Chapter 9 — The White Coat Oath

After leaving Dr. Phat's office, Khoa stood silently in the hallway for a long time, feeling as if he had just gone through a storm of intense emotions. He pulled out his phone and immediately called Yen, his voice still shaking.

"It's done," Khoa said when Yen picked up the phone, her voice still filled with shock. "The teacher admitted everything."

Half an hour later, the two met at a small park near the hospital, a quiet place enough to talk without fear of being heard. Khoa recounted the entire conversation in detail, his voice sometimes choked with emotion, each sentence and each word as if he were reliving that difficult moment of confrontation again.

"Are you okay?" Yen asked, holding his hand, her eyes full of worry, carefully observing every expression on Khoa's face.

"I don't know," Khoa admitted, his voice tired. "Part of me feels relieved that the truth has finally been revealed. But another part feels like I've lost something important — the image of the perfect teacher I once worshiped."

"That's completely understandable," Yen said, her voice gentle. "But I think, the fact that Dr. Phat dared to admit his mistake, even though it was late, also shows that he still retains some of his professional conscience. That is worthy of recognition, although it cannot completely erase the consequences caused to Ms. Tam and other patients."

Khoa nodded, leaned his head on Yen's shoulder, seeking comfort in this rare moment of weakness. "Thank you for always being here for me, Yen. I don't think I could have gotten through this without you."

Yen hugged him, a warm and sincere gesture. "We are a team. From now on, every next step, we will face together."

The two of them sat quietly together on a park bench, watching the sunset gradually fall, dyeing the sky orange in the distance. After all the stress of the morning, this is a rare moment for both of them to temporarily put aside all worries to enjoy peace together.

"What do you think will happen next?" Yen asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I'm not sure," Khoa replied, sighing. "But I hope, whatever the outcome, at least Ms. Tam and other patients will receive proper recognition, and the hospital will make real changes to avoid similar mistakes in the future."

"I hope so too," Yen nodded. "And I believe, no matter what consequences Dr. Phat has to endure, at least he has a chance to redeem himself by proactively admitting it, instead of letting the truth be exposed in a much worse way."

Khoa was silent for a moment, then suddenly held Yen's hand tighter. "Thank you, for everything. Not just this, but everything you've brought into my life since the day we met on that tumultuous first shift."

Yen smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Me too, Khoa. I never thought that from a fierce argument, we could go this far."

Two days later, as promised, Dr. Phat proactively asked to meet Dr. Hoang Anh Dung and representatives of the hospital's Quality Management Department voluntarily presented the entire incident. The news spread quickly within the Department of Surgery, although it was not officially announced to the entire hospital.

Nghia, the first person to tell Khoa and Yen, looked both surprised and relieved. "I heard that Dr. Phat voluntarily reported everything. The hospital board is having an emergency meeting to decide on a course of action."

"So you kept your promise," Khoa said, a mixture of relief and worry evident on his face.

"I heard there is also information about other cases," Nghia added, lowering his voice even though no one around was paying attention. "It seems that Dr. Phat proactively reported all seven cases that I found, without hiding anything."

Yen breathed a sigh of relief at that information. "So he's really serious about taking responsibility, not just talking about it."

"That's right," Nghia nodded. "It is said that the hospital board appreciates this cooperative attitude of the teacher, which may be a significant mitigating factor when considering disciplinary action."

Khoa felt somewhat relieved by that information, although he was still filled with worries about what would happen next, especially the upcoming meeting with his father.

That afternoon, the secretary of the Department of Surgery called the group of resident doctors into an urgent meeting room, the announcement in an unusually hasty tone.

The large meeting room of the Department of Surgery was filled with people when Associate Professor Vu Dinh Truong, the hospital's medical director, arrived to announce the emergency meeting concerning Dr. Phat's case.

Khoa stood speechless when he saw his father enter the meeting room, his face unusually serious, his steady gait exuding the authority of an experienced leader. This was the first time he had witnessed his father appear in a situation directly related to his own actions, and he wasn't sure how he would react when he learned the whole truth.

"I was informed that a serious patient safety issue had just been discovered," Associate Professor Truong spoke, his voice calm but authoritative, scanning the entire team present. "The hospital will establish an independent investigation board to review the entire incident in the most fair and transparent way."

His eyes accidentally stopped at Khoa for a brief moment, not sure if it was by accident or on purpose, making Khoa nervously wonder if his father knew his role in the whole incident.

"The investigation council will include representatives from many different faculties, ensuring absolute objectivity," Associate Professor Truong continued to announce, his voice still maintaining the usual calm professionalism of an experienced leader. "The hospital is committed to handling this matter fairly and transparently, and will also seriously consider the systemic factors that may have contributed to the error."

That last sentence surprised Khoa. It seemed the hospital board had also learned about the connection between the error and excessive night-duty hours, perhaps through Dr. Phat's testimony when he voluntarily reported the incident.

After Associate Professor Truong finished the announcement, he immediately left the meeting room to attend another meeting, without having time to stop and chat privately with anyone, including his son who was standing in the crowd of resident doctors.

After the meeting, Khoa stayed behind, trying to find an opportunity to talk privately with his father, but Associate Professor Truong had hurriedly left with several other hospital board members to prepare for the upcoming board of inquiry meeting, with no time for a personal conversation.

That evening, returning home after a long and tumultuous day, Khoa received a short text message from his father: "Dad wants to talk to you. This weekend, please come home for dinner."

Khoa looked at that message for a long time, not knowing which way to interpret it - whether his father knew the whole truth, or simply wanted to check on his son after a stressful week of work. He typed back a short line of agreement, filled with complicated premonitions about the upcoming conversation.

He immediately called Yen and recounted the message he had just received. "Do you think my dad knows yet?" Khoa asked, his voice unable to hide his concern.

"Maybe," Yen replied cautiously, not wanting to make unfounded guesses. "But it's also possible that he simply wants to see his son. Either way, I think you should prepare yourself for both possibilities."

"I'm scared," Khoa admitted, his voice quiet. "I'm afraid my father will blame me for causing the hospital, where he has built its reputation over the years, to face a scandal like this."

"If your father is really a person who values professional ethics like you say," Yen said, her voice steady, "I believe he will understand and be proud of what you have done, and not blame you."

Khoa remained silent, trying to believe in those words of encouragement, even though his heart was still filled with worries about the upcoming meeting with his father whom he always respected but also felt pressured to prove himself.

"No matter what," Yen added, her voice gentle and reassuring, "I will always be here, ready to listen if you need to share after that meeting."

"Thank you," Khoa replied, clearly feeling the familiar warmth spreading in his heart every time Yen was by his side, even though he was facing the most difficult challenges of his life, challenges that he knew he would not be able to overcome completely without that companionship.