On Standby - Chapter 6

Yesterday, the weather forecast predicted a sudden change due to the approaching typhoon. True to the forecast, torrential rain began pouring down early this morning, even before the shift change. Unlike the lingering drizzle of the rainy season, the typhoon’s rain roared like the Yellow River, violent and untamed. Seizing a moment of downtime, Tang Feihuan finished her bread and milk, glancing out the window. The dense curtain of rain, driven by gale-force winds, crashed against the ground with a relentless pitter-patter.

Damn it, she thought. How am I supposed to get home? Will I even be able to hail a cab in this weather? Her only hope lay with Tang Anhua. I just hope Teacher Tang remembers his daughter after dropping off Doctor Jiang.

Playing it safe, Tang Feihuan swallowed her pride and made the call.

Tang Anhua agreed, but couldn’t resist his usual nagging: “I’ve been telling you to buy a car for ages! It’s safer and more convenient, especially in typhoon weather like this…”

The same lecture, repeated endlessly, had worn Tang Feihuan’s ears raw. Desperate to escape, she cut him off: “I need to go relieve my shift. I’ll call you after.”

As she hung up, Tang Feihuan had no idea that Tang Anhua was complaining to Jiang Junli on the other end of the line: “It’s only 7:15! What shift change? She just doesn’t want to listen to me.”

Jiang Junli replied honestly, “Sometimes you do talk too much.”

Tang Anhua finally fell silent. His years as a teacher and homeroom advisor had ingrained in him the habit of lecturing others.

Unlike other departments, Critical Care Emergency physicians conduct bedside handovers for critically ill patients and emergency surgical cases. This allows incoming doctors to assess the patient’s current condition and plan further treatment. By the time Tang Feihuan finished her handover, it was nearly 9 a.m. As she entered the office, Lin Ye announced loudly, “Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s have a quick meeting.”

This was Group Two’s routine. Whenever a patient’s resuscitation failed, they would gather around the small coffee table in the office after handover to conduct a post-mortem review. The meeting wasn’t just Lin Ye lecturing; everyone was encouraged to speak. After all, the Emergency Department faced the highest pressure in the entire hospital. No matter how skilled or experienced a doctor was, they would inevitably wonder if they had overlooked something or made a misstep. By sharing their thoughts and summarizing the case collectively, they aimed to alleviate individual stress and prevent lingering regrets during their rest periods.

One by one, her colleagues shared their perspectives. When it was Tang Feihuan’s turn, she pressed her lips together and asked directly, “Director Lin, given Professor Zhong’s condition, if spontaneous circulation isn’t restored after 25 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the chances of successful resuscitation approach zero. Even if we miraculously restore circulation, prolonged oxygen deprivation will inevitably lead to irreversible brain damage or failure of other vital organs. So, why persist?”

“Do you think this is also a kind of torment for Professor Zhong?” Tang Feihuan asked, her voice catching in her throat.

“Yes,” she replied. “The patient has been bedridden for months, and there’s barely any place left on his arms to insert needles.”

Lin Ye spoke slowly, her voice soft yet resolute: “As doctors, our first consideration in the face of death should be the patient, or their closest loved ones. They still cling to hope for life. How can we give up so easily?”

“But what about the patient’s own wishes?” Tang Feihuan rubbed the web of her left hand with her right thumb, weighing her words carefully. She hesitated, unable to bring herself to mention Professor Zhong’s request before he slipped into his final coma.

“Besides,” Lin Ye continued, “Professor Zhong’s children were still rushing to see him one last time when we were trying to save him.”

Tang Feihuan could clearly read the word “regret” in Lin Ye’s tone and expression. For a moment, she wanted to remind her colleague that as doctors, excessive empathy could be detrimental.

Ironically, her attempt to alleviate her colleague’s stress had only intensified her own.

“Meeting adjourned.” The fifteen-minute meeting ended, and Lin Ye gathered her notebook and medical records. While the other doctors hurried to leave, Tang Feihuan remained, casually flipping through the patient’s chart, her thoughts unspoken. After a moment’s hesitation, unsure how to broach the subject, she returned to her seat, resolving to bring it up another time.

On the roadside outside Second Affiliated Hospital, Tang Feihuan held an umbrella in her left hand and her phone in her right, calling Tang Anhua.

A mechanical female voice answered, “The phone you have dialed has been turned off. Please try again later.”

Unreliable. He must have forgotten to charge his phone last night.

Tang Feihuan gave up and switched to WeChat to hail a ride. Unfortunately, Didi showed no available cars nearby, and no one accepted her express car request. She sighed, put her phone away, and prepared to flag down a taxi. Under the rain, the tall, slender figure in a black T-shirt and white sweatpants—now soaked halfway up—stretched out her right arm to hail a cab. Instead of a taxi, she was splashed with a wave of water. Just as she was about to head to the parking lot for her raincoat and bike, a white Volkswagen Golf pulled up in front of her.

The driver’s window rolled down, revealing Lin Ye’s delicate features. He said softly, “Get in.” The wind rushed into the car, whipping her long hair across her face, leaving only a pair of clear, bright eyes visible—like a cool breeze in the summer heat. Time seemed to freeze as Tang Feihuan stood rooted to the spot.

