Chapter 7 - The Sabotage of the Past
The peace, however, was too fragile to last undisturbed.
Vivien Ashworth Pell, wounded, humiliated, and desperate to salvage her collapsing social dominance, struck back through the only channel she had left: tabloid gossip and medical politics.
One rainy Thursday morning, a sensational article broke across a prominent digital gossip platform and quickly spread to mainstream news outlets: BIANCA'S LIST: DOCTOR WITH A DARK PAST AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL.
The article dredged up an old, tragic case from three years prior—an emergency pediatric heart surgery where a patient had unfortunately passed away despite every heroic effort by the surgical team. Sloan had been the attending cardiologist on duty. The review board had cleared her completely, ruling it an unavoidable complication of a severe congenital defect, but Vivien's paid PR machine twisted the facts, painting Sloan as reckless, distracted, and "unfit for vulnerable children"—pointing maliciously to her budding relationship with the billionaire CEO as a conflict of interest.
The media storm hit instantly. Reporters swarmed the entrance of Lincoln Memorial Hospital, shoving microphones into nurses' faces. Worst of all, a pack of aggressive tabloid photographers tracked Lily down as she was leaving her day school with Mrs. Fam.
Flashbulbs popped blindly in the rain. Microphones thrust toward the terrified nine-year-old.
"Lily! Lily Rock! What does your uncle say about Dr. Hayes's past medical malpractice?" a reporter shouted over the din.
Lily froze, her small hands flying to her ears to block out the overwhelming vibration of the shouting crowd. The flashing lights and aggressive noise triggered every defensive instinct she had. She shrank back against the school gate, tears pricking her eyes.
Before Mrs. Fam could shove her way through the press corps, a car screeched to a halt. The door flew open, and Daniel bolted out, his face a mask of cold fury. He didn't care about the cameras anymore. He swept Lily up into his arms, shielding her face against his chest, and kicked his way through the pack of reporters.
But before they reached the car, Lily pushed herself back slightly from Daniel's chest. Her eyes were fierce, wet with tears, but steady. She pulled her small white magnetic drawing board from her backpack, scribbled furiously with the attached stylus, and held it up directly toward the flashing cameras.
The board read: SHE IS A GOOD DOCTOR. YOU ARE BAD LISTENERS.
May you like
Mrs. Fam snatched the board back protectively, and Daniel bundled Lily into the backseat of the car, slamming the door shut.
Within two hours, the photo of the fierce, defiant deaf child holding up her whiteboard to the predatory press went viral across the nation, instantly turning public sentiment against the tabloid smear campaign.
