Critical Condition

When the nurse said, "We need you to sign the emergency consent form immediately," Li Zhiyi's entire body went weak.

Chen Zhi reached out, steadied her waist, and guided her to a nearby bench.

"Sit down."

Li Zhiyi's fingertips trembled as she tried to stand.

"I'll go sign..."

Chen Zhi took the medical records and photos from her hands, then accepted the several sheets of paper the nurse handed over. He lowered his head and quickly scanned them.

Emergency consent form. Transfer risk disclosure. Application for transfer to another hospital by regular ambulance. Cost confirmation on a self-pay basis.

When Chen Zhi saw the words "regular ambulance," his fingers paused.

He looked up at the nurse.

"Who wrote up this transfer plan?"

The nurse hesitated.

"The doctor on duty."

"And who authorized the regular ambulance?"

The nurse couldn't answer.

Chen Zhi flipped another page.

"Where's the list of monitoring equipment?"

"Well..."

"Is there a portable ventilator? A defibrillator-monitor combo?"

The nurse looked bewildered.

A middle-aged doctor nearby walked over, his tone less than friendly.

"Family member, the patient is in critical condition right now. Our county hospital's facilities are limited. If you don't sign, and something happens, we're not taking responsibility."

The patient was in critical danger, and he just wanted to offload the responsibility as quickly as possible.

Chen Zhi placed the papers on the nurse's station counter.

"Right now, does the ambulance have a portable ventilator and a defibrillator-monitor combo?"

The middle-aged doctor paused half a second.

"We have basic emergency equipment."

"I asked if there's a portable ventilator and a defibrillator-monitor combo."

The middle-aged doctor's face froze.

Chen Zhi stared at him.

"The old man is comatose, his blood pressure is dropping, and his ECG is abnormal. You're sending him in a regular ambulance on a long-distance transfer—what do you do if his heart stops on the way?"

The corridor fell silent.

Li Zhiyi's grandma sat on the bench, clutching a stack of payment slips. She didn't understand the medical terms, but she understood "heart stops."

Her lips moved.

"Zhiyi, dear..."

Li Zhiyi quickly gripped her grandma's hand.

Grandma, it's okay. Chen Zhi is handling it."

But her own voice was shaking.

Chen Zhi had already picked up his phone and dialed Pei Ningxue.

The phone rang only once before it was answered.

"How is it?"

Chen Zhi got straight to the point.

"The county hospital can't manage the transfer. I need to bring the doctors and equipment here."

Pei Ningxue didn't waste a single word.

"Patient's condition."

"Sudden unconsciousness. CT shows no major bleeding for now. ECG is abnormal, blood pressure just dropped. Suspected brain infarction combined with arrhythmia. The county hospital arranged a regular ambulance for transfer."

Pei Ningxue's voice came through alongside a door opening.

"Give me fifteen minutes."

"I'll mobilize medical helicopter resources and coordinate equipment to come to you."

"Good."

The call ended.

In the county hospital corridor, Li Zhiyi's grandma was stunned.

She quietly tugged at Li Zhiyi.

"Zhiyi, what did Xiao Chen just say?"

Li Zhiyi's throat tightened.

"He said... he's getting doctors to come here."

"A helicopter?"

The old woman looked down the corridor, then toward the window.

"In a place like ours, where would a helicopter come from?"

Li Zhiyi didn't know how to answer that.

She could only look at Chen Zhi.

He had his back to them, talking on the phone.

"Yes, I'll send you the location."

"The middle school sports field can be a landing zone? Good. Notify the local traffic police and the school staff on duty."

"Money is not an issue. Save the person first."

The middle-aged doctor stood nearby, some of his earlier impatience fading.

He spoke cautiously.

"Did you really contact the Provincial No. 3 Hospital?"

Chen Zhi ignored him.

The next second, a video call request chimed on the nurse's station computer.

The duty nurse looked down and froze.

"A... an emergency neurology consultation from Provincial No. 3 Hospital?"

The middle-aged doctor's face changed.

The nurse quickly clicked to open it.

On the screen appeared a middle-aged male doctor with glasses, beside him two other doctors reviewing documents.

The man spoke directly.

"Li Jianjun, male, sudden unconsciousness, correct?"

The middle-aged doctor hurried over.

"Yes, that's our patient."

"Send me all the case files and data."

The Provincial No. 3 Hospital doctor spoke rapidly.

"Who is the attending physician?"

The middle-aged doctor turned and called out.

"Chief! Chief, come quickly!"

Within two minutes, the emergency department chief rushed over from the on-call room, his hair still mussed.

At first, he thought it was some family member causing trouble, but when he saw the video window with the Provincial No. 3 Hospital director, he snapped to full alert.

