Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 224: Glioblastoma

Chapter 224: Glioblastoma

One of them opened her mouth fearfully as she explained in haste, ’’This patient... I had seen him near Dr. Warner’s office weeks ago...’’ The reason this patient had left an impression on her was that....’’I even saw him with Dr. Warner’s assistant a few times recently.’’

Amongst the staff members, both Veronica and Diana for different reasons were rather popular so it was hard to not pay attention to them.

Dr. Rick’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Regarding Alex, Veronica had told him that Alex turned down the patient without even taking a look at him. And considering his frivolous character, it was not out of possibility. There was no need for Alex to go to such extents to stir trouble with him.

As for Maxim, with how skilled he was, it would be hard for him to make the same mistake as him and let the patient’s condition go undetected for so long. Regardless of how conceited Dr. Rick was, he admitted that Maxim had unparalleled medical skills. So, if he was treating this patient before dumping him to Alex... didn’t that mean he knew about how critical his condition is?

And after all that, this hot potato landed in his hands.

Dr. Rick had never found Maxim this hateful before.

This patient was already doomed as he was but if he died in his hands, then what about the reputation he had worked so hard for? What about his future?

’’Doctor, the patient’s vitals are dropping.’’

Taking a deep breath, he uttered his final decision, ’’Close him up.’’

As those three words dropped, everyone’s face changed.

’’We can’t...’’

Regardless of their awareness of the shadiness in the medical field, they could not go against their conscience to the extent of killing a patient on purpose. If the patient was closed up right now, then another surgery would not be possible in a short amount of time. And if the cancer spread to his spine, then his condition would continue to worsen and his death would approach even faster.

’’Then you do the surgery,’’ Dr. Rick sneered at the anasthesist who was the first person to protest, ’’Close him up,’’ he glanced at his assistant who had turned pale.

After that, he did not spare the patient another glance as he turned around and strode out of the operation theatre.

It was more convenient for him that this patient seemingly did not have a family who would demand an answer the moment he stepped out.

His expression turned a little better when he made all the necessary calculations in his head and determined that there was no loophole in the whole matter.

As he strode away, he did not notice a shadow behind the wall.

In a partially lit hallway, Veronica paced in front of the office room as she contemplated whether to offer breakfast to her boss or not.

For some shocking reason, Alex had turned out to be so hardworking overnight that he even did a night shift yesterday. When Veronica was woken up in the middle of the night by a phone call telling her that she was needed at the hospital, she had the shock of her life.

She wondered if Alex was enlightened all of a sudden.

Unknownst to her, it was not about Alex becoming hardworking or anything close to it. He was just trying his best to not share the same space with his father and grandfather in the mansion because of how suffocating it was.

After contemplating it for another moment, Veronica felt like she should bite the bullet and offer him breakfast. No matter how crazy his character development was, it would be unethical of her to let him starve to death inside the office room.

When she thought about it like that, she felt like it made sense. So, she braced herself and raised her hand to knock on the door.

But before her fist could touch the door, a palm settled on her shoulder, startling her momentarily. When Veronica saw the face of a nurse she was familiar with, she frowned, ’’What’s wrong?" The woman was drenched in sweat and she was panting heavily.

Although she had yet to say anything, an ominous premonition rose in Veronica’s chest.

’’It’s an emergency. Dr. Qin is needed. There were a few doctors on the night shift and most of them are occupied. No one else can take this patient...’’ What she did not say was that no other doctor would dare to take a patient who was abandoned by their doctor-in-charge in the operation theatre.

’’Wait,’’ Veronica interrupted her, a little startled, ’’What do you mean by no one else can take the patient?"

Veronica had no idea if Alex would find it a necessity to grace the patient. If not for his grandfather, then he would have burned half of the hospital to ashes ages ago. Even his own patients were graced by him after countless hurdles so it had her wonder if he would be kind enough to treat other’s patients.

’’Vera, there is no time to discuss. Dr. Rick wanted to close this matter. He made a mistake with the reports and he failed to detect the cancer till the patient was opened up... I...The patient will die at this rate...’’ The nurse was more flustered as she continued speaking.

Veronica noticed her urgent tone and calmed her down, ’’Let me ask Dr. Qin over...’’

Just as she turned around, the door opened and Alex stepped out of his office. Smoke lingered in the air as he snuffed it on the wall before handing it to Veronica like a trophy.

Veronica’s lips twitched as she accepted the cigarette bud with both palms reluctantly and shoved it to the dustbin nearby.

’’I will go there,’’ Alex spoke as he walked, ’’Brief me about his condition.’’

’’It’s a glioblastoma. Grade 4...’’

Alex paused for a moment before he continued walking.

’’The patient’s condition had gone unnoticed by Dr. Rick because of his past medical history handed by Veronica. He had a non-cancerous tumor too so...’’

’’Me...?" Hearing her name being mentioned, Veronica stopped in her tracks. What did she have to do with all this?