When I'm on the night shift, all the department heads can't sleep.

Lin Ye didn't know how long he had slept.

When I opened my eyes again, my back was warm from the thin blanket, and my mind went blank for a moment.

A short beep came from the motor outside the door.

Nurse Zhao's voice came through the door.

"Meng Chi, 27 years old, follow-up ECG. Stop sitting up and fidgeting all the time. You've been doing this for so long. And you, his girlfriend, should move aside a bit and not block the leads."

The young man asked in a muffled voice, "Nurse, I'm really fine now. Can I go back to sleep?"

"The ECG results aren't even out yet, and you're already talking to me about going home?"

Nurse Zhao didn't indulge him.

"Who helped you in when you had chest tightness and numbness in your hands? Now that you're feeling better, you want to run away? Is the emergency room your company's time clock?"

It got quiet outside for a moment.

The blood pressure cuff began to inflate, and the cardiac motor beeped again.

Lin Ye lay there without leaving immediately.

Until the sound of an electrocardiogram sheet being torn off outside the door was heard.

Lin Ye then got up, opened the door, and went out.

The lights in the observation area were a shade dimmer than before, and half of the beds along the wall were occupied. Meng Chi was on the observation bed near the door, leaning against the headboard, his shoulders less tense, and his lips still a little pale.

His girlfriend sat on a plastic stool next to him, her knees pressed together, her phone tucked into her coat pocket, a shiny edge peeking out.

As soon as she saw Lin Ye come out, she immediately stood up.

"Doctor, is he feeling better? Can he walk now?"

His voice was hoarser than before.

Later that day, she and Meng Chi had an argument outside the observation area. When Meng Chi was having trouble breathing and his hands were numb, she followed him all the way to the observation post and asked him several times if it was from the argument.

Lin Ye did not respond to the question, "Can you leave?"

Nurse Zhao has already written the retest values ​​on the observation sheet.

Blood oxygen 98.

Blood pressure is 118-172.

Heart rate 86.

Meng Chi also glanced at the observation sheet. He couldn't understand the numbers, but Nurse Zhao wasn't worried, so he was relieved.

"See, I told you I was fine. My chest doesn't feel tight, and my hands aren't numb, I'm just sleepy. Doctor, I really do have a meeting tomorrow morning."

Nurse Zhao handed over the new electrocardiogram.

I don't know if he'll be here by tomorrow morning; he's still with me tonight. You should let the doctor see him first.

Lin Ye arranged the three electrocardiograms in order of time.

The first image was taken when I first arrived, the second after I caught my breath, and the third while the machine was still warm. The rhythm was normal, the ST segment was neither significantly elevated nor depressed, and the T wave showed little difference before and after.

Looking at these three papers, it can only be concluded that there are no obvious changes at the moment.

Meng Chi was still able to sit up by the bedside; his blood pressure, blood oxygen, and heart rate hadn't dropped. Based on these figures alone, when the cardiology department answered the phone, they would only ask for the supporting evidence first.

However, the blue text frame at the edge of the field of vision was still lit up.

[Node review triggered.]

[Current basis: Insufficient information.]

[Note: Insufficient evidence was disclosed.]

There is no countdown.

There is no clearer direction for the risks.

The landline at the nurses' station rang once and was quickly answered. Lin Ye's cell phone was still on the most recent call list, with the cardiology doctor's number on the first line.

He really wanted to make the call.

It wasn't because the electrocardiogram was scary enough, but because those few lines of blue text were still bright at the edge of my field of vision, and hadn't faded.

Lin Ye knew without even thinking what the cardiology department would ask if they actually answered the phone.

This is the umpteenth time I've experienced chest pain.

Are there any dynamic changes in electrocardiogram?

How much troponin?

Does the family have a history of such issues?

Have you ever fainted after exercise?

He can only answer the first part now. The second part is left blank.

Lin Ye turned off the call interface.

The call was not made.

He took the electrocardiogram to the nurses' station.

Qin Hai was still sitting behind the computer working on previous medical records, a half-cup of strong tea beside the keyboard, now completely cold. The little bit of energy he'd managed to get before taking over the shift was now almost completely worn away by the bloodshot eyes.

