Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 486

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 487

487. Just by Looking at the Patient’s Eyes

“Hng!”

While in the taxi, Lee Jungmi was trying not to cry. But no matter how hard she tried to control herself, she couldn’t stop the tears from welling up.

“Sob!”

“Are you a college student?”

At those words, Lee Jungmi nodded.

The taxi driver, who had been staring straight ahead and gripping the steering wheel tightly, took out a tissue from the glove compartment when the light turned red.

“Here, take this.”

“Sniff! Th, thank you…”

Lee Jungmi received the tissue, swallowing her tears.

Having lived with her brother in this harsh world, she had matured faster than her peers and was often told by her friends that she was dependable and like an older sister. But with the news of her only family member’s accident, even the mentally strong Lee Jungmi found it hard to cope.

“What’s your name?”

“Lee Jungmi.”

“Jungmi, you must be having a tough time right now, right? You must be very worried about what happened to your brother?”

“…Yes. Ha! To be honest, I’m so scared.”

The light turned green again, and the driver slowly accelerated, comforting Lee Jungmi.

“I know that whatever I say now won’t be much of a comfort, but I’m sure your brother will be fine. My parents passed away early too, and I was raised by my older brother.”

The driver, who had overheard Lee Jungmi’s story before starting the ride, felt sympathy for her situation, which was similar to his own childhood.

“I was the second child, and we had younger brothers and sisters like a string of candy. There were quite a few of us siblings. But my older brother always said whenever something happened, that he would never leave us first. That no matter what happened, he would raise all of us, get us all married, and live happily until the end, and only then would he leave.”

Hearing those words, Lee Jungmi started to cry even more than before.

Although not exactly the same, Lee Jungbon had often said similar things to her since she was young.

“The reason I’m saying this to someone who’s having a hard time because of their brother’s accident is to tell you not to worry too much because everything will be alright. Jungmi, your brother will definitely be okay, even if it’s just because he’s thinking of his sister.”

“…Yes, driver.”

The driver wanted to offer genuine comfort, not just empty words.

He was thinking of his own older brother, and also because Lee Jungmi was about the same age as his daughter at home, he hoped that her brother would be okay.

“I’ve been driving a taxi for over ten years, and I’ve never had an accident. What I mean is that I’m a lucky person. I’ll give you all my luck, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you… driver.”

“Okay! If we make a right turn here, the hospital parking lot will be there. We’re almost there.”

A moment later, the taxi, having pierced through the darkness of dawn, entered the parking lot of the hospital.

“We’re here. Oh! Just a moment.”

The driver, who had stopped the engine precisely, quickly spoke to Lee Jungmi, who was about to open the back door to get out, and got out of the car first. Then he opened the trunk and leaned into the back seat.

“Here, put these on.”

The driver took out sneakers from the trunk.

He usually enjoyed light hiking on his days off, so he always carried hiking equipment, including sneakers, in his taxi trunk.

Earlier, he had noticed Lee Jungmi’s bare feet and had been concerned about it.

“Driver… I’m okay.”

To be honest, Lee Jungmi realized only then that she had left the house barefoot.

With the single thought of getting to her brother, she had left the house like a mad person, not even thinking about putting on shoes.

It was something that happened because she was so out of her mind.

“I’m not okay with it. If you go in now, you’ll have to be at the hospital as a guardian for quite a while, and your feet will get cold if you’re barefoot in the hallway. My shoes are a bit big, but it’s better to have something than nothing. Hurry! You need to go in quickly.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

Lee Jungmi felt grateful for the taxi driver’s kindness and put on his shoes without refusing.

The sneakers were a bit old, but they were well-maintained.

“Go on, go quickly.”

“I’d like to pay you the fare.”

“It’s alright.”

The driver had no intention of taking the fare from Lee Jungmi from the moment she got in. And he was also planning to return the money the woman had given him earlier.

“You need to go to your brother. Go on.”

“Yes, thank you so much.”

Lee Jungmi bowed deeply and ran into the hospital, wearing sneakers on her bare feet.

“I hope everything will be alright…”

The taxi driver muttered to himself as he watched Lee Jungmi run, then got back into the taxi.

“Excuse me!”

Lee Jungmi, who had entered the hospital, headed to the reception desk.

“I was told that my brother is at this hospital. Is that correct?”

At that moment, Lee Jungmi’s voice was so loud that the attention of the people around her was drawn to her, but the distraught woman didn’t care.

“Where is he now? Is my brother okay?”

“What’s your brother’s name?”

The reception staff, who had worked at the hospital for many years, could tell at a glance that she was the guardian of a severely injured patient.

In such cases, it’s best to respond calmly because the guardian is currently in a state of shock.

“…Bon! Lee Jungbon. I’m his sister.”

“Okay, do you see the emergency room entrance over there? If you go there, they will help you with the guidance. But first, please complete the registration here.”

“My brother, is my brother okay?”

“They will explain it to you in the emergency room.”

“…Yes.”

The reception staff also knew the guardian’s feelings well and wanted to help, but they didn’t know anything about the patient’s condition and couldn’t say anything because it was the medical staff’s authority.

“The registration is complete. Please go to the emergency room.”

After completing the registration, Lee Jungmi entered the emergency room as directed by the reception staff.

* * *

A moment ago, Taekyung, who had saved a patient whose condition was not good in the intensive care unit, came out of the intensive care unit.

