Card Room

Ch305 – Line Between Life and Death

Xiao Lou didn’t dare stop for a moment.

Yu Hanjiang’s heart hadn’t recovered yet. If Xiao Lou failed to rescue him, Yu Hanjiang would die directly in front of him. This was the first challenge mission released by A of Clubs and Xiao Lou couldn’t bear the result of failure!

The golden time for patients with cardiac arrest was ‘4 minutes’. If the heartbeat wasn’t restored within this time then the patient was likely to suffer irreversible damage. The moment Xiao Lou walked into the operating room, he saw Yu Hanjiang’s cardiac arrest begin. It was still in the golden time and he had to grasp every second.

After a round of CPR, he saw that Yu Hanjiang’s heartbeat hadn’t shown signs of recovery and immediately turned to shout at the nurse. “0.5mg epinephrine intravenous injection, quickly!”

The ambulance was close to this room and epinephrine was a common rescue medicine. Every ambulance would prepare it. Hearing Xiao Lou’s words, the nurse quickly opened the package of a brand new syringe, took out the syringe, and diluted the epinephrine with normal saline. Then the nurse injected it decisively along the infusion channel in Yu Hanjiang’s arm.

After epinephrine was injected into the vein, it could quickly reach the heart through the blood circulation, excite the heart receptors and increase the cardiac output. Xiao Lou might not be a professional emergency doctor but he repeatedly memorized this first aid knowledge during the exam. He wouldn’t remember incorrectly.

After the epinephrine injection, he continued to do CPR while observing the data on the ECG monitor. In this life or death moment, Xiao Lou didn’t dare relax for even a second. He didn’t feel tired at all. The only thing left in his mind was the idea of ‘save Yu Hanjiang.’

Time became extraordinarily long and every second was a type of torture.

……

He didn’t know how long it took but the heart rate curve on the ECG monitor suddenly jumped. Xiao Lou’s eyes lit up and he continued to press against Yu Hanjiang’s solid chest. As he moved, the heart rate curve changed from a typical ventricular fibrillation waveform to a normal waveform.

One after another, the green ECG waveforms slid across the monitor like running water. The blood pressure data gradually stabilized from the warning threshold just now.

Xiao Lou’s eyes were hot as he withdrew his sore hands. Yu Hanjiang was alive! He had saved the dying man! At this moment, he even had the impulse to shed tears.

Professor Zhu’s surprised voice sounded in his ears. “The heartbeat is recovered and he is ready for emergency surgery. Dr Xiao, help me.”

Xiao Lou stepped aside and closed his eyes. He forced back the emotions in his eyes and calmed himself down. By the time he opened his eyes, he had regained his calm expression. He didn’t dare look at Yu Hanjiang’s pale face. He moved to Professor Zhu’s side and put on sterile gloves.

The two nurses quickly covered Yu Hanjiang’s body with a green cloth, exposing only the wound on his abdomen. The anesthesiologist stepped forward to assess the patient’s vital signs followed by the administration of a general anesthesia.

Everyone in the operating room was busy. The equipment nurse pushed the cart and the clean sterile cloth was covered with silver surgical instruments. Xiao Lou stood next to the operating table and carefully observed the exposed wound on Yu Hanjiang’s right lower abdomen.

The wound was bloody and looked shocking. A bullet had hit this spot.

The bleeding was most serious. Yu Hanjiang’s shirt was stained red with blood and was stuck to his body. It couldn’t be removed and had been cut open by scissors long ago. The moment Yu Hanjiang entered the operating room, he had been given a blood transfusion by the nurse. The cardiac arrest just now was probably caused by hypovolemic shock.

The blood in the bag had almost finished and the nurse changed it with a new bag. Xiao Lou nervously asked, “Is there enough blood prepared?”

The nurse replied, “It is enough. This police officer has B type blood and I’ve brought enough B type blood from the blood bank.”

Professor Zhu put on gloves and looked at the anesthesiologist. “How is the situation?”

The anesthesiologist answered, “He is stable. Take out the bullet as soon as possible.”

The bullet hit the right lower abdomen. Once the abdomen cavity was broken, intestinal perforation would cause abdominal infection and the condition would be difficult to deal with. Now that the heartbeat was restored and the blood transfusion was continuing, the top priority was to take out the bullet, explore possible bleeding points in the abdomen and quickly stop the bleeding to prevent infection.

Professor Zhu’s voice was heard. “Doctor Xiao, get ready to disinfect.”

