Chapter 111: Let’s See Who Wins [2]
Chapter 111: Let’s See Who Wins [2]
At the word seizure, everyone’s gaze turned that way.
Kanghyeok was no exception.
“A seizure?”
“Yes, yes. Oh dear…”
The people screaming were patients too.
While all of them were in the middle of passing watery stool, the person next to them had suddenly started having a seizure.
Naturally, they were all dehydrated. Perhaps because of that, their voices were extremely hoarse, which made them sound even more urgent.
“Let’s go over there first.”
“Yes. A seizure… Could this be an illness that does more than just cause diarrhea?”
“The cause is probably still the diarrhea.”
As Kanghyeok hurried over, he organized his thoughts.
In his hand, he gripped the house-call bag he had set down earlier.
If it’s a seizure… then electrolyte imbalance from dehydration is probably the cause.
If that was the case, this was serious.
There was no way to run proper blood tests in this situation.
I’ve never tried correcting electrolytes without even seeing the results…
In truth, even if he knew the results, it would not necessarily give him any brilliant solution.
There was nothing in the house-call bag that could replenish the missing electrolytes.
At best, all he had was IV fluid.
The first death here might end up happening on this side.
If that happened, the situation would not be good.
The other patients were already starting to look increasingly doubtful because he was making people drink water despite their diarrhea.
If someone actually died in a situation like this, there was a strong chance the patients would defect en masse to Dongpa’s side.
In Kanghyeok’s view, that path was no different from walking straight toward death, but to ordinary patients, it still matched the “common sense” treatment methods of this era to some extent.
“Move aside.”
“Yes, yes.”
Kanghyeok quickly approached the patient who was having the seizure.
Several seconds had already passed since the commotion began.
The patient was still seizing.
His eyes had rolled completely to one side, and his limbs were stretched straight out while his upper body jerked violently.
It was a classic grand mal seizure.
Kanghyeok first tilted the patient’s head to the side and placed gauze in his mouth.
That was to prevent unnecessary injury, such as aspiration pneumonia or biting through his tongue.
It doesn’t look like it’ll last long.
This was not the first time he had seen this kind of seizure.
Now and then, patients brought into the emergency room had grand mal seizures.
In those cases, dehydration caused by blood loss from traffic accidents or stab wounds sustained at factories had often been the reason.
Compared to those patients, this one was better off.
This was happening because he had lost water, not blood.
“Will he be all right?”
“I… first, let me check his pulse…”
Unlike Kanghyeok, who remained perfectly calm, Heo Jun and Heo Im were visibly flustered.
Seizures were not something they saw often either.
“It’ll stop soon. I’m maintaining his airway for now, so nothing immediate will happen. We need to check his blood pressure first, so please open the house-call bag.”
“Ah, yes, yes. I’ll take it.”
“You can do that?”
“Of course. I’m quite good at taking blood pressure now.”
Heo Jun said that as he rolled up his sleeve.
It seemed he had finally adapted to the faint smell of excrement hanging in the air.
Whoever said that humans were creatures of adaptation, Kanghyeok did not know, but it truly was a famous saying for a reason.
By now, even Kanghyeok was no longer covering his nose.
Even Yeoju, who had been standing far away, was gradually edging closer.
“Hm. It really is stopping quickly.”
“Th-that’s true.”
Just as Kanghyeok had said, the patient’s seizure did not last long.
Fortunately, he was breathing well too.
He still had not regained consciousness, however, and that seemed to be a more long-standing issue.
“What’s the blood pressure?”
“Uh… I can’t get a clear reading.”
“It’s that low?”
“Ah, yes. Sixty over forty…? No, fifty?”
“Huh.”
It was far too low.
At this rate, the man was obviously going to die.
Even if they gave him IV fluid, it did not seem like it would make much difference.
At most, they could get in about one liter.
And it was not blood.
One liter of water would hardly make a dent.
Wait… blood? Is there no way to do a transfusion…?
