Chapter 23 The impending blizzard? It's the old butler...
Allen didn't know how things had turned out this way either. But he quickly chased Nightwing away before Daredevil could grab his stick and pretend to swat flies.
Just kidding, we haven't gotten to the important stuff yet. He doesn't want the invasive species from New York to clash with the native species of Bruderheim first.
So the big blue bird hadn't even been perched on the railing for two minutes when her boyfriend waved her away impatiently after she only managed to say one sentence.
Although her boyfriend didn't recognize him at all.
Sad.
Dick lingered on the railing, reluctant to leave. The biting winter wind blew through Brud Haven's shoulder-length hair, making him look dashing yet somewhat unruly.
Officer Grayson, while unconsciously tensing his muscles to look cool, looked at Allen with a pitiful expression—though Allen couldn't see him—and said reluctantly, "Then I'll come find you later, okay? Wait for me..."
Before he could finish saying "I," Daredevil had already launched a flying kick.
Allen quickly pulled the agitated middle-aged man back, signaling to the native species to temporarily avoid the onslaught of the invasive species.
Daredevil clenched his fists, forcing Allen to rack his brains to appease him: "Alright, alright, stop fighting. Daredevil is the strongest wherever he goes, okay?"
Matthew: ...
In fact, they could have finished their business in a single sentence, but Allen had to endure Daredevil's aggressive gaze for a full fifteen minutes before finally receiving a positive reply.
"I will protect Mrs. Laura and her daughter, provided you don't do anything unnecessary." Stop thinking about romance!
Allen naturally ignored Daredevil's habitual warnings and was pleased to hear Daredevil tell him this.
So he was happy to prepare to write Daredevil a large check—since his plan to escape Osborn had failed, he could now spend money openly.
Matthew, of course, refused Allen's 'sponsorship' for Daredevil, and was met with a disdainful glare from Allen, who said, "Fine, don't take it."
He didn't have time to argue with Allen, that rich bastard who liked to throw money around.
His mind was a bit of a mess. A fleeting glance had made Nightwing seem vaguely familiar, but he didn't have the habit of immediately trying to identify another superhero upon meeting him. Tonight, the more important things were the chaotic gang warfare, drug trafficking, and the resurrected dead in Broodhaven.
Matthew stood there, fists clenched, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. He really wanted to get straight to the point after the business was over and ask Allen if he had learned to have his cake and eat it too, and if he had started using his talent to toy with the feelings of both the innocent police officer and the vigilante Brood Haven.
On the one hand, he felt that Allen, who had a very blank past in relationships, shouldn't have developed abnormally so quickly. On the other hand, he was too confident in Allen's intelligence and learning ability. He knew that Allen could easily do anything if he wanted to.
For a fleeting moment, Matthew really wanted to ask Dick if he knew that Nightwing was someone else in Allen's life.
Alan had no idea that Matthew was questioning his character—although he didn't think he had any character to speak of, his eyes involuntarily turned suspicious as he looked at Daredevil's hesitant expression.
He thought, "This bastard probably still has feelings for Matthew, doesn't he? Even though he's now become a good guy who only reports tax evasion when he's retaliating against an enemy, he absolutely won't allow a superhero in his house! That's the bottom line!"
The two of them simultaneously revealed a guarded expression towards each other.
No, he has to keep a close eye on Allen/Daredevil, he absolutely can't let this guy succeed!
Daredevil/Allen thought.
On the other side, Dick, who had only made one appearance before being hastily chased away by his boyfriend, hung dejectedly from a roof beam not far away, staring at the night view of Broodhaven and seriously pondering how Allen actually knew Daredevil.
He certainly knew about Daredevil, the superhero, but they had never crossed paths before. Batman's database contained information on Daredevil, but Dick hadn't seen it.
Because he had heard that Daredevil never left Hell's Kitchen, and he also knew of Daredevil's righteous stance.
Now, Daredevil has somehow appeared in Broodhaven.
It seems he doesn't know much about Allen's circle of friends.
However, Dick felt he had indeed received some good news today—
Allen, who is friends with Daredevil, is indeed on the side of superheroes. As for the cold words he just said to him, that must have been Allen's wariness of a superhero he was not familiar with.
After all, not everyone can be as sunny and cheerful as Officer Dick Grayson, whose smile has the infectious power to put Dr. Osborn at ease.
The silly-laughing seagull quickly comforted herself, then happily changed into another uniform, bought roses and takeout, and prepared to run to find her boyfriend for dinner.
