The process of medical disputes

Gu Yansheng's arm was scratched by a utility knife, and Jiang Lin prescribed him a tetanus shot. He originally wanted to take him there in person, but the nurse in the department called and asked him to admit a new patient, so he could only give instructions to the disobedient good man.

"You must get a tetanus shot!"

After hurriedly saying this in an imperative tone, Dr. Jiang Lin left the emergency room. Lin Yang took over the task of taking care of Mr. Haohao. He took the medical prescription and walked skillfully to the payment window to pay, then took him to the infusion room according to the instructions.

After Jiang Lin left, the oppressive low pressure seemed to dissipate a little.

"Brother Gu, be careful." Lin Yang's voice was full of concern, and his eyes never left Gu Yansheng's pale face and his left arm wrapped in new gauze.

"It's okay, I'm not that delicate." Gu Yansheng curled the corners of his mouth, trying to appear relaxed, but the pain in his arm and the weakness from blood loss made his steps a little unsteady.

While waiting for the nurse to dispense medication in the infusion room, Gu Yansheng leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, enduring the dull pain from his wound. Then, Lin Yang's phone rang. It was Wang Bo, the project leader.

"Hello, Wang Bo... Yes, Brother Gu and I are in the hospital... Um, I got a scratch on my arm. I just had the wound treated and the doctor gave me a tetanus shot... Wound? The doctor didn't say it was a bone injury, but it looks pretty deep and I've lost a lot of blood... Okay, please wait."

Lin Yang covered the microphone, turned to Gu Yansheng, and lowered his voice, "Brother Gu, Wang Bo asked about your condition and told you to rest well today. If necessary, you can ask the doctor for a sick leave certificate and he will arrange a vacation for you."

Gu Yansheng opened his eyes, his eyes tired but firm. "No need to take a vacation. Tell Wang Bo that it's just a skin injury, no bone damage, and it won't affect my ability to sit and work. The project is now in the critical final stage, and everyone is very busy. One less person will put more pressure on others. I'll just rest today and can go back tomorrow." He paused and added, "Don't let him worry."

Lin Yang hesitated a little, "But Brother Gu, your injury..."

"Just reply as I say." Gu Yansheng's tone was gentle but unquestionable.

Lin Yang had no choice but to repeat Gu Yansheng's meaning into the phone. Wang Bo on the other end of the phone seemed to give him a few more instructions. Lin Yang responded repeatedly: "Okay, Wang Bo, I will take good care of Brother Gu... Yeah, I understand... Don't worry."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yang looked at Gu Yansheng, his eyes full of worry and disapproval: "Brother Gu, Wang Bo also cares about you."

"I know," Gu Yansheng smiled, "but it's really not that serious."

At that moment, a nurse came over and expertly performed a tetanus skin test on Gu Yansheng. Neither of them spoke much for the fifteen minutes they waited for the results. Gu Yansheng closed his eyes to rest, yet he was mentally planning his next visit to Fan Zhong. Lin Yang kept looking at him with concern.

The skin test came back negative, and the nurse began administering the tetanus antitoxin. A sharp pain pierced the deltoid muscle of his upper arm, but Gu Yansheng only frowned slightly and said nothing.

After the injection, the nurse explained the precautions and left.

"Lin Yang," Gu Yansheng pressed the cotton swab on the injection site and looked at the young man who had been guarding beside him, "Go back to the laboratory."

"Brother Gu? I'll take you home to rest!" Lin Yang said immediately.

"No need." Gu Yansheng shook his head, his tone a little more resolute than before, "I can do it myself. You just joined the team not long ago, it's time to learn more and show more."

"You've already wasted quite a bit of time getting me out today." He looked at Lin Yang's young and energetic face and said earnestly, "In the workplace, hardworking people often get the first chance, even though it's hard work. Go back, don't let me delay you."

These words were both caring and a reminder, carrying with them the expectations of a senior and a subtle detachment. Lin Yang understood the weight of them and also felt the firmness of Gu Yansheng's attitude.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say that he didn't care about those things, but cared more about his injury, but when he met Gu Yansheng's tired but unusually clear eyes, all the words were stuck in his throat. He knew that if he insisted any longer, he would seem immature.