“Doctor Tang?” Lin Ye raised his voice slightly.

“Oh, thank you,” Tang Feihuan replied, snapping out of her daze. She composed herself, suppressing the thoughts triggered by her heart’s sudden erratic beating, opened the car door, closed her umbrella, and ducked inside.

Lin Ye hadn’t expected her to sit directly in the passenger seat. He froze for a couple of seconds, the surprise in his eyes slowly fading before he murmured, “There’s a new washcloth in the bag in the back. Wipe off the rain.”

Though his words were caring, his tone remained utterly flat. Yet Tang Feihuan felt a pang of emotion at this rare display of tenderness, her nose stinging with unshed tears. She regretted once again not having tried harder to hold onto him back then. By the time she’d finally sent that long, remorseful text, she’d discovered she’d earned herself a deletion and a block.

Outside, the rain intensified, blurring the road ahead. Worried about an accident, Lin Ye urged her, “Turn around and grab the washcloth first. I’ll start the car after.”

“Okay.” The repeated concern struck Tang Feihuan’s most vulnerable spot. She sniffled, turned around to rummage in the bag, retrieved the washcloth, and settled back in her seat, fastening her seatbelt.

Lin Ye finally started the car. Unusually, she didn’t turn on the radio, leaving the cabin silent until a ringtone shattered the quiet.

Tang Feihuan watched as Lin Ye tapped the car’s Bluetooth icon and pressed the answer button. Though Lin Ye was wearing headphones, Tang Feihuan could still faintly hear the warm voice on the other end of the line.

“Mommy, are you driving?”

Lin Ye’s lips curved into a gentle smile as he patiently replied, “Yes, Mommy’s driving.”

“Are you coming home?”

“It’s raining hard. Mommy’s taking an auntie home first.”

Lin Yangyang’s voice was soft and childlike. “Okay, Mommy. Drive carefully. Yangyang won’t bother you.”

Lin Ye’s smile widened. “Good girl, Yangyang.”

“Mommy, I’ll hang up now.” The child had already learned the phone etiquette Lin Ye had taught her.

Lin Ye acknowledged with a soft hum and ended the call.

From the moment the call connected and the child called out “Mommy,” Tang Feihuan had snapped out of her earlier self-pity. She endured the call in agonizing silence, finally forcing a smile as it ended. “Your daughter is adorable,” she said sincerely.

Lin Ye, focused on driving, simply replied, “Thank you.”

They continued driving for another ten minutes.

“You can stop at the next intersection,” Tang Feihuan said. “It’ll be easier for you to turn around.” She was surprised Lin Ye still remembered her address. Distracted, she barely noticed the car coming to a smooth stop at the roadside. She thanked him again, hurriedly grabbed the umbrella from the floor, and stepped out into the rain.

The torrential rain raged for a full day and night, finally ceasing at 10 a.m. the following morning. Tang Feihuan, a meticulous planner, always prepared in advance: when to buy a motorcycle, when to renew her license, when to take Tomato for his check-up. Today, for example, she had scheduled a gym session after her afternoon nap. Emergency physicians not only needed comprehensive medical knowledge and skills but also required robust physical fitness. She had heard that among the ten doctors in their Emergency Department, four chose swimming, three opted for ball sports, and the rest likely preferred gym workouts.

At 2:40 p.m., fully rested, Tang Feihuan took a taxi to a gym near Shu River University. Upon entering, she was warmly greeted by a sales representative who first introduced the gym’s programs, then inquired about her workout frequency to recommend the most suitable membership plan, and finally helped her choose a personal trainer.

“We only have two trainers available at the moment. Which one would you prefer?” the sales representative asked.

Tang Feihuan naturally selected the female trainer.

“Each trainer will supervise four clients simultaneously during this session. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

After signing the gym contract, the sales representative led her to the changing rooms and then to a medium-sized studio. “We’ll start with a group stretching class,” she explained. “There are eleven people inside already, so with you, there will be twelve in total.”

After the salesperson and the instructor had greeted each other and the salesperson left, Tang Feihuan gently pushed open the door, careful not to disturb the others. Her eyes immediately landed on Lin Ye, standing at the far right of the second row. She was raising her hand, her snow-white skin seeming to blend seamlessly with the white wall behind her.

Some people you can’t avoid, no matter how hard you try.

The instructor noticed Tang Feihuan standing frozen in place and called out, “Classmate, go fill the empty spot at the far right of the second row.”

Hearing this, Tang Feihuan’s feet felt rooted to the ground. She forced herself to take a step and walked toward the second row, eventually stopping to Lin Ye’s right, with enough space between them for two more people.

“Everyone, listen to the music and follow me as we stretch and relax.”

“Now, let’s work on flexibility. Pair up and help each other,” the instructor announced. Apart from Lin Ye and Tang Feihuan, the remaining ten students had already voluntarily formed five pairs, facing each other. Tang Feihuan glanced sideways at Lin Ye, noticing that he was still standing motionless, his expression slightly dark, clearly as awkward about the arrangement as she was. What should I do? she wondered. Before the instructor could urge them, Lin Ye suddenly sat down on the floor, legs stretched straight out, and tilted his head slightly to look up at her. His gentle voice drifted like a breeze: “Doctor Tang, could you help me?”