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

Qin Hai took the phone.

"Is there any clot in the sample?"

The lab responded very quickly.

"There is no obvious clot, the machine is reporting a low value, we are manually verifying it, and we are also looking at the smear. We will call you again based on the critical value."

"What about white blood cells and hemoglobin?"

"White blood cell count is also abnormal; we'll need to wait for the nucleic acid test results for details. Hemoglobin is low."

Qin Hai hung up the phone without immediately using any technical jargon on Teacher Tang.

He looked at Lu Jiashu's still bleeding nostrils.

"Nurse Li, keep applying pressure, don't let him lie flat. Ma Hao, call the hematology department on duty. Sixteen years old, nosebleeds, gum bleeding, critical platelet count, abnormal white blood cell count, the lab is reviewing the results."

Ma Hao turned around to make a phone call.

Teacher Tang's face turned pale instantly.

"Hematology? Isn't that for the nose? How come the white blood cell count is abnormal?"

Lu Jiashu's hand trembled slightly, and his nostrils immediately relaxed.

Nurse Li pressed his hand back down.

"Take care of your nose first. The teacher is asking the teacher a question, so don't get distracted."

Lin Ye stood in front of Lu Jiashu, blocking his view of the phone call.

"Are you still dizzy?"

"A little."

Do you experience chest tightness or shortness of breath?

"no."

"Do you still taste blood in your mouth?"

Lu Jiashu touched his gums with the tip of his tongue.

"Yes, but the taste is still a bit strange."

Lin Ye passed the curved wheel forward.

"Spit it out, don't swallow it."

Lu Jiashu spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and frowned slightly.

"How come there are still so many?"

Teacher Tang couldn't hold back for a moment.

"Just listen to the doctor and vomit it out."

Lu Jiashu lowered his head and his voice became softer.

"Teacher, will my mom be terrified?"

Ma Hao was about to reply, but when he saw the blood in the saucer, he shut his mouth.

Nurse Li changed the gauze to a clean one.

"Don't worry about your mother right now. Stopping the nosebleed is the most important thing."

Teacher Tang's phone rang again.

She glanced at the incoming call, as if grasping at a straw.

"His mother is at the door, should I go and greet her?"

Qin Hai said, "Have security bring him in. Don't leave yet; stay with him for a bit after he comes in."

Just as Teacher Tang was about to nod, a woman's voice, trembling with tears, came from the other end of the phone.

"Teacher Tang, I'm at the emergency room entrance. Where is he? Is he still bleeding? His father is still at the factory. Should I give him an injection now?"

Teacher Tang closed her eyes and repeated what Qin Hai had just said.

"Please come in, security will escort you. The doctor is checking the blood, the child is conscious. Don't run, you're wearing slippers."

Not long after, a woman was brought in by security guards.

She had buttoned her coat wrong, and was still clutching a taxi receipt in her hand. The moment she saw the blood on Lu Jiashu's chest, tears streamed down her face.

"Jia Shu".

Lu Jiashu turned his face away.

"Mom, don't cry."

"I didn't cry," the woman said, her voice barely audible. "Why are you bleeding so much?"

Lu Jiashu replied in a low voice.

"I don't know either."

Lin Ye asked Lu Jiashu's mother, "When he called you these past few days, did he mention feeling weak or sweating at night? Did you see the bruises on his legs when he came home last time?"

The woman wiped her face and quickly nodded.

"He did mention being tired, but not sweating. He had bruises on his calves, and I even scolded him for not watching where he was going."

Lu Jiashu said in a low voice, "I wasn't looking where I was going in the first place."

Lin Ye then asked.

Have you had any recent changes in urine color? Is your stool dark? Have you experienced headaches, blurred vision, or vomiting?

Lu Jiashu paused for a moment, then shook his head.

His mother quickly answered the call.

"I don't know about his bowel movements. He mentioned on the phone a couple of days ago that he had a headache, which I assumed was from staying up late studying. He said he didn't vomit."

Lin Ye looked at Qin Hai.

"These also need to be handled by the hematology department. With such low platelet counts, we can't just focus on the nose."

Qin Hai hummed in agreement.

"Write this in the handover notes. Also, don't let the school give you the fever reducer again. Ms. Tang, ask the school doctor later which type of ibuprofen they gave us last night, and take a picture of the packaging."

When the call to the hematology department was connected, Ma Hao said a few words and then handed the receiver to Qin Hai.

The person on the other end of the phone was a female doctor. She cleared her throat before answering.

How many platelets?

"The machine reading is 14, and the lab is manually verifying it. The bleeding had been going on for over 20 minutes when I arrived, and it's still oozing; I have bleeding gums, unexplained bruises on my legs, and a low-grade fever yesterday. I'm 16 years old, conscious, and my blood pressure is currently okay, but I'm experiencing slight dizziness."

"What about blood clotting?"

"Sent, awaiting results."

"Have the peripheral blood smear expedited by the lab, and also keep an eye on the white blood cell differential. Keep the patient in the emergency room to continue stopping the bleeding. If necessary, have the ENT department examine the nasal cavity. If the family is here, explain that it's a hematological investigation that needs to be investigated. I'll be there shortly."

Qin Hai agreed.

After the call ended, Lu Jiashu's mother had already turned pale.

She gripped her phone, scrolled to her husband's number, and then stopped.

"He works the night shift at the factory. His phone is in the locker, so he has to find the team leader first."

Qin Hai's tone softened a little.

"Just say the child is in the emergency room and a parent needs to be present. You need to sign the accompanying information first, as someone will be needed for the subsequent examinations and consultations."

