He sighs for the umpteenth times. He looks at the x-ray of his patient. This is so impossible. How is he being able to live until now? His patient is so lucky to be alive, that is what he thinks. He looks at the detached skull and neck bone, and the stretched spinal cord. How impossible, and yet he is able to stay alive. That is what makes his day more tiring. He is already tired, for having twelve-hour surgery before.
He thought after the surgery he can recharge himself, but his thought is wrong. He receives a call after he came out from the operating theatre, knowing that he will have extra work after that. But, he is willing to do this, because he is too dedicated to his job, he is too happy when a life is saved. That what makes him a very good doctor.
However, the latest case is really exhausting, for he needs to think efficiently at a very high speed, forcing his already-exhausted brain to continue working, and that gives him slight headache. He looks again at the x-ray, thinking of a way to save him, and thinking on how he could really operate on him. This patient’s condition is already very risky, but if he is not going to do anything, one slight movement is enough to kill this patient. He sighs again.
“Tired?” a voice asks him, and he recognizes it immediately. It is Jessica, the most reliable colleague of him. He knows that she realizes that he is already sighing for only God knows how many times. He doesn’t want to show his tiredness, and yet it is obvious.
“Yeah...pretty tired,” he says and gives her his best smile, showing her that he still can carry on with the job.
“I’m sorry. You should have rest, but this case comes in an instant, and pretty much unique. I think he deserves to live, but I need you to make it true,” Jessica says, showing her sympathy towards his exhausted friend, who really devoted his life to save people.
“Don’t worry. I’m okay,” he says, and back to his only priority right now, the operation. He finds a way, but it is risky. Anyhow, which things in our life that we done it without any risk? Anything that we did surely have its own risk. But, how far can he make sure that the risk is low, and the patient can be saved? He thinks a lot, that is the best way, but he is also quite concern with the risk.
“Kim Jonghyun, any suggestion?” Jessica asks her mate. Neither he speaks or gives sign. He just stares at the x-ray and looks a little spacing out. Jessica assumes that he doesn’t hear it.
“Kim Jonghyun?” she calls him.
“Yes?” he hears it this time. He turns towards her.
“Any suggestion?” she asks the expert again. She is sure there will be suggestion. It is Jonghyun anyway, the specialist, only to concern on the risk of his suggestion.
“Sure. We are going to operate him at the back of his head until his neck to attach the skull to the atlas and axis and to fix the position of the spinal cord. Then only we perform surgery to remove and fix the internal bleeding in his brain,” Jonghyun says and sits down on his cosy chair. He reviews the report on Minho. He studies and writes something here and there on the report.
“Are you aware of the risk?” Jessica is quite shocked when she hears his suggestions. Is he serious?
“Do we have any other option then?” he asks back, making Jessica sinks in despair. He knows that his way is dangerous, but they need to risk it, or Minho won’t move forever. Jonghyun looks at his friend, the only friend that he knows the best in doing her job as a doctor. She really wants to save this patient, with her reason, many want the patient alive. Jonghyun understands the look in her eyes, and he tries to soothe her.
“Jessica, don’t worry. I’ll do my best. Have you ever seen any death when a patient is under my surveillance?” Jonghyun says, not to show off himself, but to calm down his too-anxious friend. He feels scared himself and a little bit not confident with his suggestion. But, does he have any other choice?
He feels a heavy burden is put on his shoulders. Many people are depending on him right now. Jessica, the patient’s relatives and the patient’s friends and the most important is the patient’s special one. As a doctor, he wants his patient to live as well. He never fails before this, but, that doesn’t matter. He is not afraid of failing, but the thing he is fear of is seeing anybody weeping because a patient is dead. He cannot see that, the feeling is a bit too cruel for him.
“I know I can depend on you Jonghyun,” Jessica says, and her face is a bit cheerful after Jonghyun convinced her. Jonghyun smiles, while his heart not. He is happy to see people around him happy although he carries the burden to himself.
“Anyway, Jessica. Where is the patient’s guardian? I need to see him, to tell him the exact condition of Minho,” Jonghyun asks Jessica. Jessica said before that the patient’s guardian, a guy really want to know how Minho is. Jonghyun is ready with his explanation after checking on Minho and reviewing Minho’s health report.