Kanghyeok began thinking while hooking up the IV fluid.
If transfusions require the same blood type… that just means the blood must not clot together.
There was no need to know all the classifications like A or B in detail.
In fact, American military emergency procedures did mention transfusions in situations where the blood type was unknown.
He had not looked at it closely, so he did not remember it perfectly.
If we leave him like this, this patient will die.
His dehydration had already progressed beyond twenty percent.
Oral rehydration therapy had long since become impossible, and even intravenous fluid was not enough in quantity.
At times like this, blood really was the best option.
There was even a saying that the best IV fluid was the blood of a healthy person.
The problem was how exactly he was supposed to give it, and how he was supposed to choose the donor.
Kanghyeok’s gaze naturally turned toward the kitchen.
If possible, it’d be best if Dolseok or Makbong turned out to be compatible.
The patients there could not donate blood even if they matched.
They were barely managing themselves as it was. If he tried a transfusion recklessly, he might end up causing multiple deaths.
“We need to move this patient deeper inside first.”
Kanghyeok pointed to a secluded room farther inside Bojewon.
It was not far from the place where he had been examining patients earlier that day.
“If we move him there, will there really be some way to save him? We still need to look after the patients here too…”
Heo Jun spoke while glancing around worriedly.
Even if they were not having seizures, the others were in much the same condition.
It seemed necessary for at least one person to remain behind and take care of them.
This was not like Dongpa’s side, where they had outright set a rule that the patients were to eat or drink nothing at all.
“Mm. Then, Physician Heo, stay here with Heo Im and prepare the fluid the way I showed you earlier. Keep giving it to them. I’ll take Dolseok, Makbong, and handle this patient over there.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll do my utmost.”
“Yes. I’m counting on you.”
After leaving the two Heos in charge of the remaining patients, Kanghyeok called out to Dolseok and Makbong.
“You two, come here for a moment!”
“Yes, Young Master. We already drew water and put it there in advance.”
“No, not that. We need to move a patient.”
“Ah… yes.”
The two of them rushed over at once.
Perhaps because they had been in the middle of boiling water, they were drenched in sweat.
Looking at their shiny faces, they seemed unusually healthy today.
Yes. If even one of these two matches, that’ll be enough.
Thinking of making a human blood bag, Kanghyeok lifted the patient and carried him off.
All three of them were large men, so moving a single patient was easy work.
They reached the secluded room in no time.
It seemed to have been used as a bedroom, since bedding had already been spread out.
With a satisfied look, Kanghyeok nodded and opened the house-call bag.
There’s only one IV line… but there are plenty of syringes.
In other words, drawing blood itself would not be a problem at all.
Though the process would be a bit troublesome.
“All right. Lay the patient down here first…”
“Yes.”
“Now then… let’s see what his veins are like.”
“Ah, you’re planning to give him an acupuncture injection, I see. Well, people would think it was strange if you did it out there where everyone could see.”
Dolseok muttered to himself with a nod.
He even wore a look that said he completely understood.
This idiot doesn’t understand a damn thing.
The fool was standing there grinning, even though he might soon be reduced to a blood bag.
Kanghyeok felt a slight twinge of pity as he wrapped a rubber band tightly around the patient’s upper arm.
Because the blood pressure was so low, it was hard to find a vein.
Mm… maybe I should just draw it first.
Since he intended to test the blood reaction, there was no need to connect an IV line just yet.
Kanghyeok swiftly inserted the syringe and drew a small amount of blood.
“Mm…”
The patient only groaned once and never opened his eyes.
His condition was poor enough that he did not seem able to respond.
He really will die in just a little while.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he grew even more pressed for time.
For some reason, he even felt as though he were losing to Dongpa.
That won’t do.
Eventually, time would reveal who had been right.
But he hated the thought that, even for a moment, other people might believe otherwise.
“All right. That’s done. You two lie down as well.”
“Huh?”
Makbong’s eyes went round at the unexpected words.
