Chapter 3. Witch of Cardiology

Hadley had left the mansion, annoyed, and now she was even more irritated due to the long road traffic she was stuck in. ‘Couldn’t this day get any worse?’ she thought as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

She then remembered today’s report about cancer patients undergoing d**g trials with possible cardiac side effects. She wanted to track the d**g’s progress to create a comprehensive report for the manufacturer and the Food and D**g Administration. With that thought, she managed to navigate the traffic, completely unaware.

Upon arriving at the hospital’s parking area, Hadley was disappointed to see another car parked in her usual spot. She sighed, realizing she had no choice but to find another empty space. Once she did, she picked up everything she needed for the day and locked her car’s door. Even though she was carrying a lot of stuff—important files and documents—Hadley still managed to walk with elegance until someone rang her phone. Assuming it was an important call, she rushed to find it inside her bag and, in the process, bumped into someone, causing all her belongings to fall to the hospital floor and the phone call to end unanswered.

‘What a competitive contestant for the worst day ever,’ she thought as she bent down to pick up the papers.

“I’m really sorry! I did not intend to bump into you,” the man she had bumped into said as he tried to help her pick up the mess they had created.

Hadley raised her head to see him. Ready to yell at him, no instant words managed to escape her mouth. The guy unknowingly exuded a radiating and positive aura—like sunshine. “Stop touching my things. It’s okay,” she said. After picking everything up, she stood up and then slightly adjusted herself. Again, she looked at the man standing in front of her. His face was so angelic that even in the midst of trouble, no trace of negativity could be seen. Hadley felt as if all her problems had been taken away by his loving smile.

This was a rare thing for someone as tough and heartless as Hadley, yet she chose to stand her ground.

“I’m really sorry, doctor. I actually just wanted to make sure I reached the right building. I just—” Hadley cut him off.

“Apology accepted. Just be more aware of your surroundings next time. People are busy in a bustling hospital like this. No one can afford to lose time picking up their important documents from the floor,” she advised, walking past the man and heading straight to the doctors’ lounge.

Several interns came her way, greeting her, but Hadley being Hadley, she didn’t give them the slightest attention. She had a fair share of interns who had cried because of her so-called witch personality. That earned her the name “Witch of Cardiology.” She didn’t care about it, though. She let everyone call her whatever they wanted. She was just doing her job.

Hadley continued walking to the elevator, ignoring everyone who crossed her path. In return, almost everybody chose to avoid her, especially the new and younger ones, who seemed terrified of her strong and intimidating aura.

As she reached the cardiology department, Hadley went straight to her office. Her secretary, Karen, immediately greeted her.

“Am I late for today’s meeting?” she asked while opening her laptop.

“I actually called you a while ago to let you know that the heads moved the meeting. You’ll have it later in the afternoon. We will proceed with interviewing the interns this morning. You can let me know if you are ready, Doctor Carter,” Karen calmly informed Hadley.

“Go ahead, let them in one by one.”

It took a few minutes before the first intern came into her office.

“Good morning, Doctor Carter,” he greeted. His voice sounded familiar to Hadley.

“Have a seat,” she commanded, eyes still fixed on her laptop. Once she knew the intern was seated, she looked at him. There was no trace of nervousness on his face. In fact, Hadley was the one who became nervous upon seeing and recognizing who he was.

‘Sunlight guy,’ she thought. Hadley cleared her throat, trying her best not to appear tense, even though she really was. She searched for his CV and, when she found it, asked him a somewhat disconnected question. “Has life ever treated you badly?” she ventured, unsure of what she was looking for.

The intern laughed. “Hasn’t it treated everyone badly at some point? They must be really lucky if not. Of course, Doctor Hadley Carter, life has been unkind to me, too. But I choose to see those hardships as challenges that can either help me grow or help me learn. Life is—” Hadley cut him off. He seemed to be talking too much.

“I’m actually just looking for a yes or no answer,” she said, making the intern’s gleeful smile fade a bit.

Checking his CV, Hadley figured out that he was Jose Rodrigo ‘Jethro’ Gutierrez—the name on the list of interns that had made her drop the glass of water she was holding days ago, the name that had stuck in her mind for reasons still unknown.

‘It was him,’ Hadley thought.

Jethro was finishing his studies at Harvard College of Medicine. Hadley was a graduate of the same university. She was amazed by his achievements in the field of medicine. And he was only twenty-five!

“Is there any chance you are related to Doctor Jose Gutierrez?” she asked.

“He’s actually my father,” he replied sincerely, leaving Hadley shocked.

“Really?” she asked, still not fully convinced.

Jose Gutierrez was the best cardiothoracic surgeon in the US. He was well-known in the field and had been Hadley’s main inspiration for pursuing medicine and cardiology as her specialization.

“Yes,” Jethro answered shortly.

“Why don’t you just work at his hospital in New Jersey?” she inquired.

“I wanted to create a name for myself. I don’t want to be in his shadow. I want people to know me for my abilities and skills, not my ‘Gutierrez’ surname,” he replied firmly, leaving Hadley even more impressed.

“Then why do you want to work under my guidance?”

“Because I am sure that you can give me the best supervision. I know that I will learn a lot from you, Doctor Carter. I’ve known you for a long time. I am aware of all the contributions you’ve made to this field at such a young age and how they have made a huge impact. I was most impressed when you prescribed using Viagra as a treatment for hypertension,” he said clearly and sincerely.

“So, you’re aware that I was the one you bumped into earlier?” she asked.

“Yes, Doctor Carter, and I am really—”

“Enough with that. Let’s move on to more important matters, shall we?” Again, Hadley cut him off.

The interview lasted for almost thirty minutes. Hadley continued with the next applicant and had finished talking to everyone. But even before she moved on to the second intern, she knew she had already found the right one.