Proof and a sudden turn
The Monkey staggered out of Doctor Qin's office.
The door closed gently behind me, isolating the space that had suddenly become oppressive and filled with invisible pressure. The smell of disinfectant in the corridor was still strong, but now, when inhaled, it seemed much fresher than the almost stagnant air in the office.
He leaned against the cold wall, his heart still pounding uncontrollably. Doctor Qin's face suddenly turned cold, his tone so serious it was almost threatening, and the subtle, scrutinizing, and silently oppressive gazes of the other doctors in the office... all of it was like a tangled ball of yarn, stuck in his mind.
The wavering he had felt because of Doctor Qin's words "life-threatening" strangely dissipated considerably after he left the office.
Instead, he felt a stronger, almost instinctive unease. Doctor Qin's reaction was too intense, exceeding the professional bounds expected of a doctor when faced with Patient's reasonable request for a transfer. The sudden change in the atmosphere of the entire office also made him extremely uncomfortable; an inexplicable sense of unease lingered in his mind.
He shook his head, trying to temporarily clear his mind of these chaotic thoughts. Now was not the time to delve into them; the most urgent matter was to obtain the transfer certificate.
He took a deep breath, took out his phone, found his father's number, and dialed it.
The call was quickly answered, and the father's tired voice, etched with the marks of years of hard work, came through. "Xiao Jun? What's wrong? Xiaoya, is something the matter?"
"Dad, is Mom over there? I have great news!" Monkey tried to make his voice sound cheerful, dispelling his earlier unhappiness. "My friend Lin Feng, the Madman, he managed to get in touch with a really top-notch lymphoma specialist in the province! He's agreed to treat Xiaoya, and the hospital there is so much better than here!"
He spoke quickly, his voice brimming with barely suppressed anticipation. "The specialists have been contacted, and now we need to expedite Xiaoya's transfer to another hospital. We need a guardian's signature; could you and Mom come to the hospital right away?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, as if the sudden good news had caught the parents off guard. Then, the mother's urgent, tearful voice came through the receiver, followed by the father's calmer but equally excited response:
"Really?! Experts from the province? That's wonderful! Thank God! Xiao Feng, that kid... he's really... We're coming right away! Right away!"
The Monkey was independent and sensible from a young age, and his parents trusted him completely. Moreover, since the news concerned their daughter's life or death, they had no doubts whatsoever, only the ecstatic joy of being saved from a desperate situation.
After hanging up the phone, Monkey felt much more at ease. He returned to his sister's hospital room, looked at Xiaoya's still-sleeping, pale face, and silently prayed.
Not long after, the Monkey's parents arrived at the hospital. Both looked like ordinary workers, their faces etched with the hardships of life and recent worries, but at this moment, hope rekindled in their eyes.
The Monkey briefly explained the situation to his parents, deliberately omitting Doctor Qin's unpleasant reaction, only saying that the specialists had been contacted and he needed to be transferred to another hospital.
"Let's go find Doctor Qin." The father patted Monkey on the shoulder, his tone firm.
The family arrived at Doctor Qin's office door again. The Monkey knocked on the door.
"Please come in."
Upon entering, the atmosphere in the office seemed to have returned to normal. When Doctor Qin saw Monkey and his parents, his familiar, warm smile immediately returned to his face, as if the cold confrontation from before had never happened.
"Mr. Hou, Mrs. Hou, you've arrived! Please have a seat." He warmly rose to greet them, even pouring water for Monkey's parents. "Xiaoya's condition has been relatively stable lately, so please don't worry too much."
The Monkey's parents thanked them repeatedly, their faces beaming with gratitude and humble smiles. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the father rubbed his hands together and spoke somewhat reservedly:
"Doctor Qin, thank you so much for taking care of Xiaoya all this time. We've come here... to... to arrange a transfer for our child." He cautiously observed Doctor Qin's expression. "My child's brother found a friend who connected her with a specialist in the province, and we were thinking of going there for another checkup..."