Dolseok wore a similar expression, and even Yeoju, who had followed the three of them inside, looked no different.
“What exactly do you mean…?”
“Ah. I just need to check something. It’ll only sting a little, so lie down.”
“Sting…?”
Makbong scratched the back of his head and lay down on the floor first.
The patient was already lying on the bedding, and there was not enough room to shove him aside and take his place there.
Besides, getting unnecessarily close could increase the chance of catching this disease that made people pass watery stool.
“All right, let’s see.”
With a thoroughly pleased look on his face, Kanghyeok drew Makbong’s blood.
As expected of someone who practiced taekkyeon all the time and also worked night services, his veins were excellent.
Just from the look of them, Kanghyeok felt that even drawing a full liter would probably not cause any real problem.
Now then… shall I mix one drop at a time?
A test where one drop of the recipient’s blood and one drop of the donor’s blood were mixed together.
It was called a crossmatch test.
It was an extremely primitive method, but it was certainly effective.
“Mm.”
“What are you doing? Mixing the blood like that.”
“Wait.”
Kanghyeok waved a hand and watched the reaction between the two samples.
There was no need for anything especially technical.
He only had to leave them as they were and observe for a short time.
“Damn.”
A moment later, a sigh full of disappointment escaped Kanghyeok’s lips.
The blood had instantly mixed and clumped together.
It had solidified like stone. There was no way they were the same blood type.
If I inject this, he’ll die immediately.
Sometimes, even a transfusion with the same blood type could go wrong. In a case like this, the patient would definitely die.
“This won’t work. Dolseok, lie down.”
“Me too?”
“Yes. You too.”
“Uh… I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Dolseok also scratched the back of his head and lay down on the floor.
He too had excellent veins, probably because he ate well and moved around constantly every day.
To exaggerate only a little, they looked like the sort you could hit even from a distance.
“Good. Your blood comes out well. If you match, you’d be even better than Makbong.”
“Really? Hehe. I don’t know what this is about, but that makes me feel good.”
Kanghyeok forcibly swallowed the word moron and finished drawing the blood.
Then he mixed it with the patient’s blood the same way he had before.
“Let’s see…”
“Mm. Isn’t this no different from before?”
Dolseok pointed at the droplet of blood, which had turned into a red clot.
Just as he said, Dolseok’s blood was not much different either.
“Ha.”
“Why are you like this?”
Disappointment filled Kanghyeok’s eyes.
Should I try Yeoju too…?
Before he knew it, the disappointment had receded, and curiosity had taken its place.
No. She’s too small… I’d have to draw quite a lot.
While he was still thinking, Yeoju spoke first.
Wearing the exact same expression Kanghyeok had just been making.
“Young Master, why don’t you try yourself?”
“Hm? Me?”
Could there be a more fitting time for the phrase “a flail out of nowhere in the middle of the night”?
Kanghyeok scratched the back of his head with a sullen look.
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Uh…”
“Try it.”
“Yeoju. Are you good at drawing blood?”
“What? Of course. I’m extremely good at it.”
“I see… then let’s try it.”
“Ah, yes.”
Without showing any sign of nervousness, Yeoju calmly tied a rubber band around Kanghyeok’s arm.
It had been quite a long time since they had faced each other at such close range like this, and as expected, a beauty was still a beauty.
She really… with a face like this, she’s been suffering by following me around. Suffering indeed.
If he had left her in her hometown, there was a high chance she would have died by now, but still.
Whatever the case, it was impossible not to feel some pity.
“Do I mix it like before?”
“Yes, let’s try it once. Though I don’t think mine will match either…”
It was not a belief based on any real evidence, but somehow that was how it felt.
After all, was he not type B?
Not as rare as AB, perhaps, but rarer than A.
Of course it’s rare. Very rare.
Kanghyeok’s instincts were rarely wrong, and as always, he believed in them completely.
But it took only a few minutes for that worthless confidence of his to shatter.
“This looks a bit different from before, doesn’t it?”
“No, why isn’t it clotting?”