Part 37: A New Ally

Hmm... No, that was our last patient.
Phew. This is even harder than I thought it would be... Ever since the HOA took their picks from our staff, we're all seeing a lot more patients.
You're right. I wonder if we'll be able to get any new recruits to fill the positions.
I don't now. I've heard that hospitals everywhere are facing the same shortages.
But if this keeps up, it's really going to slow us down.
Yeah... well, if you think we're being slowed down, you should've seen how angry Victor was. He said the PGS research is suffering because Acropolis is prioritizing their HOA projects. It seems like all of Caduceus is having problems coping with this situation.



Derek! Would you mind if I borrowed Angie for a bit!?
Something wrong, Tyler!?
What do you need me for?
One of my patients has suddenly become unstable, and we need to operate immediately! And Leslie is helping Dr. Clarks with another operation, so I don't have an assistant!

Is there only two nurses in this highly-funded place?

...Actually, considering recent situation, that's hightly plausible.

Are you serious!? Angie, can you help?
Certainly! Dr. Chase, let's go!
Thanks, Angie! I appreciate it!

*Tyler and Angie leave*

Things just can't continue like this...

PA System: "Attention Dr. Stiles. You have a visitor in the waiting room."

...I wonder who that could be...



Hello. Nice seeing you after, what, three chapters?

Ms. Ross! How've you been? Are you feeling OK?
Yes, actually. So far, there haven't been any signs of latent symptoms either. It's all thanks to the advances in GUILT treatment, and a wonderful doctor.
Great, I'm glad to hear you're doing well. But, um... About Emilio...
I-I'm sorry about before. I kind of lost it... As a nurse, it was unprofessional of me to criticize you on such a difficult decision. I apologize, Dr. Stiles. I hope you can forgive me.

Heather is nice to give a direct apology. Unlike someone else...

...It was my fault too. There must've been a better option. I still regret not being able to save Emilio.
Dr. Stiles...
That's why... I've got to make sure I don't make that kind of mistake, ever again. This is my way of remembering Emilio, and his last wish, to do everything I can to make sure all my patients pull through.

The game still isn't very good at showing us this "mistake".

...I'm sure that Emilio would be happy to hear you say that. I plan on making some changes in my life too, Doctor. In fact, that's why I'm here today.
Oh... I see. Um, how can I help you?





I've already cleared my potential transfer with Elysium.
Wow, so you're really serious about this!
Yes... I've felt that I needed a change of pace lately. Coming here would also improve my nursing skills, and seeing how Caduceus is so understaffed...
Well, I think it's a great idea.
I'm looking forward to working with everyone... assuming I meet the qualifications. I'll do my best to make Caduceus proud.
I'm sure you'll fit in just fine, Heather.



You've got quite an impressive resume here.
Thank you. I take my professional development very seriously.
I'm sure you're well aware, but we're facing a severe shortage of personnel right now. We'd be happy to have someone of your caliber help alleviate our staffing problem.
Then... I got the job...?
Well, since you have surgical experience, we'll put you in that department for the time being. We'll evaluate your performance and go from there. Though, I'm sure there won't be any problems.
Thank you very much, Dr. Kasal! If you don't mind, I'd like to start getting familiar with the facility right away!
I'm glad it all worked out, Heather.
Yes, me too!
......

*Intercom beeps*

Excuse me a moment. *picks up* This is Sidney. ...What...? I see... Yes. ...Alright. We'll admit him. *hangs up*



He's a 30-year-old male who was once infected with Triti. The affected area is his stomach. I'm assigning the patient to you, Derek.

Interesting that this is the only PGS patient whose GUILT was explicitly told.

...! But Chief, Angie's still assisting Dr. Chase in the O.R.!
Well, we just hired a new nurse, Derek.

How could you forget that

That's right! You have the same nursing license as Angie, don't you?
I'll assist you to the best of my ability, Dr. Stiles.
Alright, let's get down to the operating room.
Yes, sir!



Well, shit

Y-Yes...
...Does it bother you that Ms. Thompson isn't the one assisting you today?
N-No, of course not...!
Then, I'll continue.
As Chief Kasal mentioned, our patient was infected with the "Triti" GUILT in the past.
Triti... That's the GUILT that hardens organs.
Correct. We've located some foreign bodies in his stomach, but we can't confirm that it's GUILT. THe X-Ray shows these objects piercing the stomach wall. Thus, there are two objectives in this operation:

• Treat the injuries to the stomach.
  
• Extract the foreign bodies.

