The Emergency Room Secret

"Dr. Foster, there's a girl with severe hemorrhaging in the ER. Her emergency contact... is your husband."

The nurse's words were like a sword, instantly piercing through my calm exterior.

Five years of marriage, and Nathan Carter had always been the perfect husband. He was a renowned university professor, and I was an OB-GYN—in everyone's eyes, we were an enviable power couple.

But who could have imagined that a blood-soaked New Year's Eve would bring this beautiful dream crashing down?

When that blood-covered girl was wheeled into the emergency room, my hands trembled slightly. She was only nineteen, yet already teetering on the edge of death.

At that moment, I didn't yet know that her appearance would not only expose my husband's true nature but would completely change my life.

...

"Dr. Foster, you're so dedicated." Nurse Kelly walked into the on-call room carrying a steaming bowl of instant noodles. "Still on duty on New Year's Eve."

I forced a tired smile.

"Won't Professor Carter be upset?" Kelly set the bowl in front of me, looking at me with concern.

My chopsticks paused in mid-air. "He understands." Actually, Nathan had suggested I transfer to a regular clinic, but I'd refused. Every rescue in the ER was a race against death—that sense of mission made it impossible for me to let go easily.

"You should eat while it's hot." Just as Kelly was speaking, the ER phone suddenly rang. She quickly answered, her expression instantly turning grave. "Understood. The ambulance is on its way."

I set down my barely-lifted chopsticks. "What's the situation?"

Kelly's voice trembled slightly. "Nineteen-year-old girl, severe hemorrhaging. The head nurse says... it's critical."

I immediately stood up, my white coat's hem drawing an arc in the air. "Prepare the trauma bay."

Ten minutes later, the ambulance's piercing siren shattered the night's tranquility. Kelly and I rushed toward the ER entrance. On the gurney lay a girl with a deathly pale complexion, her faded school uniform soaked through with blood.

"Patient status?" I checked her vital signs while asking the paramedic.

"Suspected miscarriage, BP 60/40, pulse 120." The paramedic's voice was tense. "She was hemorrhaging heavily when found."

My fingers tightened slightly. "Prep the OR!" Turning to Kelly, I said, "Contact the patient's family immediately!"

Kelly flipped through the documents in the patient's belongings and suddenly let out a soft gasp. "Patient's name is Lily Martinez, nineteen years old. Emergency contact is..." Her voice cut off abruptly.

"What's wrong?" I frowned at her.

Kelly's face went deathly pale. "The emergency contact is Professor, Professor Carter..."

My scalpel nearly dropped to the floor, my pupils contracting sharply. Nathan Carter? My husband? No, this wasn't the time to think about that.

"Contact him immediately!" I said through gritted teeth, my voice trembling in a way even I didn't notice.

The surgical lights blazed to life, their harsh white glow revealing that Lily Martinez's condition was worse than expected. Uterine hemorrhaging—test results showed she'd been over two months pregnant, miscarrying due to improper medication.

The surgery lasted nearly two hours. When I walked out of the OR, I saw Nathan standing at the end of the corridor. He was still wearing the suit from our family's New Year's dinner, but his tie was askew, making him look unusually disheveled.

"Claire..." He called my name, his voice hoarse.

I removed my mask and said in the calmest tone possible, "The patient's condition has stabilized." After a pause, I asked, "You're her professor?"

Nathan's fingers unconsciously rubbed the hem of his suit jacket. "Yes, she's my student."

"Where are her parents?" I stared into his eyes.

"Back in their hometown." He looked away. "I'm her instructor and academic advisor, so..."

I watched his evasive gaze, a strange, indescribable feeling welling up inside me. In five years of marriage, this was the first time I'd seen such panic on this usually confident man's face.

"She needs rest now." I turned to leave, then paused. "Come back tomorrow to visit."

Nathan opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing, nodding as he left.

I stood in the corridor, watching his flustered retreat, suddenly feeling this New Year's Eve was extraordinarily long.