"...Okay, Brother Gu." Lin Yang lowered his head, his voice a little muffled, "Then you must be careful, send me a message when you get home...or, if you feel unwell, call me anytime!" His eyes were full of worry.

"Okay, got it. Go ahead." Gu Yansheng urged gently.

Watching Lin Yang's back, turning back every few steps until he finally disappeared at the entrance to the emergency room, Gu Yansheng breathed a sigh of relief. He sat for a few more minutes, pressing the cotton swab. When the swelling and pain at the injection site in his arm subsided, he stood up. He didn't leave the hospital, nor did he look for Jiang Lin, who was probably still busy. Instead, he headed straight for the inpatient ward of the neurosurgery department.

He remembered Jiang Xinchen mentioned that his girlfriend, Xiaoyou, was a nurse in Jiang Lin's department. Gu Yansheng looked around the nurses' station and saw a round-faced young nurse with a ponytail. It was Xiaoyou.

"Xiaoyou!" Gu Yansheng walked over and called softly.

Xiaoyou looked up and was stunned when she saw Gu Yansheng. Then her eyes fell on his bandaged arm and she asked in surprise, "Brother Gu? Why are you here? What happened to your hand? Oh, you look so bad!"

"It's nothing, just a minor accident." Gu Yansheng waved his hand, moved closer, and lowered his voice. "Xiaoyou, I want to ask you something. Fan Zhong is the family member of the brainstem tumor patient that Jiang Lin operated on. Which bed is his mother in now?"

When she heard the name "Fan Zhong", Xiaoyou's originally concerned expression changed instantly, as if a powder keg had been ignited. She looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. She immediately pulled Gu Yansheng to the corner next to the nurses' station, her face full of anger and disdain.

"Brother Gu! Don't mention that scoundrel! I'm so angry! The mother and son are simply the plague of our department!" Xiaoyou's voice was low, but he spoke very quickly, full of resentment.

"Ever since the day he was admitted to the hospital, Fan Zhong has been trying to get close to everyone, especially Doctor Jiang, saying things like, 'Gu Yansheng is my good brother,' and 'Doctor Jiang, please look after me for Yansheng's sake.' He acts as if he and you are very close! You know Doctor Jiang very clearly, he keeps his public and private affairs separate and handles official matters impartially. He won't fall for this!"

The more she spoke, the angrier she got. "And what happened? After the surgery, the patient woke up and developed the hemiplegia complication that we'd clearly warned him about during the preoperative consultation. This scoundrel immediately turned on me! He blocked Dr. Jiang and started cursing, making a scene in the hallway, calling him a quack! He said her mother came in perfectly fine and was paralyzed! He demanded compensation from the hospital! He even threatened to sue! He's made our entire department a mess!"

Gu Yansheng listened quietly, his face growing paler as Xiaoyou continued to talk, even uglier than when he'd just lost blood. So, without him knowing, Fan Zhong had already gone through this?

Behind Jiang Lin's nonchalant words last night, was there such unbearable slander and entanglement? Thinking of Jiang Lin facing all this alone, still trying to protect himself in the "safe zone", Gu Yansheng's heart seemed to be tugged at, and guilt and anger surged up.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, and asked again, "Then...which bed is Fan Zhong's mother in now? I think..."

"Discharged! They were 'asked' to leave a long time ago!" Xiaoyou interrupted him unhappily, a look of relief on her face. "Zhongnao is an excellent private hospital, and beds are very tight! His mother's surgery was a success, the tumor was completely removed, but subsequent hemiplegia is an established risk. They need long-term rehabilitation, not occupying a bed in our neurosurgery department! We notified them a long time ago to transfer to the rehabilitation department or be discharged, but Fan Zhong just wouldn't leave! He's still trying to keep on blackmailing us!"

