Chapter 53 chapter 53
Chapter 53
“Noah, if you don’t want to lose your badge and face the disciplinary committee, I suggest you let go of any shady dealings you had regarding this case. Mr. Cole is not someone you can afford to offend. Even the president respects him.” Commissioner Lucas said.
“Boss, I…”
“This discussion ends here. If you want to keep your career, you'd better do as you have been instructed.”
Noah had nothing to say. He never realized that Sean was such a powerful man. He seems to have dug himself a grave.
The worst part was that he had destroyed all the evidence, and now he can’t even talk his way out of it. What the hell was he supposed to do?
“Mr. Cole, everything is settled, and I will see the end to this case; you can be assured of that.”
Sean finally heaved a sigh of relief. With the commissioner taking charge, he knew that the case would finally be resolved, and Natalie would finally have closure concerning her mother’s death.
He shook the commissioner’s hand as he thanked him, “Thank you so much, commissioner. Once this case is solved, my wife and I would love to treat you to dinner. Also, if you need anything, resources, or our cooperation, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“Mr. Cole, you are being too polite. It is our responsibility to make sure that justice is served and guilty ones pay the price, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”
When they left the police station, Natalie felt that her heart had become lighter. She felt as if a huge load had been lifted off her shoulders, and even her steps became light.
“Ah, finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am now assured that my mom is going to get the justice she deserves.”
Sean hugged her and smiled, “With me around, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“Thank you so much, babe. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Wanna grab some lunch? I know that you must be hungry.”
Natalie’s stress had finally been lifted, so she indeed felt hungry. She rubbed her flat belly and laughed, “I am starving. I feel like I haven’t eaten for a lifetime.”
“Haha, come on. I know that you have been stuffing yourself with food just to stay afloat for the past few days. I will take you to eat something yummy.”
“Let us go.”
After a scrumptious lunch, Natalie felt lethargic. For the first time in weeks, she had eaten her meal with peace of mind, so she had almost overeaten.”
“I just feel like sleeping now.”
“I can get a room for you if you want.”
Natalie waved her hand, “I don’t think that is necessary. I think that I should make a trip to the hospital. I only requested half a day off, and it is almost time.” Natalie said as she looked at her watch.
Just as Sean was about to say something. Natalie’s phone rang, cutting him off.
Seeing that it was a call from the hospital, Natalie’s expression turned serious.
“Tina, what’s up?”
“Dr. Hart, please come to the hospital ASAP. There is an emergency.”
Natalie did not ask for details as she said, “I will be there right away. Just get everything ready.”
“Okay, Dr. Hart.”
Natalie was a surgeon, so every time she received such phone calls, she always knew that her presence was required in the operating room.
After hanging up the call, she quickly packed up her things as she said to Sean, “I am needed at the hospital. Let’s go.”
…
When Natalie arrived, the patient had also just arrived in the ER. Looks like they called the hospital ahead of time.
The Emergency Department was loud in the way only emergencies could make it. Monitors chirped, and shoes squeaked on the tiled floor.
A gurney stood at the center of controlled chaos, and a woman lay on it. She was in her mid-thirties, breathing shallowly, her eyes wide with terror. Her hands clawed weakly at the sheet over her chest.
“Sudden onset chest and back pain,” a nurse reported. “She suddenly collapsed at home. Unequal blood pressures. Hypertensive on arrival.”
Natalie felt her chest tighten at the diagnosis that the nurse read out.
Unequal pressures, chest and back pain? Why was the pattern so familiar?
Seeing that Natalie was not saying anything, Tina called out, “Dr. Hart, are you alright? What should we do?”
Natalie snapped out of her trance and quickly instructed, “Get her stabilized and clear CT now.”
She stepped closer to the patient. Her voice was steady and warm, “I’m Dr. Hart. You’re safe here, so stay with me.”
The woman nodded faintly, tears slipping into her hairline.
Seeing her teary face, Natalie remembered that she had said those same words once before. But back then, she had been wrong about what came next.
The CT images appeared faster than Natalie had anticipated.
She stood with the radiologist, arms folded tightly, eyes tracking every slice of the scan.
There it was, a clear dissection flap in the ascending aorta. Blood was splitting the vessel wall apart from the inside.
Type A.
The room felt suddenly very quiet.
“It extends toward the arch,” the radiologist said. “But there is no rupture yet.”
Natalie closed her eyes for a moment after hearing that.
Her first case right after graduation had looked like this. It was almost identical. Back then, she had hesitated, chasing certainty when speed mattered more.
The delay had cost the patient precious minutes. Although the woman had survived in the end, Natalie had never forgiven herself for how close she came to losing her.
That was why she never wanted to hesitate for even a second when it came to her patients.
Every second was crucial, and every delay put lives on line.
Natalie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, they were shrouded in stillness, and she immediately gave her command.
“Prep the OR immediately,” she said. “We are going to conduct the surgery right away.”
In the scrub room, Natalie washed her hands methodically, staring at her reflection in the steel sink. Although she was still the same Dr. Hart, she had grown over time, and now she looked sharper and more determined.
She did not need to second-guess herself before stepping into the OR.