Chapter 2

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital. The smell of dirt and blood that lingered before I passed out was gone. It was replaced by the familiar and comforting scent of disinfectant.

My body was wrapped in bandages, especially my right hand. It was completely bundled up from my upper arm right down to my fingertips. I resembled a mummy.

I had no idea how long I'd been trapped under that cupboard. I only felt an inexplicable sense of fear creeping over me. I was terrified of the aftermath should my hand be permanently damaged.

There was some movement at the door, and a doctor in a white coat walked in.

Noticing that I had opened my eyes slightly, he seemed visibly excited and quickly walked over to me. "You're finally awake, Dr. Smith. How are you feeling?"

I looked up at him, forcing myself to stay calm. Then, I asked, "Will my right hand recover fully back to what it once was?"

His expression froze, and his expression became noticeably grim.

I had a bad feeling about what I was going to hear.

The doctor hesitated for a while and sighed heavily.

"Dr. Smith, your right hand was under pressure for too long. The nerve damage is severe. Even with the combined efforts of our entire hospital last night, we barely managed to save your hand… It's unlikely for you to return to the operating table."

I let out a bitter laugh and closed my eyes in despair. As a doctor myself, how could I not understand the gravity of the situation?

With all color drained from my face, I continued, "How did I get out? Was it Shaun Gabler who called for help?"

The doctor paused before replying, "Dr. Zahn said you were providing pro bono medical services at Trinity Hospital in Covale. When he couldn't reach you after the earthquake, he contacted the mayors of both Covale and the neighboring Dalspire.

"They sent a team to search for you all afternoon before rescuing you from the rubble and transporting you here for treatment. We haven't heard of the name you just mentioned."

My mentor, Nigel Zahn, was an internationally renowned cancer specialist. He had dedicated his life to cancer research and made some remarkable breakthroughs in his later years.

However, his advanced age meant he could no longer perform surgeries.

Throughout his career, he had trained countless doctors, but I was the only one capable of carrying on his legacy.

He'd once said that I had the necessary calmness and steadiness. On top of that, he'd praised me for pursuing medicine solely to save lives without any ulterior motives.

Because of this, he taught me everything he knew and placed his hopes of curing cancer entirely on me. I was the only doctor in the country with a chance of saving cancer patients.

But now, my hand was ruined.

It wasn't just my promising career as a doctor that was destroyed. As I thought of those terminally ill patients, their gaunt faces filled with hope as they asked me if there was still a chance, my heart broke into pieces.

…

On the third day of my hospital stay, Shaun finally showed up.

He brought a thermal container with him and acted as if nothing had happened when he came to visit me.

"How are you feeling now, Nancy?" he asked, his eyes shifting around. "I heard that your hand is seriously injured. Can it still be treated?"

The moment he arrived, he went straight for my sore spot.

Anger surged within me, and I looked at him with a cold smile. "Shaun, you said you'd get someone to save me. But where were you?"

His mouth opened and closed. It took him a while to form a sentence. "Flora fainted. I had to take her to a safe place quickly—"

"So you just left me there to die?" I cut him off, my eyes brimming with tears.

"If it weren't for Dr. Zahn alerting the mayors of Covale and Dalspire about my role in the area of cancer, there wouldn't have been a rescue team sent just for me. I wouldn't just have lost my hand—I would've lost my life!"

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Shaun's eyes. He held my hand, looking extremely aggrieved.