Xiao Lou nodded. He took the iodine and cotton swab to disinfect the wound. After disinfection, Professor Zhu picked up a scalpel and cut open the right lower abdomen. Xiao Lou couldn’t bear to look at this bloody image but he had to keep his focus.

Professor Zhu soon found the bullet, pulled it out with a tweezer and placed it in a sterile dish. Immediately afterward, he looked for bleeding points in the abdominal cavity and quickly ligated a bleeding blood vessel.

The middle-aged doctor performed the operation proficiently while saying, “The bullet stuck in a bend of the intestinal tract and didn’t cause intestinal perforation. It is really fortunate. The risk of large-scale infection isn’t high. If we closely observe after an operation then it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Hearing this, Xiao Lou sighed with relief. Professor Zhu was a professional emergency doctor and Xiao Lou believed in his expert judgment.

He took off his surgical gown and turned away. Surgical sutures were usually done by trainees and residents. It was very common for the surgeon to leave after surgery. Xiao Lou had to bite the bullet and stitch it up layer by layer.

On the last layer of skin, Xiao Lou used the ‘interrupted suture method’ that was commonly used in surgery. This method was suitable for incisions that might be infected. Each stitch was tied separately and it was more convenient to remove the stitches.

After the stitching was done, the instrument nurse next to him spoke with a smile, “Dr Xiao, your stitches were very beautiful. Every stitch is neat like it is done with a stapler.”

Xiao Lou, “……”

After all, he was a forensic doctor. He often sewed up the corpses after autopsy and his technique was natural and skilled. However, it was hard to tell the nurse ‘I’ve sewn a lot of bodies.’ Asking a forensic doctor to rescue a patient and sew up the wound for Yu Hanjiang… the secret room this time was so thrilling. He didn’t know what would happen next.

Xiao Lou smiled politely at the nurse and asked the anesthesiologist, “Is the patient okay?”

The anesthesiologist said, “His vital signs are still stable. He should be able to wake up tomorrow.”

Then the head nurse with two bars on her hat came in and asked the anesthesiologist to sign the book. She said, “Once the operation is over, send the patient to the ward. The operating room must be vacated as soon as possible. There are more patients waiting.”

Xiao Lou asked, “Head nurse, which ward is the patient going to?”

The head nurse said, “This is a police officer with a special status. He suffered a work-related injury while performing his duties. The dean specifically told me to send him to the VIP ward of general surgery. His condition needs to be kept confidential. Dr Xiao, please take care of him.”

General surgery—this happened to be the ward where Xiao Lou was currently located.

Xiao Lou nodded. “Yes, I’ll take him back.”

It would be great to send Yu Hanjiang to the VIP ward under his eyes. Xiao Lou could follow Yu Hanjiang’s situation at any time. After changing out of the surgical gown, he and the anesthesiologist sent Yu Hanjiang to the VIP ward of the general surgery department on the 7th floor of the inpatient department.

The nurse on duty in the ward immediately came over for an infusion, giving Yu Hanjiang an anti-infection medicine prescribed by Professor Zhu.

Xiao Lou observed Yu Hanjiang’s ECG monitor. His heart rate, blood pressure and breathing were normal but the effect of the anesthesia hadn’t passed and he hadn’t woken up yet. The night after surgery was critical. If there was a sudden infection during the night then measures had to be taken immediately. Therefore, Xiao Lou decided to guard Yu Hanjiang tonight.

It was 3 a.m. and most of the hospital wards had turned off their lights. Xiao Lou sat next to Yu Hanjiang, gently held Yu Hanjiang’s hand and let out a long breath. There was no danger. This was definitely the most stressful night he had ever experienced since he studied medicine.

Seeing Yu Hanjiang unconscious on the operating table with his heart stopped, Xiao Lou felt that his heart was also going to stop. He couldn’t imagine the consequences if he couldn’t save Yu Hanjiang in those dangerous minutes.

Xiao Lou gripped Yu Hanjiang’s hand and muttered in a low voice. “Fortunately, you are fine… just fine.”

The unconscious Yu Hanjiang naturally couldn’t hear him. Xiao Lou didn’t speak any longer and quietly guarded his side.

***

Yu Hanjiang woke up and saw Xiao Lou napping by his bed. His hand was gently held and the warmth of the other person was transmitted to him.

Yu Hanjiang tried to move his body. The anesthesia effect had passed and a sharp pain came from his right lower abdomen, causing Yu Hanjiang to suck in a cold breath. However, his heart was warm when he saw Xiao Lou’s face and held Xiao Lou’s right hand. This caused the pain in his body to be weakened.

