Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 393

394. Right Hand

“Are you feeling any discomfort?”

“Not at all.”

Having finished the outpatient appointments that flooded in at the end of the day, Taekyung checked on the emergency room patients and then went up to the ward for rounds.

“Excuse me, Director. I suppose it’s not allowed to ask for a patient’s contact information, is it?”

Jo Eung-gi asked Taekyung, who was making his rounds, with a cautious expression.

“No, Jo Eung-gi. That’s a patient’s personal information, so it’s not allowed.”

“I asked just in case, even though I knew.”

Jo Eung-gi looked slightly disappointed.

“Is it because of the old man in the emergency room back then?”

“Yes. I want to express my gratitude, but he won’t give me his number.”

“You must have been very grateful to the old man.”

“Of course. I ran into him by chance earlier, and he gave me a lot of good advice before he left. I want to repay him somehow, but there’s no way.”

“The old man probably knows that you’re sincerely grateful. And I think the way for you to repay the old man is to live a healthy life after you’re discharged.”

“No matter how I think about it, you must be a benefactor too, Director. The way you speak is different.”

“A benefactor?”

“Yes, before I came to the hospital, I was told that I would receive help from three benefactors, and one of them is you, Director.”

“I haven’t done anything…”

“You say you haven’t done anything? You cured my illness and performed the surgery so well. You must be a benefactor. And they say meeting a good doctor is a blessing, and I’ve received that blessing properly.”

“I’m grateful that you think so. Then, I’ll see you again.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

After that, Taekyung went around to other wards in turn and finished his rounds.

“Director, are you tired?”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk, who was going down to the first floor with him after the rounds, asked.

“Me? No. Do I look tired?”

“It seems like it, and it doesn’t seem like it.”

“What does that mean?”

“Teacher Jung [likely referring to a colleague or significant other] is off today, you know.”

“So?”

“Earlier, Teacher Lee said that Director seems to be out of energy because Teacher Jung is off today. When I heard that, it seemed like that might be the case.”

“Teacher Lee is saying all sorts of things. He was drooping like a lost soul when he came out of the operating room this morning, but he’s alive now.”

“Our Teacher Lee has grown a lot too, so he doesn’t get discouraged by mistakes and dig himself into a hole anymore. He used to do that for days, but these days, he shakes it off quickly.”

“That’s true. Compared to the beginning, Teacher Lee and Teacher Choi are doing well. It’s admirable that they’re enduring this much under a strict person.”

“Where do you see Director being strict? It’s hard to meet a mentor like Director anywhere. Teacher Lee and Teacher Choi know that very well too. Do you know why our staff works in a hospital where day and night are reversed? It’s because of Director.”

“Aren’t you saying too many good things? I’m also reassured because the staff is by my side.”

“You’re reassured because of the staff, not because of Teacher Jung, right?”

“I miss Teacher Jung.”

“Hehe!”

Suddenly, Taekyung and Nurse Im Jeong-suk turned around when they heard a small laugh from behind. Then, Lee Chan-hee, who had been following them, covered his mouth, wondering when he had come.

“Teacher Lee, when did you get here?”

“I came to the second floor because of a call and I’m going down. Ah! I didn’t hear anything. I really didn’t hear that affectionate words that the teacher misses Teacher Jung so much.”

“Teacher Lee?”

“Oh, come on, Teacher. There’s no need to be embarrassed. It’s natural for adult men and women to miss each other when they’re dating.”

“Our Teacher Lee seems to have gone too far…”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk shook her head as Lee Chan-hee chattered with an excited expression.

“Chan-hee?”

“Yes. Teacher.”

Then, when Taekyung put his hand on Lee Chan-hee’s shoulder and spoke in a low voice, Lee Chan-hee’s face turned pale, and he left only one word before running down the stairs.

“You’re too much!”

“It’s my heart [meaning ‘that’s how I feel’]. Go quickly.”

“What did you say that made Teacher Lee like that?”

“I told him that if he doesn’t organize what he operated on today and bring it to me within two hours, I’ll put him on duty for fifteen days.”

“Oh my! That’s surprising enough.”

“Teacher Im, I have something to ask you.”

“Yes, tell me.”

“That is…”

Taekyung paused for a moment, uncharacteristically.

“What is it?”

“What kind of gift would be good to bring when I go to greet them for the first time?”

“When you greet them…? Don’t tell me! Teacher Jung’s house?”

At Nurse Im Jeong-suk’s words, Taekyung quietly nodded his head.

“Have you set a wedding date?”

“We haven’t set a date. Teacher Jung’s parents and my mother are all curious, so it’s literally a meeting to say hello. We’re both at an age where it wouldn’t be strange to get married anytime, so I think our parents are curious enough, so I should say hello and talk about marriage. I said I would go to greet them.”

“You did well. It’s comforting for a woman when a man talks about it first.”

“But I don’t know what kind of gift I should bring when I go.”

Taekyung, who had decided to go to Euijin’s house, his girlfriend, to greet her parents, had a small concern.

“Why didn’t you ask Teacher Jung?”

“I’ve asked her several times, but she says not to buy anything and that it’s okay, but from my point of view, that’s not the case.”

“Of course. It’s a bit much to go empty-handed when you go to greet them for the first time. When are you going?”

“I think I’ll go next month.”

“There’s still time. Actually, the most common thing is fruit.”

“A fruit basket or something like that?”

“Yes. People usually give a lot of fruit.”

