Chapter 161: Chapter 154: Strong Women (Requesting Support: Baseline Monthly Tickets!)
The inpatient department of Yan University Hospital is naturally different from the inpatient department of a university clinic. The university clinic’s inpatient department only has seven or eight wards, and most of the time, they are empty. During the day, those needing infusion might feel unwell and transfer to the third-floor inpatient department for the procedure.
Yan University Hospital is a renowned hospital within Huaxia, attracting tens of thousands of patients daily. To secure a bed at Yan University Hospital, you might have to wait one or two months, or even more than half a year in some departments.
Even though it was past eleven o’clock at night, the courtyard outside the inpatient department of Yan University Hospital was still crowded with people, either standing or sitting around. Compared to the university clinic, it’s like the difference between heaven and earth.
Moreover, Xiao Lin could tell that many of these people were suffering from significant illnesses. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be waiting at the inpatient department entrance late at night, hoping to receive a hospitalization notice.
"I wonder how little Niu Niu’s mother is doing now. I hope she can get a hospital bed!" Xiao Lin looked at the patients waiting in the courtyard, feeling a tinge of empathy in his heart.
Entering the hall, Xiao Lin saw that dozens of seats were fully occupied. Patients sat or lay on their chairs and stools brought from home in the adjacent empty spaces and corridors, accompanied by their family members standing beside them.
This was Xiao Lin’s first visit to a large domestic hospital, and he wasn’t familiar with the typical patient situation. Just seeing these patients made his heart feel heavy.
It was already after eleven at night; what would it be like during the day? It would probably be so crowded that even walking would be difficult.
Xia Xue, Liang Feng, and little Niu Niu’s mother were on the 20th floor of the inpatient department. Considering Xia Xue’s abilities, she should be able to secure a good ward for Niu Niu’s mother.
Taking the elevator up to the 20th floor, the corridor there was similar to the first floor, with many people arranging simple beds outside the ward doors to stay in the corridors.
Xia Xue arranged for Niu Niu’s mother to stay in ward 2012. Xiao Lin quickly reached the ward door, which was closed. Peering in through the window, it seemed to be a private advanced ward. The window view didn’t reveal the ward but showed Xia Xue and Liang Feng sitting on a sofa, with a LCD TV and simple furniture in the room.
On the coffee table lay a medical record and a pile of test results. The tear stains on Xia Xue’s and Liang Feng’s faces hadn’t dried. Xiao Lin knocked on the door, and Xia Xue, stopping Liang Feng, stood up to open the door. Upon seeing Xiao Lin, tears welled up in her eyes again, and the usually strong Xia Xue cried uncontrollably like a tearful mess.
Xiao Lin hugged Xia Xue as they entered the room, gently patting her back, comforting, "Go ahead and cry; it feels a bit better to let it out!" Watching Xia Xue hug Xiao Lin and weep, Liang Feng felt awkward turning away to pour tea for Xiao Lin.
After a long while, Xia Xue, having released her inner sorrow, finally lifted her tear-streaked face, choking with emotion, "Xiao Lin, I really never imagined that a person’s vitality could be this tenacious!"
"How is Niu Niu’s mother’s health?" Xiao Lin knew Xia Xue was undoubtedly referring to Niu Niu’s mother’s condition.
"Take a look yourself. Many of the test results are still pending, but just these test results are enough to frighten anyone!" Xia Xue picked up the materials from the coffee table and handed them to Xiao Lin.
Xiao Lin carefully examined them, his expression growing stranger and more solemn, even shedding a tear from the corner of his eye. But being a man, if he started crying too, who knew when the two women in the room would stop sobbing.
The cause was uremia, with complications involving heart and spleen issues, even significant stomach problems. The heart examination results were yet to come out, though they probably wouldn’t be much better. Preliminary diagnostics suggested that about seventy percent of Niu Niu’s mom’s kidneys had ceased functioning, classifying her as a severe uremia patient with numerous complications.
Her body was almost wrecked, yet with such a condition, Niu Niu’s mother managed to survive for so long. According to the head of internal medicine at Yan University Hospital, an ordinary person with her condition would have succumbed two years ago, but Niu Niu’s mother possessed incredibly strong willpower, remaining mentally clear even now.
Having read through some of the results, Xiao Lin asked in a deep voice, "What do the doctors here say?"
"I’ve already asked the head of internal medicine to take a look at Niu Niu’s mother. He only said that living until now is already a miracle!" Xia Xue, having expressed her emotions, began speaking normally again.
Xiao Lin took a deep breath and nodded, "He’s right; it is indeed a miracle that with so much illness in her body, she’s still alive!" Xiao Lin sincerely remarked, without needing to be told why Niu Niu’s mother still had such resilient vitality; it was probably due to her unwillingness to leave little Niu Niu behind. Two years ago, little Niu Niu was just a five or six-year-old girl.
