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

About ten minutes after Lin Ye arrived at his post, a white van pulled up outside the entrance to the emergency and critical care unit.

He Peng walked around from the driver's seat and helped his wife, Fang Yan, out of the car.

Fang Yan had a light-colored towel wrapped around her left calf, which was soaked with blood, and she dared not put her foot completely on the ground when walking.

At the entrance, nurse Jiang Wen checked Fang Yan's ID card and registered her as 34 years old.

Both individuals had normal body temperatures and had no recent history of fever, cough, or related contact.

After confirming that both of them were wearing masks, she led Fang Yan into the wound cleaning and treatment area.

"When did you get hurt?" Lin Ye cleaned his hands again, put on his examination gloves, and first supported her calf without directly tearing off the towel that was already stuck to it.

"Around one o'clock," Fang Yan said, her words slurred from the pain, "Our family runs a breakfast shop. At noon, while cleaning the glass display case, the corner of the door suddenly cracked. A piece of glass slid down, and I still cut my leg while trying to dodge."

He Peng was still holding the shop key in his hand: "At the time, the cut didn't look too big, so she wrapped it in a towel and tried to continue cleaning. About ten minutes later, the blood had soaked through the towel."

Jiang Wen used saline solution to slowly soak the stuck fabric apart.

After the towel was removed, a tear about four centimeters long was exposed on the front and outer side of the left calf. The edges of the wound were irregular, and fresh blood was still seeping out. There was no spurting bleeding at the moment.

Lin Ye first applied sterile gauze to stop the bleeding, then checked the dorsalis pedis artery and examined the temperature and color of the toes.

Do you experience numbness or tingling in the instep and toes?

"The wound hurts, but my instep and toes aren't numb; I can still feel them when I touch them."

"Point your toes upwards, then step down. Move all five toes."

Fang Yan completed the task as instructed, and her ankle and toes moved completely.

Lin Ye then touched the instep, sole, and sides of the wound in turn, asking her to close her eyes and identify the location.

She could accurately pinpoint the location of the touch each time, and there was no significant reduction in sensation at the distal end of the wound.

Lin Ye reported the time of injury, the details of the glass cut, peripheral blood circulation, sensation, and activity to Qin Hai. Qin Hai came in and examined the wound again, gently separating the edges to see that the subcutaneous tissue was exposed.

"First, take an X-ray of your left calf to check for any visible glass remnants and bone damage." Qin Hai looked at Fang Yan. "After we get back, we'll need local anesthesia to clean the wound thoroughly and examine it layer by layer. If the deep structures are intact, we'll then perform debridement and suturing."

Upon hearing about the stitching, Fang Yan first asked, "Are we going into the operating room?"

"It can be done in the emergency room." Qin Hai pointed to the door next to him. "This is debridement and suturing under local anesthesia. We'll take an X-ray first, and the exact number of stitches will be determined after the wound is cleaned."

He Peng supported her calf: "Doctor, who will stitch her up?"

Qin Hai glanced at Lin Ye: "Lin Ye will take the lead, I'll be there the whole time."

Fang Yan also looked over.

Lin Ye met her gaze: "I'll stitch it up. If the anesthesia isn't strong enough, or if we find deeper damage inside, I'll stop. Just tell me where it hurts."

"Then sew it up." Fang Yan looked down at the blood-stained hem of her trousers. "I have to stand guard at the shop this afternoon, could you sew it up as securely as possible?"

Qin Hai continued, "The wound needs to be aligned properly, and the stitches shouldn't be too tight. The calf wound is under a lot of tension; if you stand all afternoon, it's prone to swelling and will aggravate the wound. Let's hand the shop over to someone else today."

He Peng immediately nodded: "Okay, I'll go back and close the door. We won't be doing it today."

Fang Yan turned to look at him: "What should we do with the leftover soy milk from this morning?"

"If you still want soy milk, you should sew up your own leg."

Fang Yan glared at her husband, but ultimately didn't mention going back to the store that afternoon.

Jiang Wen changed the dressing to a clean one and applied temporary pressure bandage. Only after confirming that the outer layer was no longer soaked with blood did she contact the radiology department.

The original transfer route from the emergency room to the radiology department had only recently been restored.

The nurses contacted the radiology department in advance, and after confirming the route on both sides, Fang Yan was taken to the hospital in a wheelchair for X-rays.

More than 20 minutes later, the images were transmitted back to the workstation. No obvious high-density foreign body shadows were seen in the wound area, and there were no signs of fracture.

After reviewing the images, Qin Hai wrote his assessment on the wound cleaning, suturing, and local anesthesia consent form.

After hearing about the risks of bleeding, infection, foreign body residue, scarring, and wound reopening, Fang Yan signed her name.

When Qin Hai asked about the tetanus booster shot, Fang Yan pulled out her phone.

Two years ago, she was scratched by the store's metal frame and received a booster vaccination. The vaccination record on her phone matches the time.

After Qin Hai checked the information, he asked Jiang Wen to write it into the handling record.

With the cleaning table ready, Fang Yan lay down flat with her left leg elevated.

He Peng remained outside the treatment area, making phone calls and arranging things at the store through the door.

