Chapter 152 - The Blood Moon

Eight years ago,

First people's medical college hospital, S city

The silent and brightly lit corridors of the neurology department, resonated with the steady footsteps which is followed by a deep masculine voice. Lee Tae Yang, a third-year resident, walked towards the neurological ICU while speaking over his cellphone. 

"I am on the way to ICU..., I tried few times and I am damn sure that he will be giggling with some girls,' He chimes and abruptly halts in his steps when his gaze fell on the moon in the sky which has already glowing red, 

It is the night of total lunar eclipse, 

He was lost in the alluring beauty of the moon,

All over in the mainland, the night of the lunar eclipse is considered as a bad omen.

It was believed that a giant dragon engulfs the moon during the eclipse, bringing ill fate upon the earthlings. 

The red moon was an alluring sight and why would people would connect it with such a bad fate? 

A question rised in his mind,

As he contemplating over the red moon, a creak sound of rolling of metal wheels brought Lee Tae Yang back to the reality. 

"I' m here....I'm here...," He replies to the phone call, " Wait for few more minutes,"

A hospital attendant, wearing a mask and uniform pushed the medicine trolley from the ICU acknowledged him with a slight bow,

Tae Yang nods and continues the conversation, as he walks towards the ICU, 

"I will somehow drag that idiot and you can beat the shit out of him," 

He walked in looked in the duty nurse's station, few of the nurses were half asleep,

"Dr Lee," One of the nurses stood in respect,

Tae Yang smiled warmly and gestured her to sit, "Did you see Dr Chi Yan, I heard that he was supposed to be in night shift today?"

"Yes, doc.., he was here a moment ago," the nurse stood from her seat and turned to look for Chi Yan, " Dr Chi told me that he will go and check patient,"

"Ahhh no no, I will go and check," 

He walked passed the nursing station and entered into the closed cubicles of the ICU where critically ill patients have been admitted,

The sombre silence in the room was interrupted by the continuous buzzing sounds of machines,

Lee Tae Yang went on search for his friend and could not find any traces of Chi Yan, 

There is no point in waiting for him. 

Everyone knows how difficult is to have a meal for resident doctors who always remain busy. Like everyone else Lee Tae Yang also could not eat his dinner since he was busy assisting a professor in neurology. The surgery was a crucial one and it almost took six hours to finish. He was planning to have late night dinner with his best friends, Hao Ren and Chi Yan. However, he couldn't get in contact with his friend.

Lee Tae Yang let out of a sigh before turning back and leave,

All of sudden a thud sound resonated in the silent ICU and which is followed by continuous loud beep sound of the machines,

Lee Tae Yang frantically rushed back and probed every single cubicle for the source of the voice.

He quickly searched and reached the last cubicle,

The last cubicle remained empty, there wasn't anyone in the bed, the life monitoring machine system, drawing a clear line,

He pushes open the door and found a fragile body lying on the floor, blood rushing out from the canula, creating a pool of blood near the body,

Lee Tae Yang bent down and called out for the patient,

"Patient, can you hear me?"

There weren't any responses,

He placed his long fingers on the neck and tried to check the pulses,

The moment his fingers touched the cold marble like skin, the patient inhaled a large amount of air, the whites of the eyes rolling upwards, as if its his last breath.

The frail palm drenched in blood clasps into his smooth fingers,

A husky low voice squeaks out of the dry and chapped lips,

"Save….her..,"

Tae Yang called out for help and the nurses rushed towards the cubicle. He immediately scooped the patient from the floor and the patient's body felt un-naturally lightweight, as if he was carrying a skeleton,

Through the thick white hospital gown, he could feel the bones on the patient's body and the way warmth loosing from the tender body.

He immediately gave the patient CPR,

"CODE BLUE!!!!" One of the nurses said and rushed to make an announcement so that they could get more help, 

"Patient's pulses are weak,"

"Doctor, we could not find the heart beats,"

"Get ready the defibrillator,"

The ICU cubicle fell into chaos,

One of the nurses tore open the patient's gown and waited for the doctor to apply the defibrillator,

Lee Tae Yang who was about to place the pads of defibrillator on the was taken back for a moment,

On the rapidly heaving chest, actually had a pair of small flesh mound,

He thought the patient was a young boy,

"Doctor," The nurse called out for Lee Tae Yang, " We are loosing her,"

Lee Tae Yang woke up from the momentary daze and placed the pads on the right upper side of the chest and left lower side.

