My husband woke me at 2 AM, demanding I come to the hospital to operate on Ava Foster— his first love. When I arrived, Ava was lying ghostly pale in the hospital bed. The chart showed end-stage uremia; she desperately needed a kidney transplant. I explained that her condition was critical, and without a matching donor, there was nothing I could do. My husband mistook my professional assessment for jealousy. He slapped me hard across the face. "What kind of doctor are you?" he snarled. "Are you just going to let her die? Test more people until you find a match!" I rubbed my cheek and nodded calmly. "Actually, we already found one." "Your kidney is compatible with hers. You'll be the donor."
Lihat lebih banyakAva and I were kindred spirits in our suffering.Her family had hereditary renal tubular dysplasia, while I was born with pituitary dysfunction that made me unable to conceive.These shared congenital conditions brought us incredibly close—close enough that she promised to be my surrogate, and I promised to donate a kidney to her.She accompanied me to freeze my eggs, and I joined her for a nephrology internship.But Ava was naturally competitive and deeply suspicious.She never truly believed I would donate my kidney. She wanted to control her own fate.She fought hard for that nephrology position, but our mentor chose me instead.Years of friendship shattered instantly. When she reappeared years later, she had forgotten our agreement, remembering only what she perceived as my betrayal.In my previous life, she took the cruelest revenge—using David to force me to donate a kidney, then blackmailing me to transplant her daughter's kidney into her.Only as I died at David's hand
I went to see David one last time.David was sentenced to death for 1st degree homicide. The murder had happened in a highly sensitive location—a hospital—witnessed by countless doctors and patients, which made the crime especially serious.He requested to see me before his execution, so I went to the detention center where the lethal injection would be administered.Nearly two years had passed since the surgery, and seeing him again felt surreal.I was holding a baby girl—Ava's child.The little girl was seventeen months old. She was adorable—slightly small for her age but healthy and bright, already babbling her first words.David was in handcuffs and leg irons. When he saw the baby, his face filled with hatred."Why did you bring her?" he asked."To see her father," I answered seriously."Layla, did you come to mock me?" David's eyes reddened—always a sign of his anger."No. She's your daughter. Your biological daughter."David froze, looking at me in confusion. "What do
After just two days in the ICU, Ava transferred to Central South Hospital.She heartlessly abandoned David, who had just donated a kidney to her.I took an extended leave and rented my own place.The kidney transplant for Ava caused quite a stir in medical circles—it was the country's first successful kidney transplant for a pregnant patient. Some hospitals invited me to share my experience; others offered me positions.Meanwhile, David was still recovering at our hospital. I didn't want to see him every day or get involved in his drama with Ava.After all, our relationship was over—we just needed to sign divorce papers.But things weren't going to end so easily. Two months later, I got a call from a colleague."Dr. Porter, are you in town?""Yes, why?""Great! There's a patient who wants to see you. Please come to the hospital right away."I rushed to the hospital. As soon as I entered the emergency room in my sterile gown, I saw Ava lying on the bed, covered in blood."Wha
"Regret what?" I replied coldly.Unable to see my expression, Ava looked disappointed."You knew I had congenital renal tubular dysplasia. Kidney failure was inevitable for me. Yet you still competed with me for that nephrology position, cutting off my last hope. Do you ever regret that?"Ava was dead serious. I responded with a cold laugh.Ava wanted to become a nephrologist because, in a sense, nephrologists control kidney allocation."I've never regretted it," I answered with a bitter smile. "Our mentor already knew you'd eventually need a kidney transplant to survive. That's precisely why he chose me instead of you.""Why?""Because he said doctors should be pure doctors, with medical ethics. They shouldn't use medicine for personal gain. Patients must come first—a doctor's mission is to cure their patients!""Medical ethics? Putting patients first?" Ava scoffed. "Layla, would you really put patients first? If David hadn't donated his kidney, would you have given me yours?"
