Chapter 90
Suhyuk moved just as he was instructed to by Im Gyungsu.
Starting with accepting a patient with a call from the emergency room, he took on various chores such as disinfection and dressing. He also had to monitor a patient's condition.
Whether morning or night, he did not take his eyes off the patient.
2am.
Suhyuk turned over a chart in front of a patient's room.
21 years old. Oh Gilsu.
While he was riding on a bicycle, he had his chest hit by a hydrant.
He underwent a surgery as soon as he was admitted as a patient during lunch time.
Liver laceration.
The liver is the largest organ in the abdominal cavity and the most vulnerable organ of the abdomen when it comes to receiving external shocks. Besides, liver damage also caused the highest rate of death from damage caused to organs.
Entering the surgery room quietly, Suhyuk thought he was lucky.
For the patient was able to get surgery immediately, and not only that, but he also received the help of Prof. Han Myungjin.
Suhyuk was silently looking at the monitor that checked the condition of the patient, and then he smiled. The condition of the patient who had hepatectomy surgery was good.
At that moment, he heard something.
"Am I going to be okay?"
The patient who seemed to be asleep opened his eyes.
"Is there anywhere that you feel uncomfortable?"
"It hurts."
Suhyuk came closer to him.
"Where does it hurt?"
"I feel a twinge from that surgery area."
Suhyuk let out a sigh of relief.
"It's just natural for you to feel that kind of pain because you just had an operation. You will feel better tomorrow morning, and you don't have to worry. The surgery was done well."
Though he did not observe the operation, the record and chart of the patient's surgery showed every information that there was. Plus the current condition of that patient all indicated good signs.
The patient nodded his head, saying, "Thanks."
Without saying anything, Suhyuk pulled up the blanket to cover the patient's chest.
"Good night."
With a smile, he left the patient's room.
At that moment a nurse going around the hospital tilted her head.
"Did he get any instructions from the chief doctor? He works very hard."
The residents in their first year usually follows a senior resident for further clinical knowledge, because they could make a mistake.
The nurse entering into a patient's room left the place soon to check the patient's condition.
There was one thing she did not know, though. Suhyuk already had checked out all the patients' conditions without anybody's direction. Suhyuk continued to carry out the job until late into the night.
***
The morning was coming, and Suhyuk woke up at his lodging.
It was 6am. Did he sleep three hours?
Getting up from the bed, he washed and then went out. He had a light breakfast as always.
Arriving at the surgery department building, he made the rounds of the patients' rooms.
Some of the patients recognized Suhyuk, and others did not.
"Good morning, sir!"
"Good morning."
A patient handed a beverage to him.
"I had a surgery on my abdomen, but feel a twinge in my legs."
Suhyuk nodded, saying, "Does it hurt very much?"
"No, but I feel I didn't sleep well..."
"It's because of the nerve connected down there. You'll be alright in a while. If you continue to feel pain, let us know."
Suhyuk continued making the rounds, and when the official working time started, he went to see Im Gyungsu.
"Good morning!"
"Didn't you sleep well? I made sure you left early after finishing the work, right?"
"Well, I couldn't sleep," replied Suhyuk with a smile.
Shaking his head, Im opened his mouth, checking the chart,
"Take good care of yourself. Though this is the place we see and treat the patients, nobody takes care of us taking care of them."
At that moment he got a call. It was from the emergency room.
"Oh my god! I have a patient even in the early morning."
Saying that, he looked at Suhyuk.
"Go down to the emergency room. I wonder what's wrong..."
"Yes, sir."
Suhyuk headed for the elevator right away.
***
Oh Byungchul looked a bit surprised, because Suhyuk came to the emergency room.
Suddenly he realized that he called the surgeon department.
"Oh, I see it's you who has come here."
"Where is the patient?"
"He's not yet in here."
Suhyuk made a perplexed expression.
"I just got a call from the 119 rescue crew. A worker fell down at the construction site, with heavy bleeding from his legs. And bleeding inside his abdomen is also suspected."
Suhyuk nodded. Bleeding from his legs was not the issue.
Suspected bleeding inside his abdomen was the issue. Stopping bleeding by all means could save his life.
Then the door of the emergency room flung open. Carrying the patient on a stretcher, the rescue crew came into the room quickly. They shouted, lying him on the bed,
"The patient doesn't show any signs of consciousness."
"Which floor did he fall from?" Suhyuk, who approached the patient immediately, asked, while checking over the patient.
"He fell from the 5th floor."
Suhyuk let out a sigh before he knew it.
Certainly at such a high place, no one could fall safely to the ground.
Suhyuk looked at the patient's legs.
The bandages that must have been white in color were already wet with blood, which began to drop off. Suhyuk lifted his jacket and found blood here and there on his bruised skin.
That was not important, though.
His whole abdomen was bruised black as a result of quite a strong shock.
Suhyuk was about to call the severe injury center, when he then changed his mind, because he recalled Prof. Han Myungjin. The image of him carrying a patient through a helicopter and performing the surgery. He was doing the dual role like that.