"200 volts," He yelled,

"One, two, three," He placed the pads and the patients body jerked due to the electric shock,

"Once again," After repeating for three times, the patient started to breath again,

Lee Tae Yang let out a sigh and the nurse placed the oxygen mask on the patient,

By the time, one of the chief doctors in the neurology department rushed and took over the patient.

The nurse cleaned the blood spilling from the canula and placed a bandage,

The chief doctor came and checked the vitals of the patient, "Her vitals are stable now...," He turned towards Lee Tae Yang and the nurses, "You people did a great job in handling the critical situation, even though there weren't any sufficient staff.

"Thank you doctor,"

"What happened?" The chief doctor inquired,

"I heard someone falling from the bed and the machines were making loud noises," Lee Tae Yang reported,

Hearing his answer, Chief doctor's eyes widened in disbelief,

"That's impossible, she is under coma for the last three weeks,"

"Coma?" Lee Tae Yang repeated, "But she spoke to me…"

"How can a patient in vegetative state can talk, Dr. Lee?" The doctor narrowed his eyes, 

"But she spoke to me..."

"What did she say?" 

Lee Tae Yang hesitated for a moment and glanced at the little girl who is in deep sleep,

"To...save...her..." He said with a puzzled expression, "Professor, can I take a look at her case sheet?"

The chief doctor handed over the case sheet and Lee Tae Yang quickly run through the details of the patient's medical condition.

Li Juan, age 17, female

Skull fracture,

Blood clot in the brain,

No response to the external stimuli- thus the patient is reported to be in vegetative state,

"Vegetative state!!!!" He closed the case sheet and stared the girl with a muddled brain,

He clearly heard her voice,

How can a patient in vegetative state can talk?

Chi Yan who walked into the ICU saw his friend who stood frozen to the ground as if he has seen a ghost,

"Tae Yang, what happened?"

Lee Tae Yang tilted his head and looked at his friend with an expressionless face,

"There was a Code Blue situation," One of the nurses informed him in a low voice, "Dr Lee was forced to do the CPR alone,"

"Aren't you the one who is supposed to be in the night shift?" The chief doctor asked Chi Yan, "Where did you go?"

"I...I.. went to the toilet," Chi Yan said with meek expression,

The chief doctor glared at him, he clearly knew that, though Chi Yan was bright student, he wasn't a responsible doctor. Due to his extrovert personality he always loose himself in the conversations. 

"Anyway she is fine now," The Chief doctor informed, "Lee Tae Yang, go and take rest, i heard that you even assisted professor Mao and You, Dr. Chi Yan...stay in your station,"

The doctor walked away from the ICU, as soon as the Chief doctor left their eyes, Chi Yan grabbed Lee Tae Yang's shoulders,

"When did you came?"

Lee Tae Yang who was lost in thoughts, looked at his friend and tossed out a question,

"When did this patient got admitted?"

"In the evening. She was referred from the city hospital,"

"Hmm,"

"Dr Lee, your clothes are filled with blood," One of the nurses reminded Lee Tae Yang when her gaze fell on the blood stains on his white coat. 

"I will change, thanks for your great help, nurse Hong," Lee Tae Yang told them and walked out of the room with his friend,

"I was looking for both of you," Hao Ren who came running to the ICU in the neurological department asked his friends. He was waiting for Lee Tae Yang to bring Chi Yan to the resident doctor's resting lounge to have their meal. When he heard the announcement of Code blue situation from Neurology ICU, he rushed towards them.

"How's the patient?"

"She survived," Chi Yan replied in a plain tone and took a look at Lee Tae Yang who seemed to be out of the place, "He did the CPR,"

"You were in charge of the night shift, where did you ran off?" Hao Ren asked in an infuriated tone,

"I...I.. just went to the rooftop for a moment...to see the moon," Chi Yan said hesitantly 

Hao Ren was loss at words when he heard Chi Yan's answer,

"It is the night of Lunar eclipse,"

"Are you alright?" Hao Ren ignored Chi Yan and turned towards Lee Tae Yang. He was already tired because of the surgery and handling a code blue situation is both mentally and physically exhausting process, "Let's go back and take rest...There is no need to go back to your apartment," Hao Ren dragged Lee Tae Yang along with him.

Lee Tae Yang stared at the blood stains on his arm, he could still feel a strange electrocuting sensation arising from his palms where the patient has grabbed him,

"But he clearly heard her asking to save her,"