I got pregnant at the same time as a doctor from another department. But right after my NT scan, the head nurse came knocking at my door. "The hospital is short-staffed. Management has a rule that only one woman can be pregnant during the same period." "The slot goes to Dr. Harris this time. You need to get an abortion right away!" I was stunned. "Dr. Harris and I aren't even in the same department. Our work doesn't conflict at all." "Plus, I'm a nurse and she's a doctor. We're not even on the same shift schedule." But the head nurse just stubbornly tapped on my desk. "This is hospital policy. No one gets special treatment!" "Either you abort the baby, or you transfer to logistics. Your choice." Transferring to logistics meant no hope for advancement for the rest of my career. I'd be stuck making two thousand dollars in base pay. My fingers clenched tighter and tighter. I'd worked at this hospital for eight years. I was the hardest-working nurse on the front lines, winning excellence awards every single year. And yet I wasn't even allowed to be pregnant. I took a breath and looked calmly at the head nurse. "I agree to transfer to logistics." Less than a week after I transferred, the department fell into complete chaos.
The head nurse changed her tone, patting my back with forced friendliness. "Chloe, you know the hospital has always been understaffed." "You're a veteran here. You need to set a good example and follow orders." I stared at the eight certificates of excellence on my desk without saying a word. The first certificate came from spending half a year on the pandemic frontlines. The second came from participating in nearly a thousand surgeries without a single mistake. The eighth came from working night shifts every Christmas for eight consecutive years. I'd already set enough of a good example. I'd already followed enough orders. When I looked up again, my voice was soft. "I'm going to see the director." The head nurse finally dropped her smile, her face turning ashen. She said, "Go ahead. It won't make any difference." I took a breath and knocked on Director David Harris's door. Dr. Melody Harris was actually inside too. What was a doctor from another department doing in our department director's office? But I figured out the answer soon enough. Melody placed two boxes of tea on David Harris's desk and laughed lightly. "Uncle David, this is tea from back home. Give it a try." "Dad said this is your favorite." David Harris's face showed an expression of warmth I'd never seen before. "Your father really knows me. That's cousins for you." "Melody, go home and rest now. I've already arranged for you to have fewer shifts." "You need to take it easy in early pregnancy. I'm waiting to give my grand-nephew a red envelope." Melody turned around and brushed past me. She glanced at my belly like she was looking at a piece of dead meat. "Chloe, what are you doing here?" David Harris resumed his businesslike demeanor. "Director Harris, I think the hospital's arrangement for me to have an abortion is unreasonable." "My work doesn't conflict with Dr. Harris's. I'm the only one pregnant in our department. The work can easily be covered." But David Harris just lazily lifted his eyelids. "Chloe, this is the hospital's decision. There's nothing I can do." I clenched my fists. "Then why do I have to abort? Why not Dr. Harris?" At the mention of his niece's name, David Harris shot up from his seat. "Chloe, what are you trying to say?" "Dr. Harris is a top-tier graduate, a rising star in this hospital. It's perfectly natural for her to be pregnant!" "Who told you not to get pregnant earlier? You're so old now and suddenly want a baby. Shameless." But David Harris knew better than anyone why I hadn't gotten pregnant earlier. When I was younger, I'd thought about trying for a baby. He said the hospital was short-staffed, that I was the most reliable, that I needed to dedicate myself to the medical cause. I listened. And then what? What did I get in return? I grabbed the door handle and pulled it open a crack. "If you won't handle this, I'll go to the hospital director for an explanation." David Harris said nothing, his expression unnaturally calm. When I knocked on the hospital director's office door, I understood why he'd been so calm. Because on the director's desk sat two boxes of fresh tea. Identical to the ones Melody had given David Harris. Before I could even speak, the director pulled up a chair and began earnestly. "Chloe, I know you're here about the baby, but there's nothing I can do either." "The hospital does have a rule—only one internal pregnancy slot per year. After all, we save lives. We can't afford to be short-staffed." "Why isn't Melody the one who has to abort?" I continued. The director frowned, seeming to find me completely unreasonable. "Dr. Harris is a young backbone doctor with high education and high qualifications. How can you, a nurse, compare to her?" "Chloe, you're a veteran here. Be reasonable. Show some spirit of dedication." I spoke calmly. "Is it because Melody is David Harris's niece?" The director immediately flared up. "Chloe, what nonsense are you spouting!" "Our hospital maintains high ethical standards. We don't have that kind of nepotism! You'd better watch what you say." "Fine. I understand." I stood up. "Director, I won't abort. I agree to transfer to logistics." The director pushed up his glasses, his expression unreadable. "You've thought this through? Is it worth sacrificing your career for a baby?" "If you really want a child that badly, I'll give you special approval for next year's slot, okay?" I said nothing and left the office. The director had it wrong. Transferring to logistics wasn't surrender—it was a declaration of war. Since they all looked down on nurses, I'd guarantee that within a week, the department would fall apart.
