Chapter 267 Painful Memories
After a long, awkward silence, Kathleen finally shook her head and said, "Jessica, as your teacher, I feel it's my duty to support you, but Dr. Turner's situation is a whole different ball game, and I'm kinda stuck here."
Jessica, looking all worried, asked, "Mrs. Hernandez, is Dr. Turner sick or something?"
"Dr. Turner's health has always been kinda iffy, but that's not the main issue. The real deal is..." Kathleen sighed, shut the door, and started, "You're not just anyone, so I'll spill the beans."
"Our hospital's OB-GYN department had this rockstar doc named Nora Turner, the best in the biz and our chief physician. She was like a legend and also my college buddy.
"Years back, we had this emergency with a pregnant lady whose water broke. Dr. Nora Turner saw the baby was struggling to breathe and needed a C-section ASAP. But the lady's mother-in-law went all dramatic, threatening to off herself if they didn't go for a natural birth."
"The poor woman only had her mother-in-law with her. Because of the old lady's drama, they missed the best window for the surgery. By the time the husband showed up, the baby was already gone, and the woman bled out and died too."
"The husband, in his grief and rage, blamed Dr. Nora Turner. He lost it and stabbed her in the heart multiple times."
"Dr. Nora Turner was rushed to the ER, and Dr. Harold Turner, her dad, did the surgery. I remember it like it was yesterday..."
Kathleen's eyes welled up, and her voice cracked as she continued.
"Dr. Harold Turner had just wrapped up three surgeries back-to-back. When he heard about Nora, he dashed into the OR. That surgery dragged on for over ten hours, and he issued several critical condition notices during it."
"We all thought Nora would make it, but she didn't. Even when her heart stopped, Dr. Harold Turner kept trying to bring her back for over two hours, refusing to let go."
"Eventually, he collapsed and had to be carried out, forced to face the harsh reality."
"I remember that day was supposed to be Dr. Harold Turner's last day before retirement. He'd spent his whole life saving people and saw medicine as his calling. So, even on his last day, he was in the OR, working extra hours to save more lives."
"That day was supposed to be his big send-off, retiring with honor after a lifetime of dedication. But instead, he ended up watching his own daughter die on his operating table."
"Since then, Dr. Harold Turner has completely walked away from medicine."
Jessica, hearing all this, couldn't hold back her tears.
When she first started at the hospital, folks had whispered about this tragic event, but no one ever dropped any names. She never imagined it was Harold's daughter.
Wiping away her tears, Jessica, with her eyes all puffy and red, asked, "Mrs. Hernandez, isn't it a rule to avoid having the closest person do emergency procedures? Why didn't they get someone else to save Dr. Nora Turner?"
Kathleen sighed and replied, "Yeah, that's usually the rule, but Nora's condition was super critical, and Dr. Harold Turner was the best we had. He was the most likely to save her, so they let him operate."
Jessica felt a whirlwind of emotions and couldn't find the words. She had no idea about the painful backstory, and now that she did, she couldn't bring herself to ask for help.
"Mrs. Hernandez, thanks for sharing this with me. I get it now," Jessica said.
"Dr. Turner is like a mentor to me, and I hope he can help you out. Over the years, we've gone to him for tough cases, but the results have never been great." Kathleen patted Jessica's shoulder and said earnestly, "Jessica, if you can get Dr. Turner to lead this surgery, we'd be thrilled. It might help him move past his grief and start fresh."
Jessica understood Kathleen's words. It was a tough ask, but worth a shot.
During lunch, Jessica chatted with Tina about Harold.
"Jessica, I've heard about Dr. Turner's situation. It's gonna be really hard to get him to help," Tina sighed.
"Yeah, I know," Jessica said.
Thinking about it, Jessica lost her appetite for lunch.
She didn't notice Gabriel had also come to the hospital cafeteria.
As soon as Gabriel arrived, he spotted Jessica and Tina.
But this time, he couldn't just walk up to her and had to watch from afar.
"Mr. Walton, I'll grab your lunch," Oscar said, catching on quickly when he saw Jessica.
No wonder Gabriel insisted on coming to the cafeteria today. It was to see Jessica.
"Okay." Gabriel nodded and found a spot where he could keep an eye on Jessica.
Even though he came to eat, Gabriel's eyes never left Jessica once Oscar brought the food.
He didn't touch his meal or even the utensils.
Naturally, he quickly noticed Jessica barely ate and seemed really down.
After lunch, Jessica and Tina headed back to their department.
Soon after, Tina heard someone was looking for her.
When she stepped out, she saw a completely unfamiliar face and thought they had the wrong person.
"Hey, are you Tina Ingram?" the guy asked.
Surprised he knew her name, Tina replied, "You know me? But I don't think I know you."
"Ms. Ingram, sorry to bother you. I'm Oscar Murdock. Ms. Morgan's boyfriend sent me to find you. They had a fight, and Ms. Morgan seems really upset today. Can you tell me why?"
Seeing how considerate Jessica's boyfriend was, Tina didn't hesitate and spilled the beans.
A few minutes later, Jessica got a call from Gabriel.
Staring at the phone, Jessica hesitated for a long time. Eventually, the ringing stopped, and the call ended.
But soon, she got a message from Gabriel: [I heard you need Dr. Turner's help? Maybe I can assist you!]
