7

When Liam got to Neurology, a maintenance worker was taking down my pictures.

"What are you doing?"

Liam grabbed a photo of my headshot off the floor, his eyes bloodshot.

"Who told you to take down Madison's pictures?!"

The worker recognized Liam. "Dr. Sterling, this..."

The head nurse from Neurology heard the commotion and came out, telling the worker to leave. "Liam? Are you trying to start a fight?"

Liam tried to force a polite smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "I'm looking for Madison. Can she come out for a minute?"

The head nurse glared at Liam. "Dr. Sterling, are you that out of touch? Don't you know our Madison is..."

She wiped away tears and snatched the photo from Liam's hand. "We can handle our own, there's no need for the head of orthopedic surgery to do it!"

I wanted to cheer. That's right, you tell him! All those lattes I bought you weren't for nothing. But then I felt a pang of sympathy.

Don't cry for me. If your eyes get red, you won't be able to argue with those nurses.

Liam stared blankly, as if he hadn't heard a word. "Don't joke like that. I know Madison's mad at me. She's just a little high strung, I have to smooth things over."

He strode into the department, heading straight for the doctors' office. "Madison? Madison?"

He saw that my desk was cleared out, his face changed. He grabbed Peter, a resident, by the collar, his jaw clenched and veins bulging. "Where's Madison's stuff? Why is everything gone?"

Luckily, the other doctors were there. Seeing one of their own attacked, even by Liam, was too much.

Someone grabbed Liam's arm and shoved him against the wall.

"You don't know why it's gone, Dr. Sterling? I heard from the anesthesiologists that you ignored three requests to come off the table! Talk about dedication to your job!"

A resident who was in medical school with me wanted to tear Liam apart.

"They were both admitted at the same time! One has a compound fracture, and the other had surface wounds. Does that make sense to you? Madison clearly had signs of temporary memory loss! Why didn't you check for a brain bleed and send her back? You in orthopedics only think about fractures?"

"You got her in the ER, you big 'expert,' and look what you wrote! Multiple soft tissue contusions? If you guys didn't have the staff or the beds, you could have sent her back to us! We'd have found people to treat her! This is medical malpractice!"

Dr. Harrison, who was like a father to me, came in. He looked around and told everyone to sit down.

Then he turned to Liam, being polite.

"Dr. Sterling, I've applied to seal Madison's records. If there's anything wrong, we can look at it later. We're a small department, so we won't keep you."

Liam was kicked out, devastated.

But who was to blame?

I told you I didn't remember what happened, but you believed Brittany and thought I was lying.

I told you I was dizzy, but you told me not to play victim. Brittany couldn't wait.

In the end, I didn't have the strength. You were just so cold.

Liam, I was at the hospital and should have been treated properly, but your bias delayed my treatment.

You killed me.

8

I finally saw my mom as Liam knelt in front of our house.

My mom was in much better shape than I expected. My sister, Emily, had come home to be with her.

Good. I can rest easy now.

My mom was a kind person, but she didn't soften toward Liam.

"Even if you die kneeling there, I won't let you see Madison."

Emily looked at Liam with disgust. "Don't you have a Brittany to take care of? Why aren't you with your baby? What are you doing at our house?"

"Liam, you better hope I don't find out that she did anything to my sister, or I won't let her get away with it!"

Then Brittany called.

"Liam, my leg hurts. Can you come see me? I heard about Madison..."

Emily grabbed the phone. "Don't you call her sister! I'm her only sister! If you say that again, I'll tear your mouth off!"

I hugged Emily.

Don't worry. I'm okay, sis.

Emily threw the phone back to Liam, and my mom turned and walked away.

Liam stayed hunched over for a long time. Since I was connected to him, I got bored.

He was crying.

Brittany called again. "Liam, who was that? She was mean..."

Liam didn't answer. Instead, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Brittany, tell me, did Madison push you down the stairs and hurt you on purpose?"

Of course not.

Brittany: "Are you doubting me? How could I lie to you..."

Liam hung up.

He went to the place where it happened.

Above, a traffic camera watched everything.

9

"My car was hit."

Liam went to the police station.

He lied about his car and got into the surveillance room.

But my mom and sister were already there.

With the police.

They smirked.

"So your car was hit on the same day that something happened to Madison."

My mom and sister were sure that I had been attacked, so they called the police to find out the truth.

What was Liam afraid of?

Was I the one who hurt myself, just to get back at Brittany?

The video played. It showed Brittany and me talking on the side of the road. A motorcycle came. I pushed Brittany out of the way and got hit.

I nodded.

That's right.

