Chapter 10 — The White Coat Oath

At the weekend, Khoa returned to his family's familiar villa, his heart heavy with complicated premonitions. His mother welcomed him as usual, kindly asking about work, but Khoa could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the house was somewhat different from previous visits.

Dinner took place in more silence than usual. Associate Professor Truong ate slowly, occasionally glancing at his son with unpredictable eyes. When the meal was almost over, he spoke up, his voice calm but full of weight.

"You are the one who discovered and reported Dr. Phat's incident, right?"

Khoa paused, the chopsticks in his hand stopped halfway. He put down his chopsticks and took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, Dad. A few other colleagues and I."

Khoa's mother looked at father and son, realized the tense atmosphere was rising, and quietly stood up to clean up the dishes so the two of them could have private space to talk.

"Do you know this could seriously affect the hospital's reputation?" Associate Professor Truong asked, his voice remained calm, but Khoa could feel the tension hidden behind it.

"I know," Khoa replied, trying to maintain his stance even though he couldn't help but tremble inside. "But you can't stay silent when you know a patient is suffering the consequences of a hidden mistake. That's not what you were taught when you put on this white coat."

Associate Professor Truong was silent for a long time, his eyes looking far away at the dark yard outside the window. "Dr. Phat has been my close colleague for more than twenty years. I know he is a dedicated and talented doctor. This news really hurts me."

"Me too, dad," Khoa said, his voice choked. "Dr. Phat is the person who taught me almost everything I know about surgery. The decision to report this incident was not easy for me, but I believe it was the right thing to do."

A long silence passed between father and son. Khoa braced himself for a rebuke, or even disappointment, from the father he always respected and always felt pressured to prove himself first.

But instead, Associate Professor Truong suddenly nodded, his voice carrying a hard-to-conceal pride. "You did the right thing, Khoa. Dad is proud of you."

Khoa looked up, not believing what he had just heard. "Dad... don't you blame me for causing a scandal to the hospital?"

"A real scandal is not about the truth being revealed," Associate Professor Truong said, his voice serious. "The real scandal is about allowing the truth to be hidden, causing many other patients to suffer unnecessary risks. You made the right choice — choosing to stand on the patient's side, instead of protecting personal or collective reputations."

He paused for a moment, then continued, his voice low and thoughtful. "Honestly, I also feel somewhat responsible in this matter. As the head of the hospital, I did not recognize early that the overload on night duty was silently threatening the safety of both patients and the medical staff. This is an expensive lesson for both Dad and the entire hospital management system."

Khoa felt an indescribable relief spread throughout his body, the tension that had been pent up for many days gradually disappeared with the unexpected understanding from his father. "Thank you, Dad. I'm really worried you'll be disappointed in me. I've probably lost sleep for several nights thinking about this conversation."

"Dad has never been disappointed in you, Khoa," Associate Professor Truong replied with a rare warm voice. "I just always hope you find your own path, live according to the values you believe in, instead of simply following what I expect."

That sentence made Khoa remember the entire journey he went through during the two years of residency, from the first days of always feeling the pressure to prove that he was not in his father's shadow, until today, when he found the most sincere recognition from his father himself.

"I still remember, when I first entered medical school," Associate Professor Truong continued, his voice nostalgic, "I used to worry about whether you could handle the pressure of having the last name Vu in the school I also attended. I was afraid you would forever be compared, forever having to live in my shadow. But looking at you today, I realize, you have built your own path and reputation, without relying on anyone."

"I used to fear the same thing, Dad," Khoa admitted, his voice sincere. "But because of that fear, I have always tried twice as hard to prove my true abilities. Perhaps, that is also a form of motivation, although not always pleasant."

Associate Professor Truong nodded, his eyes full of thought. "I understand that feeling better than you think. I also had to prove myself to your grandfather, a famous strict doctor. Perhaps, it is a cycle that each generation in our family has to go through in its own way."

"I have one more thing to tell dad," Khoa said, taking a deep breath, deciding to take this opportunity to share another important part of his life. "I... I'm dating a colleague, Doctor Le Hai Yen, Emergency Department. She is the person who has been with me through the entire journey of discovering and handling this case."

Associate Professor Truong raised his eyebrows, a light smile flickered on his lips. "Is that so? I really want to meet her. It sounds like this girl has a big positive influence on you."

"Yes," Khoa replied, unable to hide the warmth in his voice when mentioning Yen. "She was the one who showed me that sometimes, doing the right thing is much more important than rigidly following every rule."

"Listening to you, I feel like she must be a very special person," Associate Professor Truong said, his eyes were rare and gentle. "The person who can make my son - who is always cautious, sometimes too rigid - change his perspective on principles and flexibility, is definitely not an ordinary person."

"She's really unusual," Khoa smiled, his eyes sparkling with pride when talking about the person he loves. "She is brave, determined, and always puts her patients first, even if that sometimes puts her at risk."

"Then, please invite her to have dinner with your family as soon as possible," Associate Professor Truong suggested, his voice sincere. "We really want to meet the person who has accompanied our child through this difficult period."

"I will ask her," Khoa replied, feeling his heart filled with happiness at the unexpected but sincere openness from his family.

Khoa's mother returned to the living room after hearing the atmosphere calm down, bringing a plate of fruit for dessert. "Are you two done talking yet?" she asked, her eyes searching with concern.

"It's done, Mom," Khoa replied, a relieved smile appearing on his lips for the first time that evening. "Dad supports your decision."

"I know," she smiled, sitting down next to her husband. "Your father always values righteousness more than anything else, even though sometimes his expression makes others misunderstand him as being strict and cold."

Associate Professor Truong smiled slightly at his wife's comment, a rare expression that Khoa rarely witnessed. "She always understood me better than I understood myself."

The family atmosphere becomes warmer and more comfortable than the initial tension. All three people sat together, talking about everyday things, about work, about future plans, as if the heavy conversation had never happened, even though its echoes still lingered in each person's heart.

Before Khoa left, Associate Professor Truong saw his son off to the gate, a rare gesture that he did not often do. "You know," he said, his voice thoughtful, "maybe it's time for a complete overhaul of the hospital's on-call system, not just to deal with the fallout from this incident, but to make sure something like this never happens again."

"I think it's necessary, dad," Khoa replied, grateful for his foresight. "If you need any support from the resident doctors to develop a reform project, I am very willing to participate."

"I will remember that," Associate Professor Truong nodded and patted his son's shoulder in a rare gesture of encouragement. "Go home carefully, and let dad say hello to Miss Yen."

That evening ended in a warmer, closer atmosphere than Khoa had ever imagined when he walked home full of worries. On the way back to his small apartment, he immediately called Yen, his voice filled with excitement that was hard to hide to share this good news.