Chapter 86 Cat's Hope: Cat's Hope can help the injured kitten...
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely outside the emergency room, each second accompanied by heavy breathing and anxious heartbeats.
Shi Wan and Wang Zhizhi unconsciously held each other's hands, their eyes fixed on the tightly closed door, as if they could see through the door and into the small life inside that was fighting against death.
I don't know how much time passed, maybe only an hour, but it felt like an eternity, before the emergency room door was finally pushed open.
A doctor in a white coat came out, looking tired, but with a hint of relief in his eyes.
"It's good news, the little one is out of danger for now." The doctor took off his mask, his voice a little hoarse.
Shi Wan and Wang Zhizhi breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously, their tense nerves suddenly relaxing, and their legs felt a little weak.
"That's great...that's great..." Wang Zhizhi murmured, feeling an indescribable emotion.
But what the doctor said next made their hearts sink again.
“However, the situation is still not optimistic. It is too weak, too young, and severely malnourished. Coupled with this trauma, it will require long-term meticulous care. Moreover…” The doctor paused, his tone filled with regret, “its hind limbs… its spinal nerves are severely damaged. We have done our best, but there is still no way… its chances of standing up in the future are extremely slim, and it will most likely need a wheelchair or similar assistive devices for the rest of its life.”
“Paralysis…” Shi Wan murmured the word repeatedly, watching the small figure lying in an incubator and still receiving oxygen, pushed out by the nurse behind the doctor. Her heart felt like it was being clenched by something.
Such a young life, not even having had a chance to properly see the world, must it bear such a heavy fate?
Wang Zhizhi was also stunned. Looking at the kitten curled up in the incubator, seemingly oblivious, she was too sad to speak.
“We will provide it with follow-up anti-infection treatment, nutritional support, and pain management,” the doctor continued. “It needs to be observed in the hospital for at least a few weeks, and discharge can only be considered after it stabilizes. You…”
“We’ll cover the costs,” Shi Wan immediately interjected, her tone firm. “Please use the best medicine and care to alleviate its pain and help it recover quickly.”
The doctor nodded. "Don't worry, we'll keep a close eye on it and take good care of it. Let's transfer it to the inpatient ward for monitoring now."
Watching the kitten being carefully pushed away, Shi Wan and Wang Zhizhi stood there, their feelings a mix of relief at surviving a disaster and deep worry about the future.
"Wanwan," Wang Zhizhi wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice still choked with sobs and sadness, "It's still so small, what will happen to it in the future..."
Just then, Shi Wan heard Xing Lin's deep and gentle voice, "Don't be too discouraged. Perhaps we can try to communicate with Cat Planet. Their technology is far superior to ours, and they specialize in developing tools for cats. Maybe they have assistive tools or treatment plans for injured or disabled cats like this."
Xinglin's words were like a ray of light, instantly illuminating Shi Wan's gloomy mood.
yes!
How could she forget about Cat Planet!
That cat civilization with incredible technology!
"Xinglin, thank you for reminding me, otherwise I really would have overlooked it," Shi Wan replied in her heart, her hope rekindled.
After taking Wang Zhizhi, who was still immersed in sadness, home and repeatedly comforting her and assuring her that she would keep her informed about the kitten's condition, Shi Wan drove back to the farm alone in the deep night.
Outside the car window, the city lights flickered, but her heart flew to the unfamiliar kitten in the hospital, and also to the starry sky full of unknown possibilities.
The car slowly approached the farm, its high beams illuminating the entrance as they swept across the night sky.
A familiar, furry white figure was crouching there, like a small gatekeeper statue.
It's tangyuan (glutinous rice balls).
He had clearly been waiting for a long time, and his ears immediately perked up when he heard the engine.
When he saw Shi Wan get out of the car, he meowed loudly and accusingly, then jumped to the ground and walked over with elegant yet somewhat hurried steps.
Shi Wan then noticed that Tangyuan had a new "outfit" on her head today.
It was a chubby, dumpling-shaped headgear crocheted from white yarn, with a clever little tuft of green yarn on top, like the edge of a dumpling.
The white hat blended almost seamlessly with his fluffy long hair; were it not for the touch of green and the swaying of the hat tip as he moved, one might almost think he was wearing a real dumpling on his head.
Aunt Li is so skillful; the little hats she makes are all so cute.
"Our Tangyuan is a little dumpling spirit today?" Shi Wan forced a smile and bent down to hug him.
Tangyuan deftly dodged her hand, instead using its claws to grab her trouser leg, and in a few nimble movements, it scrambled onto her shoulder and sat down steadily.
