Well-deserved Slap

Wendy shot out an arm to steady her. ‘Are you all right?’ Callie blinked away the black dots. ‘I’m fine. Just needed a sec.’ Her entire left arm felt numb, like she had a dead tree branch attached to her body. Enduring the weird sensation, Callie removed her mask with her right hand and walked towards the door. ‘Wendy, let me know if anything changes.’ ‘Will do, Dr Hawthorne.’ Callie beckoned at Abby, who had not made a sound since she entered the operating theatre. ‘You. Come with me.’ Abby hesitated, her expression a mix of fear and defiance. But she had no choice but to follow Callie out of the room. Wendy shook her head as she watched the two women leave. Though both were surgical residents, in her mind, only one of them could be called a doctor. As they stepped into an empty hallway, Abby braced herself for a dressing-down. ‘I was only trying to—’ Smack! Before she could finish her sentence, Callie’s right hand connected solidly with Abby’s cheek, leaving a fiery mark behind. The sharp sound of the slap reverberated through the hallway. Abby recoiled, her hand flying to her stinging cheek. The pain mirrored the shock on her face as she stared at Callie, disbelief written all over her features. ‘You...Did you just hit me?’ Callie stood tall, her eyes blazing with a fire that couldn’t be extinguished. ‘Did you not listen to a word I said? You could’ve killed the patient!’ Abby, her tears welling up, mustered a feeble defence. ‘But he didn’t die, did he?’ ‘No thanks to you.’ Callie sneered. Abby bit her trembling lower lip. ‘Fine, I made a mistake! But that doesn’t give you the right to hit me! You are not my superior! You are just a resident!’ ‘Senior resident,’ Callie reminded her. ‘But you still work for my father. He owns this hospital!’ Abby seethed. ‘What do you think he’ll say if he finds out you hit me?’ ‘What do you think he’ll say if he finds out you almost killed a patient?’ Callie shot back. ‘A soldier no less?’ Abby couldn’t find a reply to that sharp remark. So she changed the topic. ‘You just have it in for me because you are jealous! You picked on me because your boyfriend chose me over you! This is revenge!’ Callie’s eyes narrowed, her patience wearing thin. She wasn’t about to let Abby’s words deflect from the real issue. ‘I couldn’t care less if you’re the director’s daughter or my ex-boyfriend’s new squeeze or the queen of the universe. You deserved that slap, and you’ll deserve more than a slap if you keep repeating stupid mistakes like the ones you made today.’ Before Abby could react further, a familiar figure emerged from Operating Theatre One. Simon, fresh out of two back-to-back surgeries, approached with weary steps. His gaze flickered between Callie and Abby, sensing the tension in the air. ‘Abby, what happened?’ he asked, his voice tinged with worry. His protective instincts kicked in as he noticed the red mark on Abby’s cheek. ‘Did Callie do this to you?’ Abby, tears streaming down her face, nodded pitifully. ‘My face hurts!’ Simon turned to Callie, his eyes filled with disbelief. He couldn’t fathom why she would resort to violence. ‘Callie, why did you hit Abby?’ ‘Why don’t you ask her why I did it?’ Simon looked at Abby, who averted her eyes. He turned back to Callie, scowling. ‘Even if she did something wrong, violence isn’t the answer!’ Callie, physically and emotionally drained from the exhausting surgeries and the blood loss she had endured, inhaled deeply. She hadn’t slapped Abby because the woman had taken Simon away from her, but because Abby’s irresponsible actions had put a patient’s life in jeopardy. Yet, Simon jumped straight to Abbey’s defence without even bothering to find out why. Callie couldn’t believe this was the man who had been with her for three years, who’d made the most solemn vows to her. ‘Dr Moncrieff, I did slap her. And I’d have done a lot worse if the patient had died.’ ‘What patient?’ Simon scowled. ‘Why don’t you ask her?’ Callie turned away. ‘Go comfort your precious girlfriend. Just make sure she never sets foot in the operating theatre again!’ She left before Simon could see the tears welling up in her eyes. The pain of being admonished by Simon, who seemed more concerned about Abby’s face than the truth, hurt worse than the blood draw. Callie couldn’t help but wonder: what about the three years they’d spent together? She had placed her trust in Simon, not just as a colleague but also as a boyfriend, believing that they would eventually build a future together. Even if their breakup led her to revise her opinion of him as a man, she never doubted his professional integrity. Simon was a competent doctor. Yet, it was obvious that he didn’t have the same faith in her. Tears blurred Callie’s vision, making everything before her appear hazy. Under a brave facade, her heart throbbed with pain as if it had been ripped in half. She hurriedly walked with her head down, not wanting anyone to witness her sorrow and disarray. Lost in her thoughts, she collided with a man at the corner, her face taking the brunt of the impact as she stumbled backwards. Just as Callie thought she was about to crash onto the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her waist, saving her from the fall. She found herself leaning into a man’s comforting embrace, feeling a warmth in her ear as his breath brushed against her skin. Blinking, Callie mumbled, ‘Um, sorry. And thank you.’ She looked up and stared into a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes. ‘We meet again.’ Elias’s lips curved slightly. He hadn’t anticipated running into her here; a pleasant surprise amidst a hectic and tragic day. ‘Um.’ Callie blinked away her tears, her gaze fixated on Elias, trying to place the familiar face. Then her eyes widened with recognition and surprise. ‘It’s you!’