Chapter 193 Obstructing the Surgery
Maeve laughed as she talked about what was in the video.
"A patient peed into Isaac's water bottle. Isaac took a sip before he realized something was wrong, then got into a fight with that patient. Isaac got the worst end of it and was beaten pretty badly. His face was badly bruised."
Amelia raised an eyebrow and asked about Piper's reaction.
Maeve's smile faded as she said, "She went crazy and tried to hit my mom. Good thing that even in the family visiting room, prisoners have their hands cuffed. The guards took her to solitary confinement. I heard solitary confinement in prison is extremely harsh."
Amelia looked at Maeve closely and asked, "What do you think about all this?"
"I'm so glad I didn't marry Isaac." Maeve gripped the corner of her hospital gown and said, "My mom said Piper looked like a ghost ready to eat people alive, but when my mom first got there, before showing the video, she was all pleasant and nice - you couldn’t tell she was unstable."
After a pause, she added, "Thinking about it still frightens me."
Amelia gently held Maeve's slightly trembling hand.
"Don't be afraid. That mother and son can never hurt you again."
Maeve nodded, and her smile returned.
She could be a bit willful and wasn't exactly easy to please, but that didn't mean she deserved to be bled dry by that crazy mother and son.
Amelia had saved her.
Once by saving her life, and once by saving her future.
She had no hard feelings toward Amelia anymore and now considered her best friend.
The two chatted about many things, including future plans.
Amelia said, "Your brother isn't as good as you."
Though Maeve was a pampered rich girl, their conversation showed Amelia that Maeve had a sharp and accurate eye for business.
"He's never been as good as me." Maeve said, "But he's a guy, and just because he's a guy, most of my family's assets will go to him."
Amelia was silent for a moment, then asked, "Who told you this? Did your parents say it themselves?"
"No." Maeve said, "My brother told me."
"So you gradually came to believe that they'll definitely let your brother inherit the family business."
Maeve's eyelid twitched as she looked at her and asked, "What are you getting at? Are you saying my parents don't think that way?"
"Whether that's what they're thinking, you'll have to ask them yourself. Between family, sometimes it's better to lay your cards on the table than to keep second-guessing each other."
With that, Amelia added, "When you were unconscious after getting hurt, your parents took care of you day and night. Your mom has never done that kind of work, but she didn't use nursing staff to care for you - she was afraid they wouldn't be dedicated enough. They care about you a lot. I don't think they favor sons over daughters."
Maeve fell into a long silence.
Maybe Steven's words really had led her astray.
Because of what Steven said, she had given up many opportunities on her own.
Because she felt that no matter how hard she worked, everything would end up in Steven's hands anyway, so she didn't want to work for someone else's benefit.
She should take those opportunities back.
"Thank you, Amelia," Maeve said.
Amelia smiled slightly. "You just couldn't see clearly from inside the situation."
Just then, Amelia's phone rang.
It was Kurt Fife, Adrian's official attending physician, telling her to come for pre-surgery preparations.
Though Kurt was the attending physician, Amelia would perform the surgery.
This was a joint decision by Clifton and the Hagen family members.
But Kurt was clearly unhappy about it, and his tone on the phone was obviously hostile.
Amelia still replied calmly, "I'll be right there."
The hospital room was quiet, so Maeve heard what Kurt said.
She was loyal, and once she considered Amelia one of her own, she wouldn't let anyone bully her.
Maeve frowned and said, "What's with this Kurt? You're not his subordinate. You're just not there early - you're not even late. What gives him the right to be so angry at you?"
Amelia had already dealt with Kurt a few days ago regarding Adrian's surgery.
He was full of hostility toward her.
She shook her head, saying she didn't care.
"How can you not care about anything? What if he tries to sabotage the surgery because he's upset with you?"
These words made Amelia's eyes suddenly lift.
A moment later, she suddenly said, "Maeve, you just reminded me of something."
Maeve was confused.
"What did I remind you of?"
"Nothing, I need to go."
After Amelia left, she quickly called Byron, then got in the elevator.
She first went to see Adrian.
Soon she got a call back from Byron, so she quickly went to the cardiac surgery department, then calmly headed to the pediatrics office.
The scheduled time was actually ten o'clock, but Kurt had called at nine-thirty, saying she didn't take the surgery seriously and should have come earlier.
Amelia didn't bother arguing with him. After arriving at the office, she apologized calmly.
"Sorry, I went to see a friend."
She wasn't late, yet she still explained, but Kurt was still very angry.
"You can see friends anytime, but surgery starts when it starts. I hope you take the patient's safety seriously."
Amelia's tone remained calm.
"To me, Adrian isn't just a patient; he's also my friend. How could I not take his safety seriously?"
"You..."
"Alright, alright, stop arguing..." Someone came out to mediate.
