Part 9
The stressful surgery.
A week after Mrs. Le was admitted to the hospital, Mrs. Le improved every day, her skin was rosy, she could eat, talk, and sleep soundly. Today, the doctor allowed her to be discharged, so Chi was on duty from morning to complete the discharge procedures and then pick up her mother to her rented room. She really wanted her mother to stay close to take care of her, and she would quickly take care of the house and money, ready for her upcoming major surgery.
Chi walked out of the hospital’s payment counter, not with the bewildered face of someone who had just lost a large sum of money, but with a big question mark on her face.
– How come it’s less than 5 million? I don’t remember the insurance covering the required room, why is it listed here as more than 170k for the first day, and more than 50k for the following days? The 24/7 nursing service is not listed in the payment section, and the commonly injected foreign drugs are not listed either. I asked the accountants to check carefully, why is that so strange?
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, or rather someone, she exclaimed.
– It must be you again. I owe you so much. I have to pay you back after selling the house.
Chi knew that during the days when her mother was struggling with illness, her boss, Mr. Danh, had helped her a lot. From influencing her mother to be put on the organ waiting list, to asking for help from specialists. Although he did not speak, and rarely appeared here, Chi knew that without him, she and her mother would never have received such treatment. Now he also paid for most of the hospital bills, how could she repay this favor?
Mrs. Le came back to live with Chi, and Chi had taken too much time off so she had to go back to work immediately. However, Mr. Danh seemed to be busy with something very important and secret, he kept flying to China, Thailand and Cambodia. She had been back to work for 2 weeks but had very little time to see him. Those rare times were mainly because of extremely important work at the company, only he had enough authority to handle it. After 2 weeks, he looked pale, seeing him work so hard but not being able to help, Chi felt very sorry. She also knew to be more diligent and focused on her work, not letting him worry about small things and not creating more trouble for him.
Last night, he seemed to have flown back from Cambodia. This morning, Chi arrived and saw him sitting pensively at his desk, flipping through files. As usual, Chi went into Mr. Danh’s room to take his dirty clothes to the laundry.
It seemed that the amount of work was too much, making him too rushed. Unlike the usual times when the clothes were thrown neatly into the bag, this time it was still hanging on the hook in the bathroom. Chi collected each item one by one, a blue suit, a white shirt and… a pair of boxer briefs. As soon as she realized what it was, Chi’s face immediately turned red. It was understandable because the girl had never come into contact with this item before, even the previous times he brought the clothes to be washed, Mr. Danh had never once exposed his underwear. And when the clothes were returned, there would be a plastic bag containing socks and underwear separately.
Chi’s eyes were tightly shut, her trembling hands used two fingers to pick up the small piece of cloth and throw it into the pile with the other things. When she finished, Chi opened her eyes to look, one eye then both eyes opened wide.
– “Oh, it’s not triangular, it’s shaped like women’s overalls. The only difference is that it’s a bit puffy in the middle, probably because… oh, I’m so embarrassed.”
The little girl’s face turned even redder from her curious thoughts, but perhaps because of her closeness to Mr. Danh, she unconsciously touched her hand again. It was not until she heard a small noise outside the room that she startled and walked out.
All that morning, those images kept haunting Chi’s mind. It was very difficult for her to forget the shape of that piece of cloth, the bulge in the middle, or the different colored, curly thread that she thought was… fur.
In the early afternoon, it was rare to see Mr. Danh not working on the books. Chi took advantage of the time when he was on the phone to make a pot of tea, and waited until he finished talking before daring to approach him to say thank you. But as soon as she put down the teacup, he hurriedly spoke.
– Thank you, but I can’t drink it now. I have good news for you. A kidney has been found to replace your mother’s kidney. The person is almost at the hospital. Call your mother and go to the hospital to do more tests and arrange for surgery.
As if hearing the voice of heaven, her hands trembled as she clung to the edge of the table, laughing and crying at the same time. Only when that big hand placed itself on her shoulder to comfort her did she know what to do.
The car was parked right downstairs. Mrs. Le had been waiting here for a long time. When she got into the car, it was the first time she saw her benefactor. She immediately bowed her head in sincere gratitude.
– Thank you, Mr. General Director, thanks to you I am now where I am today. Your kindness, my daughter and I will never forget.
– Haha, what a favor, your niece Chi helps me a lot with my work. I did this as a way to thank her. Moreover, if you get well soon, she will be able to work with peace of mind, and my work will go more smoothly. So what I do is mainly for myself, you shouldn’t think too much about it.
Mrs. Le looked at her son, her eyes smiling because he had found a good job, with a kind and decent boss.
