Radiation

After dealing with Mr. Chen, Li Yun looked for Chief Gao, who had just finished stabilizing the Mr. Lu, the man in the car accident, and was talking to the neurosurgeon. Since Chief Gao had already inserted intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring, the neurosurgeon suggested that they waited instead of an emergency surgery. Craniotomy wasn't a simple procedure.

In the midst of their conversation, Li Yun overheard a distressed voice from another corner, and turned to the conversation between Doctor Zhao and Ms. Lu.

Doctor Zhao was talking to Ms. Lu about getting a CT scan. It was a regular procedure for all patients coming in after a car accident. The mother kept on refusing and shaking her head while her hands were shivering around her four-years old son.

"Ms. Lu, we recommend that you get a CT scan with your son," said Doctor Zhao whispered, but based on the movement of his lips, Li Yun understood what was said. "I know some people feel claustrophobic, but it will only take a minute."

"I am fine," Ms. Lu explained. "My son can get the scan, but I'm feeling perfectly fine. There's no pain anywhere. I barely felt the impact. I just want to be by my husband's side when the operation begins."

Doctor Zhao helplessly nodded, but requested that she sign a disclaimer form to turn down the CT scan. With her final affirmation, Doctor Zhao called the nurse over to help her fill out the paperwork and then walked out for a smoke break.

The nurse was in the middle of giving another doctor a medical kit, so Li Yun asked if he could assist. The nurse nodded and thanked him for the assistance; she already had too much work on her plate.

"Ms. Lu, do you want me to carry Little Yani?" Li Yun asked.

"Ah, but he's usually scared of strangers," replied Ms. Lu, but she was surprised when Little Yani agreed to Li Yun's piggyback ride.

Li Yun offered his back to the little boy, and Little Yani climbed aboard.

"I have extra charm points, and it works on kids," Li Yun explained.

"Oh," Ms. Lu chuckled.

They walked toward the radiology room. Li Yun had never been there, but he had the hospital floor plan memorized, so it wasn't too difficult. The worst thing to show in front of the patients were showing signs of being lost, and a lack of confidence.

"Is this Little Yani's first time doing a CT scan?" Li Yun asked.

Little Yani nodded.

"Oh, so you're going to have a pretty cool experience," Li Yun explained. "Do you like the tunnel slides in the playground?"

Little Yani nodded. "It's super fun!"

"I can't say the CT will be super fun, but it feels super cool, like being on a spaceship."

When Little Yani heard that, he felt excited. He always wanted to be on a spaceship.

"All right, when we get in the room," Li Yun lowered himself down and allowed Little Yani to get off his back. "The technician will help you in the pod and then secure you with seatbelts."

"All right!"

Once they got to the room, Technician Wu greeted Li Yun. "Oh, hey new resident, you're working fast!" Technician Wu commented.

Technician Wu was tall, skinny, and had thick framed glasses. Other than being chatty, and quite friendly to everyone; Li Yun thought it was because he was usually bored with work.

Technician Wu took Little Yani to the CT machine while Li Yun waited with Ms. Lu in the adjacent room.

"Ms. Lu, are you and your husband having difficulty conceiving a second child?" Li Yun asked.

Ms. Lu nodded, but was surprised he knew, but since he was a doctor, it may be something they recognized. "I am already over 40, but we really want a second child," she looked lovingly at Little Yani. "Little Yani is quite shy, so we wanted to give him another sibling to play with. After we heard that restrictions were lifted, we tried to conceive for a year. I'm afraid the scan will affect my egg count."

"You have some medical knowledge, are you a clerk at a clinic?"

Ms. Lu nodded. "I work in a small clinic as the payroll clerk. I know your concern, but I am all right."

"Ms. Lu, can I feel your pulse for a moment?"

Sensing Li Yun's sincerely, Ms. Lu lifted her right hand and held it up to Li Yun who inspected the pulse. Her pulse was sporadic and the pattern was similar to patients with internal bleeding he had encountered during his internship.

"Ms. Lu, I am not trying to frighten you, but there are 85% chances you have internal bleeding in your chest."

Ms. Lu slowly placed her hands back on her lap. Her breathing was abnormal and her body was slumped, but she was still hesitant.

"You're already showing signs," Li Yun continued to persuade her. "Some people may mentally block out their pain. You're trying to look strong for your son, but you should take care of yourself first."

Ms. Lu clenched her forefinger and thumb together, and then bit her nails.

"You may not feel it now, but in a week, your condition will get worse. Although the CT scan may affect your egg count, it is very slight. The tradeoff is better than Little Yani going through another ordeal of having another parent in a serious operation." Li Yun had described her worries, and having him say it out loud made her realize that her once rational decision may not be the best for her son.

She was beginning to reconsider her options.

"Medicine is getting more advanced, conceiving in the fifties is possible now, but if you undergo a serious operation, it will be ten times worse."

Technician Wu signaled that everything was clear, and began to release Little Yani.

"Little Yani is done, do you want to head in next?" Li Yun asked.

Ms. Lu remained rooted, still thinking about what would happen if Little Yani had to live without both parents.

"Radiation risks are low, but internal bleeding is much more serious," Li Yun persuaded her again.

Ms. Lu, although a bit reluctant, nodded. After the procedure, Li Yun returned to the ER and the nurse escorted Ms. Lu and Little Yani to the OR to wait for her husband.

The hospital was quite efficient. Within thirty minutes, Doctor Zhao received the CT scan report and immediately informed Ms. Lu that she had a pulmonary hemorrhage. After hearing her options, she chose to undergo bronchial artery embolization (BAE) the following afternoon. Although there was more exposure to radiation, she did not want open surgery in the future.

After midnight, Chief Gao returned to the ER. He had finished surgery on the husband, Gu Fushen, and moved him to the ICU. Although the surgery was successful, the husband needed to stay a few days in the hospital.

Chief Gao wanted to complete some paperwork before retiring for the night. He was surprised to see that Li Yun was still in the ER and that it was relatively quiet. He read the chart, and it seemed that Li Yun had been taking care of the patients who needed stitches and debridement. Chief Gao handed to Nurse Yuen the last remaining paperwork.

"The kid getting a hang of the ER?" asked Chief Gao.

"Surprisingly well," Nurse Yuen responded. "He's a bit unorthodox, but still following protocol. I don't think I've seen a resident this good on the first day in the ER."

"Is he going to be a pain in the ass to work with?"

"Probably."

Chief Gao nodded and then walked to his office.

Li Yun finished the day around 2am. He looked through his phone before heading to bed.

Nali: Can we talk?

Li Yun: Did you get the offer?

Nali: Yes.

Li Yun: Congrats. I'll call u tonight.