Chapter 12: A Dramatic Turn

Words : 1863 Updated : Mar 13th, 2025

In the emergency surgery room 1, a sharp-faced middle-aged woman was throwing a tantrum. As she spoke, she hysterically pounded on the hospital bed. "My niece could walk just ten minutes ago, and now she can barely breathe." "Please stay calm, we're looking into it!" "Didn't you already check before? Why check again? Tenos Hospital is all show. How is a young doctor capable of treating others? Aren't they just harming people?" Gina's cheek was swollen. A clipboard thrown by the woman had accidentally hit her, leaving a trace of tears at the corner of her eye. She suppressed her grievances, preparing to conduct a thorough examination of the girl again. "Don't touch my niece anymore! Get an experienced doctor here, or I'll hold the hospital accountable," the woman shouted. Being a doctor was always a high-risk profession. Besides the occupational hazards from high-intensity work, they occasionally had to deal with medical disputes. Gina, newly transitioned to a resident doctor, was facing such a patient for the first time. Her mind went blank, unsure of what to do. The girl's breathing grew more labored as the middle-aged woman's emotions became more volatile. She thought that only by causing a scene could she get the hospital's attention. Suddenly, she grabbed a thermos from the cabinet, ready to smash it on the floor. However, her hand stopped mid-air. There was no shattering sound. Gina focused her eyes and saw Walter had arrived just in time, seizing the thermos from her grasp. The situation did not escalate further. "What? Are you going to hit someone?" The woman turned to look at Walter, realizing he was a tall young man, about six feet tall. Her arrogant demeanor diminished instantly. Walter glanced at the girl curled up on the bed, his eyes cold. "The hospital has surveillance cameras. Your behavior just now constitutes property damage and provocation." "Trying to scare me? Do you think I'm afraid?" The woman sneered at Walter. "Causing a scene only delays the treatment and adds to the patient's suffering." "Get someone in charge here. You're not qualified to speak to me." Walter was speechless. He was indeed no match for the middle-aged woman in an argument. Just then, a nurse's voice interrupted. "The patient seems to have lost consciousness." Saving the patient was urgent. Walter immediately moved past the woman and approached the bed. Others made way for him. A few days ago, if Walter were to examine a patient, he might have been considered overconfident. But times had changed; no one saw him as a novice anymore. Walter pressed a few times on the girl's abdomen. She let out a heavy breath. Her complexion and breathing improved somewhat. Seeing the immediate effect on the girl's condition, the woman realized that although the new doctor was young, he had some skills. Walter knew that treating symptoms was not the same as treating the root cause. The girl's true ailment still needed a thorough examination to be determined. Gina informed Walter of the girl's situation. "Fifteen-year-old girl, sudden abdominal pain and vomiting after dinner, menstrual pain and food poisoning ruled out, blood tests show high blood sugar, diagnosed as diabetic ketoacidosis causing abdominal pain." "She's talking nonsense. How can such a young child have diabetes?" The woman was hostile toward Gina. "Who says young people can't have diabetes?" Walter frowned. "The blood sugar results speak for themselves. Are you a doctor, or are we the doctors? Do you think you're more professional than us?" The woman was momentarily speechless and then asked, "How could she suddenly have diabetes?" "There are different types of diabetes. The common one in older adults is type 2 diabetes. Your niece has type 1 diabetes. This condition often appears suddenly, especially in teenagers, with many causes, possibly viral infections. Once it occurs, lifelong insulin treatment is necessary." It was like talking to a brick wall, but Walter patiently explained, "There's a smell of rotten apples in the air! Can you all smell it?" Everyone, including the woman, instinctively took a deep breath. Indeed, there was a faint sour odor. "This is a typical symptom of diabetic ketoacidosis," Walter's tone softened. Faced with an area of knowledge she didn't understand, the woman was at a loss for words. "Has the child's appetite increased recently? Eating more? Urinating more? Drinking more? Yet losing weight?" The woman hesitated before saying, "She has indeed lost a lot of weight recently. We thought it was due to stress from studying. Turns out it's diabetes!" Walter seemed to be asking questions, but in reality, he was using this method of communication to help the family understand the pathology. The woman had a decent ability to accept information and gradually realized she had wronged Gina. "Type 1 diabetes can cause bowel obstruction at onset. The best treatment is to reduce blood sugar, eliminate ketones, correct acidosis, and rehydrate. If symptoms improve, surgery is unnecessary, minimizing trauma to the girl. So, Ms. Lapwood's treatment plan was not wrong!" "That's not right!" The woman's speech suddenly sped up again, "If the method is correct, why hasn't there been any improvement, and why has it gotten worse?" Gina was also puzzled and looked at Walter in confusion. Walter had finished his examination. He looked at the girl with regret. "She not only has diabetes but also adhesive bowel obstruction!" Adhesive bowel obstruction? Gina's expression changed slightly. "I confirmed the patient had no surgical history." Adhesive bowel obstruction was related to previous abdominal surgery. Walter's gaze fixed on the patient's family. "They hid the medical history." If they had known the patient had undergone abdominal surgery, Gina would have immediately considered the possibility of adhesive bowel obstruction. Walter believed Gina would never make the rookie mistake of not asking about surgical history when diagnosing. The only explanation was that the patient's family had not informed Gina of the truth, leading to her diagnostic error. It was the light at the end of the tunnel, a twist of fate. Walter questioned the woman, "The patient had appendicitis surgery. Why didn't you mention it?" The woman hurriedly explained, "She's my niece, staying at my house. I wasn't particularly aware of her past illnesses." "Please verify it quickly." Walter was 100% certain: the girl had appendicitis and underwent minimally invasive surgery. Asking the woman to verify was to make her realize that she had an undeniable responsibility for misjudging the patient's condition. If she had accurately informed Gina of the patient's condition from the beginning, the girl would not have been in a critical state. The woman walked to the door and dialed her brother's number. After the call, she returned to the room with guilt in her eyes. "I just asked. When she was five, she did have appendicitis surgery." At five, the girl was too young to remember, so she couldn't possibly know her medical history. As for the woman, she was the girl's aunt and wasn't present when the girl fell ill at five, so she didn't know either. Gina sighed with relief. The truth was out! The worsening of the girl's condition was also largely due to her family's responsibility. Gina cast a complicated glance at Walter. She had felt like a helpless fly trapped in a spider's web, about to be devoured by a spider. Walter had descended like a knight on a white horse, saving her from the crisis. The ceiling light cast a glow on her junior's profile, highlighting his sharp, focused, and professional face. At that moment, he looked every bit the dashing hero!

Chapter 12: A Dramatic Turn

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