Outside the ICU window
Night fell completely over the city, and the daytime hustle and bustle gradually subsided, but in some places, the struggle between life and death never ceased.
Ankang Hospital, a white building that appears fairly orderly during the day, inexplicably exudes a sinister aura under the interplay of neon lights and shadows at night.
The building's outline appeared somewhat harsh under the sparse lighting, and the few lit windows resembled weary eyes peering into the darkness.
The open space in front of the hospital was much quieter than during the day, with only a few cars returning late and figures hurrying by with worried expressions.
The smell of disinfectant seemed to have been diluted by the night breeze, but the unique atmosphere of the hospital, a mixture of illness, anxiety, and some kind of invisible pressure, grew stronger.
A black sedan silently glided into the hospital parking lot and stopped in an inconspicuous corner.
The car door opened, and Lin Feng and Professor Liu Mingyuan got out one after the other. Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan remained in the driver's seat, the engine still running, the window rolled up, and he, like a silent watcher, disappeared into the shadows inside the car, his gaze calmly sweeping over the surroundings.
Lin Feng had already contacted Monkey by phone. As soon as the two arrived at the entrance of the main hospital building, they saw a thin figure pacing anxiously under the pale white light at the entrance, looking up every now and then. It was Monkey.
Upon seeing Lin Feng, he immediately felt like he had found his pillar of support and hurriedly ran to greet him. His face was even more haggard than yesterday, with sunken eyes and chapped lips, clearly indicating that he had not slept all night and was in a state of high tension.
"Madman, you're here!" His voice was urgent and slightly hoarse. His gaze then fell on Professor Liu, who was wearing a mask and had a refined demeanor, standing next to Lin Feng. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he wisely refrained from asking any further questions. All his hopes were now pinned on Lin Feng.
"Okay, lead the way to the ICU." Lin Feng said concisely, without any unnecessary words.
"Okay, okay, this way." The Monkey nodded quickly and turned to lead the way.
The hospital ward at night is much quieter than during the day. The corridors are dimly lit, and the echoing footsteps are particularly clear. Occasionally, a nurse on duty pushes a medicine cart past, the wheels making a rhythmic sound as they rub against the ground, or a few suppressed coughs or groans come from a ward, adding to the oppressive atmosphere.
Taking the elevator to the ICU floor, the atmosphere became even more somber. The air seemed to have stopped flowing, filled with an almost frozen silence. Only the regular or occasional sharp beeps from various monitoring instruments faintly emanated from behind the heavy doors, reminding us that this was the front line in the fight against death.
There was an access control gate at the entrance to the ICU, next to which was a small nurses' station. A nurse on duty, wearing a blue uniform and a mask, was sitting inside, her head down, taking notes. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and warily glanced at Lin Feng and his two companions approaching, along with Monkey following behind.
"Hello, how can I help you? This is the ICU. You can't enter outside of visiting hours." The nurse's voice came through her mask, carrying a formulaic indifference.
Lin Feng stepped forward, a hint of grief and anxiety on his face, and said sincerely, "Hello nurse, we are relatives of Hou Xiaoya, the Patient in bed 18. We just arrived from our hometown. We heard that the child's condition suddenly deteriorated, and we are really worried about her. We were just thinking... could we please see her one last time? Just one last look would be enough."
Upon hearing this, the nurse glanced at them a few times, especially noticing the Monkey's distraught appearance, clearly indicating he was a family member. Her expression softened slightly, but rules are rules. She shook her head, her tone still leaving no room for negotiation:
"I'm sorry, the Patient's condition is quite critical right now and requires absolute quiet and a stable environment. Visits are not permitted at this time to avoid introducing external infections or interfering with treatment. Please understand and wait outside."