“Doctor, how is the patient Kim Gyenam…?”

Lee Chanhee, who had just run from the emergency room, stopped talking when he saw Taekyung’s expression and realized that the patient was safe.

“He’s okay.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“The patient worked hard. What about the patient Lee Jungbon?”

Earlier, Lee Chanhee, who had received a call from the paramedics, asked Taekyung for permission to admit the patient, and Taekyung told him to admit him, of course.

After Lee Jungbon arrived at the emergency room, Taekyung quickly checked his condition and ordered him to be tested quickly.

“Doctor Choi went down to take a CT scan.”

“What about the guardian?”

“Director!!”

Taekyung was asking about the patient Lee Jungbon’s guardian as he was walking when Lee Donghoon, the anesthesiologist, called him from the end of the hallway in a very excited tone.

Lee Donghoon was receiving chemotherapy steadily and his health was now much better.

In the meantime, he mainly worked during the day and participated in surgeries during the day, but now he was also working a few early morning shifts a week, like today, as long as he didn’t overdo it.

Today’s surgery for Lee Jungbon was an orthopedic surgery, and Lee Donghoon was participating because the medical staff had to check on the pregnant woman who was hospitalized from time to time.

“Are you in good condition?”

When Taekyung asked, Lee Chanhee answered instead of Lee Donghoon himself.

“Anyone can see that you’re in top condition. Especially these days, Doctor Lee’s condition seems to be better than before.”

“Doctor Lee knows me well. I’m in top condition these days. Thanks to our director’s treatment and care. I heard you’re going into THR [Total Hip Replacement] surgery?”

“Yes, it’s a TA [Traffic Accident] patient who collided with a vehicle due to a traffic signal violation while delivering.”

“Oh, dear. Anyway, you have to be careful about traffic accidents. By the way, it’s been a while since I’ve done orthopedic surgery. I’m going to enter a construction site for the first time in a while.”

Lee Donghoon expressed it that way because orthopedic surgery is a bit more involved than other delicate surgeries.

And another thing that made him feel good was that he was happy to be participating in the surgery itself.

Lee Donghoon, who had been very sick and recovered his health, was truly grateful and cherished such ordinary daily life of working again.

Originally, he was a person with high energy and a pleasant personality, but he didn’t show this side of himself in front of patients.

Because he was a fellow medical staff member and knew the unique tension before entering the operating room better than anyone else, he also intended to relieve it.

“Then I’ll go ahead and prepare.”

“Yes, Doctor. See you later.”

While Lee Chanhee was greeting Lee Donghoon, Taekyung walked down the hallway, came out to the reception area, and headed to the emergency room.

“Brother!”

As Taekyung entered the emergency room, a loud, tearful voice caught his attention.

“Why is my brother like this?”

Lee Jungmi, who was looking for her brother in the emergency room, saw Lee Jungbon, who had returned after completing the CT scan, and almost burst into tears.

That was because her brother’s condition looked much worse than she had imagined while taking the taxi.

There seemed to be something wrong with his lower body, especially his legs, and he seemed to be in a lot of pain.

“Brother!”

Lee Jungmi called out to Lee Jungbon, but he was in so much pain that he didn’t have the strength to respond to his sister’s call.

“Director?”

Nurse Lim Jungsook approached Taekyung, who was looking at Lee Jungmi.

“She’s Lee Jungbon’s guardian. Patient Lim Majun, who came in the ambulance with him from the accident earlier, contacted her and she came urgently.”

“Isn’t she too young to be a guardian?”

Lee Chanhee tilted his head and said. Her still youthful face looked young, so he wondered if her parents were not around.

“Her parents aren’t around.”

Taekyung answered as if he was sure of Lee Chanhee’s words. The thing that Taekyung, who had spent a long time in the hospital, had encountered as much as the patients was their guardians.

Just as he could know their feelings just by looking at the patient’s eyes, he could grasp their circumstances to some extent just by looking at the guardian’s appearance.

Taekyung could tell the moment he saw Lee Jungmi.

Her parents are not around. Her brother and sister are the only family in this world.

He knew that the sky and the world were collapsing for Lee Jungmi right now.

“Director is right. Her parents are not around and Lee Jungmi is his younger sister and guardian.”

“His sister must be very surprised.”

After Nurse Lim Jungsook’s explanation and Lee Chanhee’s pitiful words, Lee Jungmi’s wailing cry echoed in the emergency room.

“Brother! What should I do!! Please save my brother. Aaaah!!!”

The medical staff began to soothe Lee Jungmi, who was crying and screaming with tears and snot streaming down her face.

“Please calm down, guardian.”

“Brother!!!”

“Guardian!”

“It’s okay.”

Taekyung, who was watching Lee Jungmi’s appearance, quietly approached and said to the medical staff who were holding her.

“I’ll explain.”

“He’s the director of our hospital.”

At Taekyung’s words, the medical staff who were trying to calm Lee Jungmi stepped aside, and at Nurse Lim Jungsook’s words, Lee Jungmi stared blankly at Taekyung.

“Hello. My name is Kim Taekyung, the director of our hospital. Are you Lee Jungbon’s guardian?”

“…Yes, I’m his younger sister. Is my brother okay? Please, Director, save him.”

Lee Jungmi suddenly knelt down towards Taekyung, put her hands together, and continued.

“Please save my brother…”