"Director Zhou?"

The Provincial No. 3 Hospital neurology director on the screen dispensed with pleasantries.

"The patient's greatest risk right now is not whether to transfer, but how. A regular ambulance on a long-distance run—blood pressure fluctuations, arrhythmias along the way, insufficient on-board emergency equipment—the risk is very high."

The ER chief quickly nodded.

"Understood."

"First, conduct a pre-thrombolysis assessment, rule out contraindications, stabilize cardiac rhythm. Our expert team has already departed."

The ER chief blinked.

"The expert team is leaving?"

"Yes."

Director Zhou's tone was stern.

"Don't waste any more time. Starting now, synchronize all medications and vital signs every five minutes."

The county hospital team burst into action.

The middle-aged doctor who had been urging them to sign stood to one side, the papers in his hands suddenly feeling useless.

Li Zhiyi sat on the bench, hearing "arrhythmia," "insufficient emergency conditions," "very high risk," and finally broke down.

She stood up and walked to the end of the corridor.

After a few steps, tears started streaming down her face.

She was afraid her grandma would see, so she turned her back, covering her mouth with her hand.

Chen Zhi didn't immediately follow.

He first signed the emergency consent form.

The payment window was already closed, so he contacted the hospital's finance department directly to open an emergency payment channel temporarily.

Medication confirmation, remote consultation authorization, expert team takeover consent.

He signed them one by one.

He stuffed all the payment slips into his pocket before he walked over to Li Zhiyi.

She leaned against the wall, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Chen Zhi handed her a pack of tissues.

"Cry, then come back and stay with Grandma. Don't let the old lady see you fall apart."

"What if something happens to Grandpa?"

Chen Zhi paused for two seconds.

"It won't."

Li Zhiyi couldn't hold back anymore. She stepped forward and hugged him.

Chen Zhi looked down at her.

"From now on, whatever happens, come to me first."

"Mm."

At around three in the morning, a low rumbling suddenly sounded from outside the county hospital.

At first, no one recognized it.

Then the nurses at the station all rushed to the window.

"What's that sound?"

"A plane?"

"Is that for real?"

Patients' family members in the corridor pressed toward the windows.

In the distance, near the middle school sports field, several car headlights were shining.

A medical helicopter was slowly descending.

Two commercial vehicles had already stopped by the field's edge, and several people in emergency uniforms were getting off with equipment cases.

The county hospital's ER chief stood by the window, frozen for a few seconds.

"They actually came?"

The middle-aged doctor saw it too, his face a mix of embarrassment and silence.

Chen Zhi stood near the nurse's station, answering a call.

"Yes, I'm in the ER."

"Once you're at the entrance, I'll have someone meet you."

He turned to the ER chief.

"Please arrange for two people to guide them from the door, and clear the resuscitation room passage."

The ER chief nodded immediately.

"Good. I'll handle it right now."

A few minutes later, the expert team from Provincial No. 3 Hospital entered the emergency area.

Director Zhou himself had come, too.

As soon as he walked in, he took the patient file and started making arrangements on the go.

"Hook up the portable monitor."

"Check the blood pressure again."

"Print another ECG."

"Prepare for thrombolysis assessment."

All the county hospital doctors cooperated.

The middle-aged doctor who had been standing by the door earlier didn't dare to interject.

The doors to the resuscitation room closed again.

Outside, there was only waiting left.

Grandma clasped her hands together, murmuring continuously.

"Old man, hang in there."

Li Zhiyi crouched by the bench, holding Grandma's hand.

It was only then that the elderly woman slowly regained her senses.

She looked at Chen Zhi.

"Xiao Chen..."

"Grandma."

"This... how much is all this going to cost?"

Her tears started flowing again.

"The helicopter, the specialists, the equipment... our family can never pay it back."

Chen Zhi crouched in front of her.

"Grandma, this is what I should do."

The old woman shook her head.

"There's no such thing as 'should do.' You and Zhiyi aren't even..."

She stopped mid-sentence, glancing at Li Zhiyi.

Li Zhiyi lowered her head, saying nothing.

Chen Zhi didn't avoid it.

"I brought Zhiyi back, and I'll take care of everything."

Grandma reached out to grab his hand, fumbling twice before she managed it.

"Xiao Chen, you're a good kid."

Chen Zhi stood up, asked a nurse for hot water, and sent the driver to buy congee from outside.

Half an hour later, the driver returned with several containers of hot congee.

Chen Zhi handed one to Li Zhiyi.

"Have some."

Li Zhiyi shook her head.

"I can't eat."

Chen Zhi stuck a spoon into the bowl and pulled out his trump card.

"Mom said if you don't eat, she'll come and scold me first."

