Chapter 5 — Emergency Night Watchman

His lips moved slightly, wanting to say something, but in the end he only said one sentence: "The patient has no alternative."
“Then you should call me!”
“Master Trieu.” I looked at him, "You didn't put a resident doctor on duty with me, nor did you put a resident doctor on duty with me. Last night there was only one doctor in the entire Emergency Department, me. That kid only had eleven minutes."
Trieu Due Minh's face turned red. He knew the gap in the duty schedule was his problem, but he absolutely couldn't admit it in front of the entire faculty.
“I—”
“Doctor treating Trieu.”
A voice rang out from the door. Everyone's eyes turned simultaneously. The door is open, there is a person standing outside the door. Over fifty years old, gray hair, tall and thin figure, the name tag on the left chest of the blouse reads four words—Emergency Department, head. Phuong Chinh Thanh. The sky of the Emergency Department. Normality does not often appear in the department, most of the time is spent on administration and academics. But from top to bottom, there was no one in the department who was not afraid of him. He held a piece of paper in his hand and slowly walked in.
"Trieu Due Minh, can you explain to me this shift schedule—the doctor is on duty alone on the night shift, there is no resident doctor on duty, there are no two backups online. If something happens, who do you think the Medical Affairs Department will investigate?"
Trieu Due Minh's face immediately turned from red to white.
“Director Phuong, I… I had an emergency that day—”
"Something unexpected happened, forcing a first-year returning doctor to stay on the night shift alone. Do you think that's the reason?" Phuong Chinh Thanh slapped the shift sheet on the table, "There's also the matter of the previous surgery. The patient's family wrote a thank you letter to the hospital office, personally thanking 'Doctor Tham Yen'. I've seen the letter, do you want to see it?"
Trieu Due Minh's lips moved, unable to say a word. Phuong Chinh Thanh didn't look at him anymore, his eyes turned to me. Probing, sharp, like a CT machine scanning a person from the inside out.
“Shen Yen.”
"Have."
“Is the emergency report written last night?”
“Written.”
“Is the operation recorded?”
“No. The camera in the emergency room should be able to record it.”
“I will have someone extract it.” He nodded, "Let me handle this. Go back and rest."
When he turned to leave, he stopped for a moment. Like Chu Yen Binh that day, his back was turned towards me.
"The positioning and operations are very precise. Have you practiced before?"
“Ever worked on a human simulator more than twenty times.”
"YES."
Gone. The office was silent for about five seconds, then Trieu Due Minh closed the door to his room with a "bang". When I packed my things to leave the department, Ms. Luu stopped me in the hallway. She stuffed a carton of milk into my hand and lowered her voice: "It's not a coincidence that homeroom director Phuong is here today. It was Chu Yen Binh who called."
“Director Chu?”
"Yes. The patient who was dissected the other day recovered very well after surgery. Director Chu mentioned my name during the hospital-wide case discussion. Director Phuong checked a bit and found out that I was his follow-up doctor. He looked at the case schedule... Then I saw it."
I was stunned. Chu Yen Binh. The person we only met once at the door of the operating room that day. He remembered my name. Not only did he remember—he also told me. The milk carton was slightly deformed when I held it.
"I know. Thank you, Ms. Luu."
On the way back to the dormitory, the October wind whipped my face, cold. I walked and drank milk, In my mind, I continuously replayed Phuong Chinh Thanh's eyes looking at me. Not to enjoy. Also not in agreement. Is the assessment. It was like pondering whether a block of rough jade could be sculpted. Three days later. On the department's notice board, stick a piece of paper.
“Adjusting the rotation arrangement of doctors returning to the Emergency Department—Shen Yen, from today moving to the Intensive Care and Emergency Department, instructing doctor: Phuong Chinh Thanh.”
I stood in front of that piece of paper for thirty seconds. Resident doctor Tuong Tri passed by and saw it, his steps stopped.
"Tham Yen? You've been transferred to the EICU? Director Phuong personally guided you?"
I don't answer. Tuong Tri's expression was very complicated, it was not clear whether he was envious or worried. He hesitated for a moment, then said: "Director Phuong, this person... is very serious. Extremely serious. In the past, among the recovery doctors he had instructed, there was no one who didn't run out crying."
"YES."
“You—be careful.”
I took a photo of that notice. Save to phone. There is an indescribable feeling in my heart. Not fun. It's a feeling of peace because of being seen. Like someone drowning for a long time, finally a hand lifted my head out of the water. I can breathe now. 【Chapter 4】 The EICU and the regular Emergency Department are completely two worlds. The Emergency Department is normally a vegetable market—noisy, chaotic, permanently occupied by people running. The EICU is an operating table next to a cemetery—quiet, stuffy, every “whistle” of the machine like a heartbeat counting down. The patients lying here were each pulled back from Devil's Gate. Phuong Chinh Thanh's instruction is very direct.