In a top-tier private hospitals maternity ward—
Gu Xiaoxiao lay weakly in her hospital bed, her eyes red and puffy. She clutched the blanket tightly, her fingers turning white from the pressure. The once-pregnant belly that had carried her child for five months was now flat.
The smell of antiseptic stung her senses, and she could hear the commotion coming from the room next door. The whispers of the staff and the anxious voices of visitors filled the air.
"Whats going on?"
The noise from the room was too loud to ignore, and the tension in the air was palpable.
Earlier that day, a patient in Room 3 had been involved in a serious car accident. He had a pre-existing stomach condition, and for some unknown reason, he had suffered a severe gastrointestinal hemorrhage, causing him to lose consciousness. Given the severity of his condition, the doctors from the surgical department had convened with internal medicine specialists for an emergency consultation.
However, before the consultation could begin, the head nurse, Xu Caixia, discovered that the patient had multiple needle marks on his arm, and one of the needles had clearly punctured a major artery, causing significant blood loss.
In a panic, Xu Caixia instinctively thought that the nurse responsible for this must be Gu Xiaoxiao, leading to her outburst in the room.
"But how can you be sure it was Gu Xiaoxiao who made that mistake?"
The late-arriving nurse, named Jessica, who had just joined the department, voiced her confusion.
"Shh!"
Before she could finish, her colleagues hurriedly covered her mouth. "The head nurse saw it; how could it be fake?" Their tone was so certain that Jessica felt her rebuttal die on her lips.
The reprimanding continued in the room, growing sharper than it had been just a few minutes ago.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the corridor, Qi Jing had just come out of the operating room when he received a notification to attend a consultation for the general surgery department. He hadn’t even taken off his surgical gown before rushing over. Despite his composed demeanor, he felt a wave of dizziness as he climbed the last step.
The noise from the patient’s room caught his attention, and he frowned.
The reprimanding continued, undeterred by the arrival of the consulting doctors. As he pushed the door open, he caught sight of an elderly woman by the bedside, clearly upset, grabbing a nearby tray and throwing it at Gu Xiaoxiao.
The tray contained remnants of medical supplies, and as it struck Gu Xiaoxiao, the room fell silent, shocked by the sudden outburst.
Qi Jings eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, pushing aside the debris from Gu Xiaoxiaos head. He glanced at the furious elderly woman, who seemed to shrink under his gaze.
"What’s going on with the patient?"
He directed the question at Xu Caixia, but she seemed momentarily stunned by the earlier chaos, coughing as she struggled to regain her composure.
The surrounding crowd fell silent, unsure of how to respond.
"I noticed something was wrong at 8:44 AM. The patient had already lost consciousness by then. The amount of blood loss from the needle marks looked significant, but it shouldnt have caused the patient to faint. The doctors suspect internal bleeding and need to act quickly," Gu Xiaoxiao spoke up, her voice steady despite the tension.
As she spoke, Qi Jings expression darkened. By the time she finished, he was already directing his team to prepare for an emergency procedure.
Just before entering the operating room, he grabbed Gu Xiaoxiaos arm. "You, come with me to the surgical room." He paused, glancing at the elderly woman who had just thrown the tray. Her anger had faded, replaced by concern for her son, but Qi Jings focus remained on Gu Xiaoxiao.
He noticed she was wearing long sleeves despite it being summer. Though the air conditioning kept the room cool, he could see the faint scars peeking from the cuffs, evidence of recent injuries.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softer now.
Gu Xiaoxiao looked up, surprised by his sudden concern. "I’m fine. Just a little tired."
"Let’s get to work," he said, his tone shifting back to business.
As they entered the operating room, Gu Xiaoxiao felt a mix of anxiety and determination. This was her chance to prove herself and reclaim her life. She was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.