I’m currently here at my best friend’s office, Arleina Marine Hurpen. She is my one and only best friend since childhood.

Sad to say, she is disabled now..

Because of an unexpected accident that caused her to be seated in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

Even so, we are grateful and blessed because she survived.. and I am even more thankful that I was the one who handled her operation.

“Today is so tiring, we don’t even have a day off as doctors..” Arleina complained and boredly looked at me while turning her wheelchair.

“If I could still stand, I would’ve definitely invited you to a bar or to the beach, to relax and enjoy.” she said sadly while slightly tapping her legs.

“Don’t worry because we’ll still be able to do what you want once we get a day off. And I myself will invite you to relax.” I comforted her and sat in front of her.

“Don’t ever underestimate yourself, because we are more blessed since you were saved from the accident 2 years ago..” I said sadly and she then touched my cheek.

“I am even more thankful to you, because you didn’t give up on my operation. You gave me life, Jad..” she said emotionally and hugged me, so I hugged her back.

“Thank you, because you didn’t let me go at the moment when I should’ve been gone a long time ago..” she said.

“I also know very well that you had many reasons not to continue my operation, especially since that was also the day he passed away..” she said sadly again, and as I was about to tear up, I answered her.

“I couldn’t bear to just let you die like that, especially since I was the one in charge of your operation.. I could never abandon you.” I said meaningfully and gently rubbed her back.

“I still remember, when I woke up I found out you underwent my operation, you also broke up with your ex and your brother—” she was about to continue when I shook my head.

Because there was no point in mentioning it over and over again, it would only bring back painful memories.

Memories I no longer wanted to think about and remember, I just wanted to bury them in the past, and I wanted to move forward, just like she always wanted.

She smiled and said, “Good thing you didn’t immediately give in to your broken era.” she joked while shaking her head, so I laughed.

She also understood my smile and head shake earlier, so I knew she wouldn’t continue what she was about to say about Kuya..

“Of course the operation needed to be successful, you needed to be saved, how could I let you go?” I said with raised eyebrows.

“If I let you go cold, I wouldn’t have anyone to talk to anymore.” I joked and then sat in front of the chair near her table and drank soda.

“So, your only purpose for me is gossiping so you kept me alive?!” she said with raised eyebrows while moving her wheelchair closer to me.

I laughed even more because of her reaction.

And since I like teasing her, I teased her even more.

Haha..

“Something like that.” I said as if it had no malice, so she pouted and I laughed.

“Just kidding.” I corrected.

“You really never get tired of teasing me.” she said while rolling her eyes.

“Because you’re so easy to tease.” I replied again.

She was about to respond when there was a sudden fast knock and the door was quickly opened without waiting for permission, so we both looked at it.

“D-Doc! S-someone is causing trouble in the hospital lobby!” Dr. Paul said breathlessly as he entered, one of the male doctors here.

He is 2 years older than me, but he acts even younger than me, and he also calls me Ate Jad.

He is very playful and cheerful, and he doesn’t look his age because he looks like he’s only eighteen years old.

His family is also one of the shareholders of the hospital managed by my grandfather, so we are also close. And with others as well.

I also consider him like a sibling, probably because I also have a brother.

“What is that, Dr. Paul! Calm down, you’re making me nervous.” Arleina said while holding her chest, also clearly startled. I also frowned at him.

Because I was seeing him like this only now, he looked very panicked and seemed like he didn’t know what to do.

Because I didn’t fully understand what he was saying. “Repeat it again, Doc. What did you say?” I asked again and stood up to approach him.

I couldn’t smile at him immediately, I know how jolly and playful this 22-year-old doctor is. But now he is being serious.

“D-doctor, t-there is a p-parent of a p-patient you handled who is causing a scene because their billing is very high and they even c-called the g-gangster brother of that p-patient you handled..” he said in a long frustrated sentence, still panting because he probably ran..

“A-and also, another patient escaped from Nurse Cha, they say he is a thief teenager..” he added again while still panting.

“How is the billing high, most of Jad’s patients have 30% discount? Especially if it’s severe.” Arleina said worriedly, so I looked at her.

“Oh no, Nurse Cha will be in trouble once the hospital Head in charge finds out..” she said.

“The chairman is really hard to deal with, even his brother Jad cannot make him stop his plans..” she said worriedly again.

“Calm down, sissy. I got this. I will fix the situation downstairs first, I’ll come back after this..” I assured her and looked at Dr. Paul who looked scared and breathless.

“Just be careful..” she said worriedly while holding my hand, so I smiled at her.

“Promise..” I said. And I immediately put on my white coat.

“Let’s go, Dr. Paul..” I said.

“Let’s go, Doc.” he said and walked fast so I did the same.

