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

When Tongtong was placed on the emergency bed, she could no longer lie flat.

He sat there, leaning forward, his little hands clutching his mother's sleeve, his lips tinged with a faint purple. With each breath, it felt as if a thin thread was being pulled taut in his throat.

"Don't let him lie down." Lin Ye held the child's shoulders. "Keep him sitting."

The child's mother cried so hard she could barely stand: "He just had a fever, the community hospital said it was tonsillitis, and some medicine would be fine. How could this happen?"

She was still clutching a plastic bag in her hand, containing fever reducers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and a half-empty bottle of syrup. The medicine box was soaked with sweat and felt soft, and the payment receipt was crumpled into a ball.

"She said she could eat this afternoon." She cried as she rummaged through her bag. "Doctor, look, we didn't delay, we really didn't."

Sun Zhiqiang glanced at the child's breathing and his expression changed: "There's obvious stridor."

Qin Hai came out of his office: "Where's the pediatrics department?"

"I just received the notification," Nurse Zhao said. "They've also given you an ENT injection."

Upon hearing "ENT," the child's mother suddenly became agitated: "Don't treat him haphazardly! His throat hurts, why are you calling so many doctors? Are you trying to overcharge him?"

Nurse Zhao looked up: "Your child is breathing so hard, don't think about charging yet."

The woman was stung by those words, and her voice became even shriller: "How could I not want to? The community clinic just prescribed a whole bunch of medicine! Isn't that how it is at your hospital?"

A middle-aged man rushed into the emergency room.

"Who put my son on emergency medical treatment without proper medical attention?"

The child's father was covered in sweat, probably having rushed over from home. The first thing he saw when he entered the room was not the child, but the monitor and the emergency cart next to the bed.

"Where's the doctor? Who's in charge?"

He was still holding the electric scooter keys in his hand, his knuckles scraped, clearly from rushing all the way here. In such a panic, his first instinct was still to find "who's responsible," as if grabbing anyone he could argue with would stop the child from falling further.

Lin Ye stood up: "I am Lin Ye from the emergency department. The child is currently at risk of acute upper airway obstruction, and acute epiglottitis is suspected. He needs immediate evaluation by pediatrics and ENT."

"What kind of inflammation?" The man didn't understand, and his anger flared even more. "He was perfectly fine this afternoon! You come here and immediately say he needs emergency treatment, are you trying to scare me?"

Tongtong suddenly coughed.

The cough was very soft, but it seemed to be stuck deep in the throat, unable to come out.

Lin Ye's expression changed: "Don't let the child cry, don't upset him."

Before his father could speak, Qin Hai blocked his way, saying, "Shut up now."

The man was stunned: "How dare you talk to me like that?"

"Your son's airway is almost blocked." Qin Hai pointed at the child on the bed. "If you yell at him again and scare him until he can't breathe, even if you kneel down and beg the doctor, it won't help."

The man's face turned pale instantly.

Tongtong's mother covered her mouth, forcibly suppressing her crying.

Lin Ye bent down and said softly, "Little friend, look here, don't cry. Take a slow breath."

The child's eyes were full of tears, and the whistling sound in his throat became more and more obvious.

There are 16 minutes left on the countdown in sight.

When Liang Xiulan, the head of the pediatrics department, arrived, her hair was not yet tied up. As soon as she entered the room, she first checked the child's sitting posture and breathing, and then looked at Lin Ye.

Who in your emergency department diagnosed epiglottitis?

"Me," Lin Ye said.

Liang Xiulan frowned: "It's you again?"

As soon as the word "again" came out, several nurses in the emergency room looked over.

Lin Ye did not explain: "Fever, sore throat, drooling, inspiratory stridor, inability to lie flat."

Liang Xiulan's expression immediately turned serious.

She didn't make the child open their mouth wide for the examination, but only glanced at the oropharynx, immediately saying, "Don't press down on the tongue, don't irritate it. Where are the ears, nose, and throat?"

"In the elevator," Nurse Zhao replied.

Liang Xiulan turned to the family and said, "The child may have acute epiglottitis, and the biggest fear is sudden suffocation. We need to prepare for airway management and sign the consent form."

The child's father's anger completely subsided: "Won't there be any danger?"

Liang Xiulan looked at him: "Every minute is dangerous now."

Lin Ye handed over the signature board and, trying to follow the order Nurse Zhao had taught him, said, "The most dangerous thing right now is that the airway is blocked. What we need to do is get the pediatrics, ENT, and anesthesia teams ready at the same time, and establish an airway if necessary. If we don't, the child may suddenly be unable to breathe."

The man's lips trembled as he looked at the words "risk of suffocation" on the paper.

The man's hand trembled violently as he handed over the signature board.

"I'll sign, I'll sign. Doctor, I didn't mean to..."

No one accepted his apology.

Tongtong's mother suddenly grabbed Liang Xiulan's sleeve: "Doctor, if we sign this, will they have to cut his throat? Will he be able to speak afterward?"

Liang Xiulan didn't shake her off, but pressed her hand down: "Let's not talk about the future now. The first goal is to get him breathing. If we can use a tube, we'll use a tube; only if that doesn't work should we prepare for a tracheotomy."

Jiang Shumin, wearing gloves, said firmly, "Signing this document isn't about letting you choose a treatment plan; it's about letting you know the risks. The doctor will choose the method that will cause the least harm to the child but can save their life."

The man's pen touched the paper, and the name he wrote was crooked and uneven.

When Dr. Jiang Shumin, the head of the ENT department, arrived, Tongtong's breathing sounds had become even sharper.

He glanced at it and immediately cursed, "Why did it take so long?"

The child's mother cried, "We thought it was just a cold..."

Jiang Shumin stopped cursing and turned to shout, "Prepare the laryngoscope, have the tracheotomy kit ready. Have you notified the anesthesiology department?"

"We've notified them," Nurse Zhao said.

Tongtong suddenly let go of her mother's sleeve and her body went limp.

The oxygen saturation level on the monitor started to drop.

Lin Ye's mouth fell silent.

[Airway closure countdown: 03 minutes 12 seconds.]

Liang Xiulan's voice suddenly rose: "Don't wait!"

Jiang Shumin reached out and took the laryngoscope.

"lamp!"