Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 313

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 314 (313/502)

314. Remarkable Mental Fortitude

“…….”

“I don’t know the principles and rules here; I’m just a regular person. However, I am a doctor, so the patient is the most important person to me. Please, just think about the patient. I beg you.”

“Ha!”

After breaking the brief silence, Lee Hu-rak opened his mouth with a heavy sigh.

“Alright. Then, let me discuss this with the chief for a moment. Looking at me like that won’t help. This isn’t something I can decide on my own.”

“I know. I think Director Lee is a good person who cares about his subordinates. So, please put in a good word with the chief.”

“Geez!”

Lee Hu-rak chuckled, slightly dumbfounded by Tae-kyung’s sincere words.

“I don’t know who Agent Park works for. I heard a little about it from Assemblyman Gam Deok-chan, but the director is really stubborn about patients.”

“I’m usually like that when it comes to patients.”

“You really seem like that kind of person. Alright. Please wait a moment.”

After a long debate, Lee Hu-rak picked up his phone and left the room. However, he returned almost immediately, which made Tae-kyung feel uneasy.

‘Coming back this quickly, he must have refused, citing the rules here,’ Tae-kyung thought. But Tae-kyung had no intention of backing down and was ready to persuade him again.

“Director. How did it go? Is it not possible?”

“The director won.”

Just as he was about to go on the offensive again, Lee Hu-rak delivered the good news.

“Really!?”

“The chief approved it.”

“Is that really true?”

“Of course. I’m not such a bad guy that I would lie about an injured subordinate. However, we have one condition.”

As the saying goes, you have to hear everything to the end. Just as Tae-kyung was about to rejoice at the answer he wanted, Lee Hu-rak brought up a condition.

“A condition? What is it?”

“Please, don’t leave any records. I think the director knows the reason why. And it would be good if the surgery is done quickly and he can be discharged. As you know, we’ve made a lot of concessions, so you must agree to this.”

Lee Hu-rak said it with a smile, but it was essentially an order.

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

Tae-kyung knew that they had taken a step back, so he decided to accept the condition.

“Director. Then, please arrange for the transfer.”

“We need a stretcher to move Agent Park. Do you have one here?”

“Just a moment.”

At Tae-kyung’s words, Lee Hu-rak radioed someone, and soon others came in with a stretcher and carefully laid Agent Park on it. Then, one of the people who came into the room cautiously asked Lee Hu-rak.

“Um, Director. Is it okay?”

“It’s fine. I asked the chief, and the president told him to do whatever Director Kim Tae-kyung says.”

“No, is that really true? Does the president already know about this?”

“I don’t know if he heard it from Assemblyman Gam Deok-chan or someone else, but he definitely knows. We just have to do as we’re told, so tell them to get the car ready outside.”

“Yes, Director. We’ll prepare the delivery vehicle.”

Anyone listening would think it was just a conversation between ordinary company employees.

When Tae-kyung came out of the building with the others, there was a van that celebrities usually ride in.

He didn’t know much about cars, but it looked like an expensive vehicle to anyone.

Clunk-

When he opened the back door, the inside was similar in structure to an ambulance.

The only difference between the inside of the van and a regular ambulance was that it was much more spacious. From oxygen tanks to defibrillators and numerous supplies, it was almost the same. It was even better because it was more spacious.

And another difference was that, like the car Tae-kyung had ridden in earlier, he couldn’t see out, and people couldn’t see in.

“Then, I’ll go with the patient.”

“Yes, I’ll go with you, Director. Drive with extra care.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lee Hu-rak said heavily to the employee driving, and soon the car started.

Honestly, he didn’t have to ride next to him, but Tae-kyung decided that transferring the patient was the priority and focused on treating Agent Park.

“Patient, I’ll check a few things first. Can you feel anything?”

“……Yes.”

“Take this painkiller. It will help reduce the intensity of the pain a little.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, try moving your toes.”

Agent Park was able to move all his toes slightly.

“Good job.”

He confirmed that the sensory and motor nerves were still normal. And to check blood circulation, he pressed down on the toes and other parts to make them white and then checked to see if they turned red again.

These are things that are only possible if the capillaries are working smoothly, and he confirmed that they were turning red normally. Now Tae-kyung felt somewhat relieved.

At this point, he was truly an amazing patient.

Agent Park never showed any pain when he was being transported in the vehicle with a fractured leg or when he was being examined.

It’s not that he didn’t feel pain, of course. The pain of a fracture doesn’t even respond to narcotic painkillers.

Sure enough, he could see sweat beading on Agent Park’s forehead.

Looking closely, there were changes in his expression from time to time. He seemed to be habitually suppressing the pain. Remarkable mental fortitude.

‘It must hurt a lot…….’

Normally, with this level of pain, it would be natural for the pain to come out of one’s mouth. But despite being in so much pain, he hadn’t even groaned or screamed once.

He thought that it was probably because even more difficult training was taken for granted, and he couldn’t even imagine what kind of training he had received here.

Moreover, he only thought about resolving the patient’s pain quickly.

“……!”

“Patient?”

Tae-kyung called out to him, not missing the slight furrowing of Agent Park’s brow and eyes.