Li Zhiyi froze for a moment.

"Auntie is coming too?"

"She'll arrive by dawn."

Li Zhiyi took the congee, her hands still trembling.

She took small, slow sips.

Halfway through, her tears fell into the bowl.

She quickly wiped them away.

"Chen Zhi, am I really useless?"

Chen Zhi sat down beside her.

"You've already been incredibly strong."

Just before dawn,

the door to the resuscitation room opened.

Director Zhou took off his mask as he walked out.

Li Zhiyi and Grandma stood up almost at the same time.

Grandma’s legs gave way, and she nearly fell.

Chen Zhi reached out to steady the old woman.

Director Zhou looked at them.

"He's out of immediate danger for now."

At those words, Li Zhiyi's hand flew to her mouth.

Grandma burst into tears.

"Thank you, doctor, thank you, doctor..."

Director Zhou waved his hand.

"We can't relax yet. He needs to be transferred to the ICU for further observation. The treatment window for the stroke is still open, and we also need to manage his heart rhythm issues."

Chen Zhi asked for more details.

"Has the most critical phase passed?"

"His blood pressure has stabilized, and his heart rhythm is back to normal. The old man was lucky."

Director Zhou turned to the county hospital’s emergency room director.

"Good thing they didn't put him in a regular ambulance and just drive off."

The ER director’s face turned pale.

Director Zhou continued.

"On the road, if his blood pressure had dropped and his heart rhythm went into chaos like it did earlier, he wouldn't have made it to the provincial capital."

In the resuscitation room, nurses wheeled the bed out and prepared to transfer the patient to the temporary observation area.

The old man had an oxygen mask on, still very weak.

As he passed by Li Zhiyi, his eyes opened a little.

"Zhi... yi..."

Li Zhiyi rushed to the bedside.

"Grandpa, I'm here. I'm back."

The old man's fingers moved slightly.

Li Zhiyi quickly took his hand.

With effort, he turned his head a little, looking at Chen Zhi nearby.

It seemed he recognized him.

Chen Zhi walked over and leaned in close.

"Grandpa, don't worry."

"I brought Zhiyi back."

A single tear slipped from the old man's eye.

The nurse reminded them.

"Let the patient get into the observation area now. No delays from the family."

Li Zhiyi quickly let go, followed for a few steps, but was stopped by the nurse just outside.

Around seven in the morning,

Zhang Guifang and Chen Jun arrived at the county hospital.

Zhang Guifang got out of the car, not even bothering to grab her luggage, and rushed into the emergency lobby.

Seeing Li Zhiyi sitting on the bench, her eyes red and swollen, looking like she had lost weight, Zhang Guifang’s heart ached.

"Zhiyi!"

Li Zhiyi had just stood up when Zhang Guifang pulled her into an embrace.

"Auntie..."

"Silly child."

Zhang Guifang patted her on the back.

"Next time something like this happens, you call me first, got it?"

Li Zhiyi’s emotions, held in all night, finally broke.

"Auntie, I was scared..."

"Scared of what?"

Zhang Guifang’s eyes also turned red.

"You still have me, and you still have your uncle. If Chen Zhi lets you down, I'll give him a good scolding."

Chen Zhi stood nearby, not daring to say a word.

Zhang Guifang let go of Li Zhiyi and went over to comfort Grandma.

Hearing that Chen Zhi’s parents had also rushed over, Grandma felt even more embarrassed.

She pulled out a crumpled little notebook from her cloth bag.

"Guifang, we will definitely pay this money back."

She turned to Chen Zhi again.

"Xiao Chen, get me a piece of paper—I’ll write an IOU. Our family doesn’t have much, but once Zhiyi starts working, we’ll pay it off little by little."

Zhang Guifang immediately pressed her hand down.

"Auntie, what are you doing?"

"This is so much money..."

"Write an IOU? We’re family."

Zhang Guifang’s tone was firm.

"The most important thing is that the old man survived. If you bring up the money again, I’ll really get upset."

Chen Jun also spoke up.

"I’ll handle the transfer paperwork. Chen Zhi, arrange the transport and the caregiver."

"Already taken care of."

Chen Zhi pulled out his phone.

"The ICU bed at the provincial third hospital is ready. The specialist team will travel back with the car. I’ve prepaid the expenses."

Grandma tried to speak again, but Zhang Guifang gently pushed her back into her seat.

"Auntie, right now you just need to do one thing."

"Rest."

"Don’t make Zhiyi worry about you too."

Grandma finally nodded, wiping her tears and dropping the topic of the IOU.

Just then, a nurse from the observation area hurried out.

"Family of Li Jianjun?"

Several people stood up at once.

"The old man is awake for a bit."

"Two family members can go in and see him now."