**
Alan, unaware that a new gay man was on the way, hurriedly bid farewell to Daredevil after his order was about to arrive, and returned to the emergency room, where he was extremely busy.
Every night shift, a few clueless idiots end up in the ER, 80% of whom are drunks and drug addicts, and another 10% are Floridaers and 10% are Gothamites.
Allen sewed up the heads of 10 people in one night, and was then rushed to perform three more surgeries. After finishing the surgeries, he was forced to listen to an intern in the break room complain with a horrified expression that an ultrasound showed a pregnant woman had four arms and four legs inside her.
Allen: ...
Is it possible that they are twins?
Allen was actually eager to investigate the brothers Alex Pedro and James Pedro immediately.
In the midst of his relentless busyness, his rapidly working brain finally remembered who Alex Pedro really was.
Alex was the police officer who was honorably wounded in the bombing of the gang's hideout. Allen even personally pulled him back from the brink of death and informed his parents that Alex might be unable to leave his wheelchair for the rest of his life.
He remembered the extent of his spinal fractures. However, the Pedros opted for conservative treatment rather than surgery at the time, so it's highly likely that Alex would still be bedridden today.
Allen couldn't quite understand why Alex Pedro refused open reduction and internal fixation—the success rate wasn't too low, and the prognosis was good. While Alex might not fully recover to his pre-operative level, regaining independent mobility shouldn't be a problem. Even if the surgery failed, it would still be better than being bedridden for life and experiencing a sharp decline in quality of life.
If he had the choice, even if the surgery had only a 1% success rate, he would still choose to take the gamble. He would rather die on the operating table or end his own life than endure a long but meaningless period of time.
However, as a doctor, he can only respect the patient's choice rather than interfere.
Dr. Edward took a cup of coffee, walked over, and patted Allen on the shoulder: "Seriously, Allen, haven't you been working for more than 36 hours straight? This can't go on. I suggest you go back and get some sleep."
Allen stared at the medical records on the computer screen, rubbing his temples wearily: "Do you remember the recent blizzard?"
Three days ago, Brudhaven issued a cold wave warning, which is said to bring the lowest temperature in nearly fifty years to Brudhaven.
Ms. Goodman, with a serious expression, announced an emergency warning to everyone in the emergency department—the cold wave might keep many citizens at home, and if a major accident were to occur, support might not arrive in time.
Experience shows that extreme weather often puts enormous pressure on public transportation.
This pressure will gradually be transmitted from the public transportation system to the medical system, and the large number of patients brought by the cold weather will cause a surge in the workload of the emergency department.
Nobody wants accidents to happen in this kind of weather, but unfortunately, that hope is always dashed.
Just when everyone was on high alert, clinging to a sliver of hope, the bad news finally hit hard.
Due to icy roads, a multi-vehicle pileup occurred at dawn on the highway connecting Brodhaven and Gotham City. 911, the fire department, and the police department have been dispatched to the scene. Brodhaven Emergency Room is the closest hospital to the accident site, and the dispatch center has notified them that a large number of injured people will be admitted soon.
The emergency room doctors aren't getting a day off to go home today, even though Allen just finished a night shift.
Dick also told him that all police officers in Brudhaven had been temporarily reassigned to maintain traffic order and participate in emergency rescue operations.
Their emergency department urgently needed to free up as many treatment rooms and operating rooms as possible, and also needed to temporarily move some stable patients to the waiting area. Fortunately, these tasks were not Alan's responsibility for the time being; Ms. Goodman was anxiously directing things outside.
The patient hadn't arrived yet, so Allen decided to sit in his office for a short rest and fill out the medical record.
He was absolutely certain that filling out medical records was the most terrifying obstacle he had ever encountered on his medical journey.
“I hate medical records,” Allen muttered.
"...So, Ms. Goodman checked your medical records?" Dr. Edward asked with a look of sympathy.
Allen, his face contorted with rage, muttered through gritted teeth, "For the sake of her paying my salary... 'wound irrigation and closure' changed to 'irrigation with chlorhexidine and two liters of saline solution,' 'double-stitching the six-inch wound with 60 interrupted 2-0 nylon sutures'... Damn it, as if anyone here doesn't know these things?!"
Dr. Edward patted Allen understandingly: "It's your bad luck to be chosen, accept reality, darling."
"Why should I waste my time describing in detail exactly how thick the sutures I used to suture the patient's wounds and how big they were? I'd rather have Dick give me a live broadcast of the rescue."