"Xiao Lin, is there nothing else you can do?" Xia Xue asked nervously, looking at Xiao Lin. At this moment, Xiao Lin seemed like the last straw of hope for Niu Niu’s mother. In Xia Xue’s impression, there was no one Xiao Lin couldn’t save.
"Even if I were a deity, there’s nothing I can do!" Xiao Lin replied helplessly. With the current diagnosis of Niu Niu’s mother, even if there were a kidney donor for a transplant, her physical condition might not withstand such a major surgery. But without a transplant, it’s estimated she won’t survive beyond three months. Even with her strong will, the complications are already approaching mid-stage. Once they reach the middle stage, they will certainly exacerbate the symptoms of uremia, which may be fatal.
"Xiao Lin, I know your medical skills are excellent. You have to save her!"
Xiao Lin smiled wryly at Xia Xue and had to agree: "Alright, I’ll do my best. By the way, how is Niu Niu’s mother now? I’ll go in and take a look."
"She’s already taken her medication and fallen asleep. The doctor mentioned they’ll organize an expert consultation tomorrow. For patients like her, they see great research value, even if they can’t save her, they’ll try their utmost!" Xia Xue replied, "Moreover, all of Niu Niu’s mother’s fees are free!"
Xiao Lin nodded. With a patient like this, Yanjing’s Yan University affiliated first hospital wouldn’t charge a fee yet would treat Niu Niu’s mother due to her typicality.
If she can be treated successfully, not to mention gaining international accolades and significant fame, domestically he would certainly receive a share of the honor. The benefits brought by this reputation surely far outweigh these treatment costs.
Even if the treatment fails, there’s still research value in such a valuable patient.
"The affiliated first hospital has a sharp eye!" Xiao Lin chuckled lightly, then got up and walked towards the ward door next to them. Through the window, he saw a middle-aged woman of about thirty-five or thirty-six lying on the hospital bed, with many tubes connected to her, her face peacefully calm.
Xiao Lin had reviewed her medical records; he naturally knew her actual age was just twenty-six. Given modern living conditions and beauty motivations, it’s hard to imagine a twenty-six-year-old woman looking as if she’s in her mid-thirties, showcasing how much hardship she’s endured.
Now that Niu Niu’s mother has been settled, with the level of this ward, she has a dedicated nurse for twenty-four-hour care, so there’s no need to stay here continuously. Then, Xiao Lin led Xia Xue and Liang Feng out of the hospital.
Liang Feng and Xia Xue hadn’t eaten anything either, and now that things had settled down, they felt hungry. They casually ate something at the night market near Yan University and then returned to the Yan University campus.
While getting off the car, Liang Feng suddenly whispered to Xiao Lin, "Brother, I know now!" Then she turned and entered the dormitory building.
Xia Xue was confused and turned to ask Xiao Lin, "Xiao Lin, what does Xiao Feng know?"
Xiao Lin watched Liang Feng run into the dormitory building with her head down, feeling a pang of guilt. Hearing Xia Xue’s question, he thought for a bit and then said to Xia Xue, "I was comrades with Xiao Feng’s brother, and I was the military doctor of our team. During a mission, Xiao Feng’s brother sacrificed himself to save me, and I couldn’t save him. Coming to Yanjing was partly because of Xiao Feng, but I didn’t know how to tell her about Hu Zi. During the time we met, I avoided mentioning Hu Zi’s incident. Just now, Xiao Feng’s remark probably means she guessed Hu Zi encountered a mishap!"
Xiao Lin’s expression was very forlorn and self-reproaching. Whenever he thought about Hu Zi, he felt he owed him.
Xia Xue silently looked at Xiao Lin and then comforted him, "Life is full of birth, aging, sickness, and death; most things in the world don’t go as you wish. Let bygones be bygones. Don’t blame yourself so much!"
"I know!" Xiao Lin smiled. He had never told anyone about this before, and saying it now seemed to ease his heart a lot: "Tomorrow I’ll find time to talk to Xiao Feng and hand over Hu Zi’s belongings to her."
The troubles that have been bothering Xiao Lin for the past few days were suddenly settled with one sentence from Liang Feng. After making the decision, he felt much more at ease.
When they returned home, it was already past midnight. After so much had happened, even though their relationship had just progressed, they didn’t have the mood to vent. They each took a shower, exchanged goodnight wishes, and went to their respective rooms to sleep.
Xia Xue quickly fell asleep after lying down, but Xiao Lin didn’t sleep at all. It wasn’t until after three in the morning that he started feeling sleepy. However, at that moment, the phone on the bedside suddenly rang.
"Who could be calling at this hour?" Xiao Lin muttered to himself, then picked up the phone to see it was an unknown number. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote for it at Qidian (). Your support is my biggest motivation.)