The hospital on Friday afternoons was always busier and busier than usual, but Mrs. Le hardly had to wait for tests. Chi and her mother went through all the departments, paying attention to each doctor’s facial expressions. Every time someone’s face fell, her heart ached, and every time she saw a doctor smile, her heart blossomed.
The whole afternoon, the mother and daughter walked almost non-stop, and at the end of the day, they were arranged to go back to their old requested room to rest. Everything had been carefully arranged since the meals. At 7 pm, when Mrs. Le was about to turn on the news channel, a familiar nurse came over with a smile.
– Mrs. Dang Thi Le is eligible for organ transplant, surgery is scheduled for 7am tomorrow morning. This is the surgery commitment, please sign and listen carefully to my instructions below so that tomorrow’s surgery for your mother will go smoothly.
Then she told Chi how to feed her mother hygienically, what to abstain from and what to prepare. Chi listened and remembered every little thing, until she was happy enough to hug her mother when she left.
– Mom, you had your surgery. You will get better soon. We will be happy again like before. I will be able to live with you for a long time. I am so happy.
– Yes, I’m happy too.
Mrs. Le also smiled, she was not too old, of course she wanted to live long and healthy with her daughter. God had given her another chance, now she would certainly appreciate this life more, waiting for the day her daughter let her hold her grandchild.
That night, when Mrs. Le was already in a deep sleep, Chi was still sitting there. She sat next to her mother, her hands tightly holding hers because she was nervous. Although she always believed that her mother would be okay and would stay by her side for a long time, it was not easy to stay calm at this moment. If only she could learn the strength and calmness of that person, then at this moment she could be a more solid support for her mother.
Her thoughts drifted back to him and she couldn’t stop. Chi fell into a jumble of emotions. There was admiration, gratitude, and a little bit of longing. She wondered why he did all these things, was it because he wanted her to be happy, would he ask her to repay him, what would she do if his request was sensitive? The whole night was spent in vague thoughts, sometimes laughing, sometimes pensive, keeping her almost awake.
The next morning, the mother and daughter got up at dawn and finished their personal hygiene. Seeing her mother’s bright spirit, Chi also felt braver. When the nurse brought the wheelchair to pick up her mother, both of them felt ready for today’s battle.
It was not yet 7 o’clock, and it was a Saturday morning, but the corridor leading to the operating room was already crowded. Doctors and medical staff were ready for each stage and department. And there, the majestic figure that always reassured her was standing there straight, standing with him, shaking hands and laughing were a few doctors with gray hair. They would probably be the main ones in charge today.
At 6:55, Mrs. Le was placed on a stretcher by the nurse and pushed into the operating room. Before the two heavy doors closed, she and Chi shook hands in a reluctant greeting.
The hallway became quiet again, the only thing left was Chi’s restlessness. She kept telling herself to be at ease but she still couldn’t stop the constant fear.
Time seemed to drag on. An hour… then two hours passed. She stood up and walked around, then sat down again. Her knees trembled slightly, her hands were sweaty. Only when that hand gently placed on her shoulder, giving her a bit of warmth, did she calm down.
– You probably haven’t eaten anything since morning, right? Eat something so you have enough strength to wait. The surgery will take a long time.
She took the carton of milk and the small piece of bread from his hand and mumbled a thank you.
– At times like this, we must be even more steadfast, because life is not a moment, it is a long journey. In that journey, there are cruel challenges waiting to strike, our mission is to not collapse at all costs, continue to live and complete our journey.
He said, tilting his head back slightly, his voice low and sad, as if recalling a distant pain that still lingered. Chi didn’t know what he had been through, but sharing it with her now made her feel less lonely.
But waiting outside the operating room was always the longest and most terrifying time, especially when the person lying there was her loved one. Every time someone walked out, her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
The first 5 hours passed, a nurse came out, Chi wanted to run out to ask about the situation but Mr. Danh stood up first, he signaled for her to sit down, while he went to find out what was going on. Looking at the way the two people talked with their relaxed faces, Chi felt relaxed, her heart rate also stabilized as usual. Mr. Danh returned and spoke to her in a very optimistic voice.
– Progress is good, my dear. The kidney has been removed from the donor’s body and will now be transferred to your mother’s body. You can rest assured for now. Go rest and have lunch, I will take advantage of the time to finish some of the remaining work from yesterday.
It was the first time Chi saw him in such a hurry, and realized how much he had been worried about her mother’s illness. Her gratitude grew even deeper.
Although it was lunchtime, Chi did not feel hungry at all. The feeling of anxiety and restlessness made her not think much about eating. 2 hours later, a stretcher was pushed out. Chi hurriedly stood up, but it turned out that this was the organ donor being pushed out, not her mother. This was a woman, about 30 years old, stocky and with dark skin. It was the first time Chi had met her, she held her hand and said thank you even though she was still unconscious and could not hear anything.
