Free Web NovelChapter 76: Chapter 76: Ah Ming, Your Dad Is No More
Inside the ambulance were Xiao Xixi, Wu Ting, and the others.
Seeing the car blocking the road ahead, Old Zhou honked the horn several times, but there was no response.
Xiao Xixi glanced at the time. If they didn’t treat the patient soon, he might not make it. Aortic dissection is one of the four most common fatal diseases seen in the emergency room.
It’s characterized by a sudden onset, rapid progression, a critical condition, and a high mortality rate!
Moreover, the patient lived on the fourth floor of an old residential complex with no elevator. This type of patient needed to be kept in a comfortable position with limited movement. Carrying him down on a stretcher had to be done with extreme care, which was very time-consuming.
’This bastard...’
Old Zhou honked again, but the driver in front of them continued to play dumb.
The phone rang again. Old Zhou immediately answered it. On the other end, the patient’s wife was already sobbing.
"Doctor, when will you get here? How much longer? My husband is fading! He’s not responding when I call his name!"
Old Zhou felt helpless.
"Right away. We’re already at the entrance to the complex. We’re blocked by a Mazda, and the driver won’t move..."
When the patient’s wife heard this, she grew frantic.
"That son of a bitch... Doctor, please hurry! Hurry!"
The patient’s wife was dying of anxiety.
Xiao Xixi leaned out and shouted, but when there was still no reaction, the decisive head nurse jumped straight out of the ambulance.
In a few long strides, she rushed to the car window, leaned in, and started knocking.
"Young man, have you no decency? We’re trying to save a life here! Move it, now!"
"Move... your... car!"
Xiao Xixi was practically hysterical!
Inside the car, Jia Ming had planned to ignore them and continue pushing the high ground in his game, but Xiao Xixi’s reaction startled him.
Jia Ming finally put his seat upright, rolled down the window, and spoke with a sharp tongue:
"What are you yelling for? I was wearing headphones, couldn’t you see? I didn’t hear you."
"I’m moving, I’m moving, I’m moving! I’ll move right now!"
"It’s not like I did it on purpose. It was only a minute or two. What could that possibly delay!"
Jia Ming grumbled under his breath as he reluctantly started to move the car.
"Hurry up!"
Xiao Xixi’s expression was grim. She had no time to waste on him, knowing it was useless to reason with someone like that.
"If you don’t move this car right now, I’m calling the police. Obstructing an ambulance on an emergency call is grounds for detention!"
"Alright, I’m going, I’m going. You can see for yourself, this complex only has one road."
Jia Ming was all bluster. Faced with such a fierce Xiao Xixi, he could only back down. However, as he drove off, he played a little trick, deliberately driving slowly.
"Bastard."
Xiao Xixi didn’t even get back in the ambulance. She ran right up behind Jia Ming’s car, shouting:
"Faster, faster, faster!"
At the same time, she waved for the ambulance to follow.
Old Zhou laid on the horn and followed closely behind.
Wu Ting, still in the ambulance, was experiencing a situation like this for the first time. ’Some people truly have no sense of public decency, no class at all.’
But right now, nobody had time to argue with him.
Under Xiao Xixi’s stern gaze, Jia Ming finally drove away, albeit reluctantly.
With Xiao Xixi leading the way, the ambulance finally arrived at the patient’s building.
"Old Zhou, Old Wang, get upstairs with the stretcher. The patient is in critical condition and will need help being carried down."
"It’s an old building with difficult stairs, so everyone be careful. Pay close attention to the patient’s position to prevent any secondary injuries."
"Wu Ting, get the ECG, blood pressure, and pulse oximeter ready. As soon as the patient is on board, administer oxygen immediately..."
Xiao Xixi truly showed her professional demeanor. As a head nurse with decades of experience, she was steady and calm.
"Understood, Sister Xiao. And I’ll set up two IV lines for the patient—one for a continuous drip of antihypertensive drugs, and one on standby for any special medications..."
Wu Ting finished the instructions before Xiao Xixi could, both to show Sister Xiao her confidence and to save time, her hands already starting the preparations.
"Good, good."
Xiao Xixi recognized Wu Ting’s competence. She was truly reliable. In an emergency where every second counts, any team leader would love having a member like her.
After the three went upstairs, it was quite a while before they managed to carry the patient down.
Wu Ting felt her own adrenaline spike at the sight. The moment the patient was in the ambulance, she immediately started giving orders.
"There’s room for one more. Family member, please get in."
Xiao Xixi gestured for the patient’s wife to get on board.
The patient’s wife, voice choked with sobs, seemed completely dazed.
"Can we wait for my son? I... I don’t understand all this."
The older woman was flustered, afraid her confusion would cause more delays.
"There’s no time! Get in now. You can call him from the ambulance. Tell your son to go directly to the City First Hospital ER!"
Xiao Xixi pulled the older woman into the vehicle.
"Go, now!"
Because an aortic dissection is so dangerous, they needed a driver like Old Zhou, who was familiar with the roads and highly skilled behind the wheel.
