Chapter 4. The Apology

Hadley quickly walked through the outpatient department (OPD), immediately entered her office, and closed its door in a rush. This made Jethro look at her with wondering eyes. “Why in such a hurry, Doc Carter? Don’t tell me you’ve already changed your mind about hiring me as your intern?” he asked, his eyes now slightly worried.

“There’s a patient waiting for me outside the OPD. I want you to check on her instead,” she said, catching her breath. Jethro didn’t answer, but it was obvious that he was seeking one. “She—she was a notorious woman, walking into a free clinic asking for a prescription for painkillers,” Hadley explained, making Jethro even more confused. Despite his confusion, he followed Hadley’s instructions.

Jethro went outside the office and approached the woman Hadley was talking about. She was far from what he had expected; in fact, she looked decent and beautiful. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he said, getting her attention. “I am Doctor Gutierrez. Doctor Carter has her schedule full for today, so she asked me to assess you instead,” he introduced himself with a delightful smile.

“No, I’m sorry. I only want Doctor Hadley Carter to check on me. I can wait,” the woman insisted politely. There was visible sadness in her eyes, yet her beauty still shone through.

It took Jethro almost ten minutes to try and convince the woman, but she always declined, saying she was willing to wait, even for the whole day if necessary, or she could come back the next day. He then decided to return to Hadley’s office. “Doc, she is really persistent about seeing you,” he informed her.

Hadley let out a sigh of disappointment. “I’m so tired of seeing that d**g a***ct.”

Jethro hadn’t expected Hadley to say that. “She’s a d**g a***ct?” he asked, now even more confused. “I didn’t see any visible symptoms of d**g ad***tion in her, Doc.”

“Yes, she is! She’s always like this, always trying to trick doctors into prescribing her Vi***in and getting it for free. And who gave her the right to be so picky about which doctors see her? I really can’t stand that woman!” Hadley lost her temper.

Listening to Hadley, Jethro sensed that she might not be telling him the whole truth; perhaps she just wanted to avoid that woman for reasons he would never know. But since he was her intern, he chose to convince Hadley based on the words she had said.

“If she really is a d**g a***ct, then I guess you should spare a bit of your time for her, Doc Carter. We, as doctors, should see them as human beings, too. My father told me they were just as sick, and this d**g-seeking behavior was just their body’s response to self-medicate their symptoms. Please don’t take it the wrong way, Doc Carter, but maybe a five-minute consultation with her won’t bother you that much,” Jethro explained eloquently, convincing Hadley to see the woman.

Again, she sighed. “Please tell her to wait for thirty minutes. I just need to check on one of my patients on the tenth floor.”

“I will, Doc Carter. Thank you,” Jethro said, radiating positivity with his smile.

Hadley stopped walking and scratched her forehead a bit. “Yeah, she’s not a d**g a***ct,” she admitted as she finally walked out of her office.

After twenty minutes, Hadley finally returned. When Jethro saw her, he immediately signaled to her that the woman was still waiting outside the OPD. Hadley took a deep breath before walking toward her.

It was hard to see her face again.

She walked slowly, her heart beating a little faster than usual.

It was difficult to see her face again, knowing it could trigger memories from years ago that Hadley had chosen to forget.

But now she was standing in front of her, and she had no choice but to put on a smile and greet her as any other doctor would do with their patients.

She was Sophie Clark, Hadley’s former best friend. Although Sophie was a swimmer and Hadley was a doctor, their personalities matched so well. Their friendship used to be the best; they had each other’s backs, never letting each other down. Just when Hadley thought what they had could last, Sophie proved her wrong.

Days before Hadley’s wedding, she found out that her fiancé was in a relationship with her best friend. Sophie had stolen her fiancé. It had pierced her heart like an arrow.

Because of that tragedy, Hadley had promised herself that she would never let anyone into her life again—unless it served a purpose, like her current situation with her fake husband, Benedict. She didn’t know how to trust when two of the most important people in her life had managed to betray her.

They changed her. They changed her for good. They turned her heart to stone.

“Good morning, I am Doctor Carter. Please tell me what concerns you so I can assess you quickly,” she said coldly. She didn’t even let Sophie into her office.

Sophie stood from her seat, her eyes fixed on Hadley. “Doc Hadley Carter, thank you for letting me have you as my doctor.”

Hadley managed a small smile and signaled for her to sit again. She then took the seat next to her. “Go ahead,” she said, preparing the medical record she was holding, as well as her stethoscope.

“Three days ago, I went for a swimming practice, and I almost drowned. Since then, I’ve never felt well. And every day, it was getting harder for me to breathe. I went to a pulmonologist yesterday, who advised me to see a cardiologist instead. Judging by my symptoms, he said it looked cardiovascular. That’s why I thought of you, Doc Carter,” Sophie explained.

“If this visit was urgent, you should have gone to the emergency room instead. Otherwise, I will recommend you to another cardiologist; all the doctors here are skilled, so you don’t have to worry,” Hadley suggested.

Before she could leave, Sophie spoke. “I am sorry,” she said.

Hadley had longed to hear those words from her for too long. Sophie had finally said them, and Hadley didn’t know how to feel. Tears were ready to fall from her eyes. She couldn’t move her feet from where she was standing.

Yet, she chose to face her again. “I’ll send a nurse to do a few laboratory tests on you. After that, we can continue with your diagnosis. The nurse will be here in a while,” she said, then turned her back again.

Hadley walked to the department lobby with a heavy heart. But when a familiar radiant smile greeted her, she felt as if all her grief had vanished.