Man Who Cheats and Plays with Women’s Feelings, Don’t Run!
Chapter 1
1.
My girlfriend of three years dumped me for some frat-boy freshman, and pinned the blame on me as I walked out the door.
Just like that, I was public enemy number one, a quack who’d supposedly killed beautiful actress, Ashley Sterling, who had millions of fans.
My career was over, I was kicked out of the medical association.
Then, Ashley’s fans broke both my legs, and I died a miserable death in prison.
And my ex? Snuggled up in the arms of that little frat boy in our bed.
“That idiot was only good for taking the fall.”
“Babe, I’m so lucky to have you. Love you.”
I was so angry.
If I could, I would’ve murdered those two.
Then I woke up on the ambulance.
1.
Multi-car pileup on the interstate.
Sarah was looking stressed: “The patient’s got blood backing up into the lungs. We need to do a chest tap, now!”
“We’re still stuck in traffic. We can’t get back to the hospital. Give me the needle.”
Then, little newbie Jake practically jumped on top of us.
“Dr. Wilson, let me! I just learned how!”
He shoved me out of the way.
I almost fell, but I kept my mouth shut.
Sarah looked hesitant: “Jake, this is Ashley Sterling. If anything goes wrong, we’re in deep trouble.”
“Maybe I should handle this?”
Sarah and I had been together for three years.
We were both top of our class in school.
But I’d always been happy to let Sarah take the lead.
Everyone thought she was the brilliant, up-and-coming star in medicine, and she got the promotion of vice-chief.
Whenever there was a risky procedure, she was the one they called.
And this time, the patient was famous actress Ashley Sterling.
She was super popular because she was a great actress, and seriously gorgeous.
Her family was loaded, and people said they had connections everywhere.
Saving her would mean getting in good with one of the most influential families in the country.
Jake was trying to get on her good side.
“C’mon, Dr. Wilson.”
Jake was eager: “You’ll be right there to tell me what to do!”
“Okay.” Sarah hesitated for a second, then nodded.
“It’s an emergency, but the procedure isn’t too hard. Come here.”
“Thanks, Dr. Wilson!” Jake was right behind her.
The patient had fluid building up in her lungs.
A chest tap would drain it.
“Think about this,” I said.
“It’s not the riskiest thing in the world, but for someone fresh out of med school, one wrong move and you could make things way worse.”
I’d said the same thing last time, but they’d ignored me.
I figured that with Sarah there, nothing would go wrong, so I went back to treating other patients.
After the chest tap, Jake was covered in blood and looked totally freaked out.
Sarah was busy comforting him, so they sent me and the patient back to the hospital.
That’s when Ashley Sterling went into distress.
Jake screwed up, causing a pneumothorax during the chest tap.
He didn’t report it, Ashley missed the window for emergency treatment, and she died.
A stupid medical mistake, and the victim was a household name.
Her family came down hard, and her fans were protesting outside the hospital, demanding justice.
Like an idiot, I was trying to figure out how to help Jake.
Then Sarah and Jake said that I was the one who did the chest tap!
They said they tried to stop me, and that I was showing off my medical skills and trying to impress the Sterlings.
Even the ambulance nurse and driver were saying I did it.
And the camera in the ambulance was conveniently broken.
I couldn’t prove anything. The evidence was all there, and I was the quack.
The hospital fired me, I was blacklisted from medicine.
Ashley’s fans broke my legs.
Then the Sterlings sued me, and I was sent to prison, where they paid someone to kill me and avenge Ashley Sterling.
Then my ashes were dumped on the street by Ashley’s fans, to be run over forever.
After I died.
My soul was stuck by Sarah’s side.
I watched her and Jake steal my research.
After publishing, Jake was on Sarah’s level, another medical genius.
I watched them get married.
Jake hugged Sarah, smiling, “Finally, that loser, Mike Walker, is dead. He was always a thorn in my side.”
Sarah stroked his face, “Don’t think about that horrible thing. From now on, you have to love me forever.”
I was heartbroken.
Those two killed me, then climbed over my body to get ahead.
I wanted to kill them.
Then I woke up again.
2.
I was back in the ambulance, headed to the accident.
Jake wanted to show off.
Like last time, no one listened to me.
Sarah glanced at me, “Don’t worry. Letting Jake practice is a good idea. Nothing will go wrong with me here.”
“Besides, Jake’s smart, unlike you.”
I was her boyfriend, but she was always cutting me down and lifting up Jake.
I hid my anger and laughed, “I’m just thinking about the patient. What happens if Jake screws up and she dies?”
Jake frowned.
“Dr. Walker, why would you say that? I graduated from med school!”
Sarah looked at me, disgusted. “Stop bullying the newbie just because you’ve been here longer!”
