Chapter 492 Brooklyn Overdraft
As the metal rod was pulled out, blood gushed from the man's wound like a fountain. Though it was quickly staunched, Brooklyn's face and body were splattered with crimson.
The sight of all that blood was terrifying.
The thick smell hit her nose, making Brooklyn gag. She quickly adjusted her breathing. "Wipe it off."
Her assistant gently wiped the blood from her face, but traces of it still lingered, staining her face and surgical gown with a macabre hue.
Arabella couldn't help but exclaim, "You're amazing, Brooklyn! Even in this mess, you stay so calm. I admire you even more now!"
Brooklyn's hands moved deftly inside the patient's open pericardium, her voice steady. "I'm calm because I've seen worse. Once you've been through enough, you'll be even calmer than I. Hemostats."
Arabella watched as the surgical tech handed Brooklyn the hemostats, then asked, "What's the worst thing you've seen? Maybe I know about it."
Brooklyn focused on the patient's heart. "Suction."
With a slurp, the excess blood was sucked away. Brooklyn then replied, "Once, I treated a mountaineer who fell off a cliff. His abdomen was torn open by rocks, and his organs were hanging out..."
Brooklyn hadn't even finished describing it when another doctor started gagging.
Arabella, however, smiled. "Wow, that must have been quite a sight! It must have been incredible, right?"
Brooklyn continued working with the scalpel. "Yes, it was incredible. It was like relocating all his organs. Performing such a surgery teaches you a lot, but not everyone gets the chance."
"I can't wait for such an opportunity!"
Arabella's enthusiasm was met with a cold glance from Jake. "Finish what you're doing first. You have quite the stomach for this."
"Do I? Well, I'm not interested in you."
"That's a relief."
Thanks to their conversation, the tense and lengthy surgery felt a bit lighter. Brooklyn kept her mind sharp, analyzing the patient's condition, asking about the heart and pulse, and checking the external circulation system, all while occasionally making a comment to lighten the mood.
Four hours passed, and Brooklyn's arms were starting to ache. During a brief pause, her assistant massaged her arms before she continued with the surgery.
Jake glanced at the clock. "Dr. Mitchell, watch your hands. Don't overdo it. Don't risk your career for one patient."
Jake's words were blunt but sincere, addressing Brooklyn's biggest concern.
"I'm fine for now. Let's continue. Nurse Chen, call OR 2 and check on Dr. Carter's progress."
"Yes, doctor."
Nurse Chen called the adjacent operating room. After a moment, the nurse on the other end answered.
"How much longer for Dr. Carter's surgery?"
The voice on the other end suddenly became urgent. "Dr. Carter's patient is experiencing severe arrhythmia, which could lead to complications or surgical failure."
The nurse tried to keep her voice low, but her anxiety was palpable.
After Nurse Chen relayed the situation, Brooklyn frowned deeply, her brows knitting together. "Hang up. Don't let Dr. Carter know about our situation."
"But Dr. Mitchell, what about you?"
Brooklyn looked at her right hand. Apart from feeling tired, she had no other symptoms. She felt no dizziness from the blood clot, which was a good sign.
"I'm fine. Let's continue."
Time ticked by slowly.
The sound of the scalpel hitting the floor broke the tense silence of the operating room. Everyone held their breath, eyes wide with shock, fear, and anxiety, all focused on Brooklyn.
Brooklyn stared at her hand, her eyes filled with helplessness. The pain in her right hand had started as a dull ache but had grown into a sharp, piercing pain, spreading through her body.
They say the fingers are connected to the heart. Once the pain starts, it can feel like it's piercing your heart, leaving you defenseless and ready to surrender to the agony.
Brooklyn gritted her teeth, sweat dripping from her forehead.
"Scalpel."
"Dr. Mitchell, you can't continue. If you push yourself, you'll ruin your hand. Let me take over." Jake moved to Brooklyn's side, ready to switch places.