“He is waiting outside your room,” Jessica says. Jonghyun nods.
“His name?” he asks again.
“Onew. Lee Onew,” Jessica says as Jonghyun stands up from his chair. He nods again. Then, he walks to his door and opens up. Then, he steps outside. He can see a person sits in front of the room on a chair. He looks tired and he is shivering for a reason that Jonghyun doesn’t know. But, he is sure that the person is scared of something that he might not be ready to accept. Jonghyun quickly recognizes him as Onew.
“Mr. Onew?” he asks as he walks towards him. Jonghyun is right. He looks up. Jonghyun smiles towards him. Onew somehow tries to smile, but fails to do so. Jonghyun understands that, for he had faced almost the same condition for the whole week. Jonghyun just maintains his smile, as he always thinks that a doctor should always make everyone happy. He works so professionally.
“Yes?” Onew says, replying Jonghyun as he stands up and gets nearer the young doctor. Again. Another young doctor. Just by looking at Jonghyun, Onew can predict that this doctor is younger that him. How impressive, being a specialist at a very young age and that makes Onew immediately trusts him. Jonghyun extends his hand to Onew, signalling a handshake. Onew understands that and they shake hand.
“I’m Kim Jonghyun, the one who is in charge of Choi Minho,” Jonghyun says in a friendly way and he tries his best tone, making Onew feels like Minho is in no danger. Jonghyun knows how to speak in that manner, and he managed to tackle Onew to listen to him, despite the bad news that he is going to deliver very soon.
“Owh well...nice to meet you,” Onew says, doesn’t know how to act. He supposed to be scared and sad because of Minho, but the boy in front of him is calm, very calm indeed, that even only his word can make Onew peace and calm too.
“Sure...nice to meet you too,” Jonghyun says, avoiding the awkwardness between them. But then, everything back to silence, even the sound of a pin dropping on the floor can be heard. It is too quiet, and Jonghyun can sense that Onew builds the tense because he is worry about Minho. Everything is written is the sparkling eyes of him.
“Don’t worry. Nothing terrible. Perhaps we can talk in my room. Dr. Jessica is also waiting,” Jonghyun says, preventing the uncomfortable condition from prolonging. He knows very well and he understands very well Onew’s thought right now as he had once be in the same shoes as Onew.
He opens the door for the elder to come in. Then, he enters the room and closes the room, as though he wants to seal the door and prevent anybody from hearing their conversation. It is only between them, the three of them. Jonghyun sits on his cosy chair with the other two in front of him, ready to hear his words.
“Well, first of all, you need to know that he is in a comatose state,” Jonghyun says once the two of them settle down with their curious feeling. But, his words make Onew’s face changes. He turns pale, like the colour will drain forever from his face. Jessica hears about that calmly, maybe because she experiences this quite a lot.
“Is he alright?” asks Onew with trembling and feeble voice. He is weak and doesn’t ready for this, obviously. But, Jonghyun continues his word.
“He is...not alright. But, one thing you really have to know, it is better for him to be in that situation. Because, only one movement will cost his own life. I can’t believe this, but he is lucky enough to live. His case is one in a million,” Jonghyun says. Truthfully, Minho is lucky to be in that unconscious state, for only God knows what will happen if he is able to move.
“And what do you mean by that?” Onew asks again. He is really troubled and Jonghyun can feel the uneasiness arises in his room. Jessica looks into his eyes, demanding for explanation while Onew is already upset.
“Only one nod, he will definitely die,” he tells them. Never Jonghyun wants to say this, but they have the right to know. Jonghyun has tried his best for the whole conversation won’t sound really terrible, but the stressed between them shots up even more. Onew turns very pale, for any people who see him now, surely will mistaken that he is albino. Jessica becomes mute and her eyes filled with fear. She knows that the spinal cord is extended, but never has she thought that it will be that dreadful.
“What? Are you trying to kidding me? You said nothing terrible just now!” the sweet Onew starts to feel deceived. Just now, the young doctor convinced him like really nothing terrible had happened. However now, he said the worst thing happens. Onew starts to become very anxious and all he thinks about is Minho.
