An Engineer Performing a Surgery?
2542 Words
An urgent shout! It seemed something just happened outside the laboratory.
A plethora of workers and professors running in the hallway made Catarina and Michael a little bit curious. Because based on where they are heading, they seemed to be rushing towards the clinic.
“Did someone got hurt again?” Catarina asked.
“I don’t know...but it wasn’t supposed to be this serious…” Michael said.
“Why don’t we check it out?” Catarina suggested.
“Okay…”
Agreeing to her suggestion, Michael and Catarina rushed to the scene where they saw a lot of people on their way towards the scene. As soon as they arrived, they saw more people congregating in one area seemingly watching something.
their faces hardened after seeing the man’s condition.
Indistinct chattering and muttering can be heard, Michael and Catarina slipped and squeezed through the crowds and finally saw the center of attention.
It was a man bleeding on his abdomen, possibly a gunshot wound, lying down on a cot.
“What the...did someone fire a gun inside?” Catarina hurriedly asked. This type of accident is uncommon.
“No, probably they came from the outside,” Michael answered.
“This…”
Catarina scanned the man. It was a middle-aged man with a gunshot wound, but his condition was quite bad. He looked as pale as a corpse, and he was barely conscious. He was still alive, but it wouldn’t be long before he passes out any moment now.
“The location of the wound is…”
The doctor who is tending the patient swallowed a groan, and Catarina felt the same. ‘On his right side, to be precise, is where the spleen should be.’ A hard voice called for them.
“How is he? You must save him!”
Blond hair and blue eyes. He was incredibly handsome, having a cold face. He was wearing normal clothes like every other citizen, but a strong aura could be felt from him.
“…!”
But Catarina’s body froze looking at him. ‘What is this feeling…..?” It was a man she met for the first time but strangely he seemed familiar. She wondered if she had met him before, but it was definitely someone she saw for the first time. But she still tilted her head at the intense familiarity she felt.
‘Catarina?’ On the other hand, the Crown Prince, Eins von Granzreich, was surprised upon seeing her. He didn’t think he would see her as soon as he got to this facility. ‘She’s become more skinny.’ She was wearing a white coat that engineers often wore and not her usual dresses. Strangely, it looked good on her.
As the Emperor intended, she did look a bit tired, but her face was bright. No, to be exact, her face was lively. ‘Did she always make those expressions?’ The Crown Prince had seen Catarina since she was a young girl, but it was the first time he saw that face.
“How is Julius’s condition? Can you save him?”
That was the end of his thoughts. Right now, the important thing was the survival of his loyal servant, not Catarina. The Crown Prince asked the doctor.
The doctor in shift opened his mouth as he stood silently.
“…It’ll be difficult.”
“…!”
The Crown Prince, Eins’s face hardened. His aura became more fierce.
“What do you mean? Be specific, doctor.”
“The bullet has passed through his spleen. The spleen is a hypervascular organ with many veins. It’s impossible to stop the bleeding, so, unfortunately, there isn’t anything we can do.”
“…!”
Eins bit his lips. He would die? There was nothing they could do?
“Are you sure? Is there really no way to treat him?”
“Yes, I’m sorry but…the area is too damaged. There’s no way to treat that kind of injury.”
At his words, Linden gripped something from his chest. And after seeing what he pulled out, Michael and Catarina’s eyes widened in shock.
A cross. Two animals on their hind legs. And the sentences.
Honi soit qui mal y pense (May dishonor be with one with wickedness).
Dieu et mon droit (Power of God and me).
They were words of the Imperial Granzreich Family!
“W-What…?”
The doctor stuttered his words because he was so surprised. Catarina was as well. ‘Who is it? He’s not of the royal family. What happened?’ The royal family had symbolic gold eyes that signified their supernatural powers. So the man with blue eyes definitely wasn’t part of the Imperial Family.
It could be a relative of the Imperial Family, but Catarina, who knew the faces of the high nobles, had never seen his face.
The man spoke in a low voice.
“You can use any method. The cost doesn’t matter. Save him using whatever means possible. If you save him, I’ll be responsible for any consequences.”
He was so desperate. Catarina knew the area, there’s no nearby hospital in the city so maybe he somehow thought that the Therese Institute of Engineering has a clinic that tends the injuries of the workers.
But the doctor is just a physician, the man needs surgery. He’s not capable of doing such a delicate operation.
‘Do I need to step in? In my former life on earth. Thanks to my connections I was able to enter medical school and can be considered as a doctor...She knew how to save the man’s life but she had no experience. He could kill the guy but she’s the only one who understands the situation.
The doctor bit his lips from the difficult situation. ‘s**t, what should I do? There’s no way to treat an injury near the spleen.’ He was someone related to the Imperial Family, but they couldn’t make the impossible possible for him. No one could. Even the Royal Cross Hospital, the palace physician, or any other doctor in the empire could treat that kind of wound.
But it was then. Completely unexpected words came from his back.
“Understood. We’ll do our best.”
“…?! Emilia?”
The doctor turned back at his disciple in surprise. Michael as well. His disciple was looking at the patient with a hardened face.
“Oy, Emilia!? What do you mean we’ll do our best? You’re not even a doctor…!”
“Doctor, I can do it.”
What was this nonsense?
“What nonsense is that Miss Emilia? The bullet went through his spleen! It’s impossible! I think it’s better for you to let the professional handle this.”
The doctor explained why treating it was impossible.
“The spleen has infinitely many veins! The bullet must have gone through all of them, and stopping the bleeding is impossible!”
