Everyone was quiet after the host finished. Cooper sat in the middle of the judges’ table, remembering what had happened previously. He hadn’t told anyone about this experience in the past few years, mainly because he didn’t want to bring it up.
He had performed a brutal surgery on a patient a few years ago. Although he had been a doctor for decades, he was deeply scared by it and stopped performing operations after that.
Shuddering softly, he said, “It happened two years ago. I was on an academic exchange program in Ireland and working at a local hospital at the time. A heinous incident occurred in Ireland a month before the end of my studies.”
Dr. Cooper took a breather before speaking. The next words sent shivers down Anna’s spine, although she was only a listener.
“A drug trafficking organization was apprehended by the local police. Because the organization was called ‘Crescent Moon,’ the police called their action’ Operation Sun.’ During the arrest, an accident occurred. Someone deliberately set off a series of explosions, resulting in numerous casualties. That day, the hospital received hundreds of injured patients.”
When he mentioned this, he began to recall those horrifying images. He took a deep breath and looked around the room before returning to his senses.
“That day, I finished twelve surgeries in twenty-one hours. I was not proud of it since I was acutely aware of the frailty of life, and I felt shocked deep in my heart,” Dr. Cooper continued.
Anna could understand his thoughts. She’d heard that many young military men and women who returned from battlefields would have psychological problems. They needed psychological therapy, and some even committed suicide because they couldn’t cope with reality.
“What shocked you the most at the time, Dr. Cooper?” The host asked.
Dr. Cooper seemed to have responded to this question during the rehearsal. However, after hearing the host’s question, he still shuddered slightly.
“I had just finished my first operation at that time, and later I found the corridor was packed with patients. Before I could take off my surgical gown, my assistant dragged me to another operating room. As soon as I opened the door, I heard a dreadful howl from the person on the bed.” Dr. Cooper replied in a calm tone.
At this point, everyone was quiet. Sitting in a chair the staff brought her, Anna heard her own heartbeat and held her breath.
“A mother and her daughter were on the operating table. The woman was shopping for clothes with her child at a nearby mall when the incident occurred. When the explosion happened, she held her daughter in her arms tightly to protect her. The woman, who was just in her early twenties, suffered from severe burns. She had countless glass particles in her body and organ damage.”
“When they entered the surgery room, their bodies had already been glued together by their wounds. I was assigned to complete the surgery because the doctor who performed the separation surgery on them fainted.”
“In all, the situation was terrible. The woman was still alive, but she was critically injured. The little girl’s condition was stable, although she had a low tolerance of pain and bleeding in her chest cavity. Her situation could have deteriorated if I hadn’t operated on her.” Cooper recalled the scenario and told the story slowly in his flat yet firm voice.
“What happened after that?” the host asked, his grip on the microphone tightening.
Dr. Cooper snapped back to his senses. He said hastily, looking around the room, “Other doctors in the hospital were performing surgery at the time. Among the remaining doctors, I was the only one qualified to operate. However, I was asked to treat two patients who needed emergency surgery at the same time. And I’d like to ask these training doctors on stage a question. What would you do if you were in this situation?”
He smiled at the six intern doctors, including Anna. Everyone was surprised and embarrassed because they had not anticipated him asking this question. Only Anna appeared calm. She said nothing and didn’t even look around.
“I’d like to share my thoughts.” All of a sudden, a male doctor raised his hand. He appeared assured and determined as if he knew the correct answer, saying, “If I were you, I would pick the most capable assistants among the available candidates and set up two surgical beds in the operating room. I’d operate on both of them at the same time.”
Everyone was stunned and began talking after hearing his words. Like them, Nancy’s mouth opened wide in surprise. Several interns around him looked up, puzzled as to why he had said that.
Dr. Cooper’s hand tightened a little more on the counter, crossed and flattened, but his face was expressionless. “Go on,” he said, seemingly interested in what the man had to say.
“The premise is that if I am the person in this situation. If I already had your credentials, I would try to save two people at the same time. However, I would have to prepare everything before the operation and assess the possibility of any accidents occurring,” He smiled and said, “Of course, I just graduated from college, and I’m not as professional as you, Dr. Cooper. But I value life and love my job. I intend to follow in your footsteps and strive to be a good and respected doctor like you.”
His words were polite and flattering. People around him frowned, and one even muttered in hushed tones, “ass-kisser.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Cooper smiled and said, “It’s good to have ambition, and I admire young people like you.” Cooper clapped his hands several times before the audience began to applaud.
When the applause stopped, Dr. Cooper turned to Anna and asked her, “Although you applaud, I can tell you don’t agree with his ideas. Could you tell me what you think?”
“Me?” Anna was surprised that he would ask her to speak. She froze for a long time before slowly rising from her seat.
“Yes, I’d like to hear about it and consider your options.” Cooper went on.
Anna paused for a moment before nodding and saying, “Okay. If it were up to me, I’d save the child. Of course, I admire number 3’s bravery and ambition. But, if it were me, I would save the child. First, allow me to speak from an emotional standpoint. I, too, am a mother, and I understand how this woman felt. She would rather risk her life to protect her child. So, if she had the ability to choose, she would undoubtedly choose to save her child.”
“Second, there were no injuries outside the child’s body that required immediate medical attention. Because there were signs of bleeding in her chest cavity, the procedure should be quick. However, if her injury had not been treated in time, it would have increased the pressure in her abdominal cavity and I would miss the best opportunity to save her. Because there was a high probability that the woman had organ damage, the situation could not be determined until I dissected her. If she had extensive organ damage, not only would she be in danger, but the time frame would be impossible to predict. So if I save the woman first, they may both die.”