Brooklyn's clear, rational eyes met Jake's. "Do you have the same experience? Have you succeeded before? This is a critical moment. If the heart repair fails, it's all over. Can you handle that responsibility?"
Jake's face darkened at her questions. "Dr. Mitchell, I've got years of surgical experience. I'm not a rookie. I believe I can finish this surgery. If you don't let go, you'll collapse right here. Why not give yourself and others a chance?"
Brooklyn gripped the scalpel tightly, the pain intensifying. "I can give you a chance, but what about the patient's life? A doctor can fail, but a patient only gets one shot. Do you get that?"
Arabella and Jake looked at Brooklyn, seeing her principles, her dedication, and her medical ethics in her determined gaze.
Jake finally took a deep breath. "Your hand will be ruined. You know that."
Brooklyn gritted her teeth. "Check on Dr. Carter again. See if he can come over."
The nurse called the other OR again. After a moment, she said, "Dr. Carter is finishing up. The surgery was successful. He'll be here in ten minutes!"
Brooklyn finally felt a weight lift off her shoulders. "Good."
"So, what now?"
"Continue. Every minute counts for the patient. Ten minutes, I can handle it."
But who could predict the most critical moment?
As Brooklyn steadied the scalpel, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her, draining all her strength. Her mind was overwhelmed by darkness, attacking every nerve.
Pain!
The pain was so intense that it numbed her.
She tried to fight the darkness, but she felt powerless. The last thing she heard was the scalpel hitting the floor again before she was engulfed in blackness.
In that moment, Brooklyn felt lost, surrounded by endless waves, each one higher than the last, tossing her like a broken boat in a stormy sea.
"Brooklyn!"
"Brooklyn!"
"Brooklyn! Wake up! Please wake up!"
A voice, urgent and pained, called out to her, growing hoarse with desperation.
In the darkness, she reached out, feeling a warm, gentle hand.
Finding solace in that touch, she stopped struggling.
With a sense of security, she entrusted herself to those hands, no longer caring about the outcome.
"Her heartbeat is back!"
"Pulse is stable!"
The doctors in the emergency room finally breathed a sigh of relief, all eyes on the silent, grim-faced Sebastian, filled with fear.
Sebastian held Brooklyn's hand, his eyes cold and fierce, but he said nothing.
At that moment, his heart had stopped with hers.
From the moment he got the call to the critical moments of her resuscitation, watching her heart and pulse flatline, Sebastian's heart had died with hers.
If he lost her again, what would he become?
He didn't know. He didn't want to know.
Now, as Brooklyn lay pale but alive, his heart began to beat again.
This Brooklyn, this fool!
Sebastian gripped her hand tightly, kissing it. "What am I going to do with you, you fool?"
His whisper was filled with so many emotions, heavy and painful.
Brooklyn was moved to a VIP room, still unconscious, as the morning light of the next day streamed in.
"How is she? Has she woken up?"
Zach rushed into the room, relieved to see the stable readings on the monitors. "Thank goodness she's okay."
Sebastian's cold eyes didn't soften. "What happened?"
Zach, exhausted from a long surgery, explained, "A patient needed a difficult surgery that only Brooklyn and I could perform, but I..."
After explaining, Zach felt the tension in the air.
"Idiots!"
Sebastian's anger was palpable. "Brooklyn has a blood clot in her head and can't use her right hand for long surgeries. Didn't you know?"
"I knew, but at the time..."
All explanations felt inadequate.
Sebastian rubbed his temples. "I need to consider finding her a different job."
Zach opened his mouth to speak but decided against it, knowing it was a matter between husband and wife.
Sebastian sat by Brooklyn's bed, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Brooklyn, why haven't you learned to take care of yourself? What would I do if something happened to you?"
"You fool, do you want to leave me alone in this world?"
His fingers brushed her hair, his voice soft and broken, like sunlight on a turbulent sea.
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