A long time later, Shen Fangyu, who was standing straight like a wax statue, only moved slowly. His head felt heavy but his feet were light, like stepping on cotton.
He took a deep breath, shook his head, and bent down to pick up all the inspection reports one by one. He arranged them on Jiang Xu's table, straightened the edges, and put them back, asking in a slow tone, "What do I need to do?"
Jiang Xu didn't turn around.
Shen Fangyu pressed his eyebrows and said to Jiang Xu, "You didn't come to me just to tell me that I was going to be a father."
He knows Jiang Xu's character very well, he has a strong personality and high self-esteem. After calming down, his first thought was that if he hadn't faced a difficult problem, there was no way he would have admitted it to him.
Jiang Xu closed his eyes, before saying, "Perform surgery on me and remove this fetus."
He didn't call it a child.
Jiang Xu added, "A doctor in country M recently performed a related operation, but the article has not been published. I have emailed him to ask if he is willing to share the details of the operation with us, and I would like you to do it for me."
They had been rivals for more than ten years, but when it came to the end, Shen Fangyu was the only person Jiang Xu trusted.
It was precisely because they were rivals that he knew Shen Fangyu's abilities best, and the fact that he believed he could do it himself was the same as believing Shen Fangyu could do it; the two of them were never equal.
But no doctor would carelessly pat himself on the back and say that there was no problem when faced with such a situation.
And sure enough, Shen Fangyu hesitated.
Jiang Xu's eyes were fixed on the computer screen, his index finger hovering over the mouse, the curve of his jaw firm, "You can also refuse, I understand."
"You know the danger, Jiang Xu."
"I know."
Only the sound of the two men's breathing remained in the silent office, and Shen Fangyu just looked at him.
Jiang Xu waited so long that his face stiffened slightly. His heart felt like it had been dipped into water, sinking little by little. He secretly took a deep breath and just as he returned to paying attention to the unfinished literature in an attempt to stabilize his emotions, Shen Fangyu suddenly spoke.
"I can do it."
"There's no rush to say yes," Jiang Xu said, "you can go back and think about it."
"I'm your first choice, right?" Shen Fangyu asked.
Jiang Xu didn't say anything, it was a tacit confession.
"Then I don't need to think about it anymore," Shen Fangyu repeated, "I can do it."
Jiang Xu looked at him.
"But I need complete records of the operation," said Shen Fangyu, "I have to be responsible."
He pulled a chair beside Jiang Xu and sat down, "When do you think he will reply? We need to prepare as early as possible, the longer we delay, the higher the risk of the operation."
Jiang Xu glanced at his cell phone, there was still no reply, and he shook his head gently, "It's not easy to guess."
"Are you sure he's willing to give it?" Shen Fangyu asked, "After all, he hasn't even published the article."
"Science knows no boundaries," Jiang Xu himself was never selfish. Moreover, he was confident in his abilities and speed, so he never had a problem sharing his unpublished articles during sharing and Q&A sessions, "After all, a doctor's belief is to heal and save people."
Shen Fangyu didn't say anything. In fact, he was not as optimistic as Jiang Xu, but he didn't want to add heat to the atmosphere, so he chose to remain silent.
It seemed that after talking about this matter, they no longer needed to talk to each other, and Jiang Xu didn't talk to Shen Fangyu anymore.
His eyes didn't leave the computer screen the entire time, it was clear he was in working condition.
Shen Fangyu scanned Jiang Xu's screen and found that he was reading a paper on targeted cervical cancer drugs written in English.
He suddenly admired Jiang Xu's psychological quality; he—Jiang Xu—could still give his full attention to the content on the computer even now.
But his—Shen Fangyu's—mind was a mess.
His mind was still in chaos, and although he was much calmer than before, it felt more like he was shocked to the point of insanity.
When Shen Fangyu withdrew his gaze from Jiang Xu's paper, he suddenly glanced at Jiang Xu's hand and saw that the coffee he drank all year round had been replaced with water.
Jiang Xu, who used to drink coffee as water, didn't drink coffee anymore.
That's because he is pregnant.
For some reason, Shen Fangyu lowered his head and stared at Jiang Xu's stomach.
Behind his white robe, Shen Fangyu couldn't see anything, but when he realized that inside there was a child, and that child was his and Jiang Xu's child, Shen Fangyu suddenly didn't know how to face Jiang Xu.
The documents on the screen were accurately marked and highlighted, and Jiang Xu had turned to the next page. It was clear that he was actually reading and not acting.
Shen Fangyu suddenly reached out and touched Jiang Xu.
"Shut up." Jiang Xu didn't want to hear Shen Fangyu's ridicule or ridicule him at this time.
However, Shen Fangyu was silent for a moment, and for the first time, he bowed his head briefly in front of him "Sorry, I will take responsibility."
Jiang Xu's index finger on the mouse suddenly curled and after a long time, he said expressionlessly, "No need, it was just an accident, I didn't take it seriously, and I don't need your accountability. Doctor Shen, just mind your own business."
"Jiang Xu..."
Jiang Xu continued, "After this matter is resolved, we will remain the same as before. I just hope that you will not appear in front of me often."
It felt like a basin of cold water was poured on his head, and the small flame of warmth that had just ignited in Shen Fangyu's heart was extinguished in an instant.
Jiang Xu always had a knack for making him angry.
