Chapter 29: Surgical Malpractice
What was even more terrifying was that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. It was just that previous incidents hadn't caused enough of a stir to make headlines.
That night, Owen knocked on Yunice's door again. This time, he came alone. His expression was exhausted, the excitement from a few hours ago completely gone. He had no other choice but to come to Yunice.
Sitting on a small stool in her room, Owen rested his head in his hands and sighed. “Yunice, the hospital Dad built is in trouble.”
When the hospital was making money, it was all thanks to Owen. Now that there was a problem, he suddenly brought up their father to play the emotional card.
Yunice scoffed internally. She already knew what he was going to say next.
She asked, “What happened?”
Owen let out a sigh. “The nurse forgot to clear the air out of the contrast agent before injecting it, which caused the patient’s heart to stop. Wasn’t it?”
Yunice sneered. “That nurse was Elsie.”
Owen’s brows furrowed tightly. He was unhappy with Yunice’s attitude, but he couldn’t refute her. If it had been anyone else, he could have just thrown them under the bus and handled it. But it was Elsie. Elsie didn’t have a medical license. Not even a proper intern permit. At best, she was just a hospital volunteer.
If this got out, it wouldn’t just affect the hospital. It would ruin Elsie’s future. So no matter what it took, he had to protect her.
Seeing his silence, Yunice felt her heart twist with anger. She gritted her teeth and said, “Letting Elsie into the operating room was pure negligence!”
Owen snapped impatiently, “What’s the point of saying this now? Do you know how hard it is to train a doctor? Once Elsie finishes her studies, I have a reliable right-hand person. Everyone is doing their part for the Saunders family—except you. You do nothing but complain about everything!”
Yunice’s disappointment deepened. “Did Dad train you the same way? By risking lives?”
She thought back to their childhood. All three siblings had been taught medical knowledge. Owen had always been bold—once, he had tried practicing on a patient just by following diagrams in a textbook. Dad had caught him and beaten him severely, hanging him from a tree in the yard. Dad had told them that human life was sacred, and that they couldn’t treat patients who trusted them like playthings.
Even after that punishment, Owen still wanted to practice on someone. So Yunice had offered up her own arm, letting him use her as a test subject for free.
Owen had no sense of restraint. He had even pierced through her veins once, and instead of feeling bad, he had laughed, saying that if he couldn’t be a doctor, he could always become a tailor.
Every time he practiced on her, her arm would be bruised for days. Once, he even used the wrong medication, causing her to fall into a coma for seven days.
And yet, back then, she had actually thought it was worth it. Yunice let out a self-mocking laugh. Owen must have remembered too, because his face turned red. He lowered his head, avoiding her gaze, his fingernails digging into his palms.
Even if he felt guilty, he still had to say what he came for. “Yunny, take the blame for Elsie.”
Then he looked up and said as if it was completely reasonable, “Oscar can’t afford to leave his research abroad. You don’t want him to come back and deal with this, do you!”
Owen studied Yunice’s reaction. He was sure she would throw a fit, like she always did whenever the family tried to push…
Chapter 29: Surgical Malpractice
What Owen didn’t realize was that Yunice was no longer the same person who would let things slide.
Yunice said calmly, “I’ll take the blame, but I want it officially documented in the newspaper, with my full identity.”
“That’s impossible!” Owen immediately objected. “Elsie is using your identity. If you go public, it’ll confirm that she’s been impersonating you!”
So he wants all the benefits without any real consequences? Yunice said, “This is for the hospital’s sake too. If you want an apology to be taken seriously, it has to be done properly. Otherwise, how are you going to silence public opinion?”
Ah, so that was her reasoning. Owen knew Yunice wasn’t that smart.
He said, “I’ve already thought of a reason for you. We’ll say you barged into the operating room and disrupted the procedure. You have a documented history of mental illness, so you won’t be held responsible or go to jail. Taking the blame won’t affect you at all.”
Yunice’s fingers trembled involuntarily. Her cold eyes locked onto Owen, and once again, she realized just how vicious he…
She took a few seconds to calm herself, but even she could hear the slight shiver in her voice when she spoke. “Even if I were mentally ill, I’d still need a name, wouldn’t I? What identity am I supposed to use to take the public’s blame?”
Owen’s brows furrowed deeply. His heart skipped a beat and was filled with unease. “You don’t have to make it sound so bad. I’ll say you’re a poor orphan from the mountains that our family took in. As long as we paint your story as tragic enough, the public won’t criticize you.”