My parents were award-winning teachers, having nurtured countless outstanding students.

However, I had always been the last in line, failing every single class.

After yet another gentle warning from my homeroom teacher, my dad finally snapped.

"How did I end up with a kid this dumb? You're deliberately trying to torture me, aren't you?"

He disappeared for three days. When he returned, he had a boy with him.

"From today on, Josh is the only true child of this family. You are no longer allowed to call us Mom and Dad.

"Get out! You'll only earn the right to be my son once you can actually pass your exams."

The next time I saw them was at the hospital during a check-up organized by their school for all the staff.

The head of guidance recognized me immediately.

"Yale? Isn't this Shane from your family?

"He works here now. And Josh's condition, there's hope for him! You should have him contact the new Dr. Cunningham right away."

Seeing me in my white coat, my dad's expression shifted again and again.

"This kid… switched jobs and didn't even tell me."

I subtly used my coat to cover the badge hanging on my chest.

It read:

Department Director: Asher Cunningham

Yale Johnson caught my gaze and marched right up to me, gripping my arm.

"Your brother's been out of sorts, and the doctors can't pin down what's wrong. He's withering away."

"Come on, I heard Dr. Cunningham's the top dog in this field. Let's go see him, pronto."

His eyes were desperate, his hands clammy.

I flashed back to when I was burning up with a fever, asking him for oatmeal, and how he shoved my hand away like it was toxic.

"You think you can ask me for favors with those pathetic grades? I wish you'd just disappear. Then your mom and I could try for someone better."

I brushed him off with the same detached indifference he once showed me. "Sir, you're making zero sense to me.

"Want medical attention? Get in line and register like everyone else. No skipping."

He stood there, petrified, while the colleagues around him gaped.

Yale was all about keeping up appearances. He sent me off to the countryside and told everyone I was sick and needed rest.

After he took Josh Lewis in, some poor kid, he got his fifteen minutes of fame as the city's Teacher Dad.

However, nobody knew the truth about Mr. Perfect. He was the kind of dad who would toss his own kid aside.

I saw his facade crack, but he kept his cool.

"Shane, I get it. You think I haven't been there for you, and now you're giving me the silent treatment, keeping your job a secret.

"However, your brother's hanging by a thread. Be mad at me if you have to, but Josh didn't do anything."

I was trapped in a circle of educators, all ready to give me a piece of their mind.

"Look, Shane, this isn't the time for sibling rivalry. No hard feelings should last overnight between you and your dad, right?"

"You're missing the point. Your dad's a saint, why can't you take a page from his book?"

The nurse could not help but interject, clearly fed up with the scene unfolding before her.

"What's all this noise about? Aren't you here for a check-up?

"Work's almost over. If you're not here for the procedure, then you go."

The room hushed for a brief moment before Yale, teeth clenched, pointed at me.

"I'm here for it, alright. However, not with them. I want him."

The nurse paused, a flicker of resignation in her eyes.

"Sir, please, you know he's-"

I shot him a look. "Don't worry about it, you do your thing, I've got this."

I went through the motions, disinfecting Yale and inserting the needle, as he whispered harshly, meant only for my ears.

"How did someone with your pathetic grades even get into this hospital?

"I was actually considering letting you come home for dinner this New Year, as a one-time thing. However, if you don't help Josh, you can forget being part of this family from now on.

"And don't even think about getting a dime of your mother's and my inheritance."

His triumphant smirk was laughable to me.

Ten years gone, and Yale still saw me as that kid who, once cast out, could only cry and beg for his mercy.

I pressed the hemostatic ball onto his arm with a bit more force than necessary, watching him wince. A smirk played on my lips. "Have it your way."

Once back in my office, the door shut, and I leaned on the desk, hands shaking.

Just hearing his voice again made my legs turn to jelly.

Back when I was a kid, after every exam, Yale would beat me senseless with a ruler.

"Why are you so dumb?! How can you not solve such easy problems?!"

"The other teachers' kids all get perfect scores! You're making your mother and me look like fools!"

I would curl up, crying out in pain, "Mom, save me."

Mom would just sigh, her face etched with concern.

"Shane, can't you stand up for yourself? Your dad's a wreck over you. Do you want to be the death of him?"

I had to admit, it was difficult. I devoted every waking hour to studying, except when I was eating or sleeping.

However, the second I would try to focus on the pages, my mind would take off on a wild flight, and no matter how hard I tried, I just could not reel it back in.

It was not until I was all grown up that I found out there's this thing called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A quick check-up could have fixed it, but no one ever bothered.

I knew Yale was not the kind to just let things slide.

Right on cue, the day after the incident, my work phone buzzed.

"Dr. Cunningham, I heard there's a ruckus over in the med wing. Some guy from yesterday is throwing a fit, saying he's gonna complain about you."

I did not even make it to the med wing when I caught the sound of my colleague's voice, all twisted up with frustration.

"Look, mister, we're not trying to be difficult. However, this Dr. Shane Johnson you keep asking about, he's not on our roster."

Yale's voice was getting all sharp and edgy.

"Quit covering for him! He's the one who took my blood yesterday, and all those nurses at the check-up center saw it!"

I pushed the door open and stepped in, and Yale's eyes practically sparkled. "Ah, there you are!"

My colleague was totally caught off guard. "Him? He's the new..."

However, Yale cut him off quickly. "Exactly! I knew it, he's the newbie! Just look at my arm, it's a mess!"

He yanked up his sleeve to show off the angry, swollen mess where he got the shot, all dotted with little bumps.

"It hurt like heck when he stuck me, and when I whispered a complaint, he just jammed the cotton ball into my wound on purpose! Got it all on camera!

