Chapter 349: Chapter 349: Timely Diagnosis
"Hurry, someone, get him out right now."
Although Director Xiao wasn’t a professional physician, he understood very well what fulminant viral myocarditis meant to a person, and that the fatality rate for such a disease could reach as high as 60 to 70 percent.
Soon, the patient was rushed to the intensive care unit. It was an hour later when everything had been settled.
Being in the hospital, Liu Zheng didn’t get too involved with the treatment. Finding the cause was the key. He believed that with the hospital’s current level, symptomatic treatment shouldn’t pose any problem.
"Doctor Liu, I really can’t thank you enough. We’ve just admitted the patient, and the cardiologist said it was very timely. Had it been half a day later, I’m afraid we couldn’t have saved the child’s life."
"Doctor Liu, you see, just now, I was saying those things, doubting you. It was wrong of me, my lack of insight, thank you, thank you for saving my child."
At this moment, Xiao Ling had come to a complete understanding, and she clearly knew what would have faced her child if she hadn’t brought him here. In her eyes, Liu Zheng had become her lifesaver.
"You don’t need to be so polite. Many doctors could make a wrong judgment. I just deduced it based on her rapid breathing, plus the fact that administering some antibiotics didn’t relieve her diarrhea. It was indicative that the bacteria had invaded the heart, causing myocarditis. If it isn’t detected and treated in time, the death rate is incredibly high. But right now, the doctors have said it’s under control, so rest assured. After about 3 to 5 days of treatment, your child should be able to move to a regular ward, and after that, start to recover gradually."
"Then, Doctor Liu, there won’t be any sequelae, right? The child is so young; there can’t be any issues with his heart. If there are problems in the future, how will he go to school, get married—what will we do?"
"Don’t worry. As long as the treatment is proper, there shouldn’t be any lasting effects on the child’s heart. However, if you’re still concerned, after he’s discharged from here, you could bring him to my clinic, and I’ll prescribe some heart-nourishing medication to strengthen his heart."
"That’s wonderful, simply wonderful. Doctor Liu, once my child is better, I’ll contact you immediately. I’m so thankful, truly thankful."
The patient’s relative seemed quite emotional, repeating himself over and over here. Liu Zheng just waved his hand lightly and then looked up at Director Xiao.
"Director Xiao, the ICU now has doctors taking over the treatment, so rest assured. I have something I need to discuss with you, if you have a moment now?"
"Sure, sure, no problem. Xiao Ling, since that’s settled, you should head back first. I’m on duty today, so I’ll just stay here and wait for news. Besides, you can’t get into the ICU anyway. If there’s anything, I’ll contact you. You’ve lost weight these past days, running around for your child."
"Okay, cousin, got it. Make sure to contact me if anything comes up. Since the doctors are taking care of things, I’ll be leaving. If there’s nothing else, I’ll come to find you later. Let’s leave it at that."
After saying goodbye, she turned and left. But once she had gone, Liu Zheng couldn’t help feeling puzzled. In such a critical situation, how could a mother simply leave her child behind confidently?
"What, curious about something? Seeing her, it looks like she isn’t in the slightest hurry, right? Or rather, it seems like she’s shrugging off some responsibility—is that what you mean?"
"Also, there’s something else. Your cousin doesn’t seem very old, and yet she has a teenager about fifteen or sixteen. If that’s the case, how young was she when she started her family?"
"Let me tell you, she indeed gave birth to that child, but she is a single mother. When she was very young, she got pregnant by some man, and after he left, the child was born. However, her affection for the child is extremely, extremely faint, almost indifferent."
"You mean she had the child out of wedlock? And what about the man? The child’s father? Where is he? Isn’t he looking for him? The child is old enough for him to take some responsibility."
"Look for him? Where to begin? Haven’t you noticed? The men my cousin has been with are not few and far between. She’s nearly forty and still hasn’t found a stable partner."
"Oh, I see."
After hearing this, Liu Zheng simply nodded his head slightly. He hadn’t imagined that what he had seen and what he had guessed would be completely different.
He had been drawn by her external appearance but never thought that she could be such a promiscuous person.
"By the way, Doctor Liu, you said you had something to discuss with me. Is it about those two people? Tell me, what’s going on? Have you found them? Where did you find them? What’s their current condition—are they truly no longer alive?"
"Director Xiao, actually, neither of the two is dead. Just like what was found in the lab tests before, there is indeed a super virus carried in their bodies. Now, I have them settled in my clinic, slowly treating them. I believe it won’t be long before they can see daylight again."
"This is truly miraculous. I’ve been practicing medicine for so many years and have never heard of any super bacterial virus that can live in the human body without causing death. Even if people die, it’s a kind of suspended animation. If this were to be researched scientifically, it would probably have far-reaching significance for the history of human medicine. Don’t you want to research this?"
After hearing this, Liu Zheng just smiled slightly. All these years practicing medicine, treating countless patients, he had never thought of seeking the limelight. His only aim was to allow people to live safely and securely in this world.