“I know. It’s impossible to stop the bleeding for each of those veins.”
“You know and you’re talking about treating it?”
The doctor thought the girl had spoken up in pity for the patient without thinking about what might come next. But then, the girl spoke.
“We can cut off the spleen.”
“…What?”
“Fixing the veins within the spleen is impossible. Then we can just cut off the spleen and tie off the veins heading there. Then the bleeding will stop.”
“…!”
In her words, The doctor’s face was filled with shock. As a doctor. He understood what she was trying to say. ‘Yes, now that she said that…’
He swallowed. ‘There’s no need to stop the bleeding within the spleen. If we cut off the spleen and tie the arteries heading there, the bleeding will surely be stopped! But how did she think of that?’
It was definitely possible to stop the bleeding that way. It was simple, but a method that no one had thought of before. Even Count Graham, who had established the basics of medicine, hadn’t been able to think of that.
‘Just what is this child?!!’ But it wasn’t like it was completely free of problems. The doctor sharply asked.
“The spleen is located deep in the abdominal cavity! What are you going to do about the pancreas, greater omentum, and other organs located near it?”
But the girl answered without hesitation.
“First, after disconnecting the ligament that supports the spleen, we can rotate the location of the spleen.”
“…!”
It was an explanation that he couldn’t follow. The girl seemed to have a method in her head, but he couldn’t follow it.
“Then, who’s going to do the surgery? I don’t have the abilities to do the surgery you’re talking about.”
The girl looked at him with firm eyes.
“I’ll do it.”
“…What?”
“I’ll do it. I can do it.”
“!!!”
The doctor was surprised. This intern from the engineering department for less than a month would lead a surgery on this scale? No that’s not the problem. Does she even have the qualifications to do the surgery? She’s an engineer so why is she stepping in?
But then, the girl spoke in a desperate voice.
“Doctor, I understand you think that it’s impossible and would be rude to you that an engineer would propose and say such an incredulous thing. But…please trust me this once. I’ll definitely save him. I can save him.”
“…!”
“If we leave him alone, the patient will definitely die. But if we use the method I speak about, we might be able to save him. No, he’ll definitely be saved, so please trust me this once.”
It was then.
The Crown Prince’s low voice was directed at her.
“Can you really save him?”
Catarina looked at him.
“It’s possible. No, I definitely will.”
The Crown Prince looked back at her. Her blue eyes were shining with the will to save the patient.
“…!”
The Crown Prince’s eyes shook looking at her strong will. Was she really a child? He hid his surprise and spoke coldly.
“Can you really do it? I won’t forgive irresponsible courage.”
He knew well about Catarina. She was a scholar who just announced that she was going to be an engineer. An official doctor said it was impossible. But she was going to do the surgery?
On the other hand, Catarina bit her lips. ‘There’s no time. We have to go into surgery now.’Even at this moment, the patient’s spleen was losing much blood. She was anxious because as every second passed, his chances of surviving went down.
“I want to save this man. Please trust me. I’ll do my best. I’ll definitely save him.”
“…!”
It was a voice filled with anxiousness and desperation. The Crown Prince’s eyes shook again at her will to save the patient. Eventually, he spoke.
“Alright. You must save him. Can you do that?”
He was surprised at himself saying those words. He was really entrusting Julius’s surgery to that girl? But there wasn’t any other method. If time passed, Julius was definitely going to die, so he needed to grab anything he could, right?
‘Also….’ The eyes of his soon-to-be fiance. He was shaken at the firm will in her eyes. He had met many doctors as the Crown Prince of the Empire, but he had never seen a doctor with such desperate eyes for their patient.
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
And so the surgery began.
…
Immediately after, the surgery began. The patient was in a critical condition, so even a second was precious. They were about to start the surgery with anesthesia, but there was a problem.
“Who else will go in the surgery?”
Catarina and the doctor would do it, but 2 people weren’t enough. They need at least one more person to do the second assistant role. The problem was that it was late at night, and there were no doctors nearby the city, so there weren’t any doctors to enter the surgery with them.
Catarina had a complicated face at the unexpected problem. But it wasn’t possible to do the surgery with just the two of them. They needed one more person. But then, an unexpected person stepped in.
“Do you need more people? Then I’ll help.”
“…!”
It was the Crown Prince. Catarina and the doctor looked at him in surprise.
“But…”
“Isn’t there nothing else you can do? 2 years ago, when I participated in the Angeli War, I experienced treating some people. I’ll be more of a help than some random person.”
Catarina considered his words. ‘What should I do? Will it be ok?’
The participation of surgery by a person not related to the field. It was unimaginable back on Earth. And it goes the same for her.
‘But the second assistant role in this spleen surgery is quite simple, so it doesn’t have to be an experienced doctor.’
The second assistant's role was to hold the surgical supplies, and medical knowledge was almost unneeded.
“Decide quickly. There is little time.”
Catarina decided on his words. As he said, there wasn’t enough time. It was better to enter the surgery now before waiting for another doctor to be free. ‘If I lead well, he’ll be able to do it.’
“But will it be ok? The appearance of the surgery might be unpleasant.”
It was a question out of respect for the noble-looking man. But the reply was simple.
“It’s something to save my person.”
To help with a dangerous surgery like this himself wasn’t something a Crown Prince should do. And his servant, Julius, wasn’t his right hand either. Julius wasn’t someone who followed him. What wouldn’t he do for ‘his people?’
- Writer