“I’m sorry. I have to tell you this. You have the right to know,” Jonghyun says, and he wants to continue his words, but Onew’s anger is already reaching the peak and Jonghyun put himself in a serious trouble right now.
“So you knew it, that I have the right to know! But, why on Earth are you lying in the first place?! Telling me nothing terrible happened when actually the worst is happening right now! You should just tell me straightforwardly,” Onew says and the worst is he is actually holding Jonghyun’s collar as though he wants to start a fight. Jonghyun never thought of fighting back. Not only because he is exhausted from work, but he also knows that Onew never means to really do it. Onew’s mind probably a bit frantic.
Jonghyun will definitely choked if it Jessica is not there. Seeing Jonghyun with no effort of fighting back, Jessica stands up and tries to appease the situation. She is helping her mate in facing that situation. She knows why Jonghyun did that, she exactly knows that. If Jonghyun says that it is terrible in the first place, Onew won’t hear it anymore; that is what always happens here, in the hospital. Receiving bad news about beloved ones is torturing.
“I need to discuss the operating procedure,” Jonghyun says after everything had been settled down. Onew is back on his chair and Jessica is also back at her own place. Jonghyun stands up and shows them the x-ray. Jessica is not shocked to the fact that Jonghyun already planned the procedure. He is fast, sure enough, because he is a prodigy in medicine. The young specialist starts to explain the operating procedure. He already arranged them neat, in manner. But, both Onew and Jessica discern the risk.
“But, the risk is high. You said that only one movement can cause instant death,” Jessica says, doesn’t mean to make Onew feel dreadful but because she is curious herself.
“I am aware of the danger. The most risky part is to turn him over the operating table. We need to balance every single inch of Minho’s body,” Jonghyun says. The part that he will operate on is the back of Minho’s neck. He needs to attach the skull back to its position.
“What...How about the chance of the operation to be successful?” Onew asks, after long period of time being quiet, fear of what is going to happen next.
“I reckon...20%? Anyway, I’ll do my best and you don’t need to worry because my best partner, Jessica will co-assist me in the operation. Both of us will make it together,” Jonghyun states and Jessica nods without any hesitation, showing how they are really working, on saving Minho’s life.
20 percent shows a small amount, and chance of survival is very thin. Onew starts losing hope. However, he knows that the young male doctor in front of him is reliable. He looks confident despite the fatigue shown in his face. Whereas, Jessica is a good friend of him and both of them will succeed. Definitely succeed. Onew never wants to think about the bad one, because in this hard moment, he just wants to be optimistic.
Onew looks again into Jonghyun’s eyes. He feels like he is his brother and he knows that a brother will never break a promise made. Jonghyun looks at him with his tender eyes, as though whispering to Onew that everything will be fine. While Onew reads that, and only worry about Minho and his sister because only Onew knows what will happen to his sister if Jonghyun and Jessica fail to save Minho’s dearly life.
Onew is totally uneasy with his own anxiety, and yet, he is still worrying too much. He knows they are reliable, but her sister loves Minho too much that she won’t accept anything awful to happen to Minho. And to be direct, Emma will kill herself if anything unpleasant happen to Minho. That is the thing that Onew fear the most, and he not yet tell the doctors about that.
Onew makes an excuse to go out, because he feels like the room is stuffy. Jonghyun and Jessica nod, and get back to their discussion, being very busy with the surgery plan despite tiredness shown in Jonghyun’s face. Onew walks out, cannot take it anymore, whatever their discussion is. He walks to the hospital’s cafeteria and orders a drink.
He sits at the corner of the cafeteria, hoping to get composure with the hot drink. He drinks sip by sip, while his eyes are focusing on the television that left on in the cafe. His mind is actually not converging on the television, until a news bulletin comes out. A little boy from a university is being laughed after he announced on his new thesis project on robotic engineering, a human robot. He discloses that he is working on a human robot that exactly looks like human and he gets isolated after that, for people think that he is crazy enough to do that such impossible thing.
Onew laughs, for the first time after too many incidents occurred, and he also believes that the boy is totally insane. The news bulletin somehow managed to tickle his heart, and makes him know how to laugh. But...little did he know that the boy is very soon, going to help him with something...
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