Yu Hanjiang gently held Xiao Lou’s slender fingers.

Xiao Lou wasn’t deeply asleep. He was just so sleepy that he took a nap. Yu Hanjiang’s slight movement immediately woke him up. Xiao Lou saw the man’s deep eyes and couldn’t help smiling. “You’re awake.”

“Did you guard me all night?” Yu Hanjiang’s voice was hoarse.

“I happened to be on the night shift.” Xiao Lou looked down and found that their two hands were held together. He couldn’t help his ears becoming hot and he pulled his hand back quietly. “How do you feel?”

“It’s okay.” Yu Hanjiang frowned and wanted to sit up. XIao Lou hurriedly stopped him. “Don’t move. You just had a surgery last night and be careful not to pull your wound.”

“Hmm.” Yu Hanjiang obediently didn’t move.

After a few seconds of silence, Yu Hanjiang asked in a low voice, “What happened last night?”

At the same time Xiao Lou also asked, “What happened last night?”

The two people had their hearts connected and they couldn’t help feeling stunned when they said the same thing.

Xiao Lou touched his nose. “You say it first.”

Yu Hanjiang’s mouth curved up. “Yes. The moment I opened my eyes, I was shot and lost consciousness before I understood the situation.”

Xiao Lou, “……”

Yu Hanjiang was miserable enough. He was shot when he entered the secret room and almost died.

Xiao Lou wondered, “I heard the nurse say you were injured while performing a mission. What mission is so dangerous?”

Yu Hanjiang frowned and thought for a while. “I was investigating a murder case and found some clues. I had just entered the villa when I was ambushed. The man had a gun in his hand and was hiding in the darkness, so I didn’t see who it was.” He paused and frowned even more. “I don’t know if the case I’m investigating is related to the plot of the secret room. I will ask my colleagues for the case information and will take a closer look.”

Xiao Lou looked down at his watch. “It is only 7:30 a.m. and the hospital will allow visits after the doctor’s inspection at 8 o’clock. Your colleagues will definitely come to see you and you can ask them for information then.”

Yu Hanjiang glanced at Xiao Lou’s white coat. “Are you… a forensic doctor? Or a clinician?”

“I’m the chief resident of the general surgery department this time.” Xiao Lou helplessly rubbed his forehead. “The moment I entered the world, I received a call to rescue the wounded. I went to the emergency operating room and found that you were the one lying on the operating table.”

Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow. “So you saved me last night?”

“Not everything.” Xiao Lou explained. “I only did CPR on you. The operation was done by Professor Zhu and he took out the bullet.”

“CPR…?”

“Yes, you had a cardiac arrest and had to be rescued immediately.”

Yu Hanjiang didn’t ask any more questions.

Then Xiao Lou suddenly thought of something and looked away in an embarrassed manner.

Last night, he had been too nervous. In addition, he was a forensic doctor, not a real emergency department doctor. He didn’t have rich experience in clinical rescue. He used the knowledge and memory in his mind to give artificial respiration through Yu Hanjiang’s mouth.

In fact, there were airbags in the emergency department. He could’ve put the airbag in Yu Hanjiang’s mouth to blow. Compression airbags were a commonly used rescue tool in clinical practice. The principle was the same as artificial respiration. Usually while rescuing, one doctor would press the airbag to blow air into the patient’s mouth while the other doctor performed the chest compressions. The cooperation between the two people would save effort.

In any case, Xiao Lou wasn’t a clinician and he hadn’t experienced rescuing people in the hospital. He subconsciously used the textbook method of artificial respiration…

No wonder the nurse looked at him with slightly strange eyes. The nurse was probably wondering why he used mouth-to-mouth instead of the airbag.

Xiao Lou felt the tip of his ears becoming hot.

Last night, he had been in a hurry and didn’t know how many times he fed air to Yu Hanjiang’s mouth. During artificial respiration, their lips fit together seamlessly. At this time, there still seemed to be the clear touch that belonged to the man remaining on his lips.

Yu Hanjiang saw Xiao Lou’s ears turning red and couldn’t help caring. “What’s wrong with you? Your ears are so red.”

“…It might be too hot.”

“?” Yu Hanjiang felt the air conditioner was a bit cold but he didn’t reveal it.

There was a knock on the door outside. Xiao Lou quickly got up to rescue the door as if he had been saved. A few people had come to visit Yu Hanjiang. Xiao Lou’s eyes swept over their name tags on their chests. They were the dean, the vice-dean and the director of surgery. The three bigshots personally came to do the inspection. This showed how important Yu Hanjiang was.

