But Nellie walked right past me without a glance.
She went straight to Chad's side and gently helped him to his feet.
"It's going to be okay. I'll figure something out. You're not going to take the fall for this."
Under the dean's authority, the crowd dispersed quickly.
I was called into the dean's office.
The moment the door clicked shut, every trace of that stern composure vanished from her face.
Panic replaced it.
"Thomas! I know this wasn't your fault, but you have to save this patient!"
"He's Edna Henson's brother. If he actually dies in our hospital, everyone — from the top of the chain all the way down to you — will have nowhere to hide!"
I let out a long breath.
The truth was, the only reason I'd dared let my phone stay dead was because I knew my colleagues were skilled enough to keep the patient alive.
Even if I didn't show up until after I'd slept, the patient could still be saved.
And that meant everything that came next was still on the table for negotiation.
I looked at the dean.
"What happened today — the responsibility doesn't fall on Chad Armstrong alone. It falls on Nellie Sullivan too."
The dean blinked.
I slid a signed document across her desk.
"Chad performing a single-handed thoracotomy? That was personally approved by Nellie."
"We're shouldering enormous risk, all to clean up the mess these two made. So, Dean Edwards, I can handle the fallout.
"But Chad Armstrong isn't the only one who needs to face consequences."
I pressed both hands flat against the desk. "If you don't deal with Nellie Sullivan properly, this will happen again.
"And next time, I'm not sure I'll be able to save this hospital."
The dean's expression turned grave.
Nellie was her protégée, someone who'd been at her side since medical school.
But when the hospital's core interests were at stake, even a protégée had to be dealt with.
Especially now, when she still needed me to save Ms. Henson's brother, Gregory.
"That ungrateful wretch! She thinks my patronage gives her license to do whatever she wants!"
She slammed the agreement down on the desk.
"You have my word. Not only will I block the research fellowship she's about to apply for, I'll kill her promotion report too.
"After this, she'll be stuck doing grunt work on the ground floor. She'll never get near a core position in this hospital again."
I let the corner of my mouth curl upward.
And signed.