Brittany came to explain her relationship with Liam.

We were arguing when the motorcycle came.

If I hadn't pushed her, Brittany would have died!

Liam looked pale.

"Idiot!"

Emily yelled.

I wanted to wipe away her tears.

It's okay, sis.

My sister is smart. She'll take care of Mom.

The truth was out. I wanted to leave, but everyone was still.

The video wasn't over!

Brittany got up!

What? Her fracture?

The motorcycle turned around. The driver spoke to Brittany.

Then, Brittany walked to me and broke her own leg!

I was terrified.

She's even scarier than me!

I woke up, saw Brittany pretending to be unconscious, and called 911.

I had amnesia because of my head injury.

Brittany said I pushed her.

Even on the ambulance, Liam thought I was faking.

Liam was pale.

He has always seen Brittany as a younger sister who needed him.

He looked at my mom. "I'll avenge Madison."

"Avenge?"

My mom looked at him coldly.

"We don't need that. My daughter will get justice."

My mom and sister turned to the police and bowed, with tears in their eyes.

They walked out. Liam stayed in the shadows.

10

The police took Brittany, and her leg hadn't healed yet.

She cried and grabbed Liam's leg, but the police pried her hands off.

"Liam, tell them I didn't do it. Do you believe me?"

Liam's mouth moved.

I rolled my eyes. Where's my popcorn?

"Brittany, you have to pay for what you did."

"There's a camera."

Liam was tired.

I understand.

Brittany's mom wanted him to take care of her. He raised Brittany since she was little.

"The surveillance camera" made Brittany's face change.

She looked at him with a smile.

"Okay. Thank you for everything. Goodbye."

Dr. Harrison collected evidence and gave it to my mom. "Sue them. It was medical malpractice."

If they had looked at my pupils or done a CAT scan, I might have survived.

Liam betrayed the doctor's code and believed Brittany.

In court, Liam confessed. The hospital wanted to keep him, so they hired the best lawyers, and he was demoted.

Dr. Harrison yelled at the president all afternoon but didn't change anything.

He saw Liam standing outside, shaking.

"Did you think you were the only one who could save people?"

"Madison was also a talented doctor! You let a neurosurgeon die of a brain bleed!"

Liam looked exhausted.

"I know."

Dr. Harrison whispered.

Dr. Harrison's words hurt me.

"You better be worth it."

Liam trembled and didn't look up.

11

Liam hired a private investigator.

He explained everything that happened between Brittany and me.

The investigator also knew some things that I didn't remember.

Brittany was determined.

Liam went to see her.

He taped the evidence to the glass.

"Brittany, why do you hate me?"

Brittany was thin. She looked confused.

"I don't hate you. I wanted to marry you. Blame Madison."

Liam's veins bulged.

"You haven't changed! I was good to you! How could you hurt me? How could you be so evil?"

Brittany glared and said, "I don't care who you like! I want to marry you. Why should I care? Yes, you treated me like a sister. I was working toward the future. What did you give to me?"

"I had to find an equal. Why would I be so kind? I'm sorry, Madison! It's your fault!"

"Why can't you wonder. I'm not you!"

The corrections officer took Brittany away.

"It's all your fault. Good-bye."

"You better pray that you die a little early, because Madison would never wait for you in hell."

Liam sat there.

This was the first time I had seen him like that.

He called my mom.

"Please, tell me where Madison is buried. Anything!"

"Dream."

I'd had enough of him.

12

Dr. Harrison was going to ask for my skeleton back, but the donation couldn't be changed.

Liam prepared to put me where I was supposed to be.

He was crazy.

He wanted to put clothes on me.

Luckily, he put a white coat on me.

He took out a ring.

Stop that!

He did.

"Sorry."

He was in pain.

Poor him.

Why was he acting?

Brittany knew Liam better than Liam.

He had an option.

Like the mango cake that he had always claimed wasn't available.

Why was he in love?

The sun set.

Liam faced me for a day and night.

He was the specimen.

They wanted him to do the surgery.

Liam seemed to wake up when he saw the pictures.

He was afraid.

13

Liam washed his hands.

He was afraid.

"Dr. Sterling?"

He couldn't.

Liam ran out.

He fell.

The hospital asked why.

"When I had a knife, I always thought of how to save her."

"She hates me for letting her die."

I didn't.

Everyone knew Liam was useless.

They wanted him to do internal medicine.

He refused to leave.

They told him to prove that he could save me.

Liam had failed.

I was sad for a man whose life was gone.

He wasn't the same.

He felt what happened.

"Madison, do you forgive me?"

I can't.

I'm leaving.