Chapter 91 Chapter 91
I KEPT talking to her until the ambulance arrived.
“Ma’am, I need you to stay calm, okay? You’re in safe hands,” I told the patient while gently stroking her hand to reassure her.
“Save my baby, please… at least my baby…” she cried, massaging her stomach. I also noticed blood flowing down her thigh.
“No, ma’am. You and your baby will be safe, so hang on.”
They quickly placed the woman on a stretcher. While they were doing that, I immediately endorsed the patient to the head of the rescue team.
“This is a 28-year-old pregnant woman involved in a hit-and-run. She’s conscious but in shock. Blood pressure is dropping, pulse is rapid. Please stabilize her and get her to the hospital ASAP,” I said calmly, even though my heart was pounding fast inside.
“We will, Doc. Jade. Thank you for helping us out,” he said before leaving. I simply nodded and watched them go, praying that everything would be fine.
I wasn’t in a position to join the rescue team because in the hospital, there is a hierarchy that must be respected. If something is not within my authority, I shouldn’t interfere. It would only cause chaos. Since I was still a new doctor, I just let the rescue team handle the patient. I believed they could do their job properly.
I went back to my car and waited for the traffic to clear, but I didn’t expect what I would find next—a huge commotion at the hospital.
I ran into the head of the rescue team again, so I talked to him. I asked about the patient, but I wasn’t pleased with his answer.
“We brought her to the emergency room, but we’re still waiting for an available doctor.”
“What?! Are you kidding me? Didn’t you see the woman’s condition? She’s about to give birth! Where are the doctors? Where's Dr. Solieza?” I asked in alarm. I didn’t expect to hear something so absurd. This is a hospital—why are the doctors missing?
“You mean your mother, Doc. Jade? She was summoned by the higher-ups just now. She’s accommodating a VIP guest, while the other doctors are currently attending to other patients.”
“Come on!” I wanted to curse. With how calm he was, it was obvious he barely knew what was really happening. Is he really the head of the rescue team? Why don’t I see any sense of urgency in him?
“There’s nothing we can do, Doc. Jade. There’s no available doctor. We can’t just interfere because a patient’s life is at stake!”
“Exactly! A patient’s life is what we’re talking about! So why did Doctor Solieza prioritize others over a dying patient?!”
The blood rushed even more to my head. This wasn’t the first time she had done this. She always prioritizes those at the top. How unlucky of me that my own mother is my attending surgeon. Yes, she’s above me, and I’m just her assistant. And because I’m only an assistant, I have no right to operate on my own.
We all turned when the flashing indicator in the hallway lit up red. At the same time, the paging system announced, “Code Blue, ER Bed 5.”
I automatically ran toward the ER. I found several nurses running around. They are prepping crash carts and oxygen tanks. I looked at the monitor. Fuck.
Heart rate: 30 bpm, irregular, almost flatline
Blood pressure: 60/40 mmHg
Oxygen saturation: 70%
Fetal heart rate: absent
“Get me IV fluids—rapid bolus, now!” I shouted. “High-flow oxygen! Prepare atropine—STAT!”
The nurses looked at the monitor, clearly nervous.
“Doctor… her pulse is barely palpable,” one of them said.
“She’s crashing,” I said firmly. “Prepare the OR. If she arrests, we start CPR immediately.”
The nurse holding a surgical gown looked at me, hesitating to put it on me.
“What are you waiting for? She’s about to die!” I yelled.
The head of the rescue team blocked me. “Doc. Jade, you’re not cleared to perform these procedures!”
“So what, we’ll just let her die? You? Why don’t you do this then? I told you to stabilize her, right? Why did you leave her here? Is it because I’m not above you, so you don’t follow my orders?”
“Doc. Jade, we follow hospital protocol here. And another thing, you’re just your mother’s assistant surgeon! She’ll definitely be furious if you interfere!”
“So we’ll just wait for her, huh? Why? Where is she? Why isn’t she here yet? Are we just going to wait for that patient’s body to go cold and stiff? What was the point of bringing her here if no one is going to save her?!”
Our argument was cut short when a nurse beside the patient shouted.
“She’s already lost nearly two liters of blood! If we don’t stabilize her now, she won’t make it!”
My jaw tightened as I glared sharply at the man in front of me. “Step aside. I’m taking over.”