While we were walking toward the elevator, Dr. Paul said this..

“D-doctor, I-I will repeat our other problem. Another patient of Nurse Cha also escaped, the one involved in beating a gangster they say. Nurse Cha will have a hard time if the chairman finds out..” he said nervously and stuttering.

“How did that one leave without you noticing?” I asked him.

“Doc, he only had a minor injury and neck lock, but it wasn’t that serious, and he said he will just go to the CR, but he didn’t come back after several minutes, so they checked CCTV and he already left the hospital.” he explained again.

“Was he given first aid?” I asked.

“Yes, Doc.” he said so I nodded again.

“That is surely connected to the gangster child of one of my patient’s parents.” I said thoughtfully.

“The patient who escaped, we’ll talk about that later, let’s focus first on the one causing trouble.” I told Dr. Paul.

“And who is the patient being referred to by the parent?” I asked with curiosity, because I always have a full schedule and many names and cases I handled so I can’t remember everything.

“Keil Lackson, Doc.” he said which made me frown.

He probably noticed my expression that I couldn’t remember.

“The one with many tattoos, Doc. The one with eighteen stab wounds on his body, and still unconscious until now..” he added with full details.

I remembered, “The one with so many internal bleeding and used 25 packs of blood because of massive blood loss? Right?” I confirmed.

“Yes, that’s him, Doc.” he agreed politely.

I nodded, “How much is their bill?” I asked curiously while adjusting my eyeglasses as the elevator opened.

“Good morning, Doctor Jad!!” nurses, doctors, staff, and other parents greeted us with smiles as we entered.

“Good morning.” I greeted back and continued walking through the hallway toward the lobby.

“950,000, Doc.” he answered. I stopped and looked at him, and he also stopped.

“That’s low, I remember I gave them a bill of only 250,000..” I said with a frown.

He was shocked too. I wouldn’t be surprised because the discount was very large.

And the remaining balance, I am the one paying for it in the hospital without them really knowing, because I handle medical finances.

And the medical insurance in the hospital, as well as my bank accounts, are all linked for auto payment.

“But Doc, their billing file total is 950,000.” he corrected again.

I nodded. “Maybe the counter hasn’t been updated, or the hospital billing records haven’t been updated.” I said and continued walking.

“Maybe it is still in charge, Doc.” he said, so I nodded.

“Then maybe the record wasn’t updated, or the directors decided it because of blood packs, tools, machines, and medicines attached to the patient.” I explained.

“Especially since this hospital is really well-known in the country, and public hospitals are rare nearby. So it really becomes expensive, because you are not only paying for medical care, but also services.”

“It should’ve been around 2.5 million, but I lowered it because I know it’s not easy to get that amount of money.”

“That’s why I gave 30–80% discount to my patients, even more sometimes..”

As we were nearing the lobby area, I could already hear a woman shouting.

“Because of you, all of you are money-faced! You’re turning your hospital into a business!” the woman angrily shouted while throwing something.

“Ma’am, please calm down, we can talk about this. Please calm down…” someone tried to pacify the raging woman.

“You’re disturbing other resting patients.” I recognized the familiar voice, it was Nurse Cha.

“Ma’am, we are not profiting off our patients, rather we are serving fairly…” Dr. Marcus also responded.

“If you’re really serving fairly, why is the bill so expensive?!” she screamed, as if she was ready to explode at any moment.

“You’re supposedly skilled and well-known in this hospital, but in truth, all you want is money from the poor!” she continued without restraint.

“Just admit it, because you have services and money, you think you’re better than us poor people, so you just milk us! Where are we supposed to get that huge amount?!” she shouted again.

She took a deep breath and said, “You rich people with jobs, working in expensive and well-known places and hospitals, you think you’re so great.”

“You rich people do nothing but profit from and take money from poor people. We already have nothing, yet you still ask for so much.” Now the woman was crying.

People around were whispering. Some were agreeing, others were not.

At that moment, three men also arrived, all with tattoos.

“What did they say, Ma’am?!” a cocky man with green hair said while running his hand through his hair.

I was about to approach when Dr. Paul stopped me and shook his head. “Let’s just wait for the police…” he said, but I shook my head.

“They’ll only get worse if the doctor of their child doesn’t show up,” I said, and suddenly we were startled when Dr. Marcus shouted loudly.

“Damn it, what’s your problem, you chicken-looking woman?!” he shouted first, his voice full of anger and frustration.

“F*ck, why did you push Nurse Cha?!” he cursed loudly.

“Hey, are you okay?!” he asked Nurse Cha worriedly while holding both of her arms.

“Oh no, Dr. Marcus already got a warning. Why did he curse…” someone said in disbelief and worry while scratching the back of their neck.

