Part 21: Collapse
"Can you imagine how heavy your hands would be with the Healing Touch? There aren't many doctors who could endure such a weight..."
Why was I so conceited...? If only I gave it more thought... If I wasn't so damn confident in my ability... I might've been able to save both Heather and Emilio... Or... would Heather have just taken Emilio's place...?
Ngh...! Thinking about my actions doesn't change what happened! It won't bring Emilio back!
...Um, Dr. Stiles? Are you... OK? You don't look so good...
Yeah... I'm ready to go.
Welcome back from Bitchfield, Angie.
Um... Maybe you should get a little more rest... Actually, that was Director Hoffman's suggestion... And--
Thanks for your concern, Angie. But I can't do that. I'm a doctor of Caduceus. I can't let my personal problems interfere with my work.
But...
(It's true, isn't it...? I don't have time to sit around and think. There are still patients who need to be treated.)
......
What!?
What happened!?
Dr. Tulba suddenly collapsed! He's got a high fever, too!
...!
Welp.
It seems that he's had an onset of that disease we treated while we were in Costigar.
What!? Then it was lying dormant inside him this whole time!?
Those subcutaneous bleedings and lacerations have already formed on his abdomen and he's suffering from a fever over 102 degrees... Doctor, we have to hurry!
You're right! We have an idea of how to treat it this time. Don't worry, Angie. We'll cure him.
Understood. There are two objectives for this operation:
- Treat the lacerations on the abdomen.
- Treat the internal hemorrhaging.
Operation Video
...Let's begin the operation. We'll use the same procedure as when we dealt with this in Africa. Find the areas that have internal hemorrhaging, make an incision, and then drain the blood. Finally, suture the incision. ...That's the treatment plan.
Understood. Hang in there, Adel! We're going to save you!
This operation is pretty much the exact same as before with a few exceptions.
The first exception is that Adel will starts off with some blood pockets already. Like before, we should raise vitals to max before treating the final blood pocket.
Vitals are still unstable... There are more internal hemorrhages!
5 blood pockets appear at once. In this fever operation, these blood pockets will start off very close to bursting, so our best bet is to cut all of them at once. Again, make sure to raise vitals to max before treating the final one.
His skin's condition has improved, but his vitals won't stabilize... There must be something else... Wh-What the--!? More internal hemorrhages! I'm detecting a large number of them! Please deal with them quickly!
And here we have the second exception: the blood pockets will form endlessly after this point. Treating an odd number of it will cause 2 more to form, with the maximum of 5. Treating an even number of it won't cause any to form, so it's best to treat 2 at a time.
We can treat as many as we want, but the blood pockets will keep appearing. Angie will tell us that we have to use the Healing Touch, so let's do that.
(...!? Wh-What? This feeling... ...It's not right! It's not how I usually feel! ...That must have been a coincidence. Try to imagine the star again!)
(This can't be! I-I'm concentrating! No, I'm not done! I have to concentrate harder!)
Doctor? What's wrong!? You don't look too good!
It's... nothing. I'm alright... Let's continue the operation!
Wh-Why!? Why can't I reach that state?
Doctor!? Come on! You need to do something, or Adel will--
Ngh...! What's wrong with me!? Why can't I use the Healing Touch!?
Doctor...!? What's wrong!?
Calm down, Derek! I'll finish this for you...!
Director Hoffman...!? What's happened to me...!?
Ms. Thompson, take Dr. Stiles out of the operating room and make him get some rest. Also, please send in Chief Kasal immediately!
Y-Yes, sir! Come on, Dr. Stiles... Let's go.
D-Director... I-I...
WELP.
Yes, we could've ended this operation in 5 seconds. It would've given us the worst rank, though.
That was fascinating. Perhaps you truly are a descendent of Asclepius... In all honestly, he may not have pulled through if you hadn't stepped in.
Remember that Hoffman also has the Healing Touch.
I'm just glad we were able to save him. Although, it's hard to be happy, considering the circumstances.
...You're referring to Derek...
Yes... I'd like to believe that his slump will only be temporary but what happened at Elysium has been weighing heavily on my mind.
You mean... Emilio Juarez's death...?
Yes... I, too, once relied on the Healing Touch, and it led me to make a mistake that can never be undone. I vowed never to pick up a scalpel again. Of course... that was until an old friend of mine helped me find my courage again.
He's talking about Secretary Anderson here.
......
I just hope that Derek will be able to overcome this.
I wasn't able to...
This was the second time I failed... Adel almost lost his life because of me. Why couldn't I use the Healing Touch...? Have I lost the ability to invoke it...? Is it possible that I can't save anyone anymore...?