Amelia hadn't planned to argue with Kurt anyway. She pulled out a chair and sat down.
Kurt wanted to say more, but just then, Clifton arrived.
He had to swallow his words.
He had wanted to provoke Amelia into leaving, but this young woman was much calmer than he expected.
Now that Clifton was here, he'd have to use his backup plan.
Kurt temporarily suppressed his anxiety.
"Everyone..." Clifton cleared his throat and explained why he was there.
Adrian wasn't an ordinary patient, and he hoped everyone would bring their best to the surgery.
Everyone nodded.
This was actually a fairly minor surgery, but Clifton's personal presence proved how important this young patient was.
Clifton specifically mentioned Amelia and Kurt by name, telling them to help each other during the surgery and make completing it their top priority.
Both nodded.
Clifton soon left.
Amelia would still be the lead surgeon, with Kurt assisting.
Before long, surgery preparations began.
Amelia found a moment to speak privately with Kurt.
"Dr. Fife, I understand that you're not happy with me. But if something goes wrong with the patient, neither of us can handle that responsibility. I hope you can put aside personal feelings and focus on the surgery."
Kurt's eyes widened.
"What are you talking about? What personal feelings do I have that would affect the surgery? If you don't think you can handle this responsibility, then apply to step down as lead surgeon right now."
Amelia looked deeply at Kurt, as if she could see into his soul through his eyes.
Kurt felt strangely guilty and avoided eye contact with Amelia.
He heard Amelia say, "I just went to see Adrian again. He told me you said I would mess up the surgery and he'd never be able to speak again, and that he should ask for a different doctor."
Kurt's back broke out in a cold sweat.
That kid had actually told Amelia what he said.
"Don't make things up. I never said anything like that to him!"
"Whether you admit it or not doesn't matter. I just hope you won't do something you'll regret."
With that, Amelia turned to go scrub in for surgery.
Kurt watched Amelia's back, feeling anxious.
Had she figured something out?
That shouldn't be possible...
He'd been very careful, and he and Amelia had no connection at all. She couldn't guess what he was planning to do.
Soon the surgery began.
This kind of minor surgery wouldn't take more than twenty minutes at most.
But Adrian had previously suffered a brain injury, so everything required extra care.
Midway through the surgery, Amelia caught sight of Kurt quietly stepping back a few paces.
As the assistant, he shouldn't leave his position at all.
Amelia's brow furrowed slightly.
She had given Kurt a chance because, in this profession, making it to department head wasn't easy, and Kurt really was a skilled pediatrician.
That's why she had specifically warned him before the surgery.
But still...
Amelia sighed inwardly, then looked up at an assistant on the other side.
That assistant was someone Amelia had borrowed from Rodolfo in cardiac surgery.
After performing surgery on Geraldo last time, Rodolfo admired her greatly, and they occasionally kept in touch.
So when she asked to borrow someone this time, Rodolfo immediately agreed.
The assistant noticed her gaze and walked toward Kurt.
"Dr. Fife! What are you doing?!"
Kurt's hand shook, and the syringe he was holding fell to the floor.
He quickly tried to pick it up, but the assistant was faster and grabbed the syringe.
"Grab him and take him out," Amelia ordered.
"Yes!" The assistant responded, grabbed Kurt's arm, and dragged him toward the door.
"What are you doing?! Let go of me!"
Kurt tried to struggle, but the assistant Amelia had chosen was tall and strong with powerful arms. Kurt couldn't break free at all.
Everyone in the operating room was stunned, not knowing what was happening.
Amelia said firmly, "Don't let this affect you. Continue with the surgery."
"Yes..."
The others snapped back to attention. They were all professionals, and the incident in the operating room didn't affect them.
Ten minutes later, the surgery was complete.
Everything went smoothly.
From now on, Adrian would be able to speak clearly.
Amelia walked out of the operating room and contacted Clifton and Frank.
Both men looked completely shocked when they saw Kurt being held.
"Clifton! Help me! This woman is crazy - she had someone grab me, and I don't know what she's trying to do..."
Clifton glanced at Kurt and asked Amelia, "Miracle Physician, what's going on?"
Amelia held up the syringe Kurt had dropped earlier.
"He was planning to inject what's in here into Adrian's IV."
Clifton was shocked, and Frank nearly jumped.
"You bastard! Why would you try to hurt my son!"
"Dr. Fife, why would you do this?"
"I didn't!" Kurt denied it flatly. "She's framing me! She doesn't like me - she was arguing with me before the surgery even started."
He added, "Mr. Hagen, you have to believe me. I have no reason to hurt anyone!"
Clifton's expression was uncertain, not knowing who was telling the truth.
But Adrian trusted Amelia completely.
"Ms. Richardson, what's this all about?" He didn't look at Kurt, only asked Amelia.