Beneath the White Coat"

During a routine inspection at St. Jude Medical Center, I went to the cafeteria for lunch. After picking up an extra meal for my sister Clara, who interns there, I overheard whispers as I walked toward a quiet corner. Someone recognized Dr. Norris from Dental and wondered about the new person sitting with her.

Before I could react, a furious young doctor rushed over and punched me in the face. "Who do you think you are, pretty boy? Trying to flirt with my girl?" he yelled.

My sister panicked, grabbing his arm. "Jacob, stop! It's not what it looks like!" But he shoved her away, gripped my wrist, and insisted, "We're going to the Chief of Staff!"

I tried to explain. "You're mistaken. We're just friends."

He scoffed. "Dont lie. Come on!" I sighed inwardly, blaming my youthful face.

He dragged me into the Chief's office, shouting, "Mom! This new intern is already hitting on someones girlfriend! This guy has no ethicsfire him now!"

The Chief turned, her expression dark, and snapped at me, "Which department are you from? Give me your supervisors number. Youre fired, effective immediately."

I couldnt help a faint smile. Calmly, I replied, "Id be glad to give you the number. Im just not sure youd dare call it."

Monday morning, eight-thirty. I pulled up to St. Jude Medical Center.

My mission today was an undercover inspection. The County Health Commission had

received several complaints about this place: overcharging, ghost employees,

substandard equipment. The office wanted me to lead a team down here to

investigate.

My name is Alexander Stone, Deputy Director of the Medical Oversight Division at

the County Health Commission. By rights, I should have walked in with my badge

prominently displayed. But for an undercover visit, discretion was key.

Today, Id deliberately dressed down in a white tee, jeans, and styled my short

hair casually. A subtle pin-style body cam was attached to my shirt. With this

face, I could easily pass for a college student.

After parking, I headed straight in. Just inside the entrance, I immediately

spotted a stack of cardboard boxes blocking the fire escape. Snap. Photo taken.

Further in, a fire extinguisher on a hallway corner had its pressure gauge in

the red zone. Snap. Another photo.

The outpatient lobby was packed, but only two registration windows were open.

Three others sat dark. A nurse at the reception desk was engrossed in her phone.

An elderly gentleman approached her, holding a form and asking for directions,

but she didnt even look up.

"Third floor, left."

The old man, hard of hearing, asked again. The nurses voice sharpened with

impatience. "Third floor! Left! Cant you hear me?" The old man shuffled away,

looking embarrassed.

I documented all of it. Plenty of issues. But no rush today. First, gather

information, collect evidence. Id write the report back at the office, then

deal with it officially.

I took the stairs to the second floor, glancing specifically at the Dental

Department. My sister, Clara Stone, was interning there. Shed just graduated

from State Medical University this year and was assigned here for her residency.

Shed called me earlier, complaining about the terrible cafeteria food and

asking me to bring her something if I had a chance. Perfect timing.

I didnt go into the department to disturb her, opting instead to walk the

entire building first. The inpatient ward wasnt much better in terms of

hygiene. A persistent, musty smell hung in the corridors, which even the

disinfectant couldn't quite mask. A notice posted in the pharmacy window was so

faded it was almost illegible. Everything was photographed and recorded.

Around eleven-thirty, I sent Clara a text. "Where's the cafeteria? Your

brother's bringing food." She replied instantly: "First floor, east end. What

are you doing here?" "Work trip, just passing through. Keep it on the down-low."

"Got it, big bro."

When I arrived at the cafeteria, lunch had just started, so it wasn't too

crowded. I got two meals: a braised pork combo and sweet and sour ribs. Clara

loves meat. Carrying both trays, I found a corner table and sat down.

A few minutes later, Clara, in her white lab coat, came scurrying over. "Alex!"

She sat down and immediately started shoveling food into her mouth.

"Slow down, no one's going to steal it."

"Only forty minutes for lunch break, gotta be quick." Her voice was muffled by

food.

"This hospital only gives residents forty minutes for lunch?"

"Yeah, Dr. Patton set that rule. Residents and interns can't go over their lunch

time."

"Which Dr. Patton?"

"The big boss here, Emily Patton." I filed that name away.

"How are you settling in?"

Clara paused, her chopsticks hovering. "It's okay, I guess."

"What do you mean 'okay'? Spill it."

"Well some of the senior staff in the department are a bit difficult. They dump

all the work on the residents and then make us take the fall if anything goes

wrong."

