Voices in the Ward

The faint color Roberta had been holding onto drained from her face in an instant. Her lips trembled, and her voice shook so badly that it barely sounded like her own.

"S-Stomach cancer? Am I really…about to die?"

Just then, John came back from paying the bill. When he saw her like this, he rushed over in a panic, his voice cracking. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Roberta grabbed his arm tightly, tears streaming down her face.

"The doctor said I'm in late-stage cancer… There's no hope left… Is that true?"

Hearing that, John froze as if struck by lightning. Then he suddenly whipped his head around and glared at me, his eyes bloodshot.

"What the hell did you say to my mom? Didn't I tell you not to tell her? Are you trying to scare her to death?"

Noticing the confused looks around us and realizing that Sonya's thoughts had only been heard by Roberta this time, I forced myself to calm down.

"Mr. Walker, I didn't say anything. You can ask anyone in this room. From the moment I walked in, I haven't said a single word about her condition."

A middle-aged man in the next bed hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. Dr. Strickland just came in and told your mom to relax and cooperate with treatment. She didn't say anything else."

Another family member nearby chimed in quietly, sounding puzzled, "That's right. We really didn't hear Dr. Strickland mention cancer at all. Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?"

At that moment, Sonya's inner voice rang out again, perfectly timed, carrying a tone that fanned the flames.

[Well, Dr. Strickland didn't say it out loud, but I saw her deliberately flip the medical chart to the diagnosis page and hold it right in front of Roberta. Wasn't that obviously meant to let her see it herself? And now she's pretending to be innocent? Give me a break!]

This time, when the inner voice stopped, everyone in the room looked at me differently.

The next second, murmurs of suspicion and accusation spread through the ward.

"She did that? I can't believe we almost got fooled by her. That's really messed up."

"She promised the family she would keep it quiet, then pulled something like this behind their backs. That's so unethical!"

"She looks so proper, but her heart is so cruel."

Hearing the nearly one-sided chatter, John became even more convinced that I had deliberately revealed the truth to Roberta. His emotions spiraled out of control, and the finger he pointed at me trembled violently.

"What do you have to say now?! I knew it. You doctors never have good intentions. You just scare patients so you can squeeze more money out of them. I'm gonna make you pay!"

As I stood there, drowned in accusations and unable to get a word in, Sonya stood behind the crowd. The corner of her mouth twitched upward for just a split second, a flash of smug satisfaction crossing her face.

Just as John, burning with rage, pulled his fist back and lunged toward me, a furious shout suddenly rang out from the doorway.

"What do you think you're doing?!"