The grey-haired dean walked up to Xiao Lou. “How is the situation with Officer Yu?”

“The surgery went well. He woke up at 7 o’clock this morning and the vital signs are stable.”

The dean smiled and patted Xiao Lou on the shoulder. “That’s good. I heard Professor Zhu say that you rescued Officer Yu last night. Thank you for the hard work, Doctor Xiao.”

Xiao Lou hurriedly said, “It is what I should do.”

The dean and vice-dean spoke a bunch of concerned words like ‘rest well’ and Yu Hanjiang politely responded. Then the group turned and left. After a while, a few more police officers came in. They were probably Yu Hanjiang’s colleagues and superiors. Xiao Lou automatically avoided suspicion and left the ward to let them talk.

At exactly 8 o’clock, the general surgery ward called for the doctors to do the rounds. Xiao Lou followed the professor around the ward to check on the other rooms, paying attention to see if his teammates were in any of them. He completed one round and didn’t see his other teammates.

There were more patients in the general surgery department and the rounds took nearly an hour. He finished checking the rooms after 9 o’clock and was walking to the nurse’s station when a young nurse stopped him. “Doctor Xiao, the patient in VIP ward 1 is looking for you.”

Xiao Lou turned to the VIP ward. Yu Hanjiang’s police colleagues had gone away and the ward was full of flowers and fruit.

The man was leaning against the bed and frowning. He had just climbed back from the gates of death last night and his face was pale, but his eyes were calm and deep. Seeing Xiao Lou push open the door, he looked up and spoke softly, “My colleague has brought the information.”

Xiao Lou asked curiously, “What case?”

Yu Hanjiang handed the folder to Xiao Lou. “It is a dismembered body case. A corpse was cut into numerous pieces and only a small part of them was found. The deceased was a young 30 year old man, a rich second generation. At present, the suspect is the deceased’s brother. The two people had been fighting openly and secretly over their inheritance. Then once I went to the brother’s villa to investigate, I was shot in the dark.”

Xiao Lou’s back was slightly cold. “It seems the murderer this time is difficult to deal with.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “I was shot as soon as I entered the second room and sent to the hospital to be rescued. The others might also encounter danger.”

He frowned and wanted to get out of bed, but the sharp pain from his abdominal wound made him pause and he couldn’t help sweating. Xiao Lou noticed his thoughts and lightly grasped his shoulder, pressing him back down on the bed. “Don’t move. You can’t get out of bed after an operation. Leave our teammates to me.”

Yu Hanjiang looked worried. “You alone?”

“I’m a doctor and I can freely enter in and out of the hospital.” Xiao Lou said. “I have a type of intuition. The secret room plot is likely to happen in the hospital and our team members might also be in the hospital. I will first look for them here.”’

Yu Hanjiang instructed, “Try to open Heart has a Tacit Exchange of Romantic Feelings.”

Xiao Lou remembered there was no prompt about any cards being banned in this secret room and summoned Qin Guan to open Heart has a Tacit Exchange of Romantic Feelings. He connected with Yu Hanjiang to communicate. In this way, they could keep in touch at any time even without a phone.

Yu Hanjiang felt the mental world that belonged to Xiao Lou and was relieved a lot. He said, “Go, tell me if you find our teammates. Then we will discuss the next step in the plan.”

Xiao Lou turned and left. Once he left, Yu Hanjiang gently touched his lips, complex emotions flashing in his mind.

Just now after his colleagues left, Professor Zhu from the emergency department came for a visit and told him that Dr Xiao had personally performed CPR For him last night. Dr Xiao’s arms were sore and he gave artificial respiration many times before Yu Hanjiang’s life was saved in a thrilling manner. Dr Xiao was his life saving benefactor.

Professor Zhu was just joking but Yu Hanjiang keenly caught the words ‘artificial respiration.’ Did Xiao Lou really aim at his lips and feed him air many times?

Yu Hanjiang was completely unconscious at the time but when he thought about Xiao Lou’s lips being so intimate and close to his, he couldn’t help his heart beating faster. This almost made the heart rate curve on the ECG monitor become messy.

Xiao Lou was serious about saving him and he shouldn’t think about crooked things. Still, he couldn’t help feeling like his lips were burning. In the future, he had to get a good taste of a real kiss with Xiao Lou when he was conscious.

Yu Hanjiang touched his hot lips again and a smile appeared on his face. Then he coughed, put on a serious expression, got rid of the random thoughts in his mind and focused on the case information.