Sometimes doctors were out to help when those at other departments were short staffed or in an emergency situation.
Suhyuk did not agonize that long over what to do. He called Prof. Han directly.
The fact that he called Prof. Han of the thoracic surgery, and because the patient was struck with serious injury, meant he needed the professor's help.
"Prof. Han, we have a patient here who fell from the 5th floor. He has no consciousness, with heavy bleeding from his legs. Bleeding is expected from his abdomen, too."
"I'm just around the corner now. Wait!"
The phone was hung up, and Suhyuk approached the patient quickly.
It seemed he needed blood transfusions because of heavy bleeding from his legs.
"Please check his blood type."
At Suhyuk's words the nurse moved quickly.
Then Prof. Han came in, opening the door of the emergency room.
He frowned his face, looking at the patient.
"Why is he bleeding like that from his legs? Where is his guardian?"
Suhyuk shook his head. Then a man in his mid-50s came up to them.
He was the chief of the construction sight working with the patient at the scene.
"His guardian is on the way here now."
-----
The patient was lying on the stretcher with a bottle of fluid and blood packs hanging over him.
In the resuscitation room he received all sorts of tests.
Fixing his eyes on the monitor checking the patient's condition, Prof. Han knitted his brows.
"Completely broken.."
The patient's legs were all busted up.
Now he could see the outcomes of his MRI and X-ray shots, which showed the patient's condition was much worse than first thought. His abdomen was full of blood.
That indicated, as expected, that his organs were severely damaged.
Then a nurse approached them, with a chart.
"Prof. Han, he seems to have a terminal liver cancer…"
Han was handed the chart from her, and Suhyuk breathed out a sigh, looking at the patient's abdomen.
"Six months?"
Han murmured. It was written like that on his medical record.
Even in such a serious condition, he chose to go out for manual work?
"His guardian just got here."
Han nodded his head. The timing was perfect.
They were about to begin the surgery even without the guardian's consent.
Han turned to Suhyuk, while the other medical staff were checking the patient's condition.
"Mr. Lee, go and get the guardian's consent, and come back right into the operation room."
***
"Where am I?" asked a woman in her early 40s.
She was hold her child's hands tightly as if she were scared.
"It's the hospital. They say Dad was hurt."
The child holding her mom was 12 years old at the most.
With tears in her eyes, she was soothing her mom who looked around with a frightened expression.
"Hwajung, let's go home. Please, let's go home."
At her repeated pressing, Hwajung shed pent-up tears.
"Boohoo... I told you Dad was hurt. He would be scared if we're leaving now."
"I want to go home! Let's go home, honey?"
"Mom, please…"
At that moment , Lee Suhyuk appeared.
"Are you Mr. Lee Jinhan's guardian?"
"Where is my Dad now?"
At Hwajung's asking, he smiled bitterly and said,
"He's at the resuscitation room now."
His physical condition was too bad. His blood pressure skydived to 60mmhg.
He needed to get better in the resuscitation room before undergoing the surgery.
"Hwajung, I want to go home now!"
At her voice, Suhyuk turned to her speaking like a child.
'Does she have a mental disability?'
"Mom! I told you repeatedly he was sick. Please don't do this…"
Suhyuk let out a deep sigh at their conversation.
The patient's wife had a mental disability while her daughter was an elementary school girl.
Did they know that he had a terminal liver cancer.
How could he move from one construction place to another with that extremely severe physical condition?
"What's your name?"
"I'm Hwajung, Lee Hwajung."
"You've got a very beautiful name. Your father needs to get surgery right now…"
Tears ran down her cheeks when she heard that.
"Was he hurt so much?"
Suhyuk went down on his knee and wiped her tears with his right thumb.
"You mom needs to sign the consent form if your father is to get the surgery."
Hwajung nodded her head, and turned to her mom,
"Mom, you need to consent to the surgery, so daddy can get better."
Suhyuk handed out the consent form. "You can sign it here."
She stepped back. Though she was a middle-aged woman, she just got frightened at the sight of Suhyuk wearing a doctor's gown.
"Let me go home."
Suhyuk smiled a bit, "You've got a very beautiful daughter."
Suhyuk presented the form and a pencil to Hwajung.
"Can you get her signature? She can sign here."
Hwajung nodded, "Mom, sign here…"
It was done immediately, and Suhyuk confirmed it.
"It might be a very dangerous surgery…" Suhyuk swallowed what he was trying to say.
Yes, it was going to be a really dangerous surgery.
With a terminal liver cancer, and with the patient's organs were severely damaged, he could die in the middle of the surgery. The possibility was high.
Nonetheless, Suhyuk did not say anything about it.
"Just wait here a bit."
Hwajung nodded her head, and Suhyuk looked at the patient's wife silently, saying,
"We'll do our best, guardian."
His white gown fluttered in the air.
'Yeah, I'll save his life by all means.'