When I Stopped Covering for Them

I looked down.

The title was already typed up.

【Regarding the written apology of Katherine Simmons for losing emotional control during a night shift and undermining department unity.】

They'd even written the charges for me.

I let out a short laugh. 「You've got this down to a science, Director Abbott.」

His expression shifted.

「Katherine, what exactly are you implying?」

I pushed the paper back across the table. 「I'm not writing it.」

Viola's head snapped up. Director Abbott's voice went ice-cold.

「You're not writing it?」

「Then I'll have no choice but to treat this as insubordination.」

「Your reviews, your performance pay, your shifts — all up for reconsideration.」

I nodded.

「Fine.」

「But before that, I've got something I'd like everyone to take a look at.」

He frowned. ：「What are you trying to pull now?」

I reached into my bag and set a stack of printouts on the conference table.

First page: the shift schedule for the past three months.

Second page: the night-shift clock-in records.

Third page: the night-shift differential payout log.

Viola's face went white the second she saw the first line.

Director Abbott reached for the papers. I pressed my hand down on them. 「Not yet.」

「How many night shifts I covered for Viola — I'm guessing none of you remember.」

「I remember.」

Nobody in the room said a word.

I turned the pages one by one.

「Three months.」

「Twenty-seven night shifts.」

「Fifteen of those were originally assigned to Viola.」

「Seven were last-minute assignments from Director Abbott.」

「And five more — someone dropped a “Katherine's young” in the group chat, and my name just got swapped in.」

Director Abbott's face darkened, shade by shade.

Viola forced a smile. 「Katherine, come on — we've been coworkers all this time. What's the point of keeping score?」

I looked at her.

「Because when my mother was sitting at home with no one beside her, I wanted to know.」

「I wanted to know exactly who took my nights.」

I turned to the last page. The shift differential payout log.

The night-shift differential column — amounts and account numbers, clear as day.

People in the room leaned in to look.

Viola shot to her feet, voice shaking. ：「Where did you get this?」

I looked at her.

「Pulled it straight from the hospital system.」

「I work the billing window. Nobody knows accounts better than me.」

Director Abbott slammed his palm on the table. 「Katherine, you accessed internal records without authorization?」

I looked up at him.

「I pulled my own attendance records.」

「But what came out didn't look much like mine.」

I slid the payout log to the center of the table.

My voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it.

「I covered twenty-seven of her night shifts.」

「The shift differentials went into her account — and yours.」