The next morning, the official document transferring me to logistics was distributed to all departments. At the morning meeting, the head nurse slammed the desk so hard it shook. "Some people put their own selfish interests ahead of the entire department's reputation. And look at the result—you all saw it." "Don't any of you follow that bad example. Don't think being a veteran employee gives you special privileges. Everyone is equal in this hospital!" The young nurses didn't dare make a sound, only casting curious glances at my not-yet-swollen belly. I ignored it all and focused on packing up my things. The eight certificates of excellence I'd once been so proud of went to the very bottom of the box. As I carried my things out, not a single person came to help. Even though I'd covered their night shifts so many times. Even though I'd taught them hand-in-hand how to assist in surgery. Only the head nurse looked up at me. She said, "Chloe, you'll regret this. But it'll be too late." But I wanted to say—I won't. The ones who'll regret this will be them. As I placed my box on the cart, Melody came breezing into our department again. It seemed her shifts really had been reduced. Otherwise she wouldn't be so free. Melody held an armful of candy, distributing it to all the young nurses. "It's a custom from back home—when you first get pregnant, you give everyone candy to bring good fortune to the baby." Immediately, everyone in the department chimed in. "Dr. Harris, don't worry. The baby will definitely be born safe and sound!" "Yeah, you're so beautiful. The baby will take after you and be gorgeous too." The head nurse's voice was the loudest. "If you ask me, babies need to know how to choose the right womb." "Being born to Dr. Harris means a lifetime of happiness. Being born to someone else? Well, that's another story!" I gripped the cart handle, my lips pressed tight. I said nothing. Instead, Melody walked over with a smile, stuffing the last few pieces of candy into my hand. "Nurse Chloe, I heard about what happened to you. Have this candy for good luck." "I wish, I wish you success with your next pregnancy." "Not next time," I said calmly, lifting my head. "I've already applied to transfer to logistics. I'm keeping this baby." "Dr. Harris, your uncle helped reduce your shifts. Since you haven't been at work, you naturally wouldn't know this news." Melody froze, her face flushing red then white, apparently not expecting me to mention their relationship so openly. I didn't look at her again and pulled my cart toward the exit. But I'd barely taken a step when I heard the head nurse's furious voice. "Chloe! Wait!" "Did you take something you shouldn't have? Put it down!"
I stopped and looked down at the cart. Three large boxes, all packed with my own things. But before I could speak, in full view of everyone, the head nurse rushed over. "Chloe, open your boxes. I need to inspect them." I blocked her path. "You don't have that authority." Though I was speaking to the head nurse, my eyes were locked on Melody the whole time. Because it was after Melody whispered to the head nurse that she called me out. And I'd packed everything under the head nurse's nose in the first place. Melody stroked her belly, calmly meeting my gaze. But the head nurse had already pushed me aside and turned the boxes completely upside down. "You can't take this banner. This represents the department's honor, not your personal achievement!" I pointed at the words on the banner. "The department's honor? Head nurse, this has my personal name on it." "Still not allowed." The head nurse carelessly tossed the banner aside. "These operation manuals and training notes can't be taken either. These are our department's confidential materials!" "The preserved flowers from discharged patients can't go either. They gave those to you because of the department's reputation!" Eventually, the head nurse even took the half-used notebook and pen from my hands. "These also belong to our department. Chloe, you can't be a thief!" I looked at the mess on the floor, having no doubt that after I left, all of this would end up in the trash. The head nurse didn't want any of it. She just wanted to humiliate me. Finally, the head nurse pulled out those eight certificates of excellence. After thinking for a moment, she shoved them into the paper shredder. "Chloe, you earned these honors by relying on our department. How dare you take them?" I listened to the sound of the shredder working. Crunch, crunch. Ten seconds to destroy eight years of my hard work. But I didn't argue. I didn't even move. After all, I didn't care about these worthless pieces of paper I'd earned through self-sacrifice anymore. "Look more carefully. Make sure you didn't miss anything." I even smiled slightly. The head nurse seemed surprised by my reaction and froze for a moment. And at that exact moment, Melody stepped forward. "Head