Chapter 174: Elena Ward Woke Up

When Elena Ward woke up, sunlight already streamed through the window. Her hand instinctively reached for the other side of the pillow, but it was cold. Her brother Daniel must have left long ago.

Her gaze fell on the brand-new plum blossom watch around her wrist, and she sighed. Two days ago, Adrian Stone had secretly slipped a handkerchief-wrapped package into her bag when helping her carry it. Last night, while packing, she discovered not only the watch but also five hundred dollars and a stack of food stamps inside.

"That Adrian..." Elena bit her lip, her fingers lightly tracing the watch face. His letter had been firm, leaving no room for refusal—every word carried the tone of a fiancé laying down the law. She had wanted to refuse, but then again, she really did need a watch to keep track of time.

"I'll just pay him back later," she muttered under her breath, though the words felt ungrateful. As a small gesture, she had secretly slipped two hundred dollars to her brother Daniel. That foolish man hadn’t even saved up enough to marry.

After washing up, Elena checked the watch—ten minutes to eight. She grabbed her bag and hurried out. The Traditional Medicine Department was close to the dorm, just a five-minute walk.

Pushing open the clinic door, she found it empty except for the intern, Claire, and an unfamiliar young man cleaning.

"Good morning, Dr. Ward!" Claire greeted her warmly, her eyes holding a hint of reverence. After all, Elena was a licensed physician, unlike the interns.

"Where is everyone?" Elena glanced around, puzzled.

"Dr. Zhao and Dr. Fang are off today, and Dr. Han and the others probably won’t be in for a while," Claire whispered. "We don’t get many patients here, so no one’s in a rush."

Elena nodded, but her heart sank. She didn’t even have her own office, let alone a locker. She looked down at her white coat, then at the barren room, standing awkwardly in place.

"Dr. Ward, you can use my locker if you’d like," Claire offered, sensing her discomfort. "The interns’ changing room is next to the nurses’ station."

Grateful, Elena thanked her. As they walked down the hallway, she could feel curious eyes following her.

Inside the changing room, two young nurses were getting dressed. One of them blurted out upon seeing Elena, "New intern? You look so young!"

The air froze.

Claire quickly corrected, "This is Dr. Elena Ward, our new physician!"

The nurse paled, bowing repeatedly. "I’m so sorry, Dr. Ward! We didn’t know—"

But Elena just smiled. "It’s fine. I should have planned better." She extended her hand. "I look forward to working with you."

Her warmth put the nurses at ease, and they immediately crowded around her with questions. "How old are you, Dr. Ward? Which medical school did you graduate from?"

Claire broke into a sweat—everyone knew Elena hadn’t attended medical school. But before she could intervene, Elena answered calmly, "I didn’t go to medical school. I started as a rural healthcare worker."

The room fell silent for a beat.

"But medical skill isn’t about pedigree, right?" Elena blinked. "Let’s learn from each other."

Claire finally relaxed. Watching Elena surrounded by the chattering nurses, she suddenly felt that this new female doctor might just breathe some fresh life into their stagnant department.