"Any specific instances?"

"Last week, a patient complained about a treatment plan. It was clearly the

attendings decision, but I ended up having to write a reflection report."

I put down my chopsticks. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What's the point? It's like this for residents in every hospital, isnt it?"

I was about to respond when I heard two nurses at the next table whispering.

"See that? Isn't that the new Dr. Stone from Dental?"

"Yeah, who's the guy eating with her? Haven't seen him before."

"No idea, he looks pretty young. Boyfriend, maybe?"

"Don't even joke. Isn't she dating Dr. Patton's son?"

"You never know. If Jacob finds out, she's in deep trouble"

I didn't pay it much mind, going back to my food. Clara, however, heard them and

her face visibly changed.

"Alex, eat fast. Finish up and get out of here."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just my boyfriend has a bit of a temper."

"Your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, Dr. Patton's son, Jacob Miller. Hes a doctor here too."

"You're dating and you didn't tell the family?"

"It's not that serious yet."

"The Chief of Staff's son, huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "Good for you, kiddo."

"What? He's the one who chased me."

"Alright, alright." I didnt press further. But I made a mental note. The Chief

of Staff's son working in the hospital she manages wasn't that a conflict of

interest? Id have to check if he went through proper hiring procedures.

Id just finished my last bite when I heard a rapid series of footsteps at the

cafeteria entrance. Clatter, clatter, hurrying. Clara's chopsticks clattered

onto the table. "Oh, no."

Before I could react, a young man in a white lab coat burst through the crowd.

Early twenties, short hair, a scowl on his face. He stared at me for two

seconds. Then he turned to Clara.

"Who?" Just one word.

Everyone eating nearby started to look over. I put down my chopsticks and stood

up, intending to explain. "Hello, Im"

Before I could finish. Whack!

A fist slammed directly into my left cheek. The entire cafeteria went silent. My

face burned, and my ears rang.

Jacob stood with his arms crossed, pointing a finger at my nose. "Which

department are you from? You're just a little intern, got some nerve, huh?

Trying to steal someone's girlfriend?"

Clara frantically grabbed his arm. "Jacob! Are you out of your mind? Hes"

"You shut up!" Jacob shoved her hand away, his eyes wide with fury. "I've heard

rumors about guys trying to hit on you, and today I finally caught one!"

I clutched my face and took a deep breath. "You've got it wrong. We're not

involved like that."

"Not involved like that? You bought her food, you're sitting at the same table,

you're laughing and joking around, and you're telling me you're not involved

like that?"

"I'm her"

"Don't bother! I don't want to hear your made-up stories!"

The crowd in the cafeteria grew larger, some people pulling out their phones to

record. A few nurses whispered in the back. "Oh my god, Jacob actually hit him."

"Who's that guy? I can't believe it." "He's got some serious guts, messing with

the Chief of Staff's son." "He's toast."

Hearing these comments, Jacob straightened up even more. He grabbed my wrist,

his fingers digging in painfully. "Let's go! We're going straight to the Chief

of Staff!"

"Let go of me first," I said, my voice calm.

"Let go? If I don't get this sorted out today, I'm changing my last name!" He

started dragging me out.

Clara ran after us, blocking our way. "Jacob! Just calm down! He's really my

brother! His name is Alexander, he's"

"I don't care what he's called!" Jacob flung her aside. "Don't try to fool me

with some made-up name! Your brother? Do you think I'm three years old? How come

I've never seen your brother? You told me you were an only child here!"

Clara choked. I understood. This girl had completely omitted mentioning her

brother to him for the sake of her relationship. I shot her a glare over my

shoulder. Clara shrunk her neck.

"I I did say I was here alone before"

"Hear that?" Jacob sneered. "Can't even keep your own story straight, and you're

still defending this pretty boy?"

He was surprisingly strong, dragging me out of the cafeteria. People in the

hallway quickly made way, their gazes filled with sympathy. As a male doctor

brushed past, he murmured, "This kid's finished. Cross Jacob, and you can forget

about making it in this hospital."

I was hauled along the corridor, past the emergency room entrance. Several

interns poked their heads out to gawk. One female intern recognized Jacob and

quickly ducked back inside. As we reached the elevators, I finally spoke.

"Shouldn't you figure out the situation before you start throwing punches? What

if you hit the wrong person?"

