At The Hospital
Qiao Rui speeds along with the ambulance, how the fuck did that just happen? The boy has a large gash on his thigh, possibly sprained knee, no broken bones. The girl has abrasions on her right arm, a cut on her forehead, still unconscious will need to have a CAT scan as soon as they arrive at his hospital. He calls the Emergency Room, “Two young people will be arriving in a few moments, they are top priority, get Dr.Lee to examine the boy he doesn't appear to have serious injury, get Dr. Chow from the Neurology Department, I don't care what he is doing right now this is a priority, if he is in surgery have his assistant take over. He needs to examine the girl before I get there she has a head injury, presently unconscious. Needs CAT scan ASAP.
“Yes Dr. Qiao.” Nurse Han has never heard Dr. Qiao with any emotion in his voice, you could say he sounded panicked right now. She immediately pages the two doctors he requested.
The ambulance arrives at the hospital with Qiao Rui moments behind whizzing into the emergency parking at the entrance, he tosses his keys to an orderly who was wheeling out a patient. “After you take them back go park my car in my spot.” The orderly sees the black Porsche his eyes light up, this might be his only chance in this life to drive a sports car like that. “Yes Doctor!”
Du Chang is wheeled on a stretcher to the triage area, he is alert looking for where they are taking Li Mei. “Where are they taking my friend? his voice is shaking.
“She is going to be examined by the top Neurologist at this hospital,Dr. Chow.”The nurse wonders who these VIPs are, the boy is dressed in ordinary jeans with a black tshirt and a baseball cap.
“Is she going to be alright?”, he sees her unconscious as they wheel her past them.
The nurse tries to calm him, “It is just a precaution most likely she just has a concussion”, she heard they were on a bike then ran into a car. She tells him to lay back down the doctor will be here shortly to see him.
Du Chang feels slightly relieved he was unconscious once when he got hit in the head with a baseball during the Spring tournament. Still he could see her head was bleeding.
They place LiMei onto a bed, a nurse quickly begins cleaning her head wound, it appears it will need a couple stitches but it is directly behind her hairline, she is lucky even if it scars it won't be noticeable a little lower it would ruin this girl's perfect face. Then she cleans and disinfects the abrasion on her upper arm. Who is this girl, Dr. Qiao asked for the arrogant Dr. Chow, she has never seen him in the Emergency room, he only takes high profile cases.
Qiao Rui rushes to her bedside, “Where the hell is Dr. Chow?” The nurse is taken aback he has never raised his voice. Chow Yan strolls up to the bed, “Rui, you are lucky I was doing some research in my office, I wouldn't leave a VIP patient to my assistant unless the situation here was dire. She probably only suffered a concussion I see some eye movement” He looks at the girl on the bed, “Stitch her up I alerted Radiology to have everything ready.” Who is this beauty? She has a flawless face but young for Rui, maybe she is a relative.
A young resident is the one who usually stitches up small wounds he steps forward. Qiao Rui tells him a patient in the next bed needs some stitches he will take care of this girl himself. He walks over to scrub his hands in the sink then puts on some gloves.
He carefully lifts some strands of hair, holding it in his left hand, it looks like he won't need to have the nurse shave the hair, she has already numbed the area so the girl won't feel any pain. He knows how girls are, she would be upset over having a bald spot on her head even for a few weeks until the hair grew back
Qiao Rui deftly takes the needle in and out, the wound only needed seven stitches.. Looking at her beautiful face he thinks if this accident had ruined such perfection he couldn't bear it. Even though he knows it was the boy's fault for recklessly coming down the hill on that bike with her on the back, he is upset they ran into his car.
“Wheel her up for the CAT scan I will be in my office.” He throws the gloves into the wastebin “Chow, go with her, analyze the images, send the results over immediately.”
Dr. Chow gives Qiao Rui a dirty look as he walks away thinking this is overkill she probably has a mild concussion.
Dr. Lee examines Du Chang, he needs stitches for the gash on his thigh, his knee is bruised and swollen he should have an MRI to check for muscle, tendon damage, then the accumulated fluid should be drained. Most likely he can be sent home afterwards, he gives the instructions to the nurse.He is going up to Rui's office and find out what is going on with him. He heard a nurse saying to another nurse he was acting strange when he was in the Emergency room.
Lee Wen knocks on Qiao Rui's door. He doesn't wait for a response, he has been friends with him since Medical School. He walks over then sits on the leather chair in front of the desk. Qiao Rui has his head in his hands picturing the girl as she landed on the concrete curb.
“What do you want? How is that boy?”
“He will be fine, he is lucky his knee isn't ruined, he said he plays soccer when he asked how long it would take to heal. So how do you know those two, they look like High School students.”
“They ran into my car as I was pulling out from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop on Jongu . I had been in talking to old Woo about my father's illness. I was pulling out of the parking space when his bike slammed into my car. “
“It wasn't your fault then why didn't you send them to the Public Hospital.” He knows Rui's personality is cold and indifferent, he only loves money. His private hospital only caters to people with money to spend.