ALright. First, we have to find out what these foreign bodies are... Are you ready, Heather?
...Wait... No! We don't have enough surgical tools!
What...!?
We don't have any syringes to inject the stabilizer with, and there's hardly enough antibiotic gel either!
Damn... How could this happen!? I guess we've been so understaffed that no one had time to check the supply...
Doctor, maybe we should postpone the operation until--
No... We've got to perform the procedure!
What...!?
The patient's condition is worsening as we speak. If we don't treat him now it may be too late.
B-But, Doctor...!
Don't worry. We can still do this, even with a limited supply. We just have to stay on our toes. It could've been bad if we found this out in the middle of the operation. Thank you, Heather. Now... let's get started.
Right away!



Operation Video


Let's begin the operation. I've never done this before, but I'll try my best, Dr. Stiles. Like I said earlier, keeping the patient's vitals up is going to be difficult. We can't inject the stabilizer, and this is all we have left of the antibiotic gel. We'll need to be very careful.



3 taps is enough to fully cover the incision line and give us that Cool. Otherwise, you can just open him up and eat a Bad.

There's more than enough gel to last the operation even if we use them like usual here, but it's nice to save some for later.

By the way, I don't know why the max vitals is 80. There's no way we're reaching that. The maximum vitals we can get in this operation is...72.



There's severe hemorrhaging in the affected area. Please drain the blood pools first. Once you have a clear view, make incisions where the foreign objects are lodged. Toxicosis has also set in, so don't forget to inject the sedative.

Even though there's no stabilizer, we still need to dispel the toxicosis. It may not drain vitals by itself, but it does make everything else drain vitals faster.

Otherwise, everything else is pretty standard. Drain the blood pool, cut the stomach to expose the object, then drain the blood pool again...



D-Doctor! Wh-What is this...!?
It's... Triti! But... it doesn't seem to be active. These may be its remains...! I wonder... Could this be a form of PGS?
How are we going to treat it, Doctor?
We have to be mindful of the direction they're lodged in and extract them with the forceps.
That means we'll need to extract all of these Triti remains first.Then we can apply synthetic membranes and affix-- Wait, what if we run out of antibiotic gel?
We'll have no choice... I'll just have to suture the wounds, even though it will affect his vitals.

Unless you're applying gels like crazy, you shouldn't run out of it. There's more than enough for everything.



The thorns are like UtK (but not SO), by the way. In that the lower part is longer than the upper one. Make sure that the thorns are fully removed before moving them to the tray.

There's only a few thorns here compared to tons in Triti operations, but it's still a nasty surprise. It's annoyingly easy to get a Miss here



A tap is enough to affix the membrane. Even though, like I said before, there's more than enough even if we use them liberally like usual.



We're done treating the wounds, but the toxicosis isn't subsiding.

The stomach will automatically go into full toxicosis here.

Could there be wounds we haven't found yet!?
I don't see anything on the surface, but let's try looking with the ultrasound.

We use the ultrasound twice before the patient convulses.

Huh!?



Wh-What is this!? Why did it suddenly start to hemorrhage!?
So there were some wounds left! Let's hurry and treat them!
I-Indeed! Please begin draining the blood!

Well, sucks to be someone who got to this part with like 10 vitals left with no HT!



Blood pools will eventually return if we don't cut/remove/affix fast enough, so we did the first wave two at a time.

With HT, though, it's very easy to do all 5 at once

Extraction of the Triti remains and the treatment of the wounds are complete...
It looks like we're done now...
Yes, the toxicosis seems to have completely subsided.
Thank goodness.. That concludes this treatment.



Since we can't use the stabilizer, we have to burn the gel to raise the vitals. It takes quite a while.



It's probably not worth it, to be honest.





You'll get exactly 85 combo if you do everything perfectly. We can get higher if we let more blood pools form.



I'd say the operation was a success, thanks to you.
Oh, hardly. I'm just honored to have been able to assist you, Dr. Stiles.
Haha, now you're embarrassing me.
*chuckle*
You really know what you're doing, though. I'm sure Chief Kasal will have no qualms about making you permanent now. Keep up the great work.
I'll try, Doctor.



Oh, Ms. Ross! What brings you here?
Long itme no see, Ms. Thompson. Actually, I just got hired. Today is my first day.
Wh-What...? Really...?
She'll be my assistant when you're helping the other doctors, Angie.
O-Oh... I see...

I hope Angie won't be having another bout of jealousy...

Ms. Thompson... I know I have a lot to learn, but I'll do my best to keep up.
O-Of course. If you have any questions, just let me know... So, um, welcome. It'll be great to have a nurse of your ability to help us out around here. ...Right, Dr. Stiles?
Y-Yeah...

Don't you feel GUILTy for plagiarism?



5-5 No Escape

Toxicosis existing, all wounds needing to be cut, the thorns not being symmetrical, and more membranes needing to be placed. This operation is harder than the NB one in every single way.

By the way, this is the final PGS operation in the game. To commemorate that, here's a bonus video of this operation done without HT.

Bonus Operation Video

The bandage Misses are intentional