The woman nodded and hurriedly started flipping through her contacts.

When Lu Jiashu heard "call me dad," he immediately became anxious.

"He hasn't finished his shift yet; he'll get fined if he comes out."

Lin Ye looked at him.

"You're not here to wipe a bloody nose and go back to school. Your dad isn't here to scold you; he's here to hear what the doctor has to say."

Lu Jiashu swallowed back what he was about to say.

The nosebleed lessened a bit after the pressure was applied continuously.

Nurse Li loosened her grip and looked at it.

"It's still seeping, but not as much as before."

Ma Hao took a piece of paper from the nurses' station.

"The blood clotting hasn't fully recovered yet. Half of the complete blood count report is out."

Qin Hai took the paper.

Lin Ye stood to the side, not rushing to watch.

Qin Hai redialed the hematology department, reading the report on the paper as he went.

"Platelet count is 12. Hemoglobin is over 80. White blood cell count is high and abnormal. The lab says there are suspicious immature cells in the smear. We're waiting for your review."

The person on the other end of the phone gave a couple more instructions.

Qin Hai hummed in agreement, then hung up and said to Ma Hao, "Contact the blood transfusion department and prepare platelets first. Make sure to include all coagulation tests, and have the lab keep an eye on fibrinogen and D-dimer. If it really won't stop, you can't rely on manual pressure alone."

Lu Jiashu's mother almost dropped her phone.

Teacher Tang helped her up.

What are immature cells?

Qin Hai did not provide a definitive diagnosis.

"There are an unusually large number of cells in the blood, so we need to get the hematologist to take a look. For now, let's stop the bleeding and keep the person under monitoring. We'll discuss the further tests and treatment plans once the hematologist arrives."

Lu Jiashu lowered his head, his voice nasal.

"Doctor, this isn't a normal nosebleed, is it?"

This question was asked very lightly.

Qin Hai glanced at him.

"We can't draw any conclusions yet. The hematologist will be here soon to stop the bleeding. You stay here, and we'll keep an eye on things."

Lu Jiashu's eyes immediately reddened.

"Is my mom terrified?"

His mother turned her face away, but still couldn't hold back her tears.

Teacher Tang quickly handed over the tissues.

"Auntie, please have a seat. If you need to contact his father, I'll make the call for you."

The on-call hematologist arrived at the emergency room quickly.

She took the verification form and scanned the platelet count section first.

"This isn't a normal nosebleed. The child will be admitted for evaluation as a blood disorder while I check for available beds. Before being moved to a ward, the child will remain in the emergency room to ensure the bleeding is controlled and the monitoring continues."

She flipped half a page down the list and glanced at Lu Jiashu's lips again.

"More detailed tests may be needed later, such as bone marrow and immunophenotyping. We'll have to wait for the specialists to arrange everything step by step. Don't draw any conclusions with the family yet. We need to keep a close eye on any changes in the bleeding. We need to observe the nose, gums, and skin bruising."

When Lu Jiashu's mother heard the words "bone marrow," she shrank back slightly.

The hematologist immediately added.

"We won't give you a diagnosis right now. The child is still conscious, and the bleeding is under control. Let's get all the necessary tests done first."

Lu Jiashu stayed in the treatment area for the rest of the night, waiting for a bed.

The nosebleed has lessened, but I've received two more calls regarding clotting and smear preparations.

As dawn approached, the day shift staff had already arrived outside the nurses' station.

Qin Hai looked at Lin Ye.

"There are a lot of people coming in during the day shift. Make sure you hand this child over clearly, tell him which results have been returned, which are still pending, and what the hematology department said, don't miss anything."

Lin Ye nodded.

"Lu Jiashu, sixteen years old. Platelet count of 12, hemoglobin over 80, white blood cell differential abnormal. Nosebleed less than before, but still oozing; the hematology department will continue to monitor the coagulation tests and smear. The school doctor gave me ibuprofen last night, and the school will refill the packaging."

Qin Hai hummed in agreement.

"If the day shift asks, just say these few things. Let the hematology department make the final diagnosis; don't try to help them."

Nurse Li handed the last piece of gauze to Lu Jiashu.

"Don't let go even if your hand gets sore. When you change shifts later, if anyone asks why you're still holding it, just say Nurse Li told you to."

Lu Jiashu sniffed, but didn't dare to actually sniff.

"Is Nurse Li fierce?"

Ma Hao chimed in from the side.

"She's the gentler version."

Nurse Li looked up.

"Ma Hao, if you're free, go and get back Jiang Xiaoning's blood test results."

Ma Hao immediately shut up.

Qin Hai pushed the handover book in front of Lin Ye.

"This is for the day shift, don't write the name of the disease. Write down what you saw, what you asked, and what you found out."

Lin Ye responded.

Lu Jiashu kept his head down, the gauze still pressed against his nose, and the blood on the chest of his school uniform had dried and turned dark.

His mother sat beside him, her phone pressed to her ear, talking to the factory foreman over and over again.

"The child is in the hospital. Could you please try to find his father?"

As Lin Ye closed the handover log, Qin Hai glanced at the clock on the wall.

"7:20. Hold on for another ten minutes."

Nurse Li threw a stack of blood collection tube labels into a trash bag.

"You can't hear the 'ten minutes' thing on the night shift."

Ma Hao yawned but didn't dare to make a sound.

Ten minutes later, the day shift doctor entered the room.

Qin Hai handed over the handover log.

"Let's look at this child in school uniform first."

Lin Ye stood to the side, his throat a little dry.

The day shift doctor had already opened the handover log, and the first line stopped at Lu Jiashu's name.