The next morning, Anna got up early because she had a meeting. Grabbing a few bites of breakfast, she then hurried to the hospital.
At the hospital, while Anna was still putting on her white coat, Nancy barged into her office, saying, âWhat took you so long to get here? The meeting is about to begin!â
Anna replied, âI need to put on my white coat first. Whatâs this meeting about? | heard the dean is coming.â
ââThey are seeking volunteers. Iâve heard that the epidemic is. resuming in Fleosil, and the International Medical Association is requesting help from all over the world. The small countries surrounding it will suffer if they canât control the epidemic,â Nancy spoke up right away.
Sighing, Nancy added, âThe documents in your hands contain all of the information our hospitalâs doctors learned during their research trip to Fleosil. The situation is far worse than we had anticipated, so we decided to send twice as many teams as originally planned to assist.â
Frowning, Anna flipped through the files in her hand. She knew clearly what was going on in Fleosil because she had checked the situation before the hospital dispatched a team of doctors to investigate. And she was sure that none of the doctors in the room knew more about the epidemic than she was.
âDr. Wright,â the dean abruptly said while Anna was still busy browsing the file in her hand.
âYes?â Anna asked, raising her head.
âYou will be in charge of coordinating volunteer sign-ups. Anyone 526 My Family Needs Me â interested in participating should contact you. â
âall right, | get it,â Nodding, Anna put away the file and was about to leave for the meeting room.
About an hour later, the meeting was over. After that, almost everyone left the meeting room quickly. Patrick, however, didnât leave as most of them did. Instead, he approached Anna and Nancy as they exited the conference room. âGood morning, Dr.
Wright and Dr. Moore,â he said.
âYes? Whatâs wrong?â Nancy turned around and asked.
â| heard Dr. Wright was back from vacation. And | happened to have a few cases to ask her about,â Patrick smiled and replied, âShe wonât be able to talk to me once she begins working later.ââ
âSorry, sheâs busy right now. You can ask other doctors for help,â Nancy said, waving her hand Patrick immediately asked, âWhy? | heard the hospital is sending volunteers to Fleosil. Is that the purpose of todayâs meeting?â
Anna felt conflicted after hearing him say this. As she handed Patrick the file, she said, âIf you have nothing else to do right now, you can sort this out and stick posters on the bulletin board for me. Donât forget to ask the interns how many of them would be willing to volunteer.â
âSmiling joyfully, Patrick took the files and exclaimed, âReally? Yeah! Are you going there, Mrs. Wright?â
Hearing that, Anna instantly frowned tightly as she herself was also debating this issue then. On the one hand, she wanted to volunteer in Fleosil to help the suffering civilians there. On the other hand, she didnât want to be separated from her family for so long as she had promised them she would try to spend more time with them. 526 My Family Needs Me Nearly rolling her eyes at him because of what he said, Nancy gave Patrick a stern look and said, âKeep your mouth shut! Do as Ms. Wright told you, and donât ask any more questions that are not of your concern!â
âDoctor Wright, wonât you go there? Arenât you going to help the people there,â As if he hadnât heard what Nancy said to him, Patrick persisted.
â| donât think itâs any of your business,â Anna grumbled, wanting to end the topic and leave with Nancy as soon as possible.
âHow could it possibly have nothing to do with me? Because youâre my mentor, whether or not you go to Fleosil will directly influence my decision. In addition, | heard that one of our hospitalâs retiring doctors has signed up for the project. You...â
âPatrick!â Nancy cut Patrick off in the middle of his sentence, thinking, Would it kill you to listen to me and keep your mouth shut?! Canât you see that both Anna and are reluctant to continue the topic, especially Anna? Itâs a voluntary project; not a mandatory project! Why do you have to make it sound like Anna must sign up for the project? Damn it! You really pissed me off, Patrick! | must teach you a lesson today!
Just when Nancy was going to speak her mind out loud, Anna raised her head to Patrick and asked expressionlessly, âWhat exactly do you want to say to me? Say it.â
Clenching his teeth, Patrick plucked up his courage and said, âIf you donât go, it means youâre scared of dying. You once said doctors are expected to save lives and treat as many patients as possible. But now, you just chose to turn around and walk away from those who need you. You hypocrite!â
There was no one else in the hallway except Anna, Nancy, and Patrick. He didnât say it loudly, but every word he said was clear and 526 My Family Needs Me â shocking. Knowing Anna was already quite annoyed even before Patrick came to talk to them, Nancy worried that Anna would lose it and scream at him.
âAre you done yet?â Anna turned to face Patrick, saying indifferently, which was much to Nancyâs surprise.
Patrick froze. Before he came back to his senses, Anna said to him, âIf so, then make the posters as soon as possible and hang them on the bulletin board, Mr. Rich Boy. Also, send me the list of those who sign up for the project within three days â
After finishing her words, Anna walked away, totally ignoring Patrick, who was still in shock.
Crossing her arms, Nancy gave Patrick a stern look and said, âDo you know what youâre talking about? Itis up to Dr. Wright to decide whether or not to go to Fleosil. What makes you think she should listen to you? Besides, even if she doesnât go, she can still help save patients at the hospital. What on earth were you thinking? Donât you EVER think that you have the authority to tell others what to do simply because you learned something in school, MR. RICH BOY!â
Nancy then took a quick step away, attempting to catch up with Anna. âDonât be angry, Anna. Patrick is young and stupid. Donât take his, words personally.â She exclaimed as she dashed into Annaâs office.
Without looking up, Anna placed the file on her desk and said, âIâm fine.â
Nancy asked, âAre you sure youâre not going?â
âYou heard me. Iâm not signing up for the project. Nancy, donât ask me that question again. Iâve already missed so much precious time that | couldâve used to spend with my family. | canât just go away as | want. My family needs me,â Anna raised her head, looked Nancy in the eyes, and 526 My Family Needs Me said.
After realizing how determined she was, Nancy stopped trying to persuade Anna. She said, âWell. To be honest, | was hoping youâd be appointed associate dean through that project.â
âItâs ten oâclock now, Nancy. Shouldnât you be taking care of your patients right now?â Anna asked.