“Instead of picking on Jake, treat patients!”
The nurse agreed, “Dr. Walker, let Jake try. Dr. Wilson is here, nothing will happen.”
In the hospital, everyone treated Sarah with the utmost respect.
Plus, Sarah was pretty and friendly, so they supported her, which wasn’t surprising.
“Fine,” I said.
I went to bandage other patients.
Jake grinned at me, “Dr. Walker, instead of playing games, improve yourself.”
“You graduated the same year as Dr. Wilson, but you’re just a regular doctor?”
“Jake, come here.”
Sarah interrupted him, “Don’t listen to him. Come help with the chest tap.”
She showed Jake how to adjust his posture and position, and said, “You’re different from him. You’ll be better than him in two years.”
“With his talent, being a resident is as good as it gets.”
I listened to Sarah insult me.
My classmate from college, my girlfriend of three years, my almost fiancée, wanted to make me feel like garbage.
Before, I thought that maybe I was worse than Jake.
I remembered that she’d always casually mentioned Jake, that cute little freshman.
She always smiled when she talked about him.
When Jake came to our hospital, she shamelessly favored him, praising him and putting me down.
I used to tell myself that she just cared about him.
But Sarah never loved me. Why would she care about my feelings?
I pretended to rest, hiding my phone with my elbow, with the camera recording what was happening in the ambulance.
Because it was a pileup, the road was a mess.
We’d just gotten there when another accident happened behind us, and the police were trying to clear the road.
The other patients besides Ashley Sterling weren’t badly injured, and the nurse was cleaning up.
No one noticed what I was doing.
Sarah and Jake were giving the patient emergency treatment.
But they were laughing and flirting.
I finally realized why Jake could mess up with Sarah there.
They didn’t care about the patient.
I felt sorry for Ashley Sterling.
She just had blood backing up in her lungs from the impact, and she would’ve been fine with proper treatment.
But Jake would screw it up.
I watched.
Jake finished the chest tap, got blood sprayed on his face, and looked terrified.
Sarah stroked his head, “It’s okay, Jake, just an accident. Here, let me wipe you off!”
The road ahead was cleared.
Sarah helped Jake out of the ambulance and ordered me around.
“Mike, get in. Take the patient back to the hospital!”
I didn’t argue. I put my phone away and got in the ambulance.
3.
When we got back to the hospital, everyone was busy.
Around ten, I was finally able to sit down and order food.
Then someone put a container in front of me.
“Dr. Walker, you were busy today, you must be hungry?”
It was Lisa, a graduate who had just started her residency.
Every resident was assigned to a doctor to oversee their work.
Sarah had asked to take Jake, and Lisa had been assigned to me, a cute young woman with a baby face.
There were two meat and two vegetable dishes.
I was touched.
“Thanks.”
Lisa smiled, “No problem! I saved it for you at the cafeteria this afternoon. The accident was bad today, I knew you wouldn’t have time to eat.”
I was about to eat.
Then Jake and Sarah walked in.
Jake said, “Dr. Walker, you’re great. We’re all hungry.”
“But you got someone to bring you food, you must be popular!”
He raised his voice: “Lisa is always bringing you food and drinks. A young intern and a cool doctor? It’s a good match.”
“Are you two dating?”
Everyone looked over, with a weird look on their faces.
Everyone knew that Sarah was my girlfriend.
Lisa blushed, “Jake, stop lying!”
“Dr. Walker has been helping me for so long, he’s exhausted, so I saved him food. Why are you making it weird?”
Jake was still mocking, “Who knows if you’re trying to say thanks or trying to get on his good side?”
I waved, “It’s okay, Lisa, don’t listen to him.”
“Some people need to cause drama to feel important, so they’re sensitive. Their brains are trash.”
“You!” Jake was furious.
Sarah frowned and looked at me coldly.
“Mike, why are you so mean?”
“From around you,” I said calmly. “Just kidding, Dr. Davis loves to make jokes.”
Before, he’d always made fun of me in public.
Then he’d act like he was joking.
Now, Jake was angry.
He grabbed his head, wobbling, and Sarah held him, looking worried: “Jake, what’s wrong?”
Then she yelled at me.
“Mike, you know Jake isn’t feeling good. Apologize!”
“It’s okay,” Jake said weakly, “I’m just tired. I have low blood sugar.”
Sarah stepped forward and grabbed my food.
“Jake has low blood sugar, give him your food, you can buy something else!”
I laughed.
I grabbed the container and held it.
“Why would I give it to you? I haven’t eaten all night either. Dr. Wilson, anyone would think you’re Jake’s girlfriend, the way you’re helping him?”
Sarah frowned.
“Stop it. There’s nothing between Jake and me! You’re an old timer, you’re used to working late. Let the newbie eat, why not?”
