Five Years of Studying Medicine, Three Years of Flirting With Guys - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Tang Linsheng was startled and hurriedly jumped away. Although the man looked dejected, he was wearing a gray shirt, black pants, and leather shoes, appearing like a typical office worker. Tang Linsheng saw him swaying as he stood up, his feet tripping over each other as he walked toward him; a grown man crying with a face full of snot and tears.

“Why do you have to do this… hic,” he cried and shouted, letting out an occasional alcohol-induced hiccup. “A family… together… isn’t that good?”

Tang Linsheng saw that he was about to step on the broken glass shards and quickly supported him, heart trembling with fear.

To his surprise, just as he grabbed him, he saw the man clutch his chest. His face turned pale, and cold sweat suddenly broke out, as if a bottle of water had been poured over his head. He took several deep breaths, but the symptoms did not ease. A strong sense of impending doom snapped him out of his drunken stupor. He gripped Tang Linsheng’s arm tightly to support his numbing body, trying to shout but only able to whisper hoarsely: “Medicine… medicine…”

Seeing his symptoms, Tang Linsheng’s pupils dilated slightly Myocardial infarction?!

Upon hearing him ask for medicine, Tang Linsheng immediately followed the man’s other hand and pulled a bottle from his trouser pocket. In the confusion, Tang Linsheng only saw the words “Nitroglycerin.” He thought to himself that it was fortunate the man carried Nitroglycerin with him. He immediately poured out a few tablets for him to take sublingually.

Tang Linsheng then immediately helped him around the glass shards to sit down and rest. With one hand supporting the man, he hurriedly pulled his phone from his pocket with the other, preparing to dial 120 (emergency services).

Just as the call connected, a car horn sounded from the roadside. He looked up to see Tang Linsheng (the senior) getting out of a car. He rushed over and asked, “What happened?”

This was the first time Tang Linsheng (the junior) had encountered such a situation in public, and he was incredibly nervous. His voice trembled as he spoke quickly: “He seems to be having a heart attack. I just let him take two tablets of Nitroglycerin sublingually.”

Tang Linsheng (the senior) nodded, glanced at the man, and with a solemn expression, ran over to hoist him up. He said to Tang Linsheng (the junior): “The hospital isn’t far. I’ll drive to the ER. Help me open the car door.”

Hearing this, Tang Linsheng (the junior) hurried over to open the rear door and let the man inside. Fortunately, there weren’t many people on the road at this time. Tang Linsheng (the senior) drove fast, reaching the ER entrance in two or three minutes.

The two of them carried the man inside. The emergency duty doctor happened to be in the lobby and ran over immediately to ask what had happened.

Tang Linsheng (the senior) handed the patient over to the medical staff and calmly reported the situation to the ER doctor: “The patient had chest pain, numb limbs, a cyanotic (blue-tinged) face, and cold sweats about ten minutes ago. He took two tablets of Nitroglycerin sublingually five minutes ago.”

The ER doctor listened and glanced at him, immediately recognizing him as the newly appointed Deputy Director of Cardiology, Tang Linsheng. Dr. Tang’s profile was still hanging on the expert wall in the outpatient lobby!

However, the ER doctor didn’t waste time making small talk. He immediately told the staff receiving the patient to contact the family and ordered the emergency operating room to prepare for an emergency PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention).

Now that the patient had been delivered to the hospital, Tang Linsheng (the junior) breathed a sigh of relief. He sat on a nearby empty chair, still feeling lingering fears. When Tang Linsheng (the senior) turned to look at him, he saw him staring blankly into space, his face still tense, and the hands resting on his thighs trembling slightly.

Tang Linsheng (the senior) strode over, sat beside him, patted the back of his hand, and comforted him in a deep voice: “It’s okay now.”

Tang Linsheng (the junior) turned his head to look at him blankly and said, “I… I know. It’s just the first time I’ve encountered this outside. I haven’t quite recovered yet.”

Tang Linsheng (the senior) patted his back reassuringly: “You did very well.”

“Re… really?”

“Mhm,” Tang Linsheng (the senior) nodded, his voice carrying a more genuine tenderness. “Regarding the matter with Teacher Kong before, you also did very well.”

After this comfort and encouragement, Tang Linsheng (the junior) recovered. Once he came to his senses, he felt incredibly embarrassed. How could he fail to show his professional quality in front of his seniors!

In his mind, he took a knife to a miniature version of himself, who collapsed to the ground wailing. What a great opportunity to show off his personal charm, but it freaking turned into a display of his weakness.

He felt like a complete loser.

….

Originally, they could have left after delivering the patient, but Tang Linsheng (the junior) was a bit uneasy and wanted to wait for the family to arrive. Tang Linsheng (the senior) felt that the boy had been worried sick about the patient and worried he hadn’t fully recovered; since he had nothing to do back home, he simply decided to stay and wait for the family with him.

Fortunately, the family arrived quite promptly. It was the patient’s daughter, appearing to be in her twenties. She looked frail and weak. She had likely been crying since receiving the call; by the time she reached the hospital, her eyes were red and swollen. She seemed to be forcing herself to stand as she found the medical staff, crying out, “Is… is my dad okay?”

The staff quickly helped her sit down and explained her father’s condition. Just then, the emergency echocardiogram results came back. The duty doctor walked over to Tang Linsheng (the senior) with a frown and a troubled expression, saying sheepishly, “Dr. Tang, this patient’s condition is quite serious. Not only is the right coronary artery blocked, but two nearby small arteries are also blocked… We just called Cardiology, but Director Gao, who is on duty, isn’t here… What do you think?”

Tang Linsheng (the senior) understood clearly. The patient’s condition was indeed severe. In this situation, a coronary angiography followed by stenting was required. Without Director Gao, the duty doctor had very little confidence in the surgery.