Then, he pressed his furry, kitten-smelling cheek tightly against Shi Wan's neck, rubbing against her in a sticky, affectionate way, making loud, satisfied purring sounds, as if complaining that she was late, or as if trying to soothe her low spirits.
Feeling the warm, soft touch on her neck and the vibrating motor, Shi Wan's tense, powerless, and sorrowful heart seemed to be soothed little by little.
She reached out and pulled the white dumpling from her shoulder into her arms, lowered her head and kissed his forehead, which was covered by a dumpling hat, and whispered, "Thank you for picking me up, Tangyuan."
Tangyuan adjusted to a more comfortable position in her arms and continued snoring. Its heterochromatic eyes gleamed in the night as it looked at her. Its paws stretched out, and its warm little paws pressed against Shi Wan's cheek, as if comforting her.
Holding this heavy, warm "placebo," Shi Wan felt her cold limbs gradually warm up, and her mood calmed down a bit.
At least, she still has the ability to protect the little lives around her.
At least, she still has the possibility of a miracle through the cat planet.
Su Qing's car hadn't left yet, and Shi Wan could see from afar that the light was still on in her office in the office building of Zone 2.
They should still be working.
Shi Wan wasn't in the mood for socializing, so she went straight back to the main house.
Su Qing sent a message first: "You're back? I saw your car."
Shi Wan replied with an "Mm," then thought for a moment and sent another message.
"I'm going out tomorrow, call me if you need anything."
Su Qing didn't ask why, she just replied with an OK.
The next day, Shi Wan got up early, carefully shredded the farm's own chicken breast (without any added seasoning) into thin strips, put them in an insulated food container, and took a small bottle of warm water with her before driving to the pet hospital.
In the inpatient ward, the orange and white kitten had woken up and was placed alone in a cage lined with a soft pee pad.
It looked thinner and smaller than yesterday, lying weakly on its side with its hind legs dangling limply.
After the anesthesia wore off, the intense pain kept it awake, and it kept emitting weak and pitiful cries. The sound was not loud, but it was like a small hammer hitting the tip of one's heart.
Its cries seemed to affect other hospitalized animals as well.
Several cats that were also resting in cages seemed restless and occasionally meowed, creating a tense atmosphere in the air.
Shi Wan's heart was breaking at the sight.
With the doctor's permission, she carefully opened the cage, squatted down beside it, picked up a piece of warm chicken breast with her fingertips, and offered it to the kitten's mouth.
The kitten seemed to smell the aroma of food. It struggled to lift its head, its wet nose twitching. The pain had made it lose its appetite, but its survival instinct still made it stick out its little pink tongue and painstakingly lick the bits of meat from Shi Wan's fingertips.
It ate very slowly and laboriously; each swallow seemed to require a great deal of effort, but it was trying its best to eat.
It's as if it's telling the world that it's trying hard to live.
After eating the few shreds of meat, Shi Wan carefully fed it some warm water with a dropper.
During this process, the kitten seemed to sense the gentle aura emanating from Shi Wan, which was devoid of any malice. It stopped meowing, used all its strength to slightly raise its head, and gently and affectionately nuzzled Shi Wan's finger, which she hadn't yet had time to retract, with its cool little nose.
At that moment, Shi Wan's nose tingled, and tears almost fell.
Even while enduring such immense pain, this little guy still chose to trust and get close.
She wanted to touch it, but stopped halfway through, afraid that her careless touch might cause further damage to its fragile body.
She could only withdraw her hand and speak to it in the softest voice through the cage, "Be strong, little one. We'll try to help you. Don't give up. Try to eat and try to live, okay?"
After settling another substantial medical and hospitalization fee, Shi Wan made an appointment with the doctor for her next visit to check on her condition. With a heavy heart but also a hint of determination, she left the hospital.
Back at the farm, she gave herself ten minutes to compose herself and talked to Wang Zhizhi about the kitten's situation before immediately throwing herself back into her busy work.
The batch of regular orders for Meow Star products has been completed and needs to be inspected, packaged, and shipped through the system as soon as possible.
This concerns the trust between us and Meow Star, and deeper cooperation in the future; it cannot be delayed.
With Xinglin's assistance, she quickly completed the quality inspection and packaging process, storing the goods in the system's designated shipping area.
After doing all this, she took a deep breath, concentrated, and opened the system interface.
It's time to send a message to the two boss cats on Cat Planet for help.
She began to devise how to write this special letter, one that would express her earnest need for help while also maintaining politeness and a sincere desire to cooperate.
She hoped that the distant planet Cat Planet could bring hope that the little life could run again.
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