Seeing that he was about to be rejected, Professor Liu, who had been standing silently beside Lin Feng, finally spoke. His voice was gentle, carrying a convincing composure:
"Hello, nurse." He pointed to himself and Lin Feng. "We understand the hospital's regulations and respect your work. How about this? We won't go in and won't disturb the Patient or their treatment. We just... as family members, we're really worried and just want to take a quick look from outside this isolation window to make sure the child is still there... just one look, is that alright?"
His tone was consultative, without applying pressure, yet it possessed a natural quality that made people willing to compromise. Although he was wearing a mask and his full face was obscured, his exposed forehead, eyes, and manner of speaking all subtly revealed a composure unlike that of ordinary family members.
The nurse on duty hesitated for a moment, glancing at the group of people before her, then at the pale-faced Monkey with pleading eyes, and ultimately softened. She sighed and stood up:
"Okay... but you can only watch from the outside, you absolutely cannot go in, and you can't make any loud noise. You must leave immediately after you're done watching, okay?"
"Of course, of course, thank you so much!" the Monkey said gratefully.
The nurse then took out her Key card, swiped it to open the heavy isolation door of the ICU, and led them through a buffer room to the inner corridor. On both sides of the corridor were individual ICU wards, with their doors tightly closed and large observation windows on or next to the doors.
The nurse stopped in front of one of the doors and pointed to the window. "This is it."
Lin Feng stepped forward first and looked inside through the large glass window.
As previously learned, the ICU wards at this hospital are all single rooms, and the interior decoration is unexpectedly... luxurious.
The floor is covered in smooth, off-white marble tiles, the walls are covered in warm-toned wallpaper, and there are even decorative paintings.
The room was spacious. In the center was a multi-functional hospital bed with various railings and hooks that looked complicated. Around it were all kinds of sophisticated medical instruments that flashed indicator lights and made soft running sounds—ventilators, multi-parameter vital signs monitors, infusion pumps, micro-infusion pumps... A dense network of wires and tubes connected to the small body in the center of the hospital bed like a spider web.
Hou Xiaoya lay on that bed, covered with a white blanket, which made her look even more pitifully thin. She wore an oxygen mask, her face an unnatural grayish-white, her eyes tightly closed, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows under her eyelids, fragile as if she could shatter at the slightest touch. On the monitoring screen, the numbers and waveforms of heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation fluctuated constantly, outlining a lifeline that was barely held together.
Lin Feng's gaze calmly swept over every detail in the room, including the models of the instruments, the parameters on the screens, and the medications on the bedside table. He lingered for less than half a minute before slightly stepping aside to make way for Professor Liu and gesturing for him to proceed.
Professor Liu nodded, stepped forward, and took Lin Feng's place. He pressed his face close to the glass, his gaze becoming extremely focused and sharp.
He observed it very carefully and for a very long time.
His gaze lingered for a long time on Hou Xiaoya on the hospital bed, observing her face, the color of her exposed skin, and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.
Then, his gaze swept over the complex instruments around him, lingering for the longest time on the screen and data of the multi-parameter life monitor: heart rate, heart rhythm, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), blood oxygen saturation, respiratory rate... Every fluctuating number and changing waveform seemed to be rapidly analyzed and compared in his mind.
He even carefully examined the ventilator's settings, the names and rates of the medications being infused on the pump, and the illegible labels on the IV bags hanging on the shelf next to it.
Time ticked by, and the corridor remained silent. Monkey clenched his fists nervously, his nails digging deep into his palms. Lin Feng stood quietly to the side, like a lurking cheetah.
The accompanying nurse was clearly getting impatient. She coughed lightly and urged in a low voice, "Gentlemen, have you made up your minds? We can't stay here too long..."
Professor Liu seemed not to hear, his brows furrowing slightly above his mask, a serious glint in his eyes.
Finally, at the nurse's second urging, Professor Liu slowly straightened up and withdrew his gaze. He turned his head and nodded slightly to Lin Feng.
"Okay, I've finished reading it. Thank you, nurse." Professor Liu's tone returned to normal as he expressed his gratitude to the nurse.
The group left without lingering, led by the nurse.