Dr. Cooper’s expression darkened after hearing her words. He fixed his gaze on Anna, waiting for her to say something else.
Anna gradually concluded, “So, in terms of risk prediction, I would definitely save the child first. I don’t believe we can perform the surgery simultaneously. Nobody knows what might happen until we see the specifics of the injured patient’s abdomen. If I can’t handle the situation, things could get even worse.”
At that point, Dr. Cooper motioned with his hand for her to stop. Raising her brows in disbelief, Anna shut her mouth and locked her gaze on him.
With his eyes locked on Anna, Dr. Cooper noticed that in contrast to the male doctor’s excitement, she looked rather calm. She was so sensible that it was difficult for him to believe she was only in her early thirties.
“To be honest, I didn’t think you would make such a decision,” Dr. Cooper said as he removed his silver-framed glasses. His glasses smacked against the desk, and the sound echoed down the hall through the microphone.
The male doctor stood up again and said aggressively while Cooper rubbed his brow to calm himself, “It is possible to save two people if I perform two surgeries simultaneously. Although there may be unforeseeable outcomes, it is better than giving up on the other patient.”
The man’s demeanor was hostile. He noticed that Dr. Cooper appeared upset, so he decided to take advantage of the situation. Everyone present could tell that he was desperate to win.
Anna seemed to anticipate his question and didn’t want to pay attention to him. But she couldn’t help but frown because he seemed so confident and arrogant. In a mocking way, Anna put her hands into the pockets of her white coat and said to competitor No. 3, “Do you genuinely want to save lives, or are you taking advantage of this opportunity to build your reputation? Are you now trying to refute my viewpoint on an academic level, or are you trying to use me to improve your personal image? If the second possibility is the case, sorry, but I believe you have chosen the wrong profession. You are not qualified to be a doctor because you are an opportunist.”
Anna sat down quietly after she said that. The man took a long time to understand what she was saying, and then he glared at her angrily.
Cooper calmed down and put an end to their argument. He put on his glasses and looked at Anna, saying, “I’d like to tell you about the decision I made at the time. In fact, I chose to perform two surgeries at the same time.”
His words sparked another round of discussion in the audience. The male doctor raised his chin and seemed keen on seeing Anna humiliated.
Then, Dr. Cooper said something unexpected, “I knew the little girl had liver damage and blood in her lungs. However, the woman’s injuries were far worse than I had anticipated. Many glass fragments were shot into her body during the explosion. One of the thin shards of glass entered her body and stopped less than a millimeter from her heart artery. I had to concentrate on getting rid of this fragment.”
When he said this, he had a look of pain and remorse, “The child’s condition suddenly deteriorated while I was removing the fragment. Her liver was bleeding and she had a lot of pressure in her chest. All of the attending doctors were terrified as a result. Finally, I decided to save the child. And unfortunately, her mother died.”
Dr. Cooper found it depressing to recall these details. And Anna’s words triggered him to reflect on himself. Dr. Cooper had to admit that he had thoughts he shouldn’t have had before the end of his exchange studies. He desperately needed to be recognized. Back then, he thought that if the operation had been successful, he would become a legend in the medical world. However, he failed.
“Although her chances of survival were slim, she did not deserve to die in that way.” Cooper sighed and continued to reflect on himself. He restrained himself from crying.
The male doctor had not anticipated the truth to be so shocking. He lowered his head, embarrassed, without saying anything.
After a brief silence, Dr. Cooper stood up and said, “That was only a discussion, and it won’t determine your final grade. The real competition will be live real-time surgery.” He took a deep breath and added, “I have to leave now because I still have work to do. The host will announce the specific rules.”
After Dr. Cooper left the scene, the host said, “Dr. Cooper shared with us an experience he had in Ireland, which sparked our thoughts. Next, we’re going to have a live surgery competition.”
With that, he reached out and gestured toward the stage. By then, tables and chairs had been replaced by a number of operating tables.
” We recreated the young woman’s specific injuries from the accident by using the models on the stage, and all six doctors have to save them both. Each contestant will be assisted by two nurses. Finally, we will choose the top three doctors who complete the surgery in the shortest time and with the highest quality.”
Then twelve assistant nurses carried six-foot-tall figures onto the stage. The host’s words instantly heated up the atmosphere on stage. Anna froze as she stared at the models on the operating table.
“Every place that requires operation is equipped with a sensor device, and the alarm will be triggered if you make the wrong move. If that happens, you’ll be eliminated.”
Later on, competitors dressed up in surgical gowns and sterilized themselves. Several judges also walked around the stage, watching their performances. The cameras focused on the models, casting images onto the big screen.
Standing beside the operating bed, Anna took a deep breath and cut open the patient’s abdomen. The patient suffered liver and kidney damage and blood in her chest cavity. A shard of glass near her heart’s aorta was threatening her life. While she was operating on the models, an assistant nurse connected the instruments and read out the patient’s relevant data.
Even though it was only a simulated surgery, the environment of the drill site was very realistically shaped. Because so many people were watching them, the participants felt even more stressed than when they were performing actual surgery.
“Prepare to remove the fragment.” Anna put on the medical magnifying glass and asked her assistant for the scalpels. She tried to clip the glass fragment while holding her breath.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.