Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The main hall of the Emergency Department was full of people.
The nurses behind the rectangular reception desk were picking up phone calls and answering questions nonstop, and even though there were three of them, they were extremely busy.
“Please make way” and “excuse me” were the words spoken by the family members of patients as they walked in the middle of the main hall. Some of them looked stupefied, and some wore anxious expressions. Some were crying.
Right now, Shi Qiang’s father and eldest aunt were sitting on the bench outside the resuscitation room. They wore blank expressions.
The resuscitation room was connected to the operating theater, and patients’ family members were not allowed inside. Hence, Shi Qiang’s father and eldest aunt had no choice but to sit outside and stare into space.
Behind them, a sturdy cypress tree could be seen through the thick floor-to-ceiling window.
It was summer, and the emerald leaves of the cypress tree were glossy. Its branches were thick and burly, and it was as if the tree had consumed muscle-building supplements. Those branches were black and solid, and they looked kind of savage.
The ground surrounding the cypress tree was wet as the gardener spent all morning watering it.
The tiny plants surrounding the cypress tree were timid and soft, and a person could not tell whether they were able to withstand the domineering nature of the cypress tree.
Many of the patients and patients’ family members liked to stare at the greenery outside the window in a daze.
As the atmosphere in the Emergency Medical Center was suffocating, it was more comforting for patients and their family members to look outside.
Zuo Cidian exited a door labeled “Emergency Passage”. After closing the door, he looked around.
A number of patients’ family members crowded around him.
“Are Shi Qiang’s family members here?” Zuo Cidian yelled.
No one responded.
Zuo Cidian was not in a rush, as he was very used to this kind of situation. He waited for more than ten seconds before yelling again. “Are Shi Qiang’s family members here?”
“He’s calling us.” After Shi Qiang’s eldest aunt made sure than Zuo Cidian was calling them, she quickly stood up.
Shi Qiang’s father also raised his head in a trance.
His father had been in a daze ever since Shi Qiang got injured and was sent to Yun Hua Hospital in an ambulance. It was to the point that he could not really fathom what was going on. He only regained some of his senses the moment his son was wheeled into the operating theater, as his adrenaline level had lowered.
A person could also say that he felt even more lost.
“Doctor?” He took a few steps forward and said as he stood before Zuo Cidian, “I’m Shi Qiang’s father. Is Shi Qiang… alright now?”
“We have not begun the operation yet.” Zuo Cidian wore a serious expression, and there was no hint of a smile on his face at all.
Even though he knew that he could make the patient’s family members more relaxed by smiling, he believed that this was not a situation whereby they should be in a relaxed state of mind.
Both Shi Qiang’s father and eldest aunt were shocked by the middle-aged resident doctor’s words.
“But… but we have already paid for it. Why aren’t you guys operating on him?” Shi Qiang’s father furrowed his eyebrows a little.
Even though it was only a slight gesture, Zuo Cidian noticed it.
And in the blink of an eye, Zuo Cidian decided to forgo the script he had rehearsed in his mind and approach the situation at hand in a different manner.
“Your son’s index finger is so badly injured that it cannot be treated with finger replantation surgery. Unless we take another measure, we would have no choice but to amputate it.” Zuo Cidian continued in a solemn tone, “You guys would have to make a decision as soon as possible, as the surgery should not be delayed any further. When it comes to finger replantation surgery, the more you wait, the longer the recovery time would be.”
“What, amputation?” Shi Qiang’s father panicked once again.
Zuo Cidian nodded and gestured at the index finger of his left hand with his right hand. “It was a really powerful explosion, and Shi Qiang’s index finger… In short, part of his index finger had shattered from the explosion. Even though the three other injured fingers could be joined using finger replantation surgery, too much of his index finger is gone. If we go ahead and replant his index finger, not only would it be non-functional, but it also wouldn’t be aesthetically pleasing.”
“We’ll go back and look for it.” As if he suddenly found a purpose, Shi Qiang’s father immediately perked up and said. “That rascal, I mean, I know where Shi Qiang was playing with firecrackers. Doctor, just tell me what I should be looking for. I’ll definitely be able to find it.”