There is a rule in the hospital that you are not allowed to speak badly or harshly to patients or their guardians.

As a sign of respect for their feelings and pain, even during scandals or chaos, we must remain as calm and respectful as possible.

So Dr. Paul and I looked at each other and immediately ran toward the lobby where Dr. Marcus and Nurse Cha were.

Because if we don’t act immediately, Dr. Marcus might get suspended without warning.

I won’t let that happen, because he really has no filter in his mouth.

Even worse when Nurse Cha is involved, he never lets anything pass.

Many people were already in the lobby and almost everyone was staring, some were even recording videos.

We stopped running and approached where Dr. Marcus and Nurse Cha were.

“Is everything okay?” I asked Nurse Cha worriedly and held her arm to make sure she was really fine.

Tiredness and worry were visible on Nurse Cha’s face. “After that troublesome patient escaped from me, now there’s another problem,” she sighed.

Dr. Marcus was gently rubbing Nurse Cha’s back to calm her down. “We will find that escaped patient… just trust it.”

She shook her head and tapped my hand. “I’m fine, Dra. Jad.” she said, so I nodded. “Good then…”

“Does anything hurt?” Dr. Marcus asked worriedly.

“I already said I’m fine, you’re overreacting!” Nurse Cha replied irritably.

“I’m just asking and worrying about you…” Dr. Marcus muttered like a child, really, he’s like that together with Dr. Paul haha.

They’re so childish.

Nurse Cha didn’t respond anymore and just rolled her eyes afterward.

Meanwhile, Dr. Paul was talking to the patient’s family until…

“What kind of doctors are you?!” shouted a man with red hair. I turned to them and placed my hand on his shoulder, signaling that I would handle the situation.

“Doc…” Dr. Paul said worriedly.

“I’ll handle it…” I said calmly, and he nodded.

He stepped behind me and continued speaking with Nurse Cha, first checking on her.

And now I faced them.

“Could you please calm down?” I asked politely.

“And who is this beautiful woman?” the green-haired man said provocatively.

“She really is beautiful boss,” said one of the tattooed men, who looked to be in his 30s.

He had black hair with a butterfly tattoo on his cheek.

“She could even be a boss lady, right boss?” another man with tattoos and lines on his face said in an irritating tone.

“Son, she is the doctor of your youngest sibling,” the mother said in anger.

Suddenly, the expression on the man’s face her supposed son changed.

“So you’re the greedy doctor who wants us to pay almost one million? What kind of doctor are you?!” he insulted me.

“We can talk about this matter in my office,” I said calmly.

“Stop speaking English to us!” said one of his companions with dyed, streaked hair.

“You’re probably still young, that’s why you look like you only care about money. Did you just use your looks to become a doctor?” another tattooed man insulted me.

“I became a doctor not because of my physical appearance. I am a doctor because I have principles and capability,” I replied. “Right!” I heard Dr. Marcus agree.

“A doctor with principles? More like a fake doctor! Pfft!” the son of the woman sneered. The three of them looked at each other and laughed mockingly.

“That guy is so annoying!” Dr. Marcus said as he was about to rush toward them, but I stopped him.

“It’s better to let them be. If we match their anger, the result will be worse,” I said calmly, so he only glared at them.

“You coward doctor, old man! Because of your service and rotten principles, you pretend to be perfect, but you’re all greedy and evil!” they continued insulting.

“You’re going too far. Your words are inappropriate,” I said sharply.

My temper was starting to rise as well. I hated how they were disrespecting doctors like me people who genuinely care for patients’ lives. They were already stepping on our dignity and clean intentions in the medical field.

“I thought we shouldn’t get angry? But she’s the one getting angry,” I heard Dr. Marcus whisper to Nurse Cha.

“Shut up! You’re not helping,” Nurse Cha hissed back. “Be quiet.”

Even without seeing her, I knew Dr. Marcus was frowning.

“Why are you angry? It’s true, isn’t it? You doctors just want our money,” they continued insulting.

“And you’re saying women shouldn’t be doctors? That we have no capability except handling men’s money, right?” they added disrespectfully.

“With all due respect, if it weren’t for Dra. here handling your child’s case, your son would have already been dead and buried!” Dr. Paul angrily interjected.

At that moment, things were clearly escalating because of them.

“Damn this doctor!” the green-haired man said, grabbing Dr. Paul by the collar and punching him.

“Are you saying my brother should just die?!” he shouted, continuing to punch him.

My eyes widened in shock. I didn’t expect him to do that.

“Oh, f*ck!” Dr. Paul cursed loudly as he tried to stand, but he fell again due to the force of the blows.

“What the—!” Dr. Marcus shouted in shock.

“Oh my God! Dr. Paul!” Nurse Cha also screamed.