Jacob's hand paused on the elevator button. He turned and glared at me. "Hit the

wrong person? With that face, that age, hovering around my girlfriend, you think

hitting you was wrong?"

"Have you ever seen a thirty-two-year-old intern?"

"Thirty-two?" He looked me up and down. "Who are you trying to fool? Look at

that face, you're barely twenty-something."

"I told you, you're mistaken."

"Enough talk! You can explain it all in the Chief of Staff's office!"

The elevator doors opened, and he pushed me in. Clara squeezed in after us, her

face ashen. Two other doctors in white coats were already in the elevator;

seeing the commotion, they quietly retreated to a corner.

On the sixth floor, the Chief of Staff's office was at the end of the corridor.

Jacob dragged me forward with big strides, his shoes echoing loudly through the

entire floor. As we passed the administrative office, several staff members

peered out of their windows. A middle-aged man whispered, "Here we go again.

Jacob's causing trouble again." "Who'd he get this time?" "Don't recognize him,

looks new."

The Chief of Staff's office door was flung open by Jacob. The door crashed

against the wall, making the teacup lid on the desk clatter. Inside, a woman in

her fifties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and with her hair impeccably styled,

was reading documents.

Emily Patton. Chief of Staff of St. Jude Medical Center. And Jacob's mother.

"Mom!" Jacob let go of me and rushed to the desk. Emily Patton looked up, a

frown on her face. "What is it? What's all this ruckus during working hours?"

"Mom, look at this guy!" Jacob turned and pointed at me. "A new intern, running

off to the cafeteria during work hours to hit on someone else's girlfriend C my

girlfriend! Do we really need someone like this in our hospital?"

Emily Patton followed his finger to me. I stood in the doorway, my left cheek

still a little red, but my expression calm.

"Which department are you from?" Emily Patton asked.

I remained silent.

"Mom! He's not from our hospital, he must be some outsider who snuck in! This

kind of morally bankrupt man needs to be reported to security!"

Emily Patton waved him quiet, turning her gaze back to me. "I'll ask you one

more time. Which department are you from? What's your name?"

Clara squeezed in from behind. "Dr. Patton"

"It's Chief of Staff!" Emily Patton shot her a glance.

Clara swallowed. "Chief of Staff Patton, this is a misunderstanding. He's really

my brother, not some"

"Your brother?" Jacob cut her off. "You said you were the only one from your

family in this city. Now suddenly a brother pops up? Do you take me for a fool?"

"I I didn't mention him before, but he really is my brother!"

"You shut up." Emily Patton's words silenced Clara.

Emily Patton stood up, walked around her desk, and stood before me, looking

down. "Regardless of who you are, causing trouble in my hospital and disrupting

my son's work and life, I have to deal with this."

I looked up at her. "Chief of Staff, it was your son who publicly slapped me.

Who exactly is causing trouble here?"

Emily Patton's eyelid twitched. "He hit you? Jacob, you laid hands on him?"

Jacob retorted, his voice full of self-righteousness. "He was hitting on my

girlfriend first! What's wrong with me hitting him?"

Emily Patton sighed, but clearly had no intention of reprimanding her son. She

turned back to me. "I don't care what the situation is between you two. If

you're an intern, give me your internship certificate and your attending's

contact information. If you're an outsider who snuck into our hospital, I'll

call security right now to have you escorted out."

"I'm not an intern."

"Not an intern?" Emily Patton adjusted her glasses. "Then what is your

identity?"

Jacob interjected, "He must be some outsider clinging to Clara! Mom, call

security now!"

"Hold on." Emily Patton stopped him. She scrutinized me again. My white tee,

jeans, and ordinary canvas bag indeed didn't draw much attention. "What exactly

is your identity?"

"Let me ask you a question first," I said.

"What right do you have to ask me questions?"

"Is your son working in a hospital under your jurisdiction through the proper

hiring process?"

The air in the office froze. Emily Patton's face changed. Jacob paused for a

second, then immediately jumped up. "What are you implying? You're an outsider,

what business is it of yours where I work?"

"Exactly, Chief of Staff. Are your son's employment documents, qualifications,

and recruitment process all in order?"

Emily Patton stared at me, her Adam's apple bobbing. "Who exactly are you?"

"Didn't you just ask me for my supervisor's number?"

"Yes, give me your supervisor's number! No C answer my question first!"

"No, let's just make the call."

I pulled out my phone from my pocket, scrolled through my contacts, and found a

number. "Dial this number, and you'll know exactly who I am."

