Doctor Ryan and His Healing System

Chapter 3: Code Blue

Ryan sat back into the comfy chair and let it absorb him. After the day that he had had, he was exhausted. Had he been able to treat Linnet, he would have been able to extend his life for a year. Now, not only would he not receive the rejuvenation, but, at the hands of Doctor Humphry, Linnet would not receive the treatment she needed. His only hope was that she would live long enough to see the error in her ways and return.

Ryan sighed as he got up. It was time to return to his practice.

By the time he returned to the ER, things had slowed down considerably, and most of the patients were only suffering from minor illnesses like colds, fevers, and beriberi. None of his patients had needed the type of magical treatment that would extend Ryan’s lifespan. Furthermore, nobody had had any interest in the acupuncture therapy he was selling.

When the morning shift was over, he completed the shift change with the incoming doctors and went to the canteen. He was too busy to eat or drink anything during his shift, and now he was starving. When he got there, he ordered a hamburger and fries, and as he ate, he thought about his patients’ unwillingness to give his therapy a try. It is so hard to convince someone to try something new – he thought sadly – Even if it can save their life…

As he was finishing his burger, Julie stopped by his table. She sneered and said, “Somebody’s off to a bad start. There have been six letters of complaint against you this morning. Are you even trying to pass the internship?”

Ryan raised his head and frowned. Julie was the Director of Administration. She was in her early twenties, and even though she was wearing her white uniform and was wearing no make-up, she looked elegant and pretty.

“It won’t happen again,” Ryan promised.

“You had better keep your word!” Julie exclaimed. “One more complaint, and you will be sacked. You have only been working here for a few weeks and you have already been transferred three times. This is unacceptable. Director Gray made it clear to me that you are no longer welcome here. I put in a good word for you, though, and he is giving you another chance.” She lifted one eyebrow and said, “I am curious; what did you do to offend him?”

“I have no idea,” Ryan replied. “We have never even spoken… What do you think?”

Rode Gray was the director of the hospital’s Admin Office, and he was mainly responsible for terminating employees.

Julie shrugged and said, “It is his style to deliberately make things difficult for new employees. That is why I told you to send him some gifts. But you said that you were here to cure the sick, not kiss ass. How far has that gotten you?”

“Not far,” Ryan admitted. “I should have listened to you…”

Julie smiled and said, “Maybe it isn’t to late…” She scooped up the remaining fries from his plate, shoved them in her mouth, and walked away.

Ryan watched he with a bitter expression on his face. “I must be cautious with my words and actions,” he muttered. “Otherwise, I will be fired.” It was not just Mr. Gray. He did not trust Julie, either.

Suddenly, the intercom crackled, and a calm voice said, “Code Blue. I repeat, we have a Code Blue.” Code Blue is the most universally recognized emergency code. Code Blue means that there is a medical emergency occurring within the hospital.

Ryan used his cell phone to check the status in the ER and he was not surprised to see that there had been a severe car accident on the corner of 3rd Street and Jasper Avenue.  Paramedics were bringing in 34 patience. 16 of them were seriously injured, and 2 of the original 36 were dead.

There was one other thing about a Code Blue. When one was called, it was ‘all hands on deck.’ It did not matter if you had already clocked out, were on your break, with another patient, or trying to take a s**t. You stopped what you were doing and hastily made your way to the ER. Nothing took priority over saving lives.

When Ryan arrived, he saw that the emergency room was already packed with medical staff, and more were still on their way. Even so, there were at least four patients to every doctor, and there were scared loved ones all over the place, crying and yelling. It was complete chaos.

Someone shouted for Ryan’s attention, and when he turned, he saw several muscular men in black shirts. They had colorful tattoos on their arms and necks, and they were wheeling a severely injured young man inside. Whenever they met resistance, they used force to clear a path towards him, and no one had the guts to stop them.

Ryan sighed. Might over right – he thought sadly – It is the way of the world, and there is no getting around it. If not for the Hippocratic Oath, he might have refused to serve these goons…

When they got to him, he gave the patient a quick body scan, and right away he determined that he had six cracked ribs, soft tissue contusions, serious internal hemorrhages, and an abdominal wound that measured over ten centimeters. He was obviously one of the 16 critically injured, and it was clear that he needed to be treated immediately.

Ryan touched the young man’s shoulder and said, “I’ll get you fixed up as good as new, but first I need to get you into surgery. Are you ready?”

Suddenly, a middle-aged goon grabbed Ryan’s arm.

“Let me go!” Ryan exclaimed.

The man glared at him and said, “I will let you go, but only so that you can go and find me a better, more experienced, doctor. You are not old enough to be a doctor, let alone operate on my brother. If anything bad happened to him, I would have to burn the hospital to the ground.” This was obviously the leader of the goon squad, and he spoke for the rest of them. He wore golden glasses, and he looked gentle and refined, but his eyes were like those of a fierce monster.

“You don’t want to do this!” Ryan exclaimed. “He could die at any moment, and I am his best hope for survival!”

The middle-aged man glared at him. “Are you threatening me?” he asked. “Do you even know who I am?!?!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ryan replied. “Just let me go so that I can save this young man!”

“You are asking for trouble!” the goon hissed. “I am Mr. Ward. Now some me some respect or I will have you beaten black and blue!”