Chapter 8 — The One Who Keeps The Venom Saves People

The cold storage of the Pharmacy Department of Vinh Khe Provincial General Hospital is located on the ground floor, far from the administrative area, with only a narrow corridor connecting directly to the emergency vehicle parking lot for convenient transportation. Hua Dieu Tram stood in front of the computer screen, scrolling through the detailed list of each batch of biological products still in stock, eyes glued to the "expiry date" column of each line of fresh frozen plasma.

The glass door opened, Vuong Nghi Khang walked in, his blouse was disheveled after many hours of continuous duty, and in his hand was a cup of strong tea that had long since cooled.

"Is Ms. Tram still here at this hour?" He asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

"I'm reviewing the warehouse, calculating a plan for the Son Trach team." Tram didn't look up and continued to browse the data table. "You just turned them down, right?"

Khang sighed, pulled up a chair and sat next to the table. "It's not a complete refusal. I asked them to make an official document, following the coordination process. You know, we can't give away a third of the stockpile just through a phone call in the middle of the night, no matter how convincing the caller is."

"I understand your reason." Tram nodded, not arguing right away. "But I just looked at the data again, and I think I have a different perspective on the issue, not whether to give or not to give, but what to give."

She turned the screen towards Khang, pointing to a line of data highlighted in yellow. "This batch of plasma, thirty-six units, has an expiry date of twenty days. According to our internal regulations, when there is less than thirty days of expiry date left, this batch will automatically be removed from the priority list for allocation to inpatient cases, only used when there is no newer batch left. Meaning that under normal conditions, there is a high possibility that it will lie dormant here until it expires, and then must be destroyed."

Khang picked up the cup of tea and took a sip, his eyes still glued to the screen. "Do you suggest using this batch to transfer to brother Son Trach?"

"That's right. It still meets quality standards, the clotting factor titer is still within the safe range according to the most recent testing results ten days ago. Using it for an outside emergency case does not violate our minimum reserve threshold of forty percent, because technically, it is already outside the priority source for in-hospital cases." Tram said, the firm voice of someone who had thought carefully before speaking. "I still keep the main reserve for the cases being treated here, untouched, and can still send twelve units as requested by the snake farm."

Khang put down his tea cup, sat up straight, his eyes began to change from defensive tiredness to real attention. "As for the process, if the Department inspects, can you explain? This is still a transfer outside the hospital, not a simple matter just because the expiration date is almost over."

"I have checked the circular guiding the inter-line coordination of blood and blood products." Tram opened another file on her computer, a document that had many paragraphs already marked by her. "The provision on emergency transfer in an epidemic or natural disaster situation allows provincial hospitals to support lower levels if there is a written request with confirmation of the patient's condition from the receiving medical facility, and if the support does not reduce the ability to respond to on-site emergency services below the safety threshold. With this batch that is about to expire, we completely meet the conditions, because the main reserve is still intact."

Khang was silent for a moment, re-reading the text Tram had just pointed to, his fingers lightly tapping on the table in a familiar rhythm of thought.

"When did you come up with this idea?" He asked, his voice softened.

"Since I heard you talking on the phone with the technician at the snake farm." Tram replied directly. "I don't blame you for refusing, you have a good reason. But I think sometimes it's not a matter of being willing to help or not, but whether we look closely enough at what we have. Those thirty-six units, if not used, will be gone in a few weeks. Meanwhile, there is a child who needs exactly that right now."

Khang nodded slowly, then stood up and straightened the hem of his blouse. "Okay. You prepare the transfer documents, I will sign and approve as soon as the request from Son Trach is sent. But I still need to maintain the correct procedures, please understand."

"I know." Tram smiled for the first time tonight. "Proper procedure is what keeps this system from collapsing because of sentiment. I just want to find a way to make that procedure serve the right people in need, instead of getting in their way."

Khang stood at the door for a moment, looking out at the dark hallway leading to the ambulance lot, where the yellow light reflected puddles of water on the cement floor. "I've been in this business for twenty-five years, Tram. There are nights when I have to say no to people, not because I don't want to help, but because I know if I nod emotionally once, I'll have to nod emotionally forever, and then the system will collapse before anyone can be saved. But tonight, you just showed me another way to say yes, while still maintaining the principles."

He turned back to look at Tram. "Thank you. Now call the Emergency Department, prepare an urgent transport vehicle. When the documents arrive, go immediately, don't wait another minute."

Tram nodded and dialed the phone number before Khang could finish his sentence. With her other hand, she continued to work on the keyboard to print out a detailed list of shipments preparing to be transferred. Outside, the rain continued to fall endlessly on the roof of the cold warehouse, and in her mind, the remaining twenty hours of the predicted flood season continued to count down.

*

At the same time, more than fifty kilometers away, the pickup truck of Khe Lanh Snake Farm rolled through the gate, the sensor light automatically turned on, illuminating the faded wooden sign. Du jumped out of the car before the engine was completely turned off, the cloth bag containing the snake clutched tightly to his chest, and ran straight into the venom extraction area where Doi Khac Thanh was already waiting, the operating table was cleared, and the lights were on.

"One, healthy, not injured during capture." Du reported as soon as he entered, his voice still breathless from having just run from the parking lot. "You need to extract the venom right away, but you have to let it stabilize first, at least fifteen minutes, otherwise the amount of venom collected will be low."

"I have prepared an isolation area for him to rest." Thanh pointed to the corner of the room, where a small mesh cage covered with dark fabric had been placed on a shelf, creating a simulated sense of security for the animal after a tumultuous trip. "In the meantime, change into dry clothes. You're so wet. If you catch a cold, there's even more to worry about."

Du glanced down at his rainsuit, which was still dripping water onto the floor, and realized the cold was starting to penetrate deep into his body now that the adrenaline had subsided. "Five minutes." She said, but still lingered and carefully placed the snake in an isolation cage before leaving.

Khiem stood at the table, his hands still shaking slightly, and began recording the entire trip's progress in the field diary - coordinates, time, environmental conditions, condition of the caught individual - following the exact process he had learned but had never applied in such harsh real-life conditions.

"You did great, tonight." Thanh told him, placing a hand on Khiem's shoulder. "Not everyone new to the profession can stay so calm in that situation."

"I don't think I'm calm, uncle." Khiem smiled wryly, his hands still not shaking completely. "I just try to do exactly what Ms. Du told me, don't think about anything else."

"That's calm." Thanh patted his shoulder. "It's not about not being afraid, it's about still doing the right thing even when you're afraid."

A few minutes later, Du returned, having changed into dry protective clothing, his hair was still wet but his face had regained its familiar look of concentration. She checked the wall clock again. Three twenty minutes in the morning. The snake had nearly twenty minutes of rest in the isolation cage, enough to begin the venom extraction process.

"Prepare the operating table." She said, pulling her thick gloves up to her elbows, the decisive movement of someone ready to go back to work even though her body was still exhausted. "This time I need to get as many as I can, because this might be the only one I have tonight."

Thanh stood back a step, giving Du space to work, but his eyes still did not leave her hands preparing the tools - snake hook, rubber membrane, sterilized venom collection bottle. He knew better than anyone that, in this moment, it was not his title as director or his long career that meant anything, but the skillful hands and cool head of the woman standing in front of him, the only person in the camp who could handle an emergency venom extraction with the speed and precision needed right now.