He heard someone approaching, but didn't look up at first.

"What are you planning to do now?"

Lin Ye placed the three pictures in front of him.

"Meng Chi's follow-up ECG showed no significant changes. His vital signs are stable. His troponin level hasn't reached the retest point yet; the previous test was near the upper limit of the reference range."

Qin Hai then moved the chair forward a little.

He doesn't look at pictures very quickly.

He first checked the rhythm, then the chest leads, and thirdly combined the earliest and latest images. He also scanned the electrolyte and blood glucose levels that had just been printed out; potassium, sodium, and chloride were all within the normal range, and blood glucose was stable.

"Were you trying to call the cardiology department just now?"

Lin Ye nodded.

"I've thought about it."

Qin Hai snorted.

"If you can still put it back after thinking about it, then there's still some hope for you."

He placed the latest electrocardiogram on top, his tone still firm.

"Calling the cardiology department isn't about passing your fear onto others. The ST segment isn't showing any dynamic changes, troponin is near its upper limit, blood pressure and blood oxygen are stable, and the patient is still sitting here haggling with you. If you call them now, the first thing they'll ask you is, 'Why should I?'"

Lin Ye did not refute.

Qin Hai pushed the electrolyte test results in front of him.

"In the emergency room, you can be afraid of missing something, but you can't give orders based on fear. You need to give the other person something they can handle. Write down the follow-up appointment time, the follow-up tests, the conditions that prevent them from leaving, and what parts of the medical history are missing. Draw blood and do an ECG at the appointed time. If they experience chest pain, sweating, blurred vision, fainting, or if the ECG changes and the phone rings again, then it's not because you're being overly anxious."

Zhou Min happened to come over from the triage desk to pick up the verification booklet.

She stayed behind to help out the night shift, her voice a little cold as she put a mint in her mouth.

"One more thing, don't put your name at the top and make yourself a target. Who reviews, who takes over, who gives medical orders, all of that should be recorded in the records. You can call the head doctor, but you have to provide evidence. You can't just say you're not comfortable with it."

When Nurse Zhao returned after changing the IV fluid for another patient, she heard the second half of the sentence and put the treatment tray back on the table.

"Xiao Lin, this may sound harsh, but you have to listen. Don't back down when you should, and don't drag people out of bed and get yelled at when you shouldn't. We scare people in the ER every day, but we have to scare them with evidence."

Qin Hai glanced at her.

"You shouldn't add fuel to the fire either."

Nurse Zhao rolled her eyes.

"I added iodine, not oil."

Zhou Min couldn't help but laugh, but quickly looked down and flipped through the notebook again.

Just as the nurses at the station were starting to feel a little better, the monitoring sounds from the red zone came through again.

Lin Ye turned to Meng Chi's medical record.

He added the retested vital signs, the comparison of three electrocardiograms, the troponin level from the previous tube, and the date of the next follow-up examination. Finally, he wrote a line under the observation conditions: chest tightness, chest pain, sweating, dizziness, blurred vision, fainting; notify the doctor immediately if any of these occur.

After writing this, he did not return to the duty room.

He returned to the observation bed, pulled over a stool, and sat down.

Meng Chi was still thinking about leaving, but seeing him sit down, he immediately cut him off.

"Doctor, I really didn't mean to hide it. I've just been too tired lately, and we just had an argument. It's normal to be short of breath, right?"

"Whether it's normal or not, we need to ask all the questions before we can answer."

Lin Ye looked at him.

"How did you get through the past two weeks? Alcohol, energy drinks, colds and fevers, exercise—don't try to put it nicely."

Meng Chi was getting annoyed by the questions, but he didn't dare to lash out.

"The company is rushing to finish a project, so I've been working on it for twelve days straight. I drink two cans of energy drinks a day, sometimes three. I haven't been drinking much alcohol, just two bottles of beer with friends over the weekend. I had a slight fever last week, so I bought some cold medicine and got better in two days."

Nurse Zhao chimed in from the side.

"What's the fever level?"

