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

When the stretcher was pushed to the door of the MRI room, Liu Hailiang didn't urge them any further.

He was clutching Luo Chunmei's bag with both hands; the zipper was half open, revealing a set of flower shop keys and a crumpled ledger.

"Give it to me."

Liu Hailiang quickly handed the bag over.

"I didn't flip it over, I was just afraid of losing something."

Luo Chunmei ignored him, took out her phone and keys, and pushed the bag back.

Nurse Li is standing next to me with the MRI safety form.

"Do you have any metal on your body or inside your body? Do you have any pacemakers, stents, or metal plates? Also, please take out your dentures, hair clips, cell phones, bank cards, and keys."

Liu Hailiang immediately offered to answer for her.

"She didn't."

Luo Chunmei's voice was very low.

"I have a clip on my head."

Nurse Li glanced at Liu Hailiang.

"Did you hear that? Don't answer for her, not even one clip can be missed."

Liu Hailiang was a little embarrassed, but he didn't argue back.

Ma Hao handed over a small plastic bag.

"Put the clip here, and put your phone in too. Hold onto the bag tightly, so you don't have to look for it later."

Liu Hailiang took it and hurriedly stuffed the phone inside.

Luo Chunmei lay on the stretcher, unable to move her waist, her whole body tense.

The radiologist on duty in the MRI room came out, looked at the application form, and then looked at the person on the bed.

"Could you lie flat for a while? The examination is quite long, and if you move, the images won't be clear."

Luo Chunmei took a breath and gripped the edge of the bed sheet with her fingers.

"I can endure it."

Lin Ye held onto the side of the flatbed to prevent her from twisting to the side in pain.

"If the pain becomes unbearable, just yell out. Don't twist it yourself. Get the X-rays clear as soon as possible so we know what to do next."

Luo Chunmei looked at him.

"Doctor, if I really press on a nerve, will this be my life from now on?"

Liu Hailiang's hand holding the bag froze in mid-air.

Lin Ye held onto the flatbed cart tightly.

"I can't guarantee anything right now. Let's get through these 20 minutes first, then the orthopedics department can decide on the next steps once the X-rays are ready."

Luo Chunmei's tears welled up again.

"I should have arrived this afternoon."

Liu Hailiang quickly chimed in.

"It wasn't you, it was me. I thought you twisted your back. I even told you there was no one in the shop."

Luo Chunmei turned her face away.

"Don't talk about these things now."

A notification sound came from inside the MRI room indicating that the door had opened.

The radiologist tilted his head slightly inward.

"Go in."

The gurney was pushed to the door, and Nurse Li blocked Liu Hailiang from entering.

"Family members can just come to the door. You wait outside; they'll call you if anything happens inside."

Liu Hailiang glanced inside twice.

"Can she manage on her own?"

Luo Chunmei suddenly spoke.

"able."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clearer than before.

Liu Hailiang stood outside the door, holding the bag in his hand, the strap tightening around his wrist, without switching hands.

Check that the door is closed.

The machine behind the door made a muffled sound.

Ma Hao leaned against the wall and asked Lin Ye in a low voice.

"Brother Lin, is the job posting for Ponytail in such a hurry?"

Lin Ye looked at the indicator light on the door of the MRI room.

"Look, she's not just complaining of pain, her legs won't obey her commands either."

Ma Hao swallowed.

"When I used to hear about back pain, I always thought that I should stop the pain first."

"Many types of back pain can be treated with painkillers first," Lin Ye said. "But for her, we need to get a proper diagnosis first."

Liu Hailiang heard this and looked up.

"Doctor, she was still moving flower pots in the shop at noon. I told her not to move the big ones, but she said it would look nice if we put them out quickly. Later, when she started hurting, I told her to bear it until we closed in the evening."

His voice became a little hoarse as he said this.

"I really didn't know you had to ask about peeing."

Lin Ye put aside the regret for now.

When she said her legs were numb this afternoon, did you ask her to get out of bed and walk around?

Liu Hailiang nodded, then quickly shook his head.

"She said her right leg wasn't stable, so I helped her walk a couple of steps. I thought walking would loosen it up."

Ma Hao frowned as he listened.

Lin Ye glanced at him.

Ma Hao swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

"Did you fall again?"

Liu Hailiang shook his head.

"I didn't fall. I helped you up."

Lin Ye continued his pursuit.

"Have you taken painkillers, used pain relief patches, or had a massage?"

"I put on two plasters." Liu Hailiang quickly rummaged through the side pocket of his bag and pulled out an empty package. "I bought it from the pharmacy. I rubbed it on her a couple of times, but she was in so much pain that she cursed at me, so I didn't dare to rub it anymore."

Lin Ye took the package, confirmed it was a topical ointment, and then handed it to Ma Hao.

"Go back and put it in the medical record folder. The orthopedics department will ask what was used, so you don't want to be unable to find it later."

This time, Liu Hailiang didn't need anyone to urge him.

"I remember."

Du Li didn't go back to the emergency room either, but followed them to the entrance of the MRI room to wait for the scans.

The examination took more than twenty minutes.

When the door opened, Luo Chunmei was pushed out, her forehead covered in sweat and her lips bitten until they were bloodless.

"pain."

Nurse Li immediately went over to her.

"I understand. Get back to the emergency room right away. Don't turn over yet, just bear with it."

The radiologist called Lin Ye and Du Li to the door of the operating room.

On the screen, the images of the lumbar spine were flipped through one by one.

Du Li stared at the screen, his hand, which had been resting on the mouse, tightening slightly.

"The L4-L5 intervertebral disc is severely herniated, the spinal canal is extremely narrow, and the cauda equina is under significant pressure."

The radiologist tapped the screen.

"This isn't the ordinary kind of bulge. The higher-ups need to take a look immediately."

Du Li had already taken out his phone.

"I'll play for the second-tier team."

Lin Ye's cell phone rang in his pocket.

Qin Hai is on the screen.

As soon as he answered, Qin Hai's voice came through the receiver.

"The video is out?"

Lin Ye handed the phone to Du Li.

Du Li took it and spoke very quickly.

"Teacher Qin, the scans support the diagnosis of pressure on the ponytail, and the symptoms match. The orthopedics department needs to call for a senior assessment and emergency surgery."

There was a very brief pause on the other end of the phone.

"Bring the patient back first. Don't wait for the pre-operative tests; get the complete blood count, coagulation tests, electrolyte tests, liver and kidney function tests, blood type and preparation, and ECG done. I'll call the anesthesia department."

Liu Hailiang heard the word "surgery" in the corridor and chased after them, clutching his bag.

"Doctor, I can sign the papers. I can sign the pre-operative examination papers and the surgery papers. I'll sign them now."

Luo Chunmei lay on the flatbed, her eyes still red.

She reached out her hand.

Give me the pen.

Liu Hailiang didn't react.

"Chunmei?"

Luo Chunmei looked at him, her voice hoarse.

"It's my back. I can sign it myself, I can do it myself."

Liu Hailiang's hand hovered over the bag opening, and he didn't take out the pen for a long time.

Nurse Li took a pen directly from her breast pocket and placed it next to Luo Chunmei.

"If you can sign now, then sign it yourself." Nurse Li glanced at Liu Hailiang again. "You listen over there, but don't snatch her pen."