nurse, although I shouldn't get involved in your department's affairs, we're all friends, so I'll speak up." "The nurse's uniform Chloe is wearing still belongs to your department. I wonder if it'll be useful later?" The moment she said this, the department fell silent. I looked at Melody. Her expression was innocent, but her eyes held malice. The head nurse immediately caught on, pointing at my nose. "Dr. Harris is right. Chloe! Take off that uniform right now! It belongs to the department!" Seeing that I wasn't moving, the head nurse even tried to grab me. I stepped back twice and slowly removed my nurse's uniform, draping it over a chair. "Very good. You've done very well. I'll remember this." With that, I pulled my nearly empty boxes and walked out. The moment I turned the corner, I heard footsteps behind me. "Nurse Chloe, wait." It was Melody. She caught up in a few steps. The politeness she'd shown in front of everyone had completely vanished. She frowned at me. "Chloe, who told you to go to the director and make trouble? Who told you to blow this up?" "Do you know what people are saying about me now? That I used connections to force you out!" "Oh." I suddenly laughed. So that's why Melody targeted me today. "Isn't that the truth, Dr. Harris?" Melody hadn't heard the groveling apology she'd imagined. Her face instantly flushed red. "Chloe, I really don't understand why someone with no connections like you acts so arrogant." I didn't answer. I just slowly turned around. Melody thought she'd won this silent war, that she'd secured the right to have a child. The head nurse thought she'd won prestige, that she could trample this veteran employee underfoot. But they were wrong. I didn't care. I didn't care about competing with them for status. I was just waiting for the moment when the real show began.
The logistics department mainly handled purchasing and distributing basic office supplies. The staff was small. Besides me, there were just a few interns and old employees waiting for retirement. The person next to me was named Luna, a senior doing her internship. She was naturally friendly, helping me unload my boxes with nimble hands while smacking her lips. "Chloe, is it true you transferred to logistics just to have your baby?" I kept my head down, organizing things, and didn't respond. Who knew if she was like the nurses in my old department—just waiting to laugh at my misfortune and kick me while I was down. The silence grew, but Luna kept talking to herself. "Man, I think that rule is pretty unfair, don't you?" "You and Dr. Harris are in different departments with different jobs. Both being pregnant wouldn't affect anything. I don't know what the leaders were thinking." "But logistics has no future. Chloe, what are you going to do after you give birth?" "Luna! Don't talk so much!" someone nearby warned her. "Remember last time you complained to management about logistics' low pay and got chewed out for a whole morning?" "If it's not our business, don't stick your nose in it. Do you want to keep this job or not?" Luna's hands didn't stop, helping me arrange my desk as she muttered under her breath. "I just think it's unfair. It doesn't affect the department's work. What's wrong with being pregnant..." I finally looked up at her. She had a very likable baby face. "It's fine. Logistics is pretty good," I said. For the next three days, I calmly went to and from work, doing my assigned tasks. No more endless overtime. No more dealing with patients. The days seemed tolerable. Occasionally, when people from my old department came to requisition office supplies, they no longer spoke to me with the same courtesy. Instead, they were dismissive. The kind of disdain a proper nurse has for someone who coasts along in logistics waiting to collect a paycheck. "Chloe, it's such a shame you've fallen this far." I handed her the office supplies with no expression. "I think it's pretty good." The young nurse curled her lip. "I think you're just shackled by that baby. Do you really have to have it? Pregnancy hormones are scary." But she didn't understand—this wasn't about pregnancy hormones. It wasn't just about this baby. I was seeking fairness. Justice. Real equality. Not a situation where someone could pull strings and cut off all my paths forward. The turning point came on the fourth day. I'd just gotten off work when my phone started vibrating. One SnapChat message. Then a second. A third. A fourth. It vibrated eighteen times total. Eighteen times—the exact number of nurses in our department. Each message represented a problem they couldn't handle, a difficult situation. Before I could even open the chat, the head nurse called. On the other end, the department was in chaos. "Chloe, reply to everyone's messages right now! Hurry!" I gripped my phone, my voice soft but firm. "Why should I?"
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