“I don't know why except when I saw the young girl on the ground with blood running down her delicate face I wanted to save her. You know the Public Hospital is overcrowded, those two would have been in the waiting room for hours before being seen. If she does have brain damage...”{he doesn't want to consider the possibility} the image of her beautiful face keeps flashing in his mind, she feels familiar to him for some reason.
“So Qiao Rui does have a heart in there.”
“Shut the fuck up, don't you have rounds now?”
“ I'm leaving. Do you want to get dinner later my sister is in town she wants to see you.”
“I will let you know.”
After Lee Wen leaves Qiao Rui swivels his chair around from his desk, leans back in his chair looking out the floor length window of his office on the top floor. He rubs his temples, his handsome face darkens, first the herbs he ordered from the Himalayas haven't arrived now this. Fuck! He looks at his watch they should be finished with the CAT scan on that girl.
Du Chang is finished, his recuperation time should be about six weeks he needs to return in two weeks for a followup. He asks the nurse where Feng LiMei is right now,he tells him she should be done being examined she will check for him.
While he is waiting he calls his grandfather to tell him what happened. His grandfather hurriedly gets into his car to come down to the hospital. Isn't that the famous Private Hospital on 134th st., why didn't they go to the Public Hospital? He will pay whatever the medical expenses are his son is away on a military mission, Du Chang and his mother are alone right now. When he arrives at the hospital he enters the Emergency room, it is of the highest quality, he has never seen anything as nice he looks around then sees Chang sitting on a leather couch in the spacious waiting room.
“Chang how do you feel? He sees crutches by him, his pants are torn and bloodstained.
Chang breaks down crying, “Grandpa, LiMei.”
His grandfather has a cool head, “Calm down, what happened to LiMei?”
“She hit her head on the concrete curb, she is being seen now she is unconscious.”
His grandfather looks around, Buddha was with them for someone to send them to this hospital rather than the public one, if that girl was unconscious the best treatment would be here. It was his grandson's fault he will mortgage the house to pay for her treatment.
He hugs his grandson to his chest, “Chang it will be alright. looking at this hospital she will get good care.”
“I will check at the desk to see about her.”
“Thanks, Grandpa.”
“I want to check on the girl who came in with my grandson, Feng LiMei.”
“Let me see, she has been taken to room 2009, are you a relative? If not I can't give you any more information.”
“No she is a friend of my grandson, she was injured when she was with him. May we go see her?”
“I think so I don't see any restrictions here.”
Chow Yan knocks on Qiao's door, “I have the results.”
“Enter.”
“As I suspected she has a concussion, no major damage. She should wake up soon, She will experience headaches for a couple days, then she should be fine no permanent damage. Who is she to you? A little cousin? I heard she came in with her boyfriend, you should have a talk with him, not only was he reckless with her on his bike but her neck when the nurse changed her into a hospital gown removing a scarf is covered in love bites”, he snickers.
“Get out! If I hear you gossip about a patient you will be fired!”
After Chow Yan leaves he thinks why is he concerned for her reputation? He doesn't even know her.
LiMei is in a comfortable bed when she wakes up. She touches her head it really hurts. The nurse who dressed her after the exams was considerate seeing her neck she put the scarf back on LiMei while shaking her head, young girls today.
LiMei tries to sit up in the bed, the light from the window is too bright she wants to close the shade. When she is struggling to get up there is a light knock on her door.
“Who is it.”
“LiMei it's me and grandpa can we come in?”
“Sure” First thing she is going to do is ask them to pull the blinds.
Du Chang hobbles in on his crutches followed by his grandpa.
“Grandpa, before you sit down could you pull the blinds down.” LiMei is glad she didn't have to call a nurse.
“LiMei I'm so sorry!” he grabs her hand on the bed.
“Du Chang it wasn't your fault, that man in that sports car didn't even look before he pulled out.” her sweet voice comforting him he looks so upset. “I'm fine I just got a little bump on my head I woke up right after we got here but I didn't see you. Are you finished, we can leave together.”
Qiao Rui is standing at the door he was about to see how she is feeling the nurse informed him she woke up. He tightens his grip on the handle as he is listening. His fault! that crazy kid ran into him. Is that girl so stupid in love she would lie about her injury, so her boyfriend feels better. He is thinking about what Chow Yan said about the love bites on her neck.
“LiMei they said you need to stay at least overnight for observation. Don't worry about the bill I will take responsibility.”
“Grandpa I have money saved don't worry about it. Du Chang are you in pain? Will this affect your scholarship offers?”
Qiao Rui hates what he is hearing, the girl is hurt she could have died from hitting her head on concrete and she is only worried about her stupid boyfriend who got her injured! Why does this seem familiar?
He wants to interrupt right now but he decides against it.