On Standby - Chapter 8

Lu Yuqing stormed back to her office, her chest tight with frustration.

Just five minutes earlier, Jiang Mu had acknowledged their relationship but immediately countered with, “Dr. Lu, we agreed not to pry into each other’s privacy or interfere in each other’s lives. What’s this about?”

Lu Yuqing retorted defensively, “Can’t I ask about a colleague’s gossip?”

“You could just ask Doctor Tang directly.”

Lu Yuqing stubbornly insisted, “She’s busy, she doesn’t have time.” With that, she made an excuse to leave.

Little did she know, Jiang Mu had noticed her text message from the previous night and her relentless questioning this morning. He decided to tease her a bit while reminding her not to forget their agreement and overstep boundaries.

Who even cares? Lu Yuqing muttered, clicking open her computer one moment and answering the ringing phone the next. “Dr. Lu, prepare for emergency surgery.”

“Where? What’s the situation?” Lu Yuqing was already on her feet, heading for the door.

“Car accident, severe trauma. Traumatic cardiac arrest ten minutes ago, revived by the Emergency Department. Head to the resuscitation room, bed four.”

“Got it.”

When Lu Yuqing arrived at the resuscitation room, six or seven doctors were clustered around the bed. Lin Ye and two other Resident Physicians had bloodstains on their white coats and shoes. Tang Feihuan was in even worse shape; while performing a chest decompression, the patient had sprayed her face with bl00d.

Standing to the left of the hospital bed, the Chief Surgeon frowned. “Director Lin, the patient’s vital signs are unstable. We can’t take him to the operating room. And even though Dr. Xiao Tang has connected him to a portable ventilator, I’m afraid he’ll die on the way to the CT scanner.”

“Where’s Dr. Lu?” Lin Ye asked, turning to the Resident Physician beside him.

Lu Yuqing stepped forward. “Here.”

“Give him an assessment.” Lin Ye deferred to her expertise. Anesthesiologists are often the most familiar with a patient’s overall condition. During massive hemorrhage resuscitation or surgery, they work tirelessly to stabilize vital signs, buying precious time for the resuscitation and surgical teams—a role commonly known as “life support.”

Lu Yuqing reviewed the patient’s medical records and observed his condition. The steel rebar piercing his body remained embedded, bl00d continuing to gush out. In the resuscitation room, he was at constant risk of ventricular fibrillation, potentially leading to cardiac arrest. If they took a gamble and completed the CT scan, followed by surgery to remove the rebar, there might still be a slim chance of survival. After a moment’s deliberation, she said, “Administer fluids and bl00d transfusions. Then, take him to the CT room immediately.”

With the Anesthesiologist’s approval, the Chief Surgeon nodded. “Alright, I’ll go arrange things now.”

Lin Ye had the patient’s family brought in to explain the patient’s condition and the proposed treatment plan.

The patient’s wife remained overwhelmed with grief, murmuring, “Doctor, he was just taking his daughter her homework… How could this happen? Please save him, please…”

Lin Ye explained, “Listen to me. Given the patient’s current state, doing nothing guarantees his death. Moving him for a CT scan and subsequent surgery carries risks, such as massive intraoperative bleeding.”

The family members, their eyes swollen from crying, stared blankly at Lin Ye, cautiously asking, “There’s still a chance the surgery could succeed, right?”

“Yes.”

Seizing this glimmer of hope, the family member clutched Lin Ye’s bl00d-stained sleeve. “Do I need to sign something? I’ll sign it! Hurry with the surgery! He’s our family’s sole provider—we can’t lose him, we can’t.”

After the consent forms were signed, Tang Feihuan went to wash her face while Lin Ye and another Attending Physician escorted the patient to the CT room. Fortunately, no complications arose during the transfer, and the patient safely entered the operating room.

The real test began in the operating room. During the surgery, the rebar was removed, but despite the chief surgeon clamping the artery and stuffing gauze into the wound, the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

“Did he get a bl00d transfusion order? How many units? Get the bl00d, get the bl00d! His bl00d pressure is dropping!” Lu Yuqing urgently began administering fluids through the patient’s IV line, using both crystalloid and colloid solutions.

For such critical surgeries, two anesthesiologists were typically present. Lu Yuqing was the lead anesthesiologist, and her assistant was helping to manage the workload.

“Quick, bring over the hemostasis machine,” Lu Yuqing said, glancing up at the chief surgeon. “Old Ma, haven’t you found the bleeding point yet?”

“Found one bleeding point, but there’s likely another. Just hang in there a bit longer.” Chief Surgeon Ma signaled the circulating nurse to wipe his sweat and instructed the assistant surgeon to flush the area with saline and suction it. Finally, they located the source of the bleeding. “Hidden right here! Got it!”

With the bleeding stopped, the patient’s vital signs gradually stabilized. Lu Yuqing let out a long sigh of relief, the weight on her chest finally lifting.

On the other side of the hospital, Tang Feihuan, who had only been working for five days, was jokingly called “dragon fruit” by her colleagues. Whenever she took on patients, they seemed to come one after another, leaving her no time to rest. It wasn’t until nearly 2 PM that she finally went to the break room to heat up her lunch.

“Mmm.” Finding the break room empty, Tang Feihuan stretched comfortably and opened her lunchbox.

Two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes—a balanced meal prepared early that morning by Teacher Tang for the two doctors. She had packed it to bring to the hospital, planning to microwave it in the break room at lunchtime.

After two bites of cold beef salad, savoring the lingering flavor, Tang Feihuan picked up another bite. Just as she opened her mouth, Lu Yuqing suddenly appeared with a takeout bag and casually sat down beside her.

