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

When Luo Chunmei signed the pre-operative examination forms, her hands trembled violently.

After writing the character “罗”, she paused.

Liu Hailiang stood at the foot of the bed, still holding the bag in his arms.

"I'll hold the paper down for you."

He only reached out his hand after he finished speaking.

Luo Chunmei didn't hand him the paper; she just started writing.

The second character is written crookedly.

Nurse Li watched from the side without urging them.

"Write slowly, don't be nervous."

When Liang Peishan, a second-line orthopedic surgeon, arrived, his coat was still draped over his arm.

He first looked at the film, then went to the bedside to recheck the dorsiflexion and sensation of his right foot.

Despite the pain causing Luo Chunmei to sweat profusely, she still tried to move her feet as he instructed.

The right toes are only slightly hooked up.

"The scans match the patient. The nerves are heavily compressed; if we delay any longer, urination and leg problems may not resolve. We're preparing for emergency surgery now to relieve the compression. I can't guarantee how much recovery there will be."

Liu Hailiang immediately followed up with a comment.

"Will doing it make it better?"

Liang Peishan glanced at him.

"It's not like you'll be cured immediately after treatment. This disease can't be treated that way. I'll explain the risks to you clearly in person. Listen carefully before you sign, so you don't come back saying that no one explained it clearly."

Liu Hailiang's face flushed from what he said.

"I'm listening, I'm listening."

Liang Peishan didn't try to coax people with sweet words.

He mentioned the risks of bleeding, infection, and anesthesia, and then singled out the point about the fact that "postoperative recovery is not guaranteed to be immediate."

Liu Hailiang tried to interject several times, but Luo Chunmei took the pen first.

After Liang Peishan finished speaking, Luo Chunmei signed her name on the informed consent form for the surgery.

The anesthesiologist has arrived.

He asked about the fasting period, past medical history, allergies, and whether the person had high blood pressure or diabetes.

Luo Chunmei paused halfway through her answer.

"I ate two bites of bread this afternoon."

Liu Hailiang quickly added the missing parts.

She also drank half a cup of soy milk.

Luo Chunmei's lips moved, but in the end she didn't scold her.

The anesthesiologist wrote down the time.

"This time doesn't count as an empty stomach. Emergency surgery can be performed, but the anesthesia risks need to be calculated based on a full stomach, which I will include in the calculation."

Lin Ye pushed the medical record bag to the foot of the bed.

With both anesthesiologists and orthopedic surgeons present, he didn't interrupt, focusing instead on whether Liu Hailiang had missed any reports.

At this moment, Liang Peishan looked at him.

"You asked about urination first?"

Lin Ye nodded.

"At first, she only said that she had strained her back. When I asked about urination, she said that she couldn't urinate and that her perineum was numb. The physical examination of the back of her feet was also not very good."

Liang Peishan closed the film bag.

"That's a very accurate question."

Hearing this from the side, Ma Hao couldn't help but look up.

Qin Hai happened to be coming from the nurses' station.

"Don't get carried away by praise. It's good that you were able to ask the question, but make the final decision or go for orthopedics; don't get the order wrong."

Liang Peishan smiled.

"Teacher Qin, you really seem to be afraid of young people getting too cocky in your emergency department."

Qin Hai handed the pre-operative examination form to Nurse Li.

"I'm not afraid of him getting ahead of himself, I'm afraid he'll arrange surgeries for your orthopedics department as well."

After returning from the MRI, Nurse Li left a urinary catheter for her as instructed by the doctor.

The urine bag is now hanging on the side of the bed, the tubing is in place, and the bed sheet has been pulled down a bit.

Luo Chunmei avoided Liu Hailiang's gaze and lowered her voice.

"Doctor, how long will I need the catheter inserted?"

Lin Ye did not answer for the orthopedics department.

Liang Peishan's voice softened a bit.

"Don't pull it out yet. After the surgery, we'll see if you feel the urge to urinate and whether you can urinate on your own. Whether you feel the urge or not, you have to tell us; don't hold it in."

Luo Chunmei nodded.

Liu Hailiang gripped the bag strap tightly.