Upon hearing the words "transfer to another hospital," Doctor Qin's smile remained unchanged, still gentle and approachable. He softly said "Oh," but his gaze shifted to the Monkey standing behind his parents, and he said with a smile:
"I see. I'd like to discuss the specifics and precautions regarding the transfer with Mr. Hou. and Mrs. Mrs. Hou privately. Xiao Hou," he looked at the Monkey, his tone casual, "Could you please wait in the corridor for a moment? We adults have some things to discuss."
These words were like a tiny thorn, gently pricking the Monkey and causing him a vague, uneasy feeling. What couldn't be said to his face? He was also part of this family, Xiaoya's older brother! But looking at his parents' pleading and understanding eyes, and thinking of Doctor Qin's impeccably gentle smile, he pursed his lips and finally nodded.
"Okay, Doctor Qin, Dad, Mom, I'll wait outside."
He turned around, walked out of the office again, and gently closed the door behind him.
The corridor was deserted, save for the hum of the overhead fluorescent lights. Monkey leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the closed office door, his heart pounding. He wondered what Doctor Qin would say to his parents, whether he would use those "life-threatening" or "delaying treatment" threats to scare them again. His parents were honest, simple people, easily frightened...
Time passed slowly, each second feeling incredibly long. The Monkey felt his palms getting sweaty. He paced back and forth, then stopped to listen intently, but the door was very soundproof, and he couldn't hear anything.
After what seemed like an eternity, the office door finally clicked open from the inside.
The Monkey's parents came out.
The Monkey immediately went to meet them, eagerly looking at their faces.
Neither of my parents looked well. My father's brows were furrowed, and the corners of his mouth were downturned, as if he had just gone through a difficult negotiation. My mother's eyes were red, and her gaze held lingering worry and fear. She clutched a piece of paper tightly in her hand.
That's... a transfer certificate!
The Monkey was overjoyed; it seemed the prescription had been issued! He was about to ask for details when his gaze swept over his parents' somber faces, and he swallowed back the words he was about to say. Clearly, what Doctor Qin had just "communicated" with them was anything but lighthearted.
"Dad, Mom, the certificate is ready?" the Monkey asked softly, reaching out to take the paper.
The mother instinctively gripped the certificate tighter, as if holding something hot, and glanced hesitantly at the father.
The father sighed, nodded, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "The surgery was successful... Doctor Qin said a lot, that transferring to another hospital was very risky, that they might... sigh... He said he tried his best to persuade us, but we insisted, and he could only respect the family's wishes. He explained all the risks he could..."
Just as expected. Monkey's heart sank, but looking at the hard-won transfer certificate, he strengthened his resolve. No matter what, this step had to be taken.
"Dad, Mom, don't worry, the other side that the Madman contacted is definitely better. Let's hurry to the medical affairs office to get the stamp, finish the procedures as soon as possible, and take Xiaoya away sooner," Monkey comforted, trying to dispel the gloom on his parents' faces.
The parents nodded, their worries still evident, but given the situation, they had no choice but to trust their son and his capable classmate.
Just as the family was holding the transfer certificate and preparing to leave the office and head to the medical affairs department—
A nurse rushed down the corridor, her face visibly panicked. She didn't even notice the Monkey family, heading straight for Doctor Qin's office. Without knocking, she pushed the door open and called out urgently:
"Doctor Qin! Doctor Qin! Something terrible has happened! The Patient in bed 18 of the oncology ward has suddenly deteriorated; he's breathing rapidly and his blood oxygen saturation is dropping rapidly! We need you to come there immediately!!"
"Bed 18, Ward 2, Oncology Department..."
The bed number struck the Monkey's mind like a thunderbolt.
He froze on the spot, the color draining from his face in an instant, his mind going completely blank.
This bed number...
It was his sister Hou Xiaoya's bed!