Tang Linsheng (the senior) nodded: “Alright, I’ll do it.”

Hearing this, Tang Linsheng (the junior) looked up in surprise. The senior had already performed nearly twenty PCIs today. Would he be able to handle another one now?

The ER doctor on the side didn’t know what he was thinking. Hearing Tang Linsheng (the senior) say this, he immediately said, “Great, great! I’ll have the operating room prepare immediately!” He ran off at once, appearing afraid that Tang Linsheng (the senior) might regret it.

A moment later, he brought out the surgical consent forms and other documents requiring signatures, running to the family member to explain the situation: “Your father’s condition is serious. We need to perform surgery immediately. If you agree, please sign here.”

The girl was crying pitifully, and being so thin, hearing the ER doctor’s words caused her to burst into another fit of sobbing. Tang Linsheng (the junior) couldn’t bear to watch and walked over, saying, “Stop crying for a moment. Your dad is on the operating table waiting for your signature. The surgery can only happen after you sign.”

He imitated the way the senior had comforted him, gently patting the girl’s back: “The lead surgeon is a very talented expert. You have to trust our hospital.”

Whether his words were effective or the girl had simply cried enough, she hurriedly took the pen from the ER doctor’s hand and signed her name with a trembling hand, sobbing, “Doctor, doctor, I beg you! Please, you must save my father!”

The ER doctor didn’t have time for small talk. He gave Tang Linsheng (the junior) a look and immediately ran off to the surgery. Tang Linsheng (the junior) gave him an OK gesture and continued to comfort the girl: “Don’t cry. Let’s go wait at the door of the operating room. Although your father’s condition is indeed serious, with Dr. Tang there, you have nothing to fear.”

Hearing him say this, the girl didn’t know whether she should keep crying or stop her tears. Tang Linsheng (the junior) had no idea that his “comfort” was like rubbing salt into a wound, then pouring a cup of water on it to turn it into physiological saline. He helped the girl sit down at the door of the emergency OR and waited with her.

He was both worried about the patient’s condition and whether the senior’s body could handle the strain.

But he felt vaguely as if he had forgotten something. It wasn’t until half an hour later when his phone rang that he remembered. He slapped his own “stupid head,” answered the phone, and before the other side could speak, he immediately pleaded for forgiveness: “Mom, I was wrong! I forgot to call and explain the situation… Ah, it’s like this, so I’m still at the hospital now. Don’t worry, I’m fine… You and Dad should go to bed early. I’ll just sleep in the hospital duty room… Don’t worry… Okay, okay, that’s it then, don’t worry.”

When Tang’s parents heard he was late and couldn’t come home because he was saving someone, they told him not to drive back late at night and let him rest at the hospital. They strongly supported his life-saving actions, their voices clearly filled with pride for their kid.

…

Tang Linsheng (the senior) entered the operating room. The patient and equipment were already prepared. He put on the sterile gown and gloves. His calm, reassuring voice reached the patient’s ears through his mask: “Wang Bo, we are about to start the surgery. If you feel any discomfort later, you must say so.”

The heart attack patient, Wang Bo, whispered a “soft okay,” and the surgery began.

“…Thrombus aspiration catheter entering the right coronary artery…”

“…Thrombus aspiration complete… Vital signs…”

“Blood pressure 100/68, heart rate has not slowed down.”

Having successfully cleared the patient’s completely blocked right coronary artery, Tang Linsheng (the senior) turned and asked, “Wang Bo, how do you feel now?”

“Much… much better.” Wang Bo’s voice gained some volume, and his overall state looked much improved.

Tang Linsheng (the senior) checked the blood flow displayed on the ultrasound, nodded, and said, “The blood flow is okay. Now we’ll place a stent to prop up the vessel and you’ll be fine.”

…

The surgery lasted nearly three hours. After clearing Wang Bo’s most serious right coronary artery, he had to clear the two surrounding small arteries. The process of placing the stents was quite painful, and Wang Bo cried out, nearly failing to cooperate.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly in the end. When the surgery finished, the doctors and nurses present all breathed a sigh of relief. Tang Linsheng (the senior) left the closing work to the others, removed his mask and gloves, and stepped out.

“Wow… Dr. Tang’s movements in placing the stents were simply amazing!”

“You weren’t on the operating table, but I saw that despite the severity of the situation, there wasn’t a trace of nervousness in Dr. Tang’s eyes!”

“But PCI isn’t even Dr. Tang’s greatest strength; he specializes in heart transplant surgery.”

“My god, Director Wei really dug up a shining treasure for their department!”

Completely unaware of the amazed and admiring discussions of the doctors and nurses in the OR, Tang Linsheng (the senior) was currently standing before Wang Bo’s family, describing the surgical process to the girl.

“…The surgery went very smoothly, but he needs to be monitored in the CCU for a while before transferring to a general ward. When the time comes, follow the nurse to complete the paperwork.”

The girl nodded repeatedly and gave him three 90-degree bows: “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Then she hurriedly ran to handle the procedures and wait for her father to come out.

Tang Linsheng (the senior) stretched his stiff neck, turned to Tang Linsheng (the junior), and asked, “Where is your home? I’ll drive you back.”

But Tang Linsheng (the junior) replied with something completely irrelevant: “You must be exhausted.”

By the time he realized it, the words were already out. He quickly pursed his lips, then remembered he hadn’t answered the senior’s question, and opened his mouth to say guiltily, “I… I’ve decided to stay in the duty room today.”

Tang Linsheng (the senior) heard the previous words clearly. Seeing his embarrassment, he didn’t call him out on it, but simply said with a smile: “Me too.”