"Old Zhou, keep the speed steady. Avoid sudden braking or acceleration. Minimize bumps during transport..."
Xiao Xixi didn’t dare be careless, adding another instruction for Old Zhou. At the same time, she comforted the family member, gently rubbing her back.
"Ma’am, don’t panic. I’ve already explained the situation to you, and you’ve signed the consent form. Now, leave everything to us. Please, call your son right away."
"Okay, okay."
The woman’s mind was blank; she would do whatever Xiao Xixi said.
Watching this medical team, and seeing the professionalism and calm Xiao Xixi displayed, she felt a little more at ease.
Wu Ting had already begun monitoring the patient’s vital signs while administering analgesics to control his blood pressure and heart rate.
"Sister Xiao, the patient’s condition isn’t good. His blood pressure is too high."
Xiao Xixi knew that all too well.
"We lost too much time. That bastard on the road just now wasted the golden hour for emergency treatment."
Xiao Xixi worked in coordination with Wu Ting.
"...Nitroglycerin, urapidil... Control his blood pressure. We need to reduce the pressure on the aortic wall as much as possible to prevent the dissection from spreading..."
"His blood pressure is unstable. For now, we’ll need to add manual monitoring. Wu Ting, can you handle that?"
"No problem, Sister Xiao."
Without a moment’s hesitation, Wu Ting began taking measurements. In addition to managing the intervals between automated readings, she manually measured the pressure in the patient’s left and right arms and legs, keeping a detailed record.
"This is bad. The patient’s heart rate, pulse oximetry, and blood pressure readings are getting interference..."
Sweat beaded on Wu Ting’s forehead. An ambulance wasn’t a hospital, after all; the conditions were limited.
"Old Zhou, control your speed..."
Xiao Xixi shouted toward the front of the vehicle.
"Okay, okay."
It was difficult for Old Zhou, too. He had to control his speed while also racing against time. The faster he went, the bumpier the ride became. But he was already doing his best.
Just then, the patient’s wife finally got through on the phone.
On the other end, her son sounded impatient. He had just been berated by Xiao Xixi, had to take a detour to park, and was now walking home.
His tone wasn’t pleasant.
"Mom, what is it? Why are you calling so many times? I’m off work, I’m heading up now. Dad, is dinner ready?"
Jia Ming had no idea how serious the situation was.
Jia Ming’s mother, Wei Xinghua, was already frantic. Blamed by her son in the midst of her panic, she was momentarily speechless.
Seeing that Wei Xinghua couldn’t get the words out, Xiao Xixi took the phone from her.
"Hello, this is the head nurse from the City First Hospital Emergency Department. Your father has suffered a sudden aortic dissection. His condition is extremely critical. We are on our way to City First Hospital with your mother now. You need to drive over immediately."
"Go straight to the City First Hospital ER. Come to the resuscitation room as soon as you arrive."
"You need to be mentally prepared; your father’s prognosis is not optimistic. A moment ago, we were blocked by an inconsiderate driver, which delayed the optimal rescue time and made matters worse."
"The mortality rate for acute aortic dissection is very high. We will be performing resuscitation measures during transport, but no one can make any guarantees."
"The life-saving capabilities in an ambulance are limited, so there is a risk of death. Your mother has already signed the relevant consent form."
"Also, you should be aware that the treatment for an aortic dissection can be very expensive. Your mother has signed the consent form for this as well."
After explaining, Xiao Xixi handed the phone back to Wei Xinghua and returned to treating the patient.
With such a high mortality rate, Xiao Xixi’s experience taught her to manage the family’s expectations properly. Having them sign the informed consent forms was also a way to prevent potential doctor-patient disputes in the event of the patient’s death.
Jia Ming, who was almost back at his building, heard the familiar voice and froze. ’Isn’t that the shrew-like, hysterical nurse?’
’She was shouting and screaming, disregarding her image... and it was all to save my dad’s life!’
Jia Ming was overwhelmed with regret. Hearing that his father had missed the best window for treatment because of him, his legs went weak.
"It’s my dad... it was my dad!" frёewebnoѵēl.com
’The person I just blocked wasn’t some stranger—it was the City First Hospital ambulance coming to save my dad. The nurse I was cursing at was the one trying to save my dad’s life.’
"I... I..."
On the other end of the line, Wei Xinghua’s voice came through:
"Ah Ming, you have to hurry! Hurry! Your dad and I are going to the hospital first."
Wei Xinghua hung up.
Jia Ming stood there, utterly devastated, then immediately turned and ran back to his car.
"It’s okay, it’s okay."
Jia Ming could only try to console himself, drowning in regret.
In the ambulance, Wu Ting and Xiao Xixi did everything they possibly could.
But before they could reach the hospital, Jia Qingshan’s blood pressure could no longer be controlled. After a seizure, resuscitation efforts failed, and he died.
...
Before Jia Ming could even make it to the City First Hospital ER, he received a call from his mother.
"Ah Ming... your dad is gone."
