...

As soon as the phone connected, I spoke urgently. "Where are you? Hurry back. We're still waiting for you to perform the surgery."

Herman's voice was filled with anger. "Giselle is upset. Can you not urge me now? The surgery is on hold. I'll take care of Giselle and then come back to do it."

The line then went dead.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, and the anesthesiologist couldn't hold back his frustration.

"This is such an important surgery. If we wait for him, the patient might not make it."

"Try calling him again. We need him here right away. If something happens to the patient, we're all responsible."

I sighed and called Herman again. "The patient's condition is deteriorating. You need to come back right now."

Herman answered impatiently, "The heart transplant is risky from the start. If he's going to die, then it's just his bad luck."

I didn't expect him to say something so irresponsible. I questioned him sharply, "What if something happens to the patient? When the family comes to cause trouble, can you bear the consequences?"

Herman scoffed, "It's just a powerless patient. If they dare to cause trouble, we'll just call the police and have them arrested. Stop calling me. Giselle wants strawberries, and I'm going to buy them for her now."

He hung up again, which ticked off the whole room.

"He's willing to leave a patient in critical condition just to buy strawberries for Giselle? He doesn't deserve to be a doctor!" one of them snapped.

The anesthesiologist shouted, "The patient's blood pressure is dropping rapidly. If we don't operate now, he'll die."

I stepped forward. "I'll do it."

Seeing their hesitation, I added firmly, "No one else here can do the surgery. Are you going to just stand here and watch him die?"

The anesthesiologist looked conflicted. "But this is against protocol. Even if you save him, you'll be held responsible for all the consequences of this surgery."

I remained calm. "Whatever the consequences, I will bear them all. Time is running out. I need your cooperation now."

They exchanged glances, all silently agreeing.

I walked to the operating table, picked up the scalpel, and carefully removed the patient's heart from his chest, then transplanted the prepared heart into his body.

I meticulously sutured the blood vessels, my eyes fixed on the heart monitor.

Seconds ticked by, and suddenly, the monitor showed a heartbeat. Once the heartbeat stabilized, everyone in the room exclaimed in joy, "There's a heartbeat! We did it!"

I focused on stitching the chest cavity closed.

After the surgery was finished, I collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. My back was drenched in sweat.

An hour later, the patient regained consciousness.

His identity was then revealed.

...

In the hospital room, I was performing a post-operative check on the mayor. Once I confirmed the heart transplant was a success, I let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Cesare Cain smiled at me. "I heard you performed my surgery. Thank you for your hard work, but I remember my attending physician was Dr. Fisher. Where is he? Did something happen to him?"

Before I could respond, Herman's call came.

Cesare glanced at the phone. "Dr. Fisher? You can answer it here."

I pressed the speakerphone button without hesitation, and his voice came through. "Where are you? Come to Giselle's house now."

"I'm performing post-op checks. The heart transplant was a success." I replied.

Herman paused. "You did the surgery? I didn't expect this patient to be so tough. His chest was open on the operating table for 40 minutes, and he's still alive. What a waste. I was hoping we could use his body for research."

I caught a glimpse of Cesare's pale face and quickly reminded Herman, "Watch your words. We are doctors. Saving lives is our responsibility."

He scoffed, "What's the point of saving these ordinary people? They have no power or influence. It's a waste of social resources for them to even be alive. They only provide us with chances to practice and improve our medical skills."

I gasped at his bluntness and glanced at Cesare's livid face.

Oblivious to the tension, Herman continued, "You upset Giselle earlier, almost causing her to lose the baby. You have half an hour to come apologize to her. Oh, and she wants you to cook for her. Don't forget to buy groceries."

I nearly laughed at his audacity, treating me like a maid.

"The patient just had surgery," I said firmly. "I need to stay here and monitor for any complications."

My rejection grated on his nerves. He retorted, "Isn't it more important for Giselle to eat than for this patient to survive? Anyway, the surgery is done. Even if he dies, it's his fate. Don't make me say it again. Get over here now!"

I stared at the disconnected phone, a chill running down my spine.

I didn't expect him to be this kind of person. To him, the lives of ordinary people seemed to be worth nothing.

Cesare was equally enraged. He shouted, "To abandon a patient on the operating table for a lover? He is a disgrace to the medical profession!"

He began coughing violently from the anger.

I hurried over to assist him. "Sir, you've just had a heart transplant. Please, try to stay calm."

He took a deep breath. "You're right. He is not worth my anger. Since he thinks being a doctor means he can look down on lives, I'll make sure he can never practice medicine again."

He turned to his assistant and ordered, "Revoke Herman Fisher's medical license and ban him from ever practicing again."