Xiaoyou snorted with a hint of pride. "But our hospital isn't a public one, and the rules are very strict. How could we possibly indulge him? That day, the medical department and security came directly to our door with a very tough attitude, telling them clearly that they either had to be discharged or transferred to the rehabilitation department, otherwise they would bear all the consequences! In the end, they completed the discharge procedures and left in disgrace! Brother Gu, you don't know, the day they left, our entire department wanted to set off firecrackers to celebrate!"

Gu Yansheng's heart felt heavy, as if a huge rock was pressing down on him. He was silent for a few seconds, then asked with a hoarse voice, "So... were all the fees settled when they were discharged?"

When this was mentioned, Xiaoyou's anger rose again. She slammed the water cup onto the table with a bang.

"Settle? Settle for nothing! That Fan Zhong is a complete scoundrel! When he was checking out of the hospital, his face turned green when he saw the bill. He just acted like a scoundrel! He said things like, 'You want money after such a surgery?' 'When I win the lawsuit, I'll let the judge decide how much I should pay you!' Bah! He just wants to shirk his debt! And he even said that shamelessly..."

Xiaoyou imitated Fan Zhong's expression, lowering his voice with full of sarcasm, "'If this happened in the public hospital I used to work in, just because you paralyzed someone, the attending physician's performance bonus for this month would be deducted! Your hospital would even have to pay me back!'"

Gu Yansheng felt a chill run from his feet straight up to his head. His face instantly turned paler than paper, and even his lips lost their color. He unconsciously clenched his hands at his sides, his nails digging deep into his palms.

Fan Zhong… How dare he do this! Not only did he slander Jiang Lin's skills, he also tried to shirk his responsibility with such despicable means. And… could this even affect Jiang Lin's work?!

Jiang Lin is still paying off the mortgage on his house... In Gu Yansheng's simple understanding, although a doctor is a respectable person, the monthly payment for his house in the city center is not small, so... he must not be well off financially.

Performance bonuses are no small amount for Jiang Lin! If Jiang Lin is deducted money and even has his professional evaluation affected because of Fan Zhong's malicious arrears and complaints...

Gu Yansheng simply couldn't bear to think any further. The intense guilt and anger threatened to overwhelm him. His heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain so severe that he could barely breathe. It was all because of him... it was all because of him who had been so nosy in introducing Fan Zhong to Jiang Lin!

He raised his head suddenly, his voice trembling slightly, and said to Xiaoyou anxiously, "Xiaoyou, can you...can you tell me his mother's hospital number?"

Xiaoyou was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood Gu Yansheng's intention. She widened her eyes and waved her hands repeatedly, "Brother Gu! What do you want to do? You don't want to... No! Absolutely not!"

Her tone grew serious. "While Fan Zhong's mother was in the hospital, he wanted to appear 'filial' and demanded the best of everything. The imported medicine and consumables he paid for himself cost a lot to begin with! Add to that the money he later refused to pay, and the bill is no small sum! Don't be foolish enough to fill this hole for him!"

"But..." Gu Yansheng wanted to say something. He couldn't bear to see Jiang Lin being implicated.

"No buts!" Xiaoyou interrupted him with a firm tone.

"The hospital has its own procedures and legal affairs! Since Fan Zhong refuses to pay, we will follow the legal process! Sue him! Once the court rules, he won't be able to escape paying a single cent! Moreover, Dr. Jiang acted completely in compliance with the law in this matter. No matter how much Fan Zhong makes a fuss, it will be useless! The hospital will not deduct Dr. Jiang's money for this reason, you can rest assured!"

"But you, Brother Gu, if you really paid for him, you'd be the one being taken advantage of! If Dr. Jiang knew about this, he'd be furious! Don't you know his temper?"

Xiaoyou's words were like a bucket of cold water, calming Gu Yansheng's heated mind a little. Yes, given Jiang Lin's personality, if he knew that he had gone behind his back to help Fan Zhong, he would probably be ten times more angry than he is now.

But… he understood the logic, but the pent-up anger and indignation towards Jiang Lin burned like wildfire, making him restless. Why could Fan Zhong so brazenly hurt, slander, and exploit Jiang Lin?!