“Those shattered fragments are not only lost. Some had also been reduced to ashes.” Zuo Cidian’s tone became gentle, and he explained the situation at hand and the theory behind finger replantation surgery to Shi Qiang’s father.
Shi Qiang’s father felt extremely uneasy as he listened to Zuo Cidian.
Shi Qiang’s eldest aunt contemplated and asked, “What is the other measure that you mentioned just now?”
Zuo Cidian’s expression became hesitant.
“Doctor, please help me. He’s my only son.” Shi Qiang’s father tugged at Zuo Cidian’s sleeve. He did not dare to grab Zuo Cidian’s arm for fear of infuriating the doctor.
Zuo Cidian furrowed his eyebrows, and his expression became even more hesitant.
“Doctor, please help us and come out with a solution. We’re really… That child cannot lose his index finger. This would ruin his whole life.” Shi Qiang’s eldest aunt panicked even more.
“There is a new surgical method available. It’s a new technology. As it’s relatively complicated, we don’t usually do it.” Zuo Cidian explained ectopic transplantation to them and continued, “We would need to operate on Shi Qiang twice. Not only is it expensive, but it will also be very difficult to care for him during the period between the two surgeries. You guys would have to keep an eye on him so that he does not touch the transplanted part. Besides, you would also need to care about his mental health.”
When Shi Qiang’s father and eldest aunt heard this, they were obviously perturbed.
“Give us some time to think about this.” Shi Qiang’s eldest aunt grabbed the arm of Shi Qiang’s father.
“I’ll give you guys a few minutes.” Zuo Cidian continued. “I’ll have to call the department director if you guys want us to carry out ectopic transplantation. If you guys don’t want it done, we’ll prepare for amputation.”
After Zuo Cidian said that, he passed a few documents for them to sign.
He was not worried that the other party would choose to have Shi Qiang’s index finger amputated.
Ectopic transplantation was only something Wang Haiyang envisioned. At the end of the day, if Shi Qiang’s family members were unwilling to go ahead with it, there was no point in forcing them.
In Zuo Cidian’s opinion, not only was ectopic transplantation expensive, but the patient’s family members would also need to invest a lot of time. Not every family was capable of this.
Even though Chief Physician Wang Haiyang mentioned that part of the expenses could be remitted, the total sum would still be a huge burden to families of children without health insurance or whose health insurance had a low premium. Zuo Cidian who used to work in a town hospital knew how much tens of thousands of RMB meant to families who lived in small towns and the countryside.
If the children of families whose annual income was about 100,000 RMB lost their fingers in an explosion, their family members would try all means to have them receive surgery, whether it was finger replantation surgery which cost 10,000 RMB or ectopic transplantation which cost tens of thousands of RMB. However, from what Zuo Cidian could see, Shi Qiang’s family was obviously not this well off.
Even so, Zuo Cidian did think that the wisest choice would be to grasp the chance to receive an ectopic transplantation.
It was easy to give up now. However, twenty-four hours later, they would no longer have the option to keep Shi Qiang’s finger so that he would not be handicapped.
“We’ll go for the ectopic transplantation.” The man did not dare to take too long to talk about it. After making a few phone calls, he made up his mind.
“Since you guys are willing to go ahead with it, do head to the counter and pay the additional surgery fee.” Zuo Cidian said with a solemn expression. He continued. “Are you facing financial difficulties?”
“We can still afford it…” The man was a little diffident.
“There’s a policy in our hospital that gives a discount to certain patients. I’m not sure if Shi Qiang is eligible for it, but you can try applying for it,” Zuo Cidian said without missing a beat and returned to the operating theater after Shi Qiang’s family members expressed their gratitude.
At this moment, Ling Ran and Chief Physician Wang Haiyang were already operating on Shi Qiang’s other fingers.
The three medical interns were also putting their full focus on the surgery, as this opportunity was hard to come by. They would have to look for jobs soon, and such an experience would be very helpful when it came to getting hired by their desired hospitals and departments.
Truth be told, most of the ordinary medical interns would not even have a chance to participate in any surgery throughout the duration of their internship.
Medical interns who had the chance to participate in finger replantation surgery were extremely lucky indeed, let alone those who got to take part in ectopic transplantation.