“Give me the food!”
I frowned and stood up with the food.
“Get out!”
Sarah looked angry.
She yelled, “Mike! I’m your superior! I’m ordering you to give the food to Jake!”
She tried to pressure me.
I didn’t listen.
Jake acted like he was upset: “It’s okay, Dr. Wilson, we won’t take it from him. It’s from his girlfriend, I don’t want it.”
I was angry.
Then the chief walked in.
“Who’s in charge of Ashley Sterling? Come here!”
Sarah and Jake paled and followed him.
4.
Ashley Sterling was in cardiac arrest, and the ER was chaotic.
I ate my food.
What happened was exactly the same as before.
The chief realized that Ashley had a chest tap, which caused a pneumothorax, which caused the cardiac arrest.
He yelled, “Are you idiots?
“Don’t you know that you can’t let air in when you’re doing a chest tap? Come to the meeting!”
Someone told the media that Ashley Sterling was in critical condition.
The internet blew up, saying that our hospital was causing people to die.
Fans were outside the hospital, wanting to see her.
The Sterling family showed up.
A lawyer in a suit and glasses.
“If anything happens to my client, this hospital is done!”
The director freaked out and yelled at the chief.
He needed to figure out how to save Ashley Sterling and find the person who did the chest tap.
If this went badly, everyone in the ER would be fired.
Maybe the director, too.
They were all guilty of something.
The lawyer would find out.
The chief called an emergency meeting, and the director was there.
I sat down and saw Sarah patting Jake on the back and comforting him.
Jake’s eyes were red, like he’d been crying.
When they saw me, they looked at me meaningfully.
They were planning to blame me.
I stayed calm and acted like I didn’t notice.
Lisa sat next to me and asked, “Who did the chest tap?”
Only the three of us had been on the ambulance.
The conference room was filled with quiet discussions.
“It wasn’t Dr. Wilson, she wouldn’t screw up, Dr. Walker has been here for two years, he’s experienced, he wouldn’t…It could be Jake.”
“He messed up the chest tap.”
“He’s been an intern for a few months with Dr. Wilson. How bad is he?”
“Sarah helped him with his reports. He prescribed the wrong medicine and almost killed someone!”
“That’s scary.”
Everyone knew that Jake was the one who did it.
But Jake’s worst act was coming.
The chief looked at him. “Jake, did you do the chest tap?”
Jake started crying, “Everyone thinks I messed up.”
“I said I wanted to try.”
“But Dr. Wilson said I didn’t have enough experience, so I didn’t.”
He pointed at me.
“Mike Walker did it!”
5.
Last time.
I was angry when I heard him.
Now, I was just confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Weren’t you the one who did the chest tap? You said you’d just learned how to do it and were excited to try, and I said it wasn’t safe.”
“But Dr. Wilson said everything would be fine.”
“Then you got blood sprayed on your face, and you sent me back alone in the ambulance. You’re lying.”
“Dr. Wilson, what do you have to say?”
I looked at Sarah.
She had witnessed everything.
Sarah looked at me, cold.
“I’m your girlfriend, but I won’t protect you. You did the chest tap, so admit it!”
Everyone gasped.
Sarah blamed me.
“I should’ve done the chest tap myself.”
“But Mike said he wanted to do it! I said no, because he’s not as good as me, but.”
“He said that this was a good chance to get in good with the Sterlings and asked me to let him do it as his boyfriend!”
Sarah sighed.
“I shouldn’t have listened to him.”
“The road was cleared, so he left with the nurse and did the chest tap in the ambulance.”
“He made a mistake!”
Sarah was passionate, and blamed herself.
That’s how they framed me.
I almost went crazy and asked Sarah why. Didn’t she love me?
Sarah laughed and told me to stop playing the sympathy card!
My pleas didn’t change Sarah.
I hated her!
I faked a smile. “So, I’ve been dating a monster for three years?”
“Then let’s check the cameras.”
Jake smirked.
“Too bad, the cameras are broken!”
“We think you broke it on purpose.”
Sarah looked at me. “You broke it so you could blame Jake, right? You’re evil.”
“That’s absurd!”
The director hit the table and yelled at me. “Mike, I didn’t know you were selfish!”
I glanced at him.
The director was biased.
Only a few people could access the ambulance footage.
The chief was busy in the ER, and the other two vice-chiefs were in training.
The director was the only one who could’ve done it.
I said, “Someone can vouch for me. Where are the driver and the nurse?”
“Okay, then!”
Jake looked excited.
They said the same thing as before.
They said that I did the chest tap.
Sarah and Jake hadn’t been near Ashley Sterling, just me.
I stared at them.
They looked away.
I wanted to laugh.
They were trying to frame me.
So.
They would face the consequences of lying.
