Reincarnated Mercenary on Duty

Meanwhile, inside the hospital operating room, Dr. Talia worked with practiced precision, flanked by four nurses. But her movements were stiff, her gaze constantly flickering toward Zoey, who stood at the back of the room disguised as a nurse.

Zoey noticed Talia's trembling hands as the surgeon adjusted her tools. The tension in the air was palpable, and Zoey decided to step forward. She moved closer, careful not to draw too much attention.

Talia glanced at her, her voice barely above a whisper. "How's the other 'operation' going, Nurse Zoey?"

Zoey hesitated. Frank hadn't updated her yet, and she hated the idea of giving false hope. But seeing the desperation in Talia's eyes, she forced a nod. "It's... in progress."

Talia exhaled shakily. Her shoulders slumped as she set down the surgical instruments. Her hands moved to her glasses, slipping them off as she took a step back from the operating table.

The head nurse, Liz, immediately stepped forward, her voice sharp with alarm. "Doctor, what are you doing? You need to finish the procedure!"

Talia ignored her, speaking with a calmness that was at odds with the storm in her eyes. "We have to stop this. Everyone I am calling this. I want you to all calmly exit the room."

"Doctor," Liz began, her tone pleading now, "the patient—"

"I am declaring myself unfit to continue this procedure," Talia interrupted.

"I will stabilize the patient," Talia interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. "And then I'll follow. But this ends here. Everyone, leave the room. Now."

The nurses hesitated, their eyes darting between each other. Finally, one by one, they began filing out. All except Liz and Rudy, who lingered.

Liz stepped forward, her jaw set. "I'm staying, Doctor. You can't handle this alone."

Talia looked at her for a long moment before giving a reluctant nod. "Fine." She turned to Zoey, who had been standing silently, watching the scene unfold.

Walking up to Zoey, Talia spoke in a hushed tone. "Liz and I will carefully remove the tools from the patient's chest cavity. I need you to go to the cabinets in the scrub room and find a vial of Propofol. We'll keep him sedated until another surgeon can take over."

Zoey nodded, her expression firm yet supportive. "Whatever happens, Doctor, just know—you made the right decision." With that, she exited the room to retrieve the Propofol.

Inside the operating room, the heart monitor's rapid beeping shattered the tense silence.

"Beep… beep… beep!"

Talia rushed to check the monitor. Her eyes widened as she read the vitals. "He's crashing. Blood pressure is plummeting."

"He's going into V-tach!" Liz exclaimed, feigning urgency.

"You must have nicked an artery," Liz added.

Talia's eyes darted to the surgical monitor, showing the patient's internal bleeding. Her heart sank as realization dawned. She turned to Liz, her voice cold and sharp. "It was you... You made the incision."

Liz gave a dismissive shrug. "No, Doctor. You're the surgeon here. I'm just a nurse." Her lips curled into a smirk. "Or in this case, the backup plan."

Talia's stomach twisted. "You knew they've taken my son."

Liz's gaze hardened. "Just let him die. One life isn't worth losing your son."

Fury ignited in Talia's eyes as she shoved Liz away from the operating table. "I'm not letting him die!" she snapped, grabbing the surgical tools with trembling but determined hands.

Liz stepped closer, her tone cold and calculating. "I understand what's at stake for you, Doctor. It's just one life. No one would blame you."

Talia didn't look up, her focus locked on the patient as she worked to stabilize him. "It's still a life," she said firmly, her voice unwavering.

The tension in the room was palpable as Talia fought against the odds, her hands moving with precision despite the weight of Liz's words hanging in the air.

Seeing Talia hell-bent on saving the patient, Liz's expression darkened. Her gaze darted around the room until it landed on the incision knife. Without hesitation, she snatched it up and swung it in Talia's direction.

Just as the blade cut through the air, Zoey swept in, her movements swift and precise. She delivered a sharp blow to the back of Liz's head, sending the nurse crumpling to the floor, unconscious.

Talia froze, her chest heaving as she turned to Zoey.

Zoey straightened, slipping the knife safely away from Liz's reach. "I just came back to give you the good news," she said with a faint smile. "I got a text from my partner—your son is safe."

Talia's knees almost buckled as relief washed over her. "Thank you... thank you so much."

"Hey, no time for that!" Zoey said, gesturing toward the patient. "He's still dying!"

"Oh—right!" Talia snapped out of it and rushed back to the operating table. With Zoey's assistance, she quickly stabilized the patient just as the backup medical team arrived to take over.

After the chaos subsided, Talia returned to her office. The moment she stepped inside, her eyes landed on her son, who was sitting in her chair, happily licking a lollipop.

"Mom!" the boy shouted, leaping off the chair and running into her arms.

Talia dropped to her knees, pulling him into a tight embrace. She closed her eyes and let out a long, trembling sigh of relief.

Outside the cabin, Zoey stood watching the reunion with a soft smile on her face.

"Getting sentimental?" Frank's voice came from behind her.

Zoey turned to face him, her smile morphing into a sly grin. She strode up to him, stopping so close their faces were mere inches apart.

Before Frank could say a word, Zoey grabbed his collar and pulled him into a deep kiss.

When she pulled back, her eyes sparkled with mischief. "You did good today. Consider it a reward."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked off, leaving Frank standing there, utterly stunned.

Frank touched his lips, his voice a quiet mumble. "I... didn't see that coming."