Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 25

25. What a Load of Crap

“Who are you talking about?”

Tae-kyung’s tone, when addressing the staff, turned sharp for the first time.

“I asked who you were talking about.”

“Well, that’s… we’re talking about our hospital. And it also means all the staff in the hospital.”

“The person in the treatment room right now is a patient who needs treatment.”

“But he’s a suspected AIDS patient.”

“So, are you saying that just because he’s a suspected AIDS patient, we shouldn’t treat a patient who needs treatment? Are we refusing the patient?”

“We can transfer him to another hospital.”

“What if other hospitals refuse the patient for the same reason?”

“Honestly, we haven’t accepted such patients in our hospital until now. We’ve never treated them.”

“Whose decision is that?”

“That’s just how it’s been done traditionally…”

“I am the decision-maker.”

Tae-kyung cut off the staff’s continued refusal to treat the patient with a single word.

There was no tone more resolute than this.

“I will treat patient Jeon Geon-myeon. Anyone who is even slightly worried or afraid, don’t come in. And if you are medical professionals, make judgments based on solid evidence and knowledge.”

Angered, Tae-kyung left those last words and went to get the equipment needed for the treatment.

“A doctor is not a merchant picking out goods. That’s why I will never turn away a patient who comes to me.”

* * *

“Soo-ssam [term of endearment for a nurse], I heard the emergency room is in chaos right now?”

“Chaos? What chaos?”

A receptionist asked Nurse Lim Jeong-sook, who was briefly checking on patients in the ward and heading to the emergency room.

“The patient in the intensive care unit.”

“What about that patient?”

“That’s…”

The staff whispered softly into her ear.

“He’s a suspected HIV patient.”

“What! Really?”

“Really.”

Only then did Lim Jeong-sook realize why Tae-kyung had sent the staff out.

“When the staff said they couldn’t treat the patient, Dr. Kim got angry and said they didn’t have to come in, and he would treat the patient alone. So, Chief Choi went in too.”

“Why did Chief Choi go in?”

“Because opinions were divided, he told Chief Choi to call Director Kim Cheol-gi and inform him of the situation and ask for his opinion.”

“What?”

Lim Jeong-sook headed to the emergency room with a bewildered look.

* * *

Inside the ward, with soft sleeping lights on.

Kim Cheol-gi was looking down at his sleeping wife with warm eyes.

“Min-gi, our Min-gi…”

As always, his wife’s sleep-talking began.

“Let’s go on a picnic with Dad tomorrow.”

His wife’s sleep-talking meant she had fallen into a deep sleep. Kim Cheol-gi carefully took the baby doll from his wife’s arms and quietly left the ward.

“Are you going to the washroom again today?”

The on-duty doctor at the nursing hospital greeted Kim Cheol-gi.

“Yes, I’m going again today. How are you feeling?”

“I’m good.”

“That’s a relief. But aren’t you tired?”

Kim Cheol-gi was grooming the doll that his wife cherished every night without fail.

“All I do is remove the stains from the doll and occasionally wash its clothes. What’s tiring about that?”

“You’re also undergoing chemotherapy, aren’t you?”

“Thankfully, the medication is working well, so I’m not having any major difficulties.”

“Um, excuse me, but why do you wipe the doll and wash its clothes every day?”

“To others, it’s just a doll, but to my wife, it’s her dead son.”

“Ah! I see.”

“When my wife wakes up and sees the cleaned doll, she couldn’t be happier.”

“You’re so devoted to your wife. You’re known as a devoted husband in our nursing hospital.”

“That’s nonsense. It’s because I haven’t done enough for her. Don’t regret it like I do, and treat your family well, Doctor.”

“Yes, sir. Then I’ll be going.”

“Okay.”

After finishing his conversation with the on-duty doctor, Kim Cheol-gi headed to the washroom to groom the doll.

* * *

“It’s clean after washing. Please take care of me tomorrow too, Min-gi. Oh!”

Rrrrrrrrr

The ringing of the phone suddenly stopped his hand, which was wiping the doll’s wet hair.

“Why at this hour?”

