Chapter 22
The nurses behind Ashley quickly pitched in. One of them snatched the liquor bottle. After all, if something went south, the hospital could get in trouble. But if the patient did it to themselves, that was a whole other story.
Seeing their action, Olivia shot a glare at the care workers beside her. She had instructed them last night to dispose of it during the morning clean- up. Yet, here it was, overlooked.
“Ms. Garcia, I warned you–no alcohol. Can’t you follow basic medical instructions? Ashley’s displeasure was clear. She disliked patients who
refused to listen.
“They were the ones drinking, not me. I’m just feeling lousy from the meds you gave me. Don’t you ever try to dodge your responsibility,” Olivia retorted, pointing at the care workers. She knew last night’s drinking wouldn’t show up in her tests, so she felt safe.
Ashley rolled her eyes and decided to call it a day. No point in belaboring the obvious! She strode over and grabbed Olivia’s arm, preparing to stick her with a needle for a blood sample.
“What’s up?” Olivia’s eyes widened in panic as she backed away.
Ashley shot Olivia a chilling glare, freezing her in her tracks. “If you didn’t drink, why are you so jumpy?”
Ashley slid the needle in, drawing blood into a small vial. “Run tests on this, and let me know the results later, she instructed a nurse.
Ashley’s face stayed poker–straight as she dropped the bomb with an icy tone, People die untreated here all the time. If you’re not up for sticking around, feel free to go back home instead of wasting medical resources. After jotting down some notes, she shrugged off Olivia’s freak–out and went back to business, strolling off to her office without a backward glance.
Thirty minutes later, Elsa Sloan, the Nurse Manager, knocked on the door to inform Ashley that Noah and several directors were waiting for her in Olivia’s room. Suppressing an inner eye–roll, Ashley put down her pen. She wasn’t surprised Olivia had caused another ruckus. Since Olivia was asking for trouble herself, Ashley didn’t mind spending a bit of time dealing with it..
As Ashley arrived, a crowd had gathered outside the room, making way for her, though only her closest colleagues seemed worried. Holding the test results she’d snatched, Ashley pushed open the door. The room was crammed. Olivia lay pale in the bed, hooked up to a respirator. Eric gripped her hand, his sorrowful expression turning Ashley’s stomach
“Dr. Garcia, how could you mess up a patient’s treatment like that? Mixing up meds is totally unacceptable!” One director fired the first shot, setting off a flurry of criticism.
Ashley didn’t even bother to look up, clearly annoyed
“Alice, look at the mess you’ve made. It’s tarnishing the hospital’s reputation. If it weren’t for Mr. Anderson and Ms. Garcia being so forgiving, you’d be done for,” Noah said in a pitiful tone with a hint of impatience as he glanced at Ashley. Any of her mistakes could land the hospital in hot water. They couldn’t risk their reputation, no matter what.
Unfazed, Ashley scanned the room before locking eyes with Eric. She felt irritated by Eric throwing his weight around and simply wished they could turn to another doctor for medical help.
