Chapter 9 An old friend? Oh, it's your stepfather. Never mind then. ...
Hearts used for organ transplants are typically removed 4-6 hours after a doctor declares a patient brain dead, livers 8-12 hours, and kidneys 24 hours. Therefore, after Mrs. Leo and her husband's tearful farewell, Officer Leo's body will soon be taken into the operating room.
This is the last operating room a person who voluntarily donates organs will enter in their lifetime, and Officer Leo is accompanied by his family and friends on this journey.
In the past, this road was called the 'Lonely Journey' because it was filled with the sorrowful tears of families and eternal regrets.
However, thanks to the efforts of organ donation organizations, the 'lonely journey' has now been transformed into an 'honor walk'.
This is standard practice.
With the consent of the patient's family, the "Gift of Hope" organization responsible for organ donation will slowly push the hospital bed around the hospital corridor. Hospital patients and medical staff who wish to participate in this ceremony will stand on both sides of the corridor and watch the deceased being pushed into the final operating room.
This is a respect for life and a commemoration of those who are generous and selfless.
No matter how disappointing the city of Brudhaven may be, no matter how dark the realities those present may have witnessed, at this moment, everyone is saddened by the loss of a wife and a family. Everyone is observing a moment of silence for this generous man who used his own organs to extend the lives of others.
Officer Leo's family and friends have all arrived. They gather around his bedside, taking turns to kiss his forehead, offering their final blessings to his soul, wishing him a peaceful journey to heaven, free from the suffering of this world.
**
Meanwhile, Allen is in Ms. Goodman's office, experiencing a nasty meeting.
“…That’s the situation right now.” Allen shook his aching neck wearily, crossed his arms, and looked impatient.
Anyone who has gone through a long surgery and a whole night of emergency rescue, and then has to sit here giving a detailed report on the 'squid' surgery to a bunch of irrelevant people, would become incredibly irritable.
Allen really wanted to grab an AK and shoot all the idiots across the conference table who were staring at him with hostile eyes into a sieve.
"Currently, we can only prevent him from dying immediately from excessive blood loss by blocking the blood supply to his liver, but this situation cannot last long. Without a new liver to replace it, he can only hold on for a day or two at most, depending on when Satan sends this fool to hell... Don't look at me like that, do you want to go down there with him?"
Allen handed the medical record to Ms. Goodman, and then received a 'stop it' look from Ms. Goodman.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Osborne is just a bit of a joker.” Ms. Goodman defended Dr. Osborne in a very official tone in front of everyone present. “Doctors under a lot of pressure often have a few quirky little habits, don’t they? Dr. Osborne is a humorous and witty young man, and we all admire his dedication and sense of responsibility.”
“Yes, we should always be more tolerant of young people, especially since Mr. Osborne is such an excellent doctor!” A man in a BPD uniform nodded amicably to Allen. “That’s a great joke, I love it!”
However, the two men in suits sitting opposite Allen looked at him with even more ferocity.
Allen had no doubt that if he said a few more words, the person on the other end might immediately pull out a gun, or run him over with a truck while he was off work.
So he decided to say a few more words: "Yes, I was just kidding. The one in the hospital bed is beyond saving; he has no chance of getting an organ transplant. As for you two idiots who disgust me to the point of being number one in my utter disgust, why don't you play rock-paper-scissors to decide who goes to follow your boss first?"
Ms. Goodman maintained her serious expression, her gaze fixed on everyone present through the top of her glasses, before finally giving Allen a warning look that said, "Shut up and don't say a word from now on."
Representatives and lawyers from the Brudhaven Police Department, 'Squid's' lawyer and legal wife, the legal team from Brudhaven Hospital, staff from 'Gift of Hope' responsible for organ donation, and Alan and Dr. Miller all sat around a large conference table, each with a somber expression on their face.
Especially the two people Allen just joked about: Squid's most trusted subordinate and Squid's lawyer.
The squid's wife huddled behind them, covering her face and sobbing softly.