We were all frozen in place from shock this was the first time something like this had happened.

I saw the burning anger in Dr. Paul’s eyes. He hadn’t expected the sudden attack, which was why he was taken down like that.

Even though he wanted to fight back, he couldn’t there are laws against violence. He could only defend himself if weapons like knives or guns were involved.

“Be thankful there are rules, or your jaw would already be broken,” Dr. Paul said. He was a black belter in taekwondo, so what he said wasn’t impossible.

“That’s why you’re a coward! You hide behind laws and hospital rules!” the green-haired man insulted again.

“I don’t want this situation,” I said firmly, trying to control myself as my patience was running out.

“Just because we don’t fight back doesn’t mean we’re cowards. We simply follow rules so we don’t worsen the situation,” I added.

“Just because we let you speak doesn’t mean you can hurt people who are only trying to help you,” I continued.

“Help?!” the red-haired man laughed sarcastically.

“You call charging huge bills ‘help’?” he said mockingly.

“We help as much as we can. We are human too, just like you we work hard,” I said again.

The surroundings became silent except for breathing and murmurs.

“We doctors and nurses also have needs. Just like you, we feel pain when we see our patients bleeding,” I explained.

“We don’t want your bills to be that high, but hospital policies must be followed. Otherwise, we won’t have proper supplies,” I clarified.

“Our goal is to save lives. We don’t work here just for money like others think,” I said with a faint smile.

“Do you know what we think inside the operating room? No you don’t, because you’re not in our position,” I said, my emotions slowly building.

“It’s easy to judge, but gratitude is hard for many. Even asking for forgiveness is difficult,” I continued.

“What we think about are the families waiting outside, crying those sounds pierce us inside,” I added.

“And all we think about is saving a life that could turn into a corpse if we give up,” I said as I looked at them, now silently listening.

“Ma’am, to be honest, your child should already be gone. The machine is what is keeping him alive. There is a chance he may wake up, but without it, he would have already passed away,” I explained.

“So you’re saying we should just remove the machine?!” the mother shouted, now crying.

I sighed deeply as Dr. Marcus also sighed.

She misunderstood what I meant.

“No, ma’am. What I mean is that with 18 stab wounds, many hospitals already refused your case because it is critical,” I explained again.

“And the machine keeping him alive is not ordinary. Even the medications are extremely expensive,” I added.

“To be honest, many hospitals already rejected your case, but I insisted on operating because I saw your desperation and love that night,” I said.

“This is actually your fourth hospital,” I continued.

“I really don’t like hearing people beg,” I admitted quietly.

There are consequences for accepting that operation. I could even be suspended for taking the case during my off-duty hours.

“So it’s my mother’s fault why you accepted the case?!” the green-haired man shouted.

“No. I’m only explaining why your bill is like that,” I replied.

“My perception of female doctors will never change. Women like you should just study and learn how to handle your husband’s money,” he insulted again.

I looked at the mother.

“Look closely. You are also a woman. You have no right to speak to a woman like that,” I said sarcastically.

“Because you were also born from a woman!” I added firmly.

“The woman who gave your brother a chance to live I am a woman, yes! But you don’t even know what a woman like me is capable of,” I said strongly.

“Dr. Paul, check the previous bills of patient Keil Lackson. Let them see everything the original amount and my discounts. It’s in my office, black folder. Only one copy,” I ordered.

“Copy, Doc,” Dr. Paul said and ran.

“What will that change?! Will you even increase it?!” the mother shouted.

“You have no heart!” they continued.

At that moment, police had still not arrived, and tensions were rising.

“First, ma’am, your bill is 2.5 million pesos for surgery, 25 packs of blood, internal bleeding treatment, machines, IVs, medications, and room charges,” I explained.

They stepped back in shock.

Dr. Paul returned and handed me the folder.

I opened it and showed them the records.

“You can see the hospital charges here. Because of the 18 stab wounds, we had to do everything to save him,” I explained.

“The original amount is 2.5 million pesos. But because I felt compassion for you, I gave an 80% discount instead of the usual 30–50%,” I added.

“So what you will pay is only 250,000 pesos,” I corrected their misunderstanding of 950k+.

Whispers spread around the room.

“I can’t believe how much she reduced it…”

“Doctors like her are rare…”

“She’s truly a hope for patients…”

“Even after everything she did, they still blame her…”

“That’s true people often don’t see kindness, only flaws.”

I stopped for a moment.

Because that statement was true.

No matter how good you are, people still tend to focus on your mistakes.

“It’s funny,” I thought.

No matter how much good you do, people still see your flaws more.

“I will say it again, I AM JUST A WOMAN!” I said firmly, smiling at the man.

“A woman doctor who can exceed your expectations. We medical professionals have principles and dignity.”