Dr. Edward seemed to read Allen's worries. He chugdredged up coffee while reassuring him, "Don't worry, Officer Grayson is very capable. He'll protect himself. And you... do you know that in Brudhaven, medical staff can't work more than 12 hours straight?"
“I’m trying my best to pretend I don’t know.” Allen tossed another coffee bean into his mouth. “Please, don’t call the police to arrest Ms. Goodman before I get into the operating room. She didn’t mean to break Rule 405. Of course, once I’m in the operating room, you can do whatever you want.”
Dr. Edward made a zipping gesture near his mouth, then started gossiping: "Ms. Goodman officially received the investment from the Osborn Group today. I think our hospital can be renamed Wayne-Osborn Private Hospital. That name sounds like it has a lot of money on it!"
Allen turned and glared at him: "Why isn't Osborne in front?!"
Dr. Edward quickly and tactfully corrected himself: "Sorry, I'm sorting by first come, first served. If it's sorted by the amount of investment, then it should indeed be Osborne Wayne. Oh, that name sounds richer, and it has a New York feel to it."
Allen didn't know what Dr. Edward meant by the "New York vibe," but it was a topic that interested him: "Ms. Goodman is planning to poach David Peterson with a hefty sum... He's the number one cardiothoracic surgeon, a master of the steady, precise, and ruthless 'hand of God'!"
Dr. Edward immediately chimed in with excitement: "More importantly, he's a Hawaiian like me!"
Allen glanced at Dr. Edward's floral shirt and headscarf, then remembered his printed surgical cap, and looked away with some disdain.
Dr. Edward continued rambling on: "Hopefully the ER will have more consultations requiring the cooperation of cardiothoracic surgery... Do you think we have a chance to go into the same operating room as him? Well, I don't have that chance, after all, I'm not in the trauma department... But you still can!"
The two chatted for a long time, and finally the topic turned to Andy Miller.
Dr. Edward asked hesitantly, "...Although this is a bit embarrassing, I still want to ask...you and Andy, did you two have a fight?"
Allen paused for a moment as he typed on the keyboard.
In fact, they had barely spoken since the surgery they performed together in the operating room to harvest the 'squid's' organs. Allen had never liked to talk to others, while Andy had unilaterally distanced himself from him.
It seems that Andy has become estranged from all of them. He seems to have suddenly become uninterested in socializing, and he hasn't even been going to the lakeside bar lately.
“No,” Allen replied.
Dr. Edward sighed, hesitating to speak, "Don't blame Andy, it's probably not an easy time for him lately. Last time I checked the surgical scheduling system, I accidentally saw..."
But before he could finish speaking, Maggie rushed into the lounge.
"Dr. Osborn, please get ready. Ms. Goodman wants us to leave immediately with the ambulance!"
Allen quickly grabbed a handful of coffee beans, stuffed them into his mouth, and rushed out.
Then he saw his brother Harry sitting calmly at the reception desk in the emergency room lobby, helping Ms. Goodman coordinate the staffing arrangements in the emergency department.
Harry was quite adept at this. Dressed in a bespoke suit and sporting a sophisticated fake smile, he could subdue all the disobedient patients until they were completely obedient. Anyone who saw the Patek Philippe on his wrist would involuntarily take three steps back as a sign of respect.
Harry held up a tablet for registering patient admission information, and surprisingly, he even had his Broodhaven Hospital employee card tucked into his collar. He waved to his brother, "You forgot something, I'll bring it to you."
A question mark slowly appeared above Allen's head.
He looked down and carefully checked his employee card and wallet—he didn't need a key, Harry had thoughtfully installed facial recognition on his door—and found that he hadn't forgotten anything.
Harry pointed behind him.
Bernard Hausman, sporting a typical American-British hairstyle, bowed slightly to Allen: "Long time no see, young master Allen."
Alan: "...How did Harry end up bringing you here too?"
"There's no other way. The two young masters of the Osborn family never want to stay at home properly. I, this poor old butler, am about to lose my job, so I have to come out and find work to support my family... Young Master Allen, considering that I have served the Osborn family for 56 years, 7 months, and 3 days, I swear I will never blow up the microwave oven and the induction cooker. Could you please do me a favor and let me stay by your side to drive the ambulance for you? That way, you won't have to tie your bow tie like you're about to hang yourself every day."
Allen: ...
Dr. Edward stood behind Allen and hissed softly.
Allen heard him mutter under his breath, "Damn! That damn rich guy! Now we really have to change our name to Osborn Private Hospital!"
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