"A little over thirty-seven degrees, but not quite thirty-eight."

"What's the name of the medicine?"

Meng Chi got stuck.

"The kind you get from the pharmacy, I threw the box away."

Nurse Zhao glanced at Lin Ye, said nothing more, and simply added this sentence to the observation form.

Lin Ye turned to his girlfriend.

She had been standing at the foot of the bed, trying to interject several times, but Meng Chi looked her back at her.

"You fill it in."

She froze for a moment.

Lin Ye slowed down his voice.

"Things he deems unimportant, and things you find objectionable, all count."

Meng Chi was momentarily speechless when asked the question.

"What didn't I say?"

The girl's eyes welled up with tears when he nudged her, but she couldn't help but speak.

"You played ball this afternoon."

Meng Chi was about to interject, but then swallowed his words.

"That counts?"

"What's wrong with playing ball?"

Lin Ye asked.

The girl took a breath.

"He went to play ball with his friends, but he squatted down after only half a game. It wasn't because he was tired, but he said his vision went black for a moment and his ears were ringing. I suggested going to the hospital, but he insisted that he hadn't warmed up and said that eating a piece of candy would be enough."

Meng Chi immediately took over.

"I just hadn't exercised in a long time, and suddenly going up to such high intensity... Who doesn't get out of breath when playing ball?"

"Breathlessness and blackouts are not the same thing."

Lin Ye swallowed his words.

"Did you fall this afternoon? Was your heart racing? Did your chest hurt?"

Meng Chi's stubbornness has diminished.

"I didn't fall. My heart is beating fast, definitely fast. My chest feels tight, but it's not painful."

Lin Ye wrote these sentences into the medical record.

"We can't leave tonight."

Meng Chi sat up straight immediately.

"No, doctor, I really have to go to work tomorrow."

"What you need to do now is not prove that you can go to work, but prove that you can get out of bed safely tonight."

Lin Ye looked at him, his tone remaining calm.

"Go to the follow-up check-up point for another blood draw and an ECG. If you experience chest tightness, chest pain, sweating, dizziness, or even a brief moment of blackout, call the nurse immediately. Don't try to hold it in, and don't let your girlfriend guess what's going on for you."

Before Meng Chi could say anything more, Nurse Zhao had already fastened half of the bed railing.

"Lie down first. If your meeting tomorrow morning is more valuable than your life, have the boss come to the ER to prescribe it for you."

Meng Chi was speechless.

The girl lowered her head and wiped her eyes, then quickly stood at the foot of the bed and started scrolling through her phone. She frantically browsed through photo albums, WeChat chats, and her company's health checkup group, repeatedly swiping past items only to return and search again.

Lin Ye had just arrived at the nurses' station when he checked Meng Chi's follow-up appointment order again.

Nurse Zhao scanned the previous vial of troponin and called him over.

"Xiao Lin, Meng Chi's last troponin test was still near the critical level. Don't miss the follow-up appointment. The doctor's orders are already on the form; don't let him skip it."

"Know."

Lin Ye finished speaking and was about to double-check the re-examination time when he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

Meng Chi's girlfriend followed him.

She held the phone up to Lin Ye's face, then paused in mid-air as if afraid of blocking his view of the words.

"Doctor, wait a minute."

Her voice was strained.

"I just found his company's physical examination report from last week. Should I mention that too?"

Lin Ye saw her pointing to the section on cardiac ultrasound.

The small characters were so densely packed that she couldn't read them smoothly, so she could only read the sentences she could understand.

"It says the heart muscle is a bit thick. He told me it's nothing to worry about, that young people who exercise a lot often have this problem."

Meng Chi cried out from the bed.

"The doctor didn't even admit me to the hospital."

The girl didn't turn around to look at him.

She stopped looking at the screenshot of the medical examination, her eyes completely red.

"And his dad too."

The sound of keyboards clicking at the nurses' station stopped for a moment.

The girl swallowed hard, barely managing to finish the second half of her sentence.

"His father also collapsed suddenly while playing basketball last summer and died after being taken to the hospital. The family said that the doctor said it seemed to be a heart problem."