One Second to Justice

He jerked his chin toward the two security guards.

One of them immediately stepped forward and reached for my shoulder.

"Sir, you'll need to come with us."

The intern, Benjamin, rushed out again and spread his arms in front of me.

"Dr. Johnson, you can't do this! The patient is still waiting for emergency treatment! We can't delay care just because there's a procedural issue about the guardian's identity!"

Edward exploded at once, pointing a finger straight at Benjamin's face.

"Benjamin, have you lost your mind? Who told you to meddle? You think this helps? All you're doing is escalating tensions between doctors and patients. Don't want your bonus this month? Or should I make sure you don't even graduate?"

It was a cheap threat, but for an intern, it worked.

Benjamin's lips trembled. He tried to speak, but no words came out.

Watching the fury twist Edward's face only confirmed what I had already suspected.

I looked at him and did something he did not expect.

"Fine. I won't insist on the surgery."

I met their eyes, as if conceding something enormous.

Edward and Alicia exchanged a glance, and they both visibly relaxed.

I said calmly, "Since you're refusing to operate because you question my legal status as her guardian, then please issue me a formal refusal of treatment. That way, I can transfer her to another hospital."

At the mention of a written refusal, Edward's shoulders eased.

It was just a piece of paper. As long as it got rid of me, they did not care.

"If you'd cooperated like this earlier, none of this would've happened," he sneered. "Some people just always choose the hard way."

He waved dismissively at Alicia.

"Alicia, write him the form. Let him go. We've got work to do."

Alicia answered smugly and pulled out a sheet of paper from the drawer.

However, she had no intention of letting me off that easily.

Without hesitation, she ticked the box: Guardian identity in doubt.

That was not enough.

In the remarks section below, she added:

'Family member displays violent tendencies and refuses to cooperate with hospital verification procedures. Strongly recommend contacting the police.'

She shoved the paper out through the window, her face dripping with contempt.

"Take that bastard and get out. I'd like to see which hospital in this city dares to accept you."

I took the paper. My fingertips were cold.

They thought this was humiliation.

They did not realize it was their own death warrant.

What they insulted was not just me as a father. What they trampled on was the bottom line of the law.

The law was clear: for patients in critical condition, physicians must take emergency measures. They were not permitted to refuse treatment.

Now, not only had they refused, but they had handed me written proof of their refusal.

From this moment on, the nature of this incident had completely changed.

"Dr. Johnson." I pointed to the blank signature line in the lower right corner. "According to procedure, this needs the department head's signature, doesn't it?"

At this point, Edward only wanted me driven out of his hospital.

Impatiently, he snatched the pen and signed his name in the space marked Department Head.

"There. Now get out. Stop disrupting hospital order."

I slipped the signed refusal into the inner pocket of my jacket.

Then I turned to the intern who had tried to help me.

"Thank you, Benjamin. Please keep a record of my daughter's medical visit."