Chapter 009

"Got it!"

Sean's eyes lit up with excitement, and he immediately reached for his phone.

Claire paused. "One more thing..." She took a breath. "My biological parents. I'd like you to keep an eye out—see if you can find any leads about them."

In her previous life, she'd always believed her birth parents had abandoned her. She'd never even thought to search for them. Instead, she'd been pathetically grateful to the Sullivan family.

Only when she was dying did she learn the truth: she hadn't been abandoned. The Sullivans had stolen her—just to use her as a blood bank for Rachel.

This time around, Claire wasn't clinging to some fantasy of family love. She just wondered if her biological parents might still be looking for her. If they were, shouldn't she at least meet them?

Sean agreed without hesitation. "Got it."

Claire grabbed her bag. "I won't keep you. Get back to work. I need to go home to my husband."

Sean froze. He stared at her in disbelief. "Chief Sullivan, what did you just say? Husband?"

"Yeah." At the mention of Ethan, Claire's cool expression softened into a smile. "I'm married. But Sean, you have to keep it a secret, okay? Don't tell Saskia yet, or she'll go beat him up."

Ethan was still in a wheelchair. No way he could take on Saskia.

Sean stood there, stunned. Forget Saskia—he wanted to beat someone up himself. Chief Sullivan was just a kid. She hadn't even graduated high school, and someone had already married her?

Unacceptable.

All the way to the door, Sean looked like a kicked puppy about to cry.

Claire, on the other hand, waved goodbye cheerfully and left with a spring in her step.

She'd see her handsome, adorable Ethan soon. The thought made her walk even faster.

But just as she was about to leave Ghost Street, a panicked shout rang out nearby. "Don't scare me like this! Wake up!"

Claire turned toward the sound. An elderly man—around seventy, with a graying beard—lay on the ground, convulsing. A young man, probably his driver Beck, crouched beside him, face twisted with fear.

A crowd quickly gathered, murmuring and pointing. "At his age, fainting is serious. Someone call an ambulance."

Beck fumbled for his phone, but the moment he let go of the old man, the man's face turned ashen and his breathing grew even shallower.

Beck dropped the phone and shook him desperately. "Mr. Crane! Wake up! Mr. Crane!"

Claire's voice cut through the chaos. "Stop shaking him. You keep that up and he really won't make it."

Beck's head snapped up. "Are you a doctor?"

Claire gave a brief nod and knelt beside Mr. Crane. "Help me lay him flat."

Beck obeyed immediately.

Claire loosened the old man's collar and the clothing around his chest, then tilted his head to the side. Without a stethoscope, she leaned down and pressed her ear to his chest. "Before he collapsed, did he complain of chest tightness or trouble breathing? Were his lips and face turning blue?"

"Yes. Yes, exactly." Beck nodded frantically.

Claire wasn't surprised. "Cardiogenic syncope with cardiac arrest. We can't wait for an ambulance."

Beck heard the confidence in her voice, saw the calm in her eyes. "What do we do? Can you save him? Please, you have to save Mr. Crane."

Before Claire could answer, a mocking laugh rang out from the crowd. "If you listen to her, Mr. Crane's as good as dead. She's not a doctor. She's never even been to medical school. She's just a vocational high school student playing pretend."

Amber.

Amber couldn't believe her rotten luck today. First Claire had slapped her, then Unity Alliance had thrown her out and blacklisted her. She'd spent the whole walk fuming, trying to figure out who she'd pissed off.

Still hadn't figured it out.

She'd wandered over when she saw the crowd, and of course Claire was here too, putting on some big act like a famous doctor.

It made her blood boil.

Beck's expression shifted. He yanked Mr. Crane away from Claire, blocking her from touching him. He'd been too panicked before, but now that he looked closer—Claire was so young. Of course she was just a high schooler.

Amber sneered. "She's more likely to kill him than save him. Mr. Crane clearly has acute cerebral and cardiac insufficiency. It's not that serious—just needs a simple procedure." She pulled out her medical license. "My name is Fairfax. I'm a senior at Mist City Medical School. Here's my license. Who are you going to trust—me or her?"

Beck hesitated, looking between them.

Claire looked so young—definitely not a doctor. But she'd described Mr. Crane's symptoms perfectly.

Amber made it sound simple, but she was from a legitimate medical school.

He didn't know what to do.

Just then, someone in the crowd recognized Amber and shouted, "I know her! She's Dr. Fairfax's daughter from Fairfax Hospital. She's been training there since she was a kid. She's really good."

Others chimed in agreement.

Amber preened, looking down at Mr. Crane and Beck with smug superiority. "The patient's condition is critical. He needs surgery immediately, or he'll suffocate and die."

Claire had no interest in engaging with Amber, but a life was at stake. She wouldn't stand by and let anyone die because of ignorance or arrogance.

She fixed Amber with a cold stare. "Dr. Fairfax's precious daughter. Top medical student. Is this really all you've got? The man clearly has cardiogenic syncope and cardiac arrest, and you're calling it insufficient blood flow?"

Amber shot back immediately. "Claire, are you questioning me? You're a vocational school student who's never studied a day of medicine in your life. What gives you the right to question me?"