I turned the phone screen towards her. Emily Patton's pupils contracted as she

looked at the number. The contact's name was four simple words.

She recognized those four words.

"What's wrong, Mom? Dial it!" Jacob urged.

Emily Patton didn't move. Her hand began to tremble.

No one spoke in the office. Jacob waited for his mother to speak for a long

time, but she remained silent. He walked over and peered at the phone screen

himself.

"Director Dawson?" He read out the contact name.

Director Dawson. Head of the County Health Commission, Arthur Dawson.

Jacobs brain clearly wasn't processing things as fast as his mother's. "Who's

Director Dawson, Mom?"

Emily Patton ignored him, her eyes fixed on me. "You're with the Health

Commission?"

I put my phone away and pulled a blue leather ID case from my canvas bag. I

flipped it open and handed it to her.

County Health and Wellness Commission, Medical Oversight Division, Deputy

Director. My photo was there, embossed with the red seal.

Emily Patton took the ID, looked at it three times. Her hand was still shaking.

"Deputy Deputy Director Stone?" Her voice had changed completely.

"Not Director, Deputy Director," I corrected.

Jacob still hadn't caught on. "Mom, what Deputy Director? Isn't he an intern?"

Emily Patton turned to look at him, her expression unreadable C her mouth agape,

as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"I am the Deputy Director of the Medical Oversight Division at the County Health

Commission," I repeated to him directly. "I'm here today to conduct an

unannounced inspection of your hospital. That slap you gave me? Many people in

the cafeteria recorded it, and my body cam recorded the whole thing too."

Jacob's face visibly drained of all color. "You what did you say?"

"I said, I'm here to investigate your hospital. You publicly slapped me today,

and the handprint is still on my face. Want to take a look?" I turned my left

cheek towards him. Five red, distinct finger marks.

Jacob took a step back, bumping into a chair. "No impossible. You're so young,

how could you be a Deputy Director"

"Thirty-two years old, serving as a Section Chief level Deputy Director. One of

the youngest Section Chiefs in the city. You can check the promotion notice

online from last year."

Jacob looked at Clara. She stood in the doorway, head bowed, barely daring to

breathe. "So he really is your brother?"

Clara nodded. "I told you several times, but you wouldn't believe me."

Jacob's legs gave out, and he sank onto the chair. Emily Patton handed my ID

back, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"Deputy Director Stone this is all our fault Jacob is young and foolish"

"Young and foolish is an excuse for hitting people?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant"

"Chief Patton, let me ask you, did you receive the rectification notice sent by

the Health Commission last month?"

Emily Patton paused. "What what rectification notice?"

"The one concerning fire safety, medical equipment annual inspections, and

outpatient service quality. Three copies were sent: one official hard copy, two

by email. Are you telling me you didn't receive it?"

Emily Patton's lips moved. "I I had the office manager handle it."

"And the results of that handling? The rectification report?"

"That should be in the process"

"I walked through your hospital this morning. Fire exits blocked with clutter,

expired fire extinguishers, less than forty percent of outpatient windows open.

Reception nurses on their phones during shifts, a strange odor in the inpatient

ward corridors, illegible notices in the pharmacy. Is this what you mean by 'in

the process'?"

With each point I made, Emily Patton's face grew paler. "These issues I'm

really not aware of them"

"You're not aware? You're the Chief of Staff, and you're not aware?"

Emily Patton opened her mouth, but no words came out.

A crowd had gathered at the office door, I hadn't even noticed when. Several

administrative staff, and a few department heads passing by, were all peering

inside. A middle-aged man whispered, "It's the Health Commission, an undercover

inspection."

The rumor spread like wildfire. In less than five minutes, the entire floor

knew. News traveled faster through the hospital than any official notice.

Before I even left the Chief of Staff's office, my phone rang.

"Alex, this is Sarah from Oversight. Director Dawson wants me to ask about the

situation on site. Do you need us to send people over?"

"Yes, send them. Bring Lily with you, and officially file today's inspection

records."

"Understood, arranging it now."

I hung up and looked at Emily Patton. "Chief Patton, by regulation, after an

undercover inspection, I need to write a formal oversight report. Regarding the

issues I just mentioned, what do you have to say now?"

Emily Patton stood behind her desk, gripping the back of her chair, her knuckles

white. "Deputy Director Stone, some things could we sit down and discuss them

first?"

"Fine, let's discuss." I pulled up a chair and sat.

