Special Forces Medic

Seeing her with a grievance on her face, Xiao Lin couldn't help but laugh. Children are innocent; perhaps without such an understanding child, he wouldn't care so much.

"Is this a bribe?" Looking at the candy in his hand, Xiao Lin kissed Niu Niu's face.

Niu Niu nodded vigorously, then unwrapped the candy and stuffed it into Xiao Lin's mouth: "Brother Xiao, you ate my candy, so you..."

"Dr. Xiao, you need to go see Dan Qing quickly." Li Jingyi ran over at full speed.

"What's happening?" Placing Niu Niu down, Xiao Lin's greatest concern after the kidney transplant surgery was the onset of hyperacute rejection. It comes fiercely and usually occurs within minutes to hours after the anastomosis of the blood vessels; some call it "on-table rejection." The transplanted kidney turns soft, from red to purple, and quickly stops rejecting. Only a few patients may experience delayed onset, but that's typically only within 24 hours post-transplant. Once hyperacute rejection occurs, there's currently no treatment. The transplanted kidney should be removed as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed.

"She suddenly had a whole-body convulsion and non-stop vomiting, with regurgitation and apnea."

"What?" At the news, Xiao Lin immediately quickened his pace to the intensive care unit.

"Brother Xiao!" Niu Niu softly called Xiao Lin, he looked down at her and pulled aside a passing nurse. "Please look after Niu Niu for me, don't let her into the intensive care unit."

After leaving Niu Niu behind, Xiao Lin, with Li Jingyi, changed into sterile clothing outside the ward before entering. The floor was stained everywhere, with a foul odor permeating the air.

"What's going on here?"

Li Jingyi was intimidated by his presence: "Call the cleaning staff."

Xiao Lin adjusted the humidity in the room and turned the exhaust fan to its maximum. The person lying on the bed still occasionally twitched. "Have you done any treatments?"

"Not yet."

Xiao Lin checked Dan Qing's blood pressure and heartbeat. Though weak, they were relatively stable. Her pulse was somewhat irregular, with a lack of vitality and energy. Letting go of Dan Qing's hand, Xiao Lin examined her wound, the fluid draining from the urinary catheter was a deep brown, and the output was less than usual.

It wasn't a hyperacute rejection reaction, and his heart settled a bit. It was just a typical acute rejection, though this usually occurs between the sixth day post-surgery to three to six months afterward; Dan Qing's situation was an exception.

"Acute rejection requires high-dose methylprednisolone pulse therapy, anti-lymphocyte globulin or anti-thymocyte globulin, as well as monoclonal antibodies specifically targeting rejection-related T cells." Xiao Lin instructed, adjusting the medication's concentration slightly due to Dan Qing's weaker constitution before handing the prescription to Li Jingyi: "There mustn't be any mistakes. Put the medication components on my desk, I'll personally adjust and inject it. Also, arrange for her to stay in a room by the window, Room 312, which has enough natural light."

"Dr. Xiao!" The nurse beside Li Jingyi looked a bit troubled, as Room 312 had already been reserved. If they were to transfer the patient now, she couldn't make that call.

"What?"

"Room 312 is already reserved, the patient is currently in surgery."

"Does an intensive care unit even have reservations?" This was the first time he had heard of such a thing: "What kind of patient is it?"

"It's Minister Sun's father, who entered the operating room this morning due to acute gastritis."

"From the Medical Department, Sun Mingwei?" Xiao Lin raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, that's correct."

"Dr. Xiao, don't clash with him over a ward." Li Jingyi tugged on Xiao Lin's sleeve, with the emerging bluish stubble adding more charm to his face.

"Yes, Dr. Xiao." The nurse nodded in agreement with Li Jingyi: "How about Room 311? Though it's not as spacious and bright as 312, it seems much more comfortable and has a private bathroom." Xiao Lin nodded, and the nurse hurried out.

"Dr. Xiao, you should go back and rest!" Seeing the bloodshot eyes, Li Jingyi couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

"Then I'll trouble Sister Jing." Xiao Lin didn't refuse further, walked out of the hospital building, and headed straight home.

Inside the empty room, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He gave up on the idea of taking a shower and fell directly onto the bed, his mind reviewing the entire surgical process, deeply fearing any slight oversight. This wasn't like his usual self, indecisive, but the onset of acute rejection didn't align with the expected time frame. If it's solely due to Dan Qing's physical condition causing the early onset of rejection, the possibility was quite low. It seemed he'd need to visit the black market again to find another kidney source. In case of any problems, a backup would be ready.

The tightly closed door opened, revealing a pair of black high heels at the entrance, followed by another pair of feet filing into the room one after another.

"He really is sleeping!" A voice quietly acknowledged to the person behind. "But this time he held out for quite a while, hehe."

"Let him sleep. Performing such a surgery alone requires extraordinary stamina."

"Got it!" Xia Xue wrinkled her nose at Lian, unable to resist glancing towards the room. "Do you want to help him take off his clothes? Sleeping in them won't be comfortable."

"First, prepare some food and call him to eat once it's ready!" Lian pulled Xia Xue back to the kitchen: "Who said they wanted to reward him with delicious food? You're not allowed to sneak away."

"But I'm worried about Niu Niu's mom; these twenty-four hours are crucial, and we'd better not have any complications."

Lian didn't respond verbally. Technically, she had complete faith in Xiao Lin, but a kidney transplant wasn't just about technical proficiency; it depended on whether the body and the transplanted kidney could integrate. However, the anti-rejection medication couldn't be stopped, and these medical expenses would become an invisible burden on Dan Qing's family.

"I'm more concerned about the post-surgery medical costs. Even if there's no rejection reaction, just taking these medications incurs considerable expenses, not to mention the costs of auxiliary medical treatments." She placed the fish head into the sink to clean, then set it aside to drain. "Let's make fish head soup!"

"Okay!" Xia Xue selected green and red peppers from the plastic container, which was a type of vegetable Xiao Lin loved most. She then took some meat from the fridge and began cutting it into strips. "There's nothing to worry about. I can use the Xia Family's name to establish a charity specifically to help families like Niu Niu's with financial difficulties, resolving their expense problems."

"No wonder Xiao Lin encouraged you to go into business. Doing charity and public welfare can enhance reputation and awareness."

"You're teasing me again." Xia Xue handed the tofu to Lian in a not-too-pleased manner: "Should we make spicy tofu or add it to the fish head soup?"

"Make Mapo tofu, he likes it."

"What about the fish head soup?" Xia Xue looked at the single box of tofu and hesitated.

"Make it clear-brewed with less water, so it becomes richer."

The two women kept a lively exchange in the kitchen, oblivious to the gaze projected from the room, the eyes filled with amusement closed again, descending back into slumber. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)