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“Being chief isn’t easy. I have to think beyond what’s best foronedoctor and think about the department and the hospital. I need to put them first.”
“I won’t let this happen—” I was going to say I was quitting and making the correction before he cut me off.
“Think carefully about what you are about to say. It will be your word against Dr. Medina’s. The hospital will back up Dr. Medina’s authorship of the paper. It’s no secret he was your mentor and heavily involved in the trial. No one will question his authorship.”
It felt like I was walking in slow motion getting back to Sara’s car. She was waiting for me at the entrance, where she’d dropped me off earlier.
“Carolina?” she said when I got in the car. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hector’s gone.”
“Gone?”
I nodded. “Yeah. His contract is over. He left. And the chief won’t let me correct the paper. Hector gets to keep authorship.”
“That can’t be right.” Sara’s nose scrunched up. “Did you talk with Hector?”
“No.”
Pulling out my phone from my jeans pocket, I dialed his number. He had to explain himself.
“The number you have dialed is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached—” I hung up and threw my phone into the back seat, not caring if it cracked.
The sounds around me were far off and muffled like I was underwater. “He took my trial, Sara,” I said.
When we got back to Dad’s house, Sara opened the car door for me and helped me out—a complete reversal from when she had come home from the hospital two years ago. I leaned on her both for balance and for emotional support. Bile started to rise from my empty stomach, but I forced it down.
“What happened?” Dad asked, greeting us eagerly at the door.
“He took it,” I said, still in disbelief.
“What did he take?” asked Dad.
“Everything.”
