Female Novel
Chapter 528
“It was that day I performed twelve operations in the span of twenty-one hours. That… was notsomething to be proud of. That day, all I felt was how fragile human lives were, and it shook me to mycore. I still feel the same today.”
Some young soldiers who retired from the battlefield after the age of war might look fine from theoutside, but they had to receive years of therapy to heal. Some even broke down and took their ownlives because of the weight of the sin they had to carry. Those who had never gone through war couldnever imagine how bloody and cruel it was.
“Professor Allen, what was the most shocking thing you experienced?”
Allen might have agreed to answer that question, but he still shivered when the host asked him that. “Ithappened after my first operation. The corridor was packed with people. I didn’t even have time to takeoff my surgical clothes, and my assistant had taken me to another operating theater. The moment Iwent in, I heard a screech coming from the bed. Someone was crying,” Allen spoke quietly and slowly.Not even a sound was heard in the hall. Courtney was sitting on the chair a crew member gave her,and it was so quiet, she could hear her own heartbeat.
“There was a mother and a daughter on the bed. They were shopping for clothes in a nearby mall whenthe explosion happened. She instinctively protected her daughter at the moment of impact, so thewoman was severely burned, and shards of glasses punctured her body. Her organs might have beendestroyed as well. They were stuck together when the rescue team took them back. The previoussurgeon had just finished separating them, but the surgeon fainted before she could complete theoperation, so I was summoned instead. The mother was alive, but she was severely injured andneeded to be operated on at once. Her child’s condition was stable, but she was weak. The child couldnot hold on any longer, and there was bleeding in her chest. It would be disastrous for her if we did notmake an incision to check.” Allen spaced out, immersing himself in his past. He had stopped talking,but the audience started murmuring.
Linda clenched her fists, her attention on the humble man on the stage.
The host held his mic and asked, “What happened next?”
Allen looked away, as if snapping out from his reverie. He looked at the audience and talked a littlefaster. “All the other doctors were operating on other patients, and I was the only surgeon left, but I hadtwo patients desperately waiting for me. Interns, here’s my question. Who would you save if you werein my situation?”
He turned his attention to the remaining interns on the stage. The question came too suddenly, andeveryone looked at one another in confusion.
Only Courtney remained silent. She did not even look around.
Oliver noticed the solemn look in Linda’s eyes, so he leaned back and asked, “Who would you save?”novelbin
“The child, I think.”
Oliver only heard the answer a long while later, but he said nothing. He turned his gaze back to thestage.
“Can I say something?” A moment of commotion later, a doctor raised his hand. He adjusted hisglasses, a look of confidence shining in his eyes.
Allen extended his hand toward the man, telling him to continue.
“If it were me, I would choose the best assistants available and set up two operating theaters toperform on them at the same time.”
The crowd broke into a discussion, and even Linda was shocked. The interns around him looked at theman, trying to figure out why he answered that so confidently.
Allen clasped his hands tighter together, but aside from that, he showed no other change. He seemedinterested, and he said, “Continue.”
“Professor, you did say if I were in your position. If I had your abilities, I would try to save both of themat the same time, though all preparations must be done to prevent any more accidents fromhappening.” He paused and smiled. “Well, but I am just an intern who just graduated from medicalschool. I do not have your abilities as of now, but I love life. I love being a doctor. You’re my role model,and I aspire to be a respectable doctor like you.”
It was a perfect speech, and the contestants around him looked a little annoyed. Some of the short-tempered ones even muttered, “Wow, what a brown-noser.” Even so, Allen started to smile.
“It’s good to have ambition. I like young people who have that.” He clapped, and the audience followedsuit. Oliver looked on with interest. When they were done applauding, Allen looked at Courtney, whohad been looking a bit too calm. “Contestant number seven, you might be clapping your hands, but Ican see you have a different opinion. I’d like to hear your choice.”
“Who, me?” Courtney was a little surprised. She paused for a moment before standing up from herseat. She did have her own opinion, but she did not want to say it out loud.
“Yes. I would like to hear your opinion.”
Allen insisted. Courtney hesitated for a moment, then she nodded. “Alright. I would save the child if Iwere in your place,” she said coolly, putting her emotions aside. “Of course, I admire contestantnumber three’s courage, but I would save the child first if I were in your place. Firstly, I’m a mother aswell. The mother protected her child right away, and if she could make the choice, she would want herchild to be saved as well. Secondly, the child had no outward injuries, but she had internal bleeding inher chest. It would take a shorter amount of time to save her compared to the mother. If the chestbleeding wasn’t treated in time, the intra-abdominal pressure would become too high, and she might
die because we missed the best time to rescue her. As for the mother, her organs were very likelydamaged, but nobody could be sure until they checked. If the damage was too severe, it would be toohard to save her, and I would have no idea how long it would take. If I were to save the mother first, Imight lose both of them.”
Courtney’s answer rang out in the hall, and Allen’s face fell. He stared at her seriously, waiting for herto continue.
Courtney concluded, “After weighing the risks, I would save the child first. Operating on them at thesame time would be too risky. Nobody can be sure about the patients’ conditions until we open them upand confirm their injuries. If I couldn’t handle it alone…”
Allen raised his hand, telling her to stop. She stopped talking and looked calmly into Allen’s eyes.