Chapter 119

After screaming, the guy cast his eyes towards Kim Hanul and even raised his hand.

Stunned by his act, Kim closed her eyes.

But nothing worrisome happened and she opened her eyes slightly.

The man was scratching his head with the hand he raised, saying,

“Your hands look pretty. Does it cause stinging like this?”

Actually, it was more than stinging. He felt as if she rammed the needle into his skin roughly enough to recall his memory of his having been stabbed in the past.

But he could not show his pain to her because it would be shameful for him to do so as a male.

Kim opened her mouth, but at the moment Suhyuk said first,

“You’ve been administered anesthesia, so you will feel a bit of stinging.”

The man nodded, asking, “Am I done now?”

Suhyuk said, shaking his head, “No, you need two more shots.”

He looked at the syringe the intern was holding.

It looked like the needle could be broken easily with a bit of force, but it sent chills down his spine instead.

The man, posturing firmly like before, said, “Do it quickly.”

Kim Hanul looked at Suhyuk slightly, who was nodding without saying anything.

Suhyuk now tipped her the wink to begin administering the anesthesia quickly.

“Let me begin the anesthesia again now.”

She held his shoulder to pierce the needle, saying, “Just relax.”

“Uh…?”

He put strength into his muscles before he knew it.

The needle she was holding now moved to his ribs.

He clenched his teeth.

“Uhhh……….”

A strange voice was coming out of his mouth. A stinging pain.

Suhyuk smiled, looking at the needle pierced into the guy’s skin.

Kim Hanul seemed to have learned local anesthesia in the correct way.

The needle was neither too deep nor too short to break into parietal pleura.

But the needle did not go into the skin at the right angle.

Her hand was trembling subtly as if she was not sure of her skill or scared of the guy.

It was clear that the trembling needle was piercing into a wrong organ.

He might be agonizing over the pain, but over time it will go away soon enough.

For it would not cause inflammation or any other collateral disease even if the disinfected needle touches other organs.

Soon the needle was pulled away from his skin.

Beads of sweat ran down his face.

“One more shot, right?” said he.

“Oh, yes…”

Kim moved again, and finally she could finish administering the anesthesia.

Looking at her fellow intern, she made an expression as if she was asking for her opinion.

Lee Heejung gave a thumbs up, praising her skill.

The guy turned his hand on the side of his anesthetized ribs.

He felt it was becoming more and more numb.

“Now it’s time for surgery?” asked the man.

Suhyuk shook his head, saying,

“We need to collect the pleural fluid for examination. Because we have to collect it from the thoracic cavity where the lungs are, the lungs might be pierced by the needle.”

The man’s pupils trembled a bit, and then he looked at Kim. Can she do it well?

He had to endure the pain when she rammed the needle into his side.

“Do you have enough experience with this, miss?”

It was Suhyuk who replied to his question, “I’ll do it.”

Then the guy asked again, “You must have had many experiences, right?”

Suhyuk, nodding slightly, pierced the needle into his ribs without any hesitation.

“Now I’m collecting it.”

As soon as he said that, Suhyuk pulled the piston of the syringe.

Pleural fluid was absorbed into the syringe.

“It’s done now.”

The guy blinked his eyes. Was it because of the anesthesia? He just felt numb.

“Now, can I just wait for the test result?”

Suhyuk nodded, adding, “Yes, from now on, let me check if it is pleurisy or empyema by examining the blood sample. Depending on the test outcome, I’ll duly treat you.”

“I don’t need any surgery, right?”

“It depends on the test results. If it is not serious, you’ll be prescribed medication. If you need other treatment, though, I may have to get more pleural fluid from your ribs.”

The guy’s eyes became wider. Another anesthesia?

He cast his eyes at Kim Hanul automatically, who was smiling a bit.

Putting on his upper clothes, he asked Suhyuk,

“You will do it for me, right?”

Suhyuk turned his head to Kim, saying, “If you want, I can have her do it instead of me.”

The guy grabbed his hand suddenly, “Please, you do it…”

The guy returned to the patient’s room, and Suhyuk handed the two interns blood samples taken from him.