Jacob was still in the adjacent chair, hunched over, not making a sound.

"First issue," I said, opening my phone's notepad. "Your son, Jacob Miller, is a

doctor at this hospital. Through what channels was he hired?"

Emily Patton hesitated. "Normal public recruitment."

"Public recruitment? Can you provide the recruitment announcement, written exam

scores, interview records, and public notice document?"

"Those HR should have them archived."

"Then please have HR send the materials over now."

Emily Patton picked up the desk phone and dialed an internal number. "Is that

Jane? Please send Jacob Miller's personnel file to my office. Yes, I need it

now." There was a clear pause on the other end, then an affirmative.

While waiting for the materials, I asked the second question. "I'd like to see

your hospital's resident and intern management policies. Especially the lunch

break regulation C forty minutes. Who set that?"

"That was formulated based on the hospital's actual situation."

"The Ministry of Health's regulations on standardized residency training clearly

state that residents' work-rest schedules should ensure adequate rest. Do you

think a forty-minute lunch break is reasonable?"

"I'll have the Medical Affairs Department look into it"

"Third question. Last week, a resident in the Dental Department was asked to

write a reflection report for a medical dispute involving her attending

physician. Are you aware of this?"

Emily Patton paused, glancing at Clara, who was still standing in the doorway.

"This I'm not familiar with the specific situation."

"There's quite a lot you're not familiar with."

Two knocks on the door, and a woman in glasses entered, holding an archive

envelope. "Chief Patton, here are the materials you requested." She placed the

envelope on the desk and left.

I took it, opened it, and flipped through the documents inside. Copy of

recruitment announcement C check. Written exam scores C check, ranked third.

Interview records C check. Public Notice Document C check. It all looked very complete.

I looked closely at the dates. Recruitment announcement issue date, March 15th.

Application deadline, March 18th. Three days.

"Chief Patton, for this public recruitment for a doctor position, from

announcement to deadline, was it only three days?"

"We were in a bit of a rush at the time."

"So rushed that you only gave three days? Standard public recruitment usually

has at least a two-week announcement period, and you gave three days."

"The department urgently needed staff"

"How many applicants?"

Emily Patton didn't speak. I flipped to the back; the applicant statistics form

stated: four applicants. One was hired out of four.

"Four applicants, and your son was hired. Chief Patton, do you honestly think

this procedure is compliant?"

Jacob finally couldn't sit still and stood up. "I got in on my own merits! Third

in the written exam, first in the interview!"

"Third in the written exam out of four people," I said, flipping further. "Who

were the interview panelists?"

Interview panel list: Dr. Susan Chen, Head of Medical Affairs; Mr. David Wong,

HR Manager; Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr. Robert Lee.

"Your mother didn't participate in the interview, but who holds the power to

appoint the interview panelists?"

Jacob fell silent. I closed the archive envelope. "I'll keep this file for now."

"Deputy Director Stone" Emily Patton took a step forward.

"One more question." I stood up. "Your son publicly slapped me in the cafeteria

today. At least thirty to forty people witnessed it. Regardless of his reasons,

striking someone in the workplace, how do you intend to handle this?"

Emily Patton looked at Jacob. Jacob bit his lip. "Jacob, apologize to Deputy

Director Stone."

"An apology is enough?" I said.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"It's not up to me to suggest. Your hospital has an employee management policy;

handle it according to that policy. Also, there's video evidence from bystanders

and my body cam recording. If I decide to pursue legal action, your son is

looking at assault charges."

Jacob's face completely lost its color. "I I didn't know you were from the

Health Commission I thought you were"

"You thought I was an intern, so it was okay to hit me? Interns can be slapped

around by you?"

He couldn't speak.

Just then, there was a commotion at the office door. My colleagues had arrived.

Sarah had come with Lily. Both carried briefcases, nodded to me upon entering,

then each took out a notebook and a voice recorder.

"Sarah, take Lily to the fire escape and the inpatient ward. Double-check all

the issues I photographed this morning, and document them with photos. Lily,

stay here with me to handle the administrative materials."

"Understood." Sarah took Lily out.

Emily Patton stood behind the desk, hands in her pockets, lips pressed together,

silent. I turned to her. "Chief Patton, next, I need to review your hospital's

financial statements, equipment procurement lists, personnel hiring records, and

patient complaint logs for the past year. Please arrange for someone to prepare

them."

"Now?"

"Now."