After stepping away from hospital affairs, no one had ever called or come.

Kim Cheol-gi quickly answered the phone.

“Chief Choi, what brings you here at this hour?”

-Director, have you been well?

“Yes. I’m doing well.”

-Is rural life not uncomfortable?

The staff didn’t know that Kim Cheol-gi was sick.

“I’m living well in a place with good air without any discomfort. So, what’s the matter?”

-Ah, yes. Director, I’m sorry to contact you so suddenly.

“Don’t mention it. It’s okay, tell me.”

-There’s a small problem at the hospital, and I thought I should consult with you.

“A small problem?”

-Yes, it’s about Dr. Kim Tae-kyung.

“Dr. Kim?”

-Yes, that is, what happened is…

Chief Choi explained the whole story to Kim Cheol-gi.

-Since he’s a suspected HIV patient, the staff is a bit reluctant to treat him, and also…

“Chief Choi?”

-Yes, Director.

“I think you’re all making some great mistakes.”

-Yes? What do you mean by that…

“I am no longer the director of the hospital.”

-Yes!?

“That means I have delegated all authority regarding our hospital to Dr. Kim Tae-kyung.”

-…

“Also, that means all authority over patients, as well as all authority over staff, is also with Dr. Kim.”

Kim Cheol-gi’s statement empowered Tae-kyung and made the staff feel a sense of alertness.

“I trust Dr. Kim. Sometimes, you need an eye to recognize a good leader. Chief Choi?”

-Ah, yes… yes, Director.

“Don’t call me with this kind of thing in the future.”

-I’m, I’m sorry, Director.

“That apology isn’t for me. Then I’ll hang up now.”

After ending the call, Kim Cheol-gi left the washroom with a proud expression, holding the doll.

“An HIV patient… As expected! My eye for people was accurate.”

* * *

“I think we made a mistake.”

“Dr. Kim seemed angry earlier.”

“That’s why I told you not to call.”

Chief Choi and the staff, having finished the call, realized that they had been careless.

“What were you all thinking…”

“What a load of crap.”

Just as Nurse Lim Jeong-sook was about to speak, a rough curse covered her words.

“It’s a complete load of crap. Are you all out of your minds?”

The owner of the unreserved speech was Oh Gye-soon, the head chef of the cafeteria. She had overheard the staff’s conversation while stopping by the emergency room.

“How can you tell a doctor who’s going to treat a patient to kick him out of the hospital?”

“No, Madam, it’s not that, it’s just that we’re scared because he’s a suspected AIDS patient…”

“Shut up! Close your mouth.”

“I’ll close it right away.”

“Do you think it’s that easily transmitted? If it were, then Kim Director, who treated AIDS patients, and I, who brought him food directly, would have been infected a long time ago.”

“Yes? We had an AIDS patient in our hospital?”

“Of course, we did. It was a child.”

It was almost 30 years ago.

A young child with acute appendicitis was refused treatment at more than 20 hospitals because he was an AIDS patient.

The parents and child, soaked from the heavy rain, finally found our hospital.

Kim Cheol-gi, seeing the child unable to open his eyes in pain, operated without any hesitation, just like Tae-kyung did today.

“People working in the hospital know the patient’s pain better than anyone else, so why are they so selfish?”

“…”

“Why are people who graduated from universities more foolish than me, who barely crossed the threshold of elementary school and just cooks rice? Huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

“That apology is addressed to the wrong person. Don’t just wear your heads as decorations, and reflect on yourselves. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

“And if you contradict Dr. Kim’s words even once more, you won’t get any soup from my kitchen. Just know that.”

The staff, having been scolded by Oh Gye-soon following Kim Cheol-gi, had nothing to say even if they had ten mouths.

“Excuse me, Doctor?”

Nurse Lim Jeong-sook called out to Tae-kyung, who was heading to the treatment room with the necessary supplies.

“I’ll go in and help.”

“I’ll help too.”

“Me too.”

“It’s okay. Dr. Lee and I will be doing the patient’s vascular anastomosis [surgical connection of blood vessels]. Leave this to us and take care of the other patients.”