“I was thinking about that too, but I was wondering if there was something better.”

“I think I heard Teacher Jung say that her parents like rice cakes.”

“Rice cakes?”

“Yes. It came up in a conversation, but I’m not sure. Should I ask Teacher Jung without making it obvious?”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“I’ll ask Teacher Jung and let you know.”

“Thank you.”

Taekyung, feeling much relieved by Nurse Im Jeong-suk’s help, headed to the examination room.

* * *

A little after 4:30 a.m.

An old man wearing faded brown cotton pants, old worn-out sneakers, and a fedora hat that older people often wear was walking towards our hospital.

The old man, who appeared to be in his late 60s to early 70s with an average build of just over 170cm [approximately 5’7″], gave an overall shabby impression.

“Excuse me.”

The old man, who came in through the main entrance, approached the reception desk and said with a polite greeting.

“Welcome.”

“Is it possible to get treatment now?”

“Yes, of course. What brings you here?”

“I didn’t come because I’m sick, but I came to get an abdominal ultrasound.”

“Is that so? Have you been to our hospital before?”

“No. It’s my first time.”

“Then please write your name and contact information here and wait a moment.”

“Yes, but can I see the director for treatment? I heard that the director here is good at treating patients.”

“The director will see you.”

The old man sat on a chair in the waiting room, and the receptionist was entering the patient’s information when it happened.

Click-

“I’m going now, so prepare Ativan [a medication used to treat anxiety and delirium].”

Taekyung, who came out of the examination room, hung up the phone and hurried down the hallway.

“Teacher Soo, is it an emergency patient?”

“No, it’s a call-on because of delirium in an ICU (intensive care unit) patient.”

“An outpatient has come; will it take long? He said he was going to get an abdominal ultrasound.”

“Really? I’ll talk to the patient.”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk, who was talking to the receptionist, approached the old man sitting in the waiting room chair.

“Hello. I’m the head nurse at our hospital.”

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

“I heard that you came to see a doctor, but our director has gone to the intensive care unit. So you may have to wait a while. If you don’t have time, you can see another doctor; would you like me to do that?”

“No. When you get old, what’s left is time. I don’t have anything to be busy with.”

“It may take longer than you think.”

“Of course, urgent patients should be seen first. I’m okay, so don’t worry about me.”

She asked in case the old man would have to wait for a long time, but he didn’t care.

“Then, if you think it’s taking too long, please tell me then.”

“Yes, I understand. Where is the bathroom here?”

“If you go around that way, it’s right there.”

“Thank you.”

The old man got up from his seat and went to the bathroom, did his business, and came out.

But instead of going back to the waiting room, he walked down the hallway and looked around the hospital, then used the stairs to go up to the ward.

He walked around slowly, looking around the hospital here and there, and when he came down to the first floor again, Nurse Im Jeong-suk approached him.

“Oh, you’re coming back? I thought you left because I couldn’t see you.”

“No. I went to the bathroom and looked around the hospital for a while.”

“You can go into the examination room now.”

“Thank you.”

The old man was guided by Nurse Im Jeong-suk and entered the examination room.

Click-

“Hello.”

“I heard you waited to see me. I’m sorry you had to wait so long.”

“It’s natural for a doctor to see urgent patients. Don’t apologize for that.”

“Thank you for saying that. I heard you came to get an abdominal ultrasound?”

“Yes. I went to the hospital a while ago, and they said I needed to be monitored regularly, but I was busy, so I couldn’t go to the hospital this year, so I came today.”

“I see. Then I’ll take an ultrasound. Lie down on the bed here.”

The old man lay down on the examination bed, and Nurse Im Jeong-suk helped prepare the ultrasound and then went out.

“The gel may be a little cold. Don’t be surprised. Take a deep breath and hold it for a moment.”

Taekyung checked the old man’s abdomen very carefully and finished the ultrasound examination.

“Everything else is fine, but you have a small polyp in your gallbladder. Can you see the monitor here? There is one polyp, and the size is 0.2mm.”

“Yes, I don’t remember exactly, but I found out that I had a polyp a long time ago. And a doctor told me that when I had an ultrasound at the hospital a year ago. Is it serious?”

“No. It’s not serious right now. Usually, when a polyp forms in the gallbladder, it’s difficult to do a tissue test like other organs, so we judge based on the size of the polyp, age, whether there are gallstones, and the number of polyps.”

“Ah, yes.”

“But since there has been no change in size so far and there are no gallstones, you can just keep track of it as you are now. Have you ever had indigestion or discomfort in the pit of your stomach?”

“No, I’m old, but I exercise regularly and eat small meals, so I digest well.”

“You’re taking good care of your health.”

“If I get sick when I get old, my children will suffer more than me. I guess my body can’t be as good as young people when I get old, so I have to do it when I can.”

“That’s right. Even if you’re busy, you should get an ultrasound at least once every six months if possible because you’re old.”

“Yes, I will.”

Creak-

“Just a moment.”

“Yes?”

“Please sit still for a moment.”

“Isn’t the examination over?”

“The examination is over, but…”

Just as the old man, who had finished the examination, was about to get up from his chair, Taekyung, who had gotten up before the old man, stopped the old man from getting up. Then, he took something from the treatment room connected to the examination room and sat back at his desk.

“Excuse me, but can you raise your hand?”

“My hand?”

“Yes.”

The old man wondered what was going on with Taekyung’s sudden talk about hands.

“Can you raise your right hand?”