shown up on their own to "seek justice."

"Mr. Smith, what do we do now?"

Aiden had never been in a situation like this. He wasn't sure whether to move forward or stay put.

"Call the police."