Tae-kyung entered the treatment room with Lee Chan-hee without saying anything more.

“Soo-ssam, what should we do?”

“I know, who told you all to act so rashly?”

“Dr. Lim, don’t just say that, think about what we should do.”

“Chief, you too. You should have stopped the staff from doing that, why did you call the Director?”

“I’m reflecting. But what should we do about this situation…”

“What do you mean what should we do? Didn’t you hear what the doctor said earlier? Hurry up and go to work, everyone. Hurry.”

* * *

“Patient?”

Tae-kyung approached the patient, who was sitting blankly with slightly bloodshot eyes.

“We’re going to give you a local anesthetic now to suture the injured area.”

“Yes.”

“The anesthesia will hurt a little.”

“It’s okay.”

Tae-kyung carefully administered the local anesthesia. It seemed like it would be painful, but the patient didn’t even flinch.

Perhaps it was because he had used up all his despair after getting tested at the public health center a week ago.

There are often cases like this.

In the early stages of being diagnosed with cancer or a serious illness, there is a moment when you become numb to everything in the world and fall into despair.

Tae-kyung also knows this well. At this time, even pain becomes insignificant.

“Patient, we’ll suture you in about 5 minutes after the anesthesia takes effect.”

“Yes.”

“It will take some time because we’re connecting the artery, but otherwise, it will be over quickly.”

The patient nodded briefly, as if he didn’t have the strength to say a word.

“Doctor, this is it.”

Tae-kyung stared blankly at the medical goggles that Lee Chan-hee handed him.

When treating HIV patients as a resident, he never even thought about wearing goggles.

He was so busy that he couldn’t even go to the bathroom and often got cystitis [bladder infection]. As a result, he was more afraid of that day’s duty than HIV.

He was about to do it like he used to. It was these goggles that made Tae-kyung come to his senses.

“Still, it’s better to wear goggles.”

“Yeah… I should wear them.”

In an instant, he came to his senses.

He had been focusing on treating the patient while thinking about him, but then he was reminded of what kind of virus was in the blood flowing before his eyes.

“It can’t hurt to be safe.”

“That’s right.”

Lee Chan-hee’s words are correct. With accurate medical knowledge, that virus is a scary one.

‘Was it just a feeling?’

Even the smell was different. A subtle ammonia smell with an indescribable unpleasant odor constantly lingered.

“Patient, is the anesthesia working well?”

“Yes. It doesn’t hurt.”

“Then let’s start. Dr. Lee, unpack the micro instruments.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

For vascular anastomosis, very small needles and instruments that can hold with a very thin but stable force are needed.

Long tweezers that are crossed and have connected ends are also essential tools for vascular surgery. It would be good to have a magnifying glass to wear on the eyes, but it was not available in the emergency room.

“I’ll disinfect it.”

After disinfecting, Lee Chan-hee sprayed saline to reveal the severed artery.

“Let’s suction. Make sure that area is visible.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Tae-kyung picks up the top and bottom of the severed area with a curved instrument with yellow rubber attached.

There were two reasons for attaching the yellow rubber. One was to prevent blood from coming out, and the other was to prevent damage to the blood vessels in the area being held.

‘Vascular anastomosis without a magnifying glass won’t be easy…’

Lee Chan-hee, assisting and focusing on Tae-kyung’s fingertips, said inwardly.

In fact, vascular anastomosis is a specialized field even among specialized fields.

It is the most difficult part of the surgery, and the professors who specialize in blood vessels are mostly surgical geniuses.

If this were a university hospital, he would have called those people right away. But here, there is no one behind him.

That’s why he has to do it.

‘As expected! His hand movements are different.’

Lee Chan-hee carefully watched Tae-kyung’s skill in continuing vascular anastomosis without a magnifying glass.

‘The strength of the needle is constant.’

The very small needle moves back and forth across the severed blood vessel, suturing it. One stitch, one stitch. Very slowly, but carefully.

The force of the suture should not be too strong or too weak. He’s been doing it for a while, and now it’s three stitches.

“Ah! This won’t work…”