Tang Feihuan froze, the beef hovering near her lips.

Lu Yuqing unpacked her takeout. “Go ahead and eat. I’m just here for company. It’s boring sitting alone.”

“Oh.” Tang Feihuan stuffed the beef into her mouth and buried her face in her rice, eager to finish quickly and escape. During her six years with Lin Ye, Lu Yuqing had never missed an opportunity to tease her, calling her “Little Tang Monk,” “Dumbass,” and “Bookworm”—all nicknames coined by Lu Yuqing herself.

Lu Yuqing took a sip of her soup and initiated the conversation. “I’ve noticed you’re talking more than you used to.”

“Huh?”

“When we were in school, you were always buried in your books.” Lu Yuqing, ever blunt and straightforward, didn’t want her best friend to get hurt again. “But whatever you plan to do back in China, just stay away from Lin Ye. She’s finally happy now.” Over the past five years since their breakup, Lin Ye had never mentioned Tang Feihuan unprompted. Yet, as a longtime friend, Lu Yuqing knew she hadn’t completely moved on. It wasn’t until Lin Yangyang came into the picture last year that Lu Yuqing saw that long-lost smile return to Lin Ye’s face.

“Sister Yuqing, I understand. Don’t worry,” Tang Feihuan said, forcing a smile despite the bitterness in her heart. “I know Lin Ye has a family and a lovely daughter. I genuinely wish her happiness.” Though her lunchbox was barely half-empty, she sealed the lid and stood up from the bench. “It’s time for rounds. I need to get back to work.”

“Hey? What family? What’s going on?” Lu Yuqing muttered, but Tang Feihuan had already walked away. Just two minutes later, the other party involved, Lin Ye, arrived fashionably late.

“Haven’t eaten yet?” Lu Yuqing asked her.

Lin Ye opened the microwave and placed her lunchbox inside. “No, I just finished a meeting about staff reassignments.”

Lu Yuqing pulled out a chair for her. “Reassignments? Who’s coming and who’s leaving?”

“Wang Can is being transferred to First Group to work with her graduate advisor. We’re also getting a standardized training resident, a recent graduate from our university’s eight-year doctoral program.” Both Second Affiliated Hospital and First Affiliated Hospital are teaching hospitals affiliated with Shu Jiang University School of Medicine, so students in the eight-year doctoral program rotate through both institutions.

Lu Yuqing clicked her tongue. “A doctoral graduate with no clinical experience? Why would you even want her? Wait, it’s not like you get to choose anyway. She should start in internal medicine first. Besides, even if she comes to the Emergency Department, she’d still have to spend time in general internal medicine first. Why are you taking her?”

After heating her lunch, Lin Ye took out the lunchbox and sat down at the table to Lu Yuqing’s right. “She went to the Department of Internal Medicine on Tuesday but was sent back. The Director asked if anyone wanted her, and when no one did, he suggested she return to research, since that’s her specialty and she might actually accomplish something there.”

“So, you want to give her a chance?”

Lin Ye nodded. “Yeah, it’s tough for women to study medicine, and even tougher to get into a major hospital. Besides, she wants to try her hand at clinical work. I hope she’ll gain something from her three months with our team before rotating to other departments.”

“Starting Monday?”

“She can’t sit still. She rushed to our department as soon as she got the notice. I’ve sent her to the wards to get acquainted with the Resident Physicians and nurses.”

Lu Yuqing finished her meal and tossed the plastic lunchbox into the trash. “Oh, did you run into Tang Feihuan on the way here?”

Lin Ye didn’t even look up. “No.”

“She actually thought you married a man and had Yangyang,” Lu Yuqing said playfully. “She clearly doesn’t understand you at all to make such a mistake. Someone who came out to their family in their second year together would never go back to marrying a man, right?”

“Enough,” Lin Ye said, swallowing hard and trying to sound casual. “I’m eating. Let’s not talk about her.” He lowered his head, staring at the food in his lunchbox, his expression darkening.

Tang Feihuan’s luck was off the charts that afternoon. After finishing her shift, she went to the parking lot to retrieve her car just as the evening news broadcast ended. Having not seen her beloved vehicle for two days, she almost forgot where she had parked it. After circling the lot, she finally spotted her motorcycle tucked away in a corner. Eager to get home, she strode purposefully forward, her bag slung over her shoulder. Just two steps in, she caught a glimpse of a car door ajar in her peripheral vision.

Shu AWE291, a white Volkswagen Golf—isn’t that Lin Ye’s car? Tang Feihuan hesitated for a moment, then, worried something might have happened, hurried over and peered anxiously inside. Her eyes fell on Lin Ye, slumped against the seat, his right hand pressed to his abdomen, his face contorted in pain.

Tang Feihuan had initially intended to call out his name, but the words caught in her throat. Instead, she blurted out, “Lin… Director Lin, are you alright?”

Lin Ye frowned. “Just a stomachache. It’ll pass if I rest.”

“Menstrual cramps?” Tang Feihuan knew Lin Ye suffered from them. Back in college, she had often reminded him to drink warm water and even brought him hot water bottles to soothe his abdomen.

“Yeah.”

“Should I take you home?” Tang Feihuan reached to unbuckle his seatbelt, then hesitated, realizing she had no right to touch him as his ex-girlfriend. She withdrew her hand and changed her question. “Where’s your family?”

“Huh?” Lin Ye looked up at her, his expression darkening as he recalled Lu Yuqing’s cutting words from earlier that day. After a long silence, he finally spoke, calling Tang Feihuan by her full name—not “Doctor Tang,” but simply “Tang Feihuan.”