Shen Fangyu stared at the side of his face silently, then he tugged at the corners of his mouth, "Okay, as you wish," he snapped his fingers and stood up, "but thank you, Doctor Jiang, for your trust and your recognition of my medical skills."
Both of them are always equal when it comes to piercing each other's hearts.
However, before Jiang Xu could say anything else, a young doctor from the office next door suddenly opened the door in a panic, and the two men who were facing each other in the deadlock averted their gaze silently and awkwardly.
Luckily, the doctor who barged in didn't notice the strange atmosphere in the office, and when she saw the two of them, it felt like she was holding on to a lifeline. Her mouth immediately flew open and a rapid burst of words spilled out.
"Doctor Shen, a pregnant woman fell down the stairs and has been sent to the operating room. As of now, only Doctor Wu is on the second line. An hour ago, the emergency department sent a pregnant woman who was involved in a car accident and Xiao Yang went to save her. I just contacted the third line and they are still on the way. So, Doctor Wu asked me to come to the office to see if there is anyone else who can help."
Halfway through her words, Jiang Xu and Shen Fangyu had already followed her to the emergency ward of the obstetrics and gynecology department, and they immediately saw the woman in the hospital bed.
Jiang Xu lowered his head and began to check the patient's condition, while the emergency nurse reported the ECG monitoring indicators.
Liu Ran, the emergency doctor who was also treating her, followed up with a report, "The patient has multiple soft tissue bruises on her arms and knees, as well as fluid build-up on her knees, the wounds have been disinfected, an intravenous access has been placed, and there are no visible fractures at this time."
"Patient Zhang Yun, thirty-two weeks of gestation, fetal heart rate monitoring is normal and no contractions have occurred." The managing doctor, whose name was Chen Qi, finished checking the fetal heart rate monitor and said to Jiang Xu, "It should be a false alarm."
Liu Ran breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. The patient's family said that she fell down the stairs, and when I saw she was unconscious, I rushed to the obstetrics and gynecology emergency department after treating the wound, for fear that she would go into premature labor."
He looked young and perhaps this was his first time serving alone.
"Since there's nothing serious, I'll leave first." He said to Jiang Xu, "Notify me when the patient wakes up."
"Wait," Jiang Xu's eyes glanced at the patient's bruised arms and knees. Zhang Yun's forehead was covered with cold sweat and Jiang Xu reached out to touch it. He found that her arms were also a little wet, so he moved closer to Zhang Yun to smell her. A very faint smell of garlic wafts through the mask.
He raised his hand and said, "Flashlight."
"It has been checked, the pupils of both eyes are the same size and the circle diameter is the same, 3.5 mm, the light reflection is normal," said Liu Ran incoherently.
Jiang Xu's gaze fell on the ECG monitor, "I won't say any more."
Liu Ran lowered his eyes somewhat irritably and handed him the flashlight.
Jiang Xu opened Zhang Yun's eyelids and shone a bright and strong light into the patient's pupils, "Have you checked the cholinesterase in the blood test results?"
"Cholinesterase?" Liu Ran looked at Jiang Xu and said in surprise, "The patient's family said the patient fell from the stairs and the emergency department treated it as trauma, why did they check cholinesterase?"
"Draw blood and check the serum cholinesterase level and organic phosphorus concentration," Jiang Xu finished explaining to the nurse on the side and turned to Liu Ran, "Prepare gastric lavage."
Liu Ran's eyes clearly showed a sour look as he stopped and glanced at Jiang Xu's badge.
"Doctor Jiang," he replied, "the patient shows no obvious muscarinic-like symptoms and has no history of pesticide consumption."
Jiang Xu said to him while grabbing his stethoscope, "I am your superior doctor here, I will be responsible for all my orders and the only thing you have to do is carry them out."
After saying that, he looked at Liu Ran coldly and then pressed the head of the stethoscope against the patient's skin.
Liu Ran wore a sullen expression when he saw Jiang Xu who seemed indifferent to his presence and completely ignored his words. He became angry and said, "I will file a complaint against you!"
"Do it," Jiang Xu said without stopping his hand, "but now you have to listen to me." He stood up and looked at Liu Ran, his gaze sharp with a sense of oppression.
Liu Ran's heart suddenly pounded, and he couldn't say a word as they suddenly got stuck in his throat. He snorted angrily and started inserting a gastric tube to wash the stomach with water.
Shen Fangyu remained silent at the side. When he saw Liu Ran had calmed down, he asked Jiang Xu, "Do you want to inject atropine and pralidoxime[1] first?"
Both are commonly used as antidotes for organophosphorus pesticides.
Jiang Xu was silent for a moment, then nodded and ordered the nurse to prepare to administer medicine.
"You guys--" Liu Ran still wanted to retort, but he was immediately restrained by Shen Fangyu's gaze. Strangely, even though Shen Fangyu seemed friendly, that look made Liu Ran feel a little scared inexplicably.
The blood test sheet has not yet come out, and a clear liquid has been injected into the patient's vein.
Jiang Xu subconsciously glanced at Shen Fangyu, but suddenly met his gaze. Their gazes met and they looked away almost simultaneously.
Jiang Xu looked back at the patient, and a thought crossed his mind for a moment.
It felt like it had been a long time since he and Shen Fangyu had last saved a patient together.
Translator's notes:
[1] The text I was translating from had "clofibrate" instead of "pralidoxime", but that's a drug for high cholesterol not used for organophosphorus poisoning. So I changed it to another appropriate drug just to be accurate (look at me doing my research hehe)