'Squid' is currently in a deep coma and unable to make any decisions. But the guy seems to have been prepared; as soon as news of his emergency treatment at Brudhaven's ER spread, his heavily pregnant wife and arrogant lawyer barged into Ms. Goodman's office.
That's why Allen couldn't go to rest right away and had to sit here with this group of people for a meeting.
The lawyer for 'Squid' claimed that his employer was a victim of the incident and demanded that the police not approach until 'Squid' woke up.
The Brudhaven Police Department was also in a dilemma, because they could neither find evidence that "Squid" had orchestrated the prison break nor prove that they had provided adequate protection for "Squid".
The lawyer stated that the negligence of the Brudhaven police department and prison system led to his boss's critical injuries and near-death experience, while the lack of prompt treatment from the Brudhaven emergency department resulted in his boss's impending death.
The opposing lawyers, being cunning, had already gathered some evidence in just a few hours to prove that their boss was willing to reform and serve his sentence diligently.
So now, the situation is that the Broodhaven Police Department and the jail are very likely to be in the dock, bearing all of 'Squid's' medical expenses and paying him a large sum of compensation for emotional distress. Allen has also gotten himself into some trouble—the other surgeon and Andy Miller, in addition, may also be sued.
The pregnant wife of 'Squid' will likely garner a lot of sympathy from the jury during the trial.
Their offensive has even begun—the 'Squid's' lawyers packaged the story and bribed the media to speak on their behalf.
In this morning's most prominent news headlines, Mr. "Squid" Fitch Johnson is described as a civilized, law-abiding, tax-paying, and highly responsible citizen who was deceived by his business partner and inadvertently embarked on the path of drug trafficking. Now he has deeply realized his mistake, honestly confessed his guilt, served his sentence diligently, did not make excuses for himself, and even actively provided clues to the police.
However, the incompetent BPD and Brudhaven Prison failed to properly supervise Mr. Johnson, which resulted in an assassination attempt that almost succeeded!
Mr. Johnson's new wife is six months pregnant, and the poor lady fainted from crying in the hospital.
Worse still, the site of the explosion under the name of "Squid" has now been whitewashed by the media as an innocent "chemical plant" that was implicated, and "Squid's" lawyer is demanding that the Broodhaven Police Department also be held responsible for the explosion at the plant.
The combination of the prison break and the bombing incident grabbed people's attention and perfectly matched the image of the Broodhaven Police Department as incompetent in the field.
The incident continues to gain traction, with BPD officers waking up this morning to find their patrol cars' tires punctured and their entrances vandalized with paint that read "Incompetent" and "Die."
I heard that Chief Brodehaven was so angry that he smashed up his office.
This message came from Officer Dick Grayson, who was on his way to work this morning.
The police officer expressed concern for Allen's personal safety and subtly advised him to be careful during this period. He offered to drive the doctor to and from get off work every day and also provide the doctor with breakfast and dinner.
Allen could very well be innocently implicated and become a target of 'Squid' and his men.
After all, he is now just a small doctor with no power or influence.
“Your hospital even allowed an intern to participate in such a major surgery, which I believe is a dereliction of duty on your part,” the 'Squid's' lawyer said with a smile. “We have reason to believe that you disregarded life and deliberately abandoned active treatment for my employer, Mr. Johnson, and I will make this clear to the judge in court.”
Allen, expressionless, tossed out his USMLE certificate. "I suspect you have a human excretory organ under your nose, and you just spout off like that... Tsk, take a closer look, I have a damn medical license."
He was so frustrated that he started to swear.
It's all Hell's Kitchen's fault.
Dr. Osborne's complexion worsened.
If Emily knew that he could now spew out every swear word on the streets of New York, she would definitely be so angry that she would smack him on the head.
Ms. Goodman, Dr. Andy Miller, and the other medical staff present were all stunned by Dr. Osborne's very insightful remark.
After all, this statement was so starkly contrasted with Dr. Osborn's glamorous appearance, exquisite features, and reliable image that it made them feel as if they were seeing Superman dancing with Batman in the Forgotten Bar.
Or perhaps Iron Man is confessing his love to Captain America while holding roses in a hot air balloon.