"Now I can't even bend my arm, and it's messing with my teaching and grading. If that's not a medical mishap, I don't know what is."

I saw right away it was just an allergic reaction, probably something Yale cooked up to pin on me.

My colleague took a deep breath, trying to keep it together. "Alright, let's get you checked out first, then we can talk about what comes next, deal?"

Yale hastily yanked his sleeve down and shook his head with fierce determination.

"Look, I'm not here to cause trouble. I've got just two things to ask.

"First off, that doctor who doesn't know what he's doing? He needs to be put on leave, pronto.

"Second, my kid's got this weird sickness that no one can figure out. Word is, your new guy, Dr. Cunningham, is top-notch. I want him in my son's case, as the lead doctor.

"I've already reported this to the state health folks. If you don't give me a straight answer, I'm not stopping here. I'll take this as far as it needs to go, even to court if I have to."

My colleague's eyes went wide for a second, like he was trying not to crack up.

I just stared back, cool as you please.

"Come on, you're a professional. Making a scene like this; Isn't it a bit beneath you?"

Yale's eyes darted around, his resolve flickering.

"It's for my boy! It's worth any price!"

I remembered back in middle school when my teacher thought I was dating too young and demanded my parents come in. However, neither my dad nor my mom wanted to face the music, too embarrassed.

I ended up on the ground, tears streaming down my face.

"Dad, I swear I didn't do anything. Can't you just talk to her for me?

"If you don't show, she's just gonna get madder."

He slapped me hard across the cheek. "Serves you right. Should've behaved.

"Getting yelled at is your problem, not mine."

That whole day, I was barred from class, cornered in the office by the other parents and teachers, all of them telling me off.

Then, there he was, ready to swallow his pride, but not for me.

I snorted softly. "The dean's on his way. Just wait for him to get here."

Killing time, I picked up the papers Yale slammed on the desk and thumbed through them.

Josh's symptoms were a dead ringer for the hormone disorder I was studying, and he was already slipping into a coma. Time was running out, and death was knocking at the door.

If we did not step in soon, the guy would not make it more than a couple of weeks.

I was just about to take a closer look at the papers when Yale grabbed them out of my hands.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Can you even understand that? That's for Dr. Cunningham, so don't mess it up."

I did not even notice the dean, Paul Harris, walk in.

"Dr. Cunningham? Isn't he the one you're after?"

Yale looked me up and down, his eyes wide, and then he could not help but laugh.

"Cut it out! I'm here to complain about him, not to praise him. Dr. Cunningham's the one who's supposed to be treating my son.

"He's an expert? With a brain like that?"

I was right behind him, shaking my head slightly at Paul.

Paul's brow creased in a mix of confusion and concern, but he was all about keeping the peace.

"I've got the picture. Tell you what, I'll go with you to get that skin treatment, and we'll cover all the costs. As for Dr. Cunningham, I'll handle it. Let's just apologize to each other and move on, okay?"

He slapped the table hard, his eyes flashing with barely contained loathing.

"No way! If we let this guy off the hook today, who knows how many more patients he'll screw over later?"

Yale had it out for me, like he was obsessed. Back when we were kids, he accused me of stealing a ring and did not hesitate to lay into me.

Even after we found the ring in a drawer, he still gave me that look from his high horse.

"It's partly your fault. If you just helped me find it before I hit you, wouldn't that have been better?"

In his eyes, I could never do anything right.

I folded my arms, my mind made up.

"Well, that works for me. I wasn't planning on apologizing to you anyway.

"I'll play ball with the investigation and blow the lid off your lies. I even got a lawyer on the line who told me I should sue you for slander. So, brace yourself for a legal smackdown."

"And if you're so set on seeing me benched, you got it," I unclipped my badge and flipped it down on the desk, "Dean Harris, save your breath. Let's just get my suspension in the books, okay?"

Yale was clearly caught off guard by my move, his face a mix of panic and anger. "Fine! A month off the job, plus we'll blast it out to everyone, making an example out of you!"

Paul looked like he was in a tight spot, waving his hand like he was trying to swat away the tension. "Let's all just take a breath. Mr. Johnson, weren't you counting on Dr. Cunningham to work his magic on your kid?"

"What's going to happen to your son if Dr. Cunningham's out of the picture now?"

Yale's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What's that supposed to mean? You're using Dr. Cunningham as a bargaining chip against me to protect this greenhorn doctor?

"Listen here, my son's case is one for the medical books. Dr. Cunningham ought to be thanking me for handing him the chance of a lifetime!"

I felt a wave of serenity wash over me. "Enough, Dean Harris. No point in preaching to the choir. I'm stepping down willingly, just do what you gotta do."

He still looked torn, "I get you're steamed, but we're supposed to be with a heart of compassion."

Yale was beyond reasoning, brandishing his phone like a trophy for all to see the name on the screen. "I'm running out of patience! Get this sorted out now, right in front of me.

"My buddy's significant other is big-time at the health department. One call from me, and they'll be crawling all over this place!

"I bet you've got skeletons in your closet too."

Paul was at a loss for words. "Fine, fine, fine, we'll do it your way, but don't come crying to me later."

The news of my month-long suspension spread like wildfire through the hospital.

Yale, looking like he just won the lottery, flashed me a smug grin. I did not give him the satisfaction of a response; I just spun on my heel and stormed out of the door.

He was still making a scene behind me, hollering for the dean to drag Dr. Cunningham out there.

However, Yale caught a glimpse of my name tag and flipped it over. The second he read it, his face went from smug to shocked in a heartbeat.