Mr. Danh also returned at this time, asked the other person and knew that they were okay, then he returned to where Chi was sitting.
Two hours later, the ninth hour, the operating room lights were still on. Chi was now sitting absentmindedly in the waiting room. Her eyes were dark from lack of sleep, her stomach was growling because she hadn’t eaten anything since morning but she didn’t want to eat. She leaned her head against the wall, closed her eyes for a moment… then opened them with a start when she heard footsteps walking through the hallway.
The 10th hour passed. Chi began to mumble a prayer. She prayed for her mother to pull through, for the doctors to stay alert, for their hands to not shake, for all their efforts not to be in vain. Mr. Danh’s shadow was still silently beside her, steady and trustworthy like a support.
At almost 11 o’clock, the operating lights went out. The door opened and a doctor came out, removing his mask. His eyes were a little tired but bright with satisfaction.
– The surgery was successful. The patient has now been transferred to the post-operative recovery room. The family can rest assured, all indicators are stable, tissue response is very good. Congratulations.
Chi collapsed onto the chair, covered her face with her hands, and burst into tears. She could no longer maintain her composure, like a child bursting into tears in a crowded place. A familiar hand was placed on her shoulder, Mr. Danh said nothing, just gently squeezed her shoulder. That squeeze made her feel protected, and unconsciously she hugged him.
– Uncle, so my mom is saved… huhu… my mom will stay with me, I will still have my mom for a long, long time… huhu.
Mr. Danh gently patted the little girl and let her unburden herself. Chi’s shoulders shook like that for a long time before stopping, her exhausted body just like that collapsed on his shoulder and fell asleep.
A moment later, she felt her body become light. Mr. Danh picked her up and gently placed her on the empty bed in the room next to the post-operative room. Chi fainted, enjoying the relaxation after the long nightmare.
When she woke up, it was already dusk. She sat up in a daze, the blanket was already tucked in, beside her was a warm towel that still smelled of his familiar perfume. She rushed to the door and walked down the hallway to find her mother’s bed.
Luckily, Chi found the nurse who often took care of her mother. When Chi asked, she told her.
– Rest assured, your mother has used the special care package, with nurses, caregivers and even a private doctor monitoring her 24/7 in the requested room. You should go home for now, tomorrow afternoon when your mother is awake you can visit her, but not now.
– Special care service again, how much land do I need to pay off the boss?
Even though she thought so, Chi was still very happy. Nothing was more important than her mother’s health. To get her the best treatment, selling all the land was fine. She turned and walked away with a heart filled with gratitude and happiness. There were a few more nurses in the elevator. Chi looked at them with affection at this moment, but their story made her focus all her attention.
– Do you know if our hospital has any special difficult surgery today? Why do I see the old head of department also returning to participate in the consultation?
– It’s not a difficult case, it’s just that their family requested everything to be optimal and guaranteed. You don’t know, but the vice director of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital also participated in the surgery.
What kind of surgery requires so many experts?
– Kidney transplant, but the family is willing to spend a lot of money to ensure the surgery is successful. You can’t even imagine how much effort and expense it took to bring the kidney here.
Tell me.
– In name, it was a donation to comply with the regulations of our country. But I am the person taking care of the donor, I know that this woman is Vietnamese but works all the way in Cambodia. Her family is very poor. The other day when she went to see a doctor, someone suddenly came to talk to her. After asking about her blood type and some other health issues, this person immediately asked to buy her kidney. At first, she was afraid to sell, but this person offered to give her a free health check. Vietnamese people accepted when they saw that it was free. After the check-up, the other person increased the price, making this woman dizzy.
many
– 3 billion
– That’s ten times the normal price, and we also had to go through many brokers from here to Cambodia, so it must have cost 5 to 7 billion in total to get here.
– Not only that, he also promised her and her husband better jobs if she wanted to return to Vietnam. She couldn’t resist, she brought her husband and children back to the country. This morning she went to the surgery room to donate, the other girl named Le was lucky, she had just been on the waiting list for an organ transplant not long ago.
– Their family has a lot of money.
Chi stood in the corner, listening as if she was absorbing every word. It turned out that to get this surgery, the other person had to do so much, that was probably the reason why he had been flying to China and Cambodia continuously these past few days. The rare rush, the added fatigue and the dark circles under his eyes were probably all because of this.
At this point, what he had done could not be thanked with money or a few words. Chi quickly ran out, hailed a taxi and told the driver to go to the company as quickly as possible.
– There is still a lot of work, he will definitely be at the company.
She was as sure of that as she was of her own feelings.