Chapter 19
While Yu Lei was hesitating whether to sign, Tang Ruxin was also hesitating whether to save the patient—more precisely, whether to use extreme medical means to prolong the patient's life. She had rushed to the hospital in a hurry because she had originally intended to have the hospital keep the patient alive at any cost.
However, at this moment, when she looked through the glass window of the intensive care unit and saw the person lying unconscious on the hospital bed, with tubes inserted all over his body and his vital signs maintained by an extracorporeal circulation machine, she could not speak.
This person, Chen Junan, a graduate student, is currently an operator in the ketone-benzene unit. He was hired as a management trainee and is currently rotating through various major units. After a year, when he has mastered the operational status of all major units, he will be transferred to the Mobile Equipment Management Department. He is a member of Donghe Refining and Chemical's "Five-Year Talent Pilot Program."
She had an impression of him when she was giving company-level safety training to this group of new employees.
This child is positive and sunny. When he was observing on site, he pointed at the operating table of the device and said proudly that he would raise the automation control level of Donghe Refining to a higher level within five years.
Such a young man full of vitality is now lying there like a mummy, with his eyes closed and no sign of life at all.
Tang Ruxin stood expressionless, as still and stiff as a statue. She imagined his panic and fear as he fell, the sight of his legs and feet being caught and broken between the ladder railings, the sound of his elbows colliding with the steel pipes, the despair of his neck being repeatedly bent as he fell.
——What was he thinking at that moment? Would he regret entering Donghe Refining?
"Mr. Tang, you have a fever." Song Mu spoke from behind her and handed her the medicine she had not taken today because she had to drink at the dinner party.
Tang Ruxin took it silently, put it into her mouth, chewed it a few times, and then swallowed it directly.
"Water?" Song Mu looked at her in surprise. Is there a way to take capsules like this?!
Tang Ruxin took the paper bag from him and went into the bathroom to change her dress into a hospital gown. Her ward was downstairs, and she had just asked Song Mu to get it.
This hospital was the designated location for Donghe Refining's annual employee checkups. Most of the company's employees were accustomed to visiting here, and some of the more talkative ones had even become acquaintances with the doctors. When Chen Junan got into trouble, he was naturally rushed to the hospital's emergency center. His occupational health checkup records and medical history were all there.
Tang Ruxin changed into her hospital gown and, facing the bathroom mirror, removed her makeup with a wet wipe and tied her hair back. The person in the mirror looked tired and frail, a stark contrast to the refined and respectable executive at the dinner.
She didn't understand why such accidents with injuries and deaths occurred one after another in less than half a month.
Liu Dong's death, classified as a criminal case, relieved her immediate concerns. She was thankful it wasn't too late, so naturally, she didn't feel too deeply about his passing. She didn't know him, had never met him, hadn't had any contact with him. It was too far away for her, a pain she couldn't reach no matter how hard she tried. So, she was preoccupied with her own future and the future of the company.
The person in trouble now wasn't a stranger. She had met Chen Junan before, had spoken to him before. His energy and confidence had once deeply moved her, making her think, "It's great to be young." Back then, she had even placed high hopes on this sunny and cheerful young man.
With all these past events, the pain at this moment took on a physical form, suffocating her.
She'd watched the surveillance video countless times. Every impact and shift in Chen Jun'an's body as he fell was etched in her mind. There was no one around; he wasn't pushed, nor was he told to climb a ladder. From the moment he left the operating room to the moment he lay on the ground, no one else was present.
This cannot be a criminal case. It must be her responsibility. There must be a problem with safety management.
What went wrong? Was it inadequate training or a loophole in the system? Why? Why did Chen Junan have to climb the ladder? Everyone else was in the operation room doing a desktop emergency drill. Why did he go for an inspection? Couldn't he have gone later?!
—Ah, so what if it’s a little later? What’s going to fall will fall eventually, no matter when you go. Tang Ruxin hunched over the sink, burying her face in her arms, trying to suppress her sore eyes and the churning esophagus.
While she was drinking and flattering Sun Chengze, Chen Junan was falling.
The thought of this made Tang Ruxin want to vomit. The heat on her forehead continuously transmitted to her arm through the hospital gown, burning her eyes so much that they were wet.
There was a buzzing sound, and her phone screen suddenly lit up. Yu Lei sent three words:
"I didn't sign it."
Yu Zhe and three other company executives were in the doctor's office discussing follow-up with Chen Jun'an's family. It was known that Chen Jun'an had suffered multiple fractures, the most serious of which was a cervical fracture that had severely damaged his central nervous system, and that his recovery was highly unlikely.
However, medical matters cannot be said with certainty. Doctors use words carefully and speak only in terms of possibilities.
"If, I mean if... he wakes up, can he walk again?" Chen Junan's father asked cautiously with a trembling voice.
The doctor looked reluctant, but still told the truth: "The possibility of him regaining his walking ability is almost non-existent. Even if he wakes up, he will most likely be paralyzed from the waist down. After all, the most serious injury is to the central nervous system..."
Before the doctor finished speaking, Chen Junan's mother collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her aged face. Chen's father stumbled back a step and closed his eyes in agony.
The nurse hurried forward and, together with several other company executives, helped Chen's mother sit on a chair. Everyone whispered comforting words.
Yu Zhe's face was heavy as he asked softly, "There's no problem maintaining his vital signs at the moment, right?"
The doctor thought for a moment and replied, "The operation was a success, but the patient is not out of danger yet. Only when the patient can circulate on his own and no longer needs to rely on medical equipment can we say that there is no problem."
Seeing that the doctor didn't understand what he meant, Yu Zhe had to continue asking, "With the help of the equipment, he can survive, but there are still risks after the operation. But as long as the monitoring is proper, the risks can be controlled, right?"
The doctor understood his implication and nodded reluctantly, but still couldn't help but say, "In his condition, maintaining vital signs is actually meaningless. The possibility of waking up is too small, the cost is very high, and the patient will suffer. From a humanitarian perspective, I personally do not recommend doing this for a long time."
It doesn't need to take long, just seven days will be enough - Yu Zhe knew the situation and didn't say what was in his mind, but just nodded.
"Expenses aren't a problem. As a rule, the company will cover part of the medical expenses for workers injured on the job. And he has medical insurance, so he should..."
The doctor waved his hand, interrupting Yu Zhe.
"Medical insurance doesn't cover everything. The equipment and medications he's using are all imported, and many aren't covered. Before the surgery, you told us to get the best medications and equipment, so we did. Of course, if you insist, you can switch to medications covered by medical insurance."
"If you don't want to change, just use the best medicine." Yu Zhe said hurriedly, "We will renew the payment."
Seeing the company's attitude, Chen Junan's parents' resentment towards the company has subsided considerably. They had initially worried the company would shirk responsibility, but they were surprised to see their boss personally accompany them to the operating room and even pay their full medical bills. They are now willing to continue paying for their medical expenses and demand the hospital use the best equipment and medication.
"Thank you... Thank you..." Father Chen squeezed out a few words with difficulty, tears streaming down his face.
They had watched the video. It was their son who fell down by himself. They could not blame the company at all, as they could not ask the company to let their son sit still.
The kind-hearted Chen couple did not realize that the straight staircase was not the only way to go.
They thought this was Chen Junan's job, and that this job required climbing a ladder. Naturally, they would be the only ones to bear the risks involved in climbing the ladder.
They have no idea about the division of safety responsibilities for accidents.
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