It was Ms. Goodman, with her rich experience and worldly wisdom, who was the first to come to her senses with a dry cough.
She added with a smile, “Dr. Osborne’s performance during his internship was outstanding, so we have decided to invite him to become a full-time resident in the emergency department ahead of schedule. If Dr. Osborne is willing, we may be able to sign a new contract soon. And, on behalf of the hospital, I guarantee that Dr. Osborne is absolutely one of the best doctors in our hospital, and your employer, Mr. Johnson, has received the best possible treatment. If you do not agree with this, we can certainly take you to court.”
Allen nodded to Ms. Goodman, forcing a cold, fake smile: "It's my pleasure, Ms. Goodman. Also, I've already purchased the highest-priced lifetime medical liability insurance, so if this person—ah, sorry, you're so boring I can't remember your name—would like to sue me, I'd be happy to. My legal team is already eager to do so."
Ms. Goodman glanced discreetly at Dr. Osborn, whose demeanor was even more arrogant than that of the 'squid' lawyer, and quietly concealed the smile in her eyes.
So she took out her phone, dialed the number in front of everyone, and put it on speakerphone: "Dr. Osborne is right. His lawyer called me an hour ago and told me to contact him anytime—good afternoon, Mr. Murdoch, excuse me..."
A familiar voice came from the other end of the receiver.
The 'Squid's' lawyer and Allen himself both wore expressions of utter disgust.
Allen lowered his leg that had been crossed over his knee, and unconsciously placed his hands on his knees, changing into a more obedient sitting posture.
Then he remembered that this wasn't New York, so he crossed his legs again, crossed his arms, and became even angrier.
He had absolutely no idea why that awful lawyer would call his boss!
What made Dr. Osborn even more disheartened was that he would have to sit there and listen to Ms. Goodman lavish praise on him for at least ten minutes. Meanwhile, the obnoxious lawyer on the other end of the phone chuckled in agreement, and the two reached a high degree of consensus on just how outstanding Dr. Osborn was, even arranging a dinner date for him.
Ms. Goodman was clearly very pleased that Dr. Osborn had brought his own excellent legal team.
Although Dr. Osborne himself was unaware that he had this legal team—he just said that to intimidate the other party! He's so poor he can barely afford cereal, what kind of lousy lawyers does he need?!
He had planned to stage a "I defend myself" performance if he were ever in the dock.
On the other end of the phone, the lawyer's mature, deep voice carried a hint of amusement: "I've watched Alan grow up. He's always been a law-abiding, well-behaved, and adorable child, and now he's a doctor who heals the sick and saves lives. I heard he saved Mr. Johnson's life? That's truly amazing, I'm so proud of him!"
Allen: ...
He couldn't tell if this bastard lawyer was telling the truth or just messing with him.
It's definitely the latter!
Dr. Osborne wore an indifferent, detached expression, but his ears perked up subtly, and he leaned forward slightly.
“Perfect timing. I have a few documents concerning Mr. Johnson that I need to verify with his lawyer in person.” Murdoch professionally steered the conversation back on track. “There’s something odd about a property in Gotham that belongs to Mr. Johnson. I’ve already submitted the relevant evidence to the Broodhaven and Gotham police departments. Perhaps Mr. Johnson’s wife and lawyer would be willing to answer our questions?”
Even Allen could detect a threat in his voice.
Very well, Murdoch's lawyer calmly and collectedly pulled out a cleaver that could kill without drawing blood. He was confident that the arrogant guy opposite him would never be able to outmaneuver the ruthless and blind Murdoch.
Just as he was happily preparing to continue his sarcastic remarks to the lawyer across the room, the annoying lawyer's voice rang out again from the other end of the line.
Ms. Goodman handed the phone to Allen.
"I'm on my way to Brudhaven. How have you been lately, Allen?"
At the same time, Officer Grayson also sent a message.
"How about I pick you up from get off work after I'm done with this, Allen?"
Dr. Osborne, clutching his phone, didn't know why he suddenly felt so uneasy—
It's like a cat whose fate has been seized by the scruff of its neck.
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