Qin Hai stood on the opposite side of the forest: "You'll be in charge of the entire debridement process from start to finish. If you're unsure about any step, stop immediately and don't force it."

Lin Ye checked the patient's name, injury location, and allergy history again, disinfected the area, draped it, put on sterile gloves, and then administered local anesthesia at several points around the wound. Fang Yan's calf muscles tensed slightly as the medication was injected.

"Does it hurt or feel swollen here?"

"It hurt when the needle went in, and now it's swollen."

After the anesthesia took effect, Lin Ye and others gently touched both sides of the wound with tweezers to confirm that the pain was significantly reduced, and then began to rinse it.

The flushing fluid brought out small blood clots and grayish-black dirt from the wound, flowing down the calf into the curved plate.

After rinsing away the surface bloodstains, the deeper parts of the wound became visible.

The deep fascia remained intact, with no exposed muscles or tendons, and no glass fragments were found within the scope of the exploration.

Qin Hai's gaze followed the tweezers to the other end of the wound: "Check both ends carefully before trimming the edges."

Lin Ye changed his angle and re-examined both ends of the wound and the subcutaneous space.

After confirming there was no active bleeding or foreign object, he trimmed the few broken edges that had lost their activity and rinsed it again.

Qin Hai examined both ends of the wound: "It can be stitched up."

Lin Ye inserted the first needle into the center of the wound.

The knot is tightened, and the two sides of the leather edge are brought together.

Fang Yan felt a pull and looked up to ask, "Is it sewn up already?"

"The first injection is done. Does it not hurt now?"

"It doesn't hurt, but I know someone is pulling my skin."

"A pulling sensation is normal. If you experience sharp pain, speak up immediately."

For the next few stitches, Lin Ye adjusted the spacing according to the tension in the wound.

Qin Hai checked the location of the second stitch and reminded him to leave the knot on one side of the wound for easy observation during subsequent dressing changes.

Lin Ye readjusted the angle of his needle, making the knots at the back more orderly.

After the fifth stitch, the tear of about four centimeters is closed.

Lin Ye cut off the excess sutures, covered the wound with sterile gauze, and observed it for a while. The bleeding on the surface of the wound had stopped.

Qin Hai re-examined the blood supply, sensation, and toe movement in the distal lower leg, and then looked along the sutures again: "Write down the end time. No foreign objects were found during debridement, the deep fascia is intact, and a total of five stitches were used."

Lin Ye secured the sterile dressing and removed the drape.

Fang Yan tried to sit up, but he stopped her first.

"Slow down, sit up and rest for a while. Get up only when you feel less dizzy. Try to stand as little as possible today, and elevate your legs when you get home."

When He Peng was called in, he had a bottle of mineral water in his hand, which he had bought from a vending machine next to the entrance.

Upon seeing the bandaged calf, he first asked, "Is it stitched up? Will it leave a scar?"

"It's difficult to completely avoid scarring." Lin Ye pointed to the dressing. "First, change the dressing on time, keep the area dry, and prevent the wound from getting infected. Also, don't stand up and pull it open every day. For the lower leg, the stitches are usually assessed and removed in ten to fourteen days, but the exact time depends on the healing process."

Fang Yan took the water, still thinking about the shop: "Could I take a look at it tomorrow morning?"

"You can sit and watch, but don't walk back and forth between the stove and the table." Lin Ye handed her the follow-up appointment slip. "Come back tomorrow for a dressing change. If the wound is bleeding and soaking the gauze, the pain is getting worse, there is obvious redness, swelling, heat, or pus around the wound, or if your toes are numb or have an abnormal color, you should come back earlier."

He Peng folded the follow-up appointment slip and put it in his wallet: "I heard that. The shop will be closed for half a day tomorrow too."

"If you close today and close tomorrow, how will you pay the rent?"

"I'll pay, fine, the money's all in your account anyway."

Fang Yan was momentarily speechless, then sat on the edge of the bed and chuckled.

After the two left, Lin Ye returned to the treatment table to complete the record.

The operator's column reads "Lin Ye," and the supervising physician's column is signed by Qin Hai.

After reviewing the anesthesia dosage, exploration results, number of sutures, and postoperative follow-up conditions, Qin Hai wrote his employee number on the last page.

"The stitches are okay. The next doctor will change the dressing tomorrow. When you come to work next shift, check the records yourself. Don't just focus on how it heals today. Keep track of how it grows."

Lin Ye carefully put away the record: "I'll remember that. Next time I'm on duty, I'll check her dressing change record first."

The records had just been filed when the on-call medical staff sent out the next phase of arrangements.

The first recovery channel is operating smoothly, and no new abnormalities have been found in the hospital's testing.

The following morning, the first batch of qualified cleaning staff were able to end their closed-loop duty within the facility, and the list was sent to each staff member by their respective area.

After reading the notification, Qin Hai put his work phone back on the desktop.

"Pay for today's beds first."

Lin Ye opened the registration for wound cleaning and treatment.

Fang Yan's name was listed at the very bottom, and her dressing change was scheduled for tomorrow.

A few minutes later, the first list of those who had finished their closed-loop duty within the hospital was sent to the emergency workstation.