David lay on the operating table.He'd made the choice I knew he would.This was an unprecedented kidney transplant during pregnancy. The hospital took it very seriously, following the highest standards for everything.I quietly watched David through the glass. All his body hair had been shaved off, making him look strangely vulnerable.A nurse had already inserted the IV for general anesthesia, and the anesthesiologist was carefully monitoring his reaction."Reduce the anesthetic gas dosage slightly. His activated anticoagulant level is low. Too much anesthesia could trigger cardiac arrest," I suddenly told the anesthesiologist.He gave me a surprised look but nodded reluctantly. "Okay."I knew why he was surprised. In the hospital hierarchy, anesthesiologists outrank surgeons. I had no authority to give him orders, and I wasn't even David's surgeon.Living donor kidney transplants require simultaneous operations on both donor and recipient. Removing a kidney is actually the s
David's face went through a series of expressions: shame, anger, confusion, and a flash of surprise."What did you just say?" I pressed.The oath David had just sworn sounded so nice, I wanted to hear it again.But he didn't give me that satisfaction. He stepped closer, staring intently at me. "Ava is pregnant?"I could practically smell the stench of his broken promise – something about being lower than dirt from a family of animals."Yes. Is it yours?" I took a big step back before asking."Of course not," David instinctively shook his head."Then I'll advise Ava to terminate it," I said flatly.David finally snapped out of his shock, his face flushing. "Why terminate it?""Because Ava has end-stage renal failure and needs dialysis three times a week just to stay alive.""Pregnancy severely increases the strain on the kidneys, causing multiple complications that can quickly lead to maternal death."I looked directly into his eyes. "That's why patients with uremia are advis
I took a month off.I couldn't stand being gossiped about at the hospital, and besides, I wasn't the only nephrologist—Ava's dialysis didn't require my presence.During that month, David nearly blew up my phone with calls.When I finally saw him again, it was outside the hospital staff quarters.He'd come specifically to intercept me. Gone was his arrogance and aggression.He stood haggard in the cold wind outside the dormitory entrance. Seeing me emerge, he hurried over with a forced smile."Layla, we need to talk."I frowned at him. "What is there left to discuss?""Don't get upset. I think there are a lot of misunderstandings between us.""What misunderstandings?""These past few days, I've been examining my behavior and realized some of my actions definitely crossed the line."David sounded sincere. I responded noncommittally, "Hmm, and?""These actions hurt and troubled you, and sparked some unpleasant rumors. I apologize for that. But...""But?" I cut him off sharply
Ava's smile was bright, but the coldness in her eyes made my skin crawl.I shook my head slightly and sighed.David had been lying from the beginning. Ava wasn't his old classmate.She was mine.Ava and I had been close since our school days. We became friends in middle school.From middle school through high school and college, we were inseparable—until our senior year internship.Ava and I were both assigned to nephrology, under the guidance of a nationally renowned kidney specialist.Our mentor was in his seventies, already retired but working on a temporary contract that was about to expire. He was about to leave the medical field he'd dedicated his life to.The only reason he agreed to supervise two interns was to make one final contribution before retiring completely.Near the end of our internship, he told us he had one recommendation spot that would secure a position at South City Specialty Hospital's nephrology department—with tenure.South City Specialty Hospital—wh
I watched David with satisfaction. "She's your old classmate, your precious Ava, still so young. Are you really going to just watch her die?""A human life is at stake. It's just one kidney, and you can't even spare that? What kind of person are you? Do you have any conscience left?"David's face instantly turned the color. He was breathing heavily, glancing between Ava's hopeful expression and my challenging stare."Fine, I'll sign!" He gritted his teeth, glaring at me. "I'll take this bet—we'll see whose kidney is more compatible with Ava!"I picked up the consent forms from the floor, signed my name on one, and handed them to David. He snatched the pen from me with venom, but hesitated just before signing."You won't cheat, will you?""I won't.""If you do, you know what will happen."After delivering this threatening statement, David grabbed both forms and stormed out of the room.A soft sigh broke the silence. "Layla, you try so hard to protect him, but does he even kno
As soon as I said this, my husband's expression changed completely.He frowned. "This is hardly the time for jokes."I replied coldly, "David, don't you understand how scarce kidney donors are?"David's eyebrows shot up, his voice taking on an angry edge. "Would I be asking you if they weren't scarce? You're my wife—you can't even help with this?"I almost laughed from sheer disbelief, my eyes falling on their tightly clasped hands. "Oh, so you do remember I'm your wife.""David, please don't get so worked up. Apologize to Dr. Porter,” Ava chimed in with a fake smile plastered on her face, still clutching David's hand. "Dr. Porter, don't misunderstand—there's nothing between David and me. He's just concerned about my condition."I fought the urge to punch her in the face and kept my expression cold. "I'm not misunderstanding anything. The only help I can offer right now is to get you on dialysis immediately."I signaled for the nurses to take Ava for blood work and other tests. ...
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