“You know where the test room is, right?”

Suhyuk made the two interns move together, so they could understand by themselves how the cardiothoracic surgery department was running.

The interns disappeared, and Suhyuk began moving, when he heard some voice from behind.

“Dr. Lee!”

It was Park Sungjae.

Racing toward him while short of breath, he stopped right before Suhyuk, touching his knees with both hands

“What brought you here when’re a.s.signed to the ob/gyn department?”

Though his voice was icy, he smiled warmly.

“Well…”

He then took out a folded paper from his pocket.

“What is this?”

Handed the paper, Suhyuk opened it, where the test outcomes of his blood showed his health was normal.

‘When did I do the test?’

Suhyuk’s curiosity was satisfied when Park replied, “When you showed me how to collect blood last time, I took your blood collection to the pathology laboratory.”

Only then could Suhyuk recalled that he had his blood taken in the empty patient’s room.

“Thanks.”

Park scratched his head at his sincere appreciation.

When Park did so, he found a handful of hair was lost from his head.

“Ooops… my hair…”

Looking at the hair in his hand, Park smiled bitterly, saying,

“Well I was a.s.signed to a pregnant woman…”

It was a mistake that he had his hair caught by a pregnant woman, nearing her time.

“Looks like you’re working very hard. Aren’t you busy, by the way?”

Stroking his head, he suddenly came to his senses.

“Yes, sir. I’ll see you again then.”

Bowing his head, he ran to the elevator.

Looking at him, Suhyuk felt weird. More and more people are coming to see him.

Not only patients but also those who make his heart warm.

Park bowed his head again inside the elevator, and so did Suhyuk.

***

Children’s laughter as well as babies’ whining were heard in Suhyuk’s ears.

He was now at the pediatrics department building to see Arum.

Now he was going everywhere in order to see patients.

Moving with a steady stride, Suhyuk stopped for a moment

Arum was standing in the hallway, looking at her drawing on the wall with a smile.

And beside her was standing her mother who had acute appendicitis surgery.

“Hi, Arum’s mother.”

Turning her head to him, she was beaming.

The savior who saved her and her daughter.

Dressed in white gown, he was coming toward them.

“How are you doctor?” said she, bending her head.

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel so great thanks to you, sir. Thank you.”

Bending his knee, Suhyuk’s eyes met Arum’s.

Arum opened her mouth, “Doctor, no more surgery for my mom and me, please.”

Suhyuk pinkie-sweared, with a smile, “Sure, I’ll promise.”

“You’re serious, right?”

With a suspicious look, she pinkie-sweared at him, too.

Standing up now, he handed her mother a white envelope.

It contained donations from those who chipped in for her surgery.

“What’s this?”

“Is this for Arum?”

Getting the scent of it, she handed back the envelope.

“I can’t accept it. You know how much help I received. I really can’t accept this…”

Expecting she would do so, Suhyuk opened his mouth,

“Then, do I take it?”

Feeling sorry, she made a bright expression, saying, “Of course you should.”

“If I take this money, those who donated would not be happy, with a rumor going around that the doctor pocketed the money for Arum’s treatment. And they might report it, dubbing it as a fraud in the name of donation…”

Watching Arum quietly, Suhyuk offered the envelope again to her.

“Even if she’s discharged, she needs to be on constant watch for her condition.”

That meant she had to come to the hospital for treatment even after she was discharged.

Suhyuk said, “I guess she might need to buy a lot of sketchbooks, crayons, paints, etc.”

He continued, “Please take care of your daughter, so she can grow up to be a painter who can show great paintings later.”

“Thanks a lot,” said she, accepting the envelope. She shed tears before she knew it.

Looking at her drawing, Arum asked her mother, “Why are you crying, Mom?”

Wiping her tears immediately, she talked to her daughter,

“Arum, say, ‘Thank you’ to the doctor.”

Then Suhyuk’s cell phone buzzed.

‘What’s the matter?’

It was a call from his mother, who would not call him at this time usually, because she did not want to disturb her son.

“Hi, mom.”

“Son, your father was injured…”