"Chunmei, I'm sorry."

She had her eyes closed.

"Don't say anything yet."

Liu Hailiang didn't move forward any further, but took half a step back while holding his bag.

The operating room made a call to urge them to hurry up, and the stretcher was quickly moved away.

Liu Hailiang followed to the elevator entrance, but was stopped again by the operating room nurse.

"Family members, come this way. The signing and waiting area is in front."

He paused at the elevator entrance.

"Doctor, my flower shop is still open."

While managing the IV drip, Nurse Li casually tossed out a few words.

"Now you remember the store? Call the neighbors to check. The person needs to go into the operating room first; we'll sell the flowers later."

Liu Hailiang hurriedly pulled out his phone.

The call was dialed twice before it went through.

Before the elevator doors closed, Luo Chunmei's hand dangled slightly from the edge of the bed.

Liu Hailiang reached out to shake hands, but didn't touch them.

The elevator doors closed.

Once the flatbed cart left, only a piece of tape that hadn't been completely torn off remained on the ground.

Ma Hao kept staring in the direction of the elevator, holding back for a long while.

"From now on, every time I have back pain, I'll have to ask about urination?"

Qin Hai shoved the remaining pre-operative examination receipts into his hand.

"If you don't ask, she'll probably just put up with it."

Ma Hao muttered to himself, "What if I get scolded?"

Nurse Li walked past the treatment cart.

"It's better to be scolded than to make a mistake. Besides, you get scolded a lot for that mouth of yours anyway."

Speechless, Ma Hao took the receipt and ran to the nurses' station.

Lin Ye remained standing in the same spot.

Lin Ye didn't dare respond to Luo Chunmei's words, "I should have come this afternoon," before she was pushed into the elevator.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen a patient regret their actions.

But this time it's too close to "going home to apply a plaster".

Qin Hai walked over to his side.

"What are you thinking about?"

Lin Ye turned his gaze away from the elevator.

"If she were even a little shy, I wouldn't bother asking either."

"So you asked."

Qin Hai turned his gaze toward the operating room elevator.

"You've asked the right question today."

Lin Ye looked up.

Qin Hai didn't look at him.

"In the future, if you have back pain, don't just hear 'I strained it' or 'I twisted it.' Ask questions like: Is your leg numb? Is your genital area numb? Is urination smooth? Ask those questions first. After you've asked those questions, then let the X-rays and specialists tell you."

Lin Ye hummed in agreement.

"Know."

More than an hour later, the operating room called.

First came the voice of the circulating nurse, then the other end changed positions, and Liang Peishan's voice came through the sound of the equipment.

"A huge free nucleus pulposus, with significant pressure on the cauda equina. Decompression is underway, and the patient is still on the operating table. I've asked a nurse to speak to the family, and I hope you in the emergency department are aware of this as well, so that Liu Hailiang won't come back later asking why the patient isn't better yet."

Qin Hai replied, "Understood."

He hung up the phone and turned to look at Lin Ye.

"Did you hear that?"

Lin Ye nodded.

"I heard you."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Ye's gaze lingered on the operating room elevator.

Before Luo Chunmei was pushed away, her drooping right foot was still in front of him.

If it were any later, she would probably have already been helped back to the flower shop by Liu Hailiang and was continuing to grit her teeth and endure it.

Nurse Li had just changed the sheets in the treatment room when Ma Hao approached with a registration slip and probed the screen.

"Teacher Qin, another one with back pain."

Qin Hai looked at him with annoyance.

"What are you laughing at?"

Ma Hao immediately pulled his mouth back.

"I didn't laugh. I just wanted to ask, did you walk in by yourself or are you in a wheelchair?"

Lin Ye took the registration slip from his hand.

The registration slip read: "Back pain after carrying water barrels."

At the doorway, a young man in his early twenties stood supporting his back, muttering that he had to deliver goods the next morning.

Lin Ye walked over.

"Don't rush to talk about delivery. How was your peeing?"

The boy was taken aback by the question.

Ma Hao coughed from behind.

Nurse Li raised her hand and gently pushed him to the side.

"First, look at the person; don't just memorize those three questions."