“If you’re in pain, I’ll give you more medicine, so don’t hold back and tell me anytime.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Patient, listen to me carefully. You’re not in training right now. Don’t be foolish and hold back; you must tell me if it hurts. Got it?”

“Yes, Agent Park. Do as the director says.”

“Alright.”

“Tell me if it hurts even a little.”

“Yes… Thank you.”

Tae-kyung repeatedly emphasized to Agent Park, who was used to enduring pain from difficult training, not to hold back.

About an hour passed since then?

He still couldn’t see outside, but the car kept running.

Lee Hu-rak said this and that from time to time, but Tae-kyung, who was focused on the patient, didn’t react much, so he didn’t say anything more.

Only a quiet silence flowed in the car. And he couldn’t see the clock, so he wasn’t sure, but he thought it was probably dawn outside.

Perhaps it was because of the quiet silence or because he felt it was dawn, but Tae-kyung, who was less tense than when he first arrived, was also feeling a little sleepy.

He blinked his eyelids wide, shook his head, chased away the sleepiness, and regained his senses. That’s when he felt he had moved for another few tens of minutes.

“……!”

Suddenly, Agent Park’s fifth vital sign changed. The drowsiness that had been pouring in slowly disappeared in an instant, and he felt as refreshed as if he had washed his face with cold water.

Tae-kyung turned his head towards the patient’s leg with a fierce look.

“Patient?”

“…….”

“Agent Park?”

“Ah, yes. Did you call me?”

“Is there any change in the pain?”

“Yes.”

“How is it?”

“The pain has subsided.”

Agent Park, who said the pain had subsided, looked better than before, but on the contrary, Tae-kyung’s expression was gradually becoming serious.

“Agent Park, I’m glad the pain has gotten better.”

Lee Hu-rak, who was sitting next to him, opened his mouth after a long time, but Tae-kyung, who didn’t hear it at all, grabbed Agent Park’s toes tightly.

“Can you feel me grabbing your toes?”

“Oh! No. I can’t feel it.”

Before he could finish speaking, Tae-kyung pressed down on his big toe again. But this time, it didn’t turn red again.

It meant that the capillaries were not working smoothly.

“Compartment syndrome [a painful condition that occurs when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels]. Do you have povidone [iodine solution, an antiseptic], no, disinfectant here?”

“Yes? Disinfectant?”

“The red medicine! The red medicine. It’s urgent.”

Lee Hu-rak, who was answering casually while looking at his cell phone, was flustered by Tae-kyung’s sudden raised voice.

But Tae-kyung didn’t have time to pay attention to his reaction. He started rummaging through the lockers here and there in the car, which was modified with bright lights.

It seemed that Lee Hu-rak didn’t know the details either, so it would be faster to find it himself.

‘There it is.’

Tae-kyung picked up a 1L bottle of povidone solution in the corner and opened the lid in an instant. Then, he poured povidone on the patient’s right leg, which was swollen and unsightly.

The floor of the car was littered with red paint as if it had been spilled.

Lee Hu-rak seemed quite embarrassed by Tae-kyung’s sudden actions. But he calmly asked a question without restraining or showing any animosity.

“Director. If you explain the situation, I’ll help you from the side.”

The smile disappeared from his face, which had been smiling until now. He was indeed a trained soldier.

An ordinary person would have shown displeasure or been flustered in this situation. But Lee Hu-rak judged that a doctor of Tae-kyung’s caliber, whom Gam Deok-chan had praised so much, would not do this without any reason and asked for his opinion on what he should do.

“Director. Do you have a scalpel here?”

“A scalpel, you mean a medical knife?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Just a moment.”

At Tae-kyung’s words, Lee Hu-rak tapped the front seat twice.

“Yes, Director.”

“Agent Kim. Is there a scalpel here?”

“It should be under the chair where Director is sitting.”

At that, Lee Hu-rak quickly began to take out the items under the chair.

As he took out the items, Tae-kyung quickly put on sterile gloves and assembled the scalpel blade. And he was about to put the scalpel on Agent Park’s right leg, which was covered in disinfectant.

“Wait a minute! Director.”

Lee Hu-rak, who was watching the scene, suddenly raised his voice.

“Yes. Director.”

“I’m ignorant about medicine and don’t know anything. But as Agent Park’s superior, I have a duty to know the current situation. Why are you suddenly putting a knife on him?”

It was a gentle assertion of rights.

It was an urgent situation, but he understood that he wanted to know as the person in charge of this situation as Agent Park’s superior.

“Agent Park’s internal pressure is increasing due to the trauma, and that pressure is pressing on the blood vessels and nerves. If we don’t decompress by cutting the fascia [connective tissue] at this time, he may lose his leg.”

“His leg? Are you saying that Agent Park’s leg will disappear?”

“W-what are you saying… Are you talking about my leg?”

Not only Lee Hu-rak but also Agent Park, who had been holding on until now, said with a very surprised face.

“M-my leg… My leg is going to disappear… No way. My leg… leg…”

He was so surprised that he continued to mutter to himself like a person who had lost his mind.

“There’s no time for this.”