How Can I Get Rid of Him

uǝǝʇɹnoɟ ɐɹʇxǝ

The hospital is a magical place. Some are born here, while others bid farewell to life here. Life and death replay like a recurring tape, an everyday occurrence. Some say that working in a hospital for a year is equivalent to experiencing a decade's worth of joys and sorrows in the world.
Yu Xin is a young nurse in the obstetrics and gynecology department. She has been at the hospital for two years and has witnessed husbands bursting into tears of anxiety outside the delivery room as their wives give birth. She has also seen husbands disappear the next day when the cost of childbirth surgery exceeds their expectations. She often jokes that if you want to know whether a man truly loves you, bring him to the obstetrics and gynecology department.
Today, as she arrived at the hospital in her nurse's uniform, a pregnant woman with ruptured membranes, forced into premature labor, was rushed in. Rumor has it that this pregnant woman is a doctor from the hospital's oncology department.
Yu Xin noticed several doctors rushing into the emergency room in a hurry. Two hours later, one of the doctors emerged from the operating room with a less than favorable expression. The man sitting in the chair nearby should be the pregnant woman's husband. He immediately rushed up to the doctor to inquire about the situation.
"The patient's condition is critical, with severe bleeding. However, we'll do our best to save both the mother and the baby," the doctor pushed up his glasses, his expression serious, "But you need to prepare yourself mentally."
In an instant, the patient's family member's face turned pale. After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the doctor's hand and pleaded, "Doctor, save the mother. Focus on saving her."
"We'll do everything we can," the doctor called Yu Xin over and instructed her to prepare some documents for the patient's family member to sign.
Yu Xin brought the documents over and explained each one to the family member.
"This is the list of medications. We need to perform hemolysis on the patient, and some of these imported drugs are quite expensive..."
"Use them, use them!" Before Yu Xin could finish speaking, the family member interrupted her without hesitation.
"Alright," Yu Xin took out another agreement form, "This is the blood transfusion consent form..."
Quickly, the family member signed his name, Xiao Jun, on all the agreements without any hesitation.
Yu Xin handed the signed documents to the family member and then went with her colleague to get a late-night snack. In the corridor, she saw the family member who had just signed the documents huddled in a corner, making a phone call to borrow money. When he had confidently agreed to use the expensive imported drugs, she had assumed that their family was well-off.
Her colleague recognized the family member as well and asked Yu Xin, "How is the patient who came in today?"
"Not looking good. Severe bleeding," Yu Xin shook her head and then added, thinking about something, "But her husband is treating her very well."
"Severe bleeding, that's troublesome..." Her colleague's expression turned complicated. "Being a woman is really tough."
"The longer I stay in obstetrics and gynecology, the more scared I become of giving birth," Yu Xin sighed.
...
Restlessly, Xiao Jun paced back and forth in the hospital corridor. The doctors had been in the operating room for almost two hours, and he hadn't heard any news yet.
Although he had never been religious, he had silently implored Buddha and Jesus in his heart, just hoping that Mo Zi could safely come out of the hospital. He was willing to bear any amount of suffering as long as she was okay.
The sound of a latch clicking reached his ears as the door of the operating room swung open. A doctor walked out, and the cries of a baby could be heard from inside. Xiao Jun quickly approached, wanting to inquire about the progress.
The doctor removed his mask, and a hint of joy finally appeared in his eyes and brows. "The child is safe and healthy."
"What about the mother?" Xiao Jun anxiously asked.
"Her birth canal ruptured, causing weak contractions and uncontrollable bleeding," the doctor lowered his voice, wiped the sweat from his forehead that had accumulated during the long surgery, and said, "We're still trying to save her."
"Doctor, I beg you, please!" Xiao Jun repeatedly bowed to the doctor, almost wanting to kneel right then and there.
"I understand, I understand," the doctor held onto Xiao Jun's shoulder and helped him stand up, "We will do our best. If other family members of the patient can come, it's recommended that you notify them as well."
"Okay." Xiao Jun's agreement was weak. Her dad and Mo Xi were both in the United States, so the only family member who could be there was him.
At this moment, a nurse appeared in the corridor, rushing hurriedly. She was wearing a black windbreaker, the cold autumn wind wrapped around her. She strode to Xiao Jun's side and stopped, calling out, "Brother-in-law."
Xiao Jun looked up and saw Mo Zi's ex-boyfriend. He stared at Pei Hao in surprise and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I..." Pei Hao ruffled his hair, and hesitated as he replied, "Mo Zi, she asked me to come."
"Oh." Xiao Jun didn't doubt it. When he had last encountered Pei Hao at the cemetery, he had felt that things weren't yet settled between him and Mo Xi.
"How's my sister?" Pei Hao furrowed his brows.
"She's in critical condition, severe bleeding due to a ruptured birth canal," Xiao Jun continuously cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing in the corridor.
"And the child?" Pei Hao asked.
"She gave birth, healthy. If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have let her give birth," Xiao Jun sighed with a bitter smile, "You sit here for a while, I'll go out and make a few phone calls."
Xiao Jun stood up, preparing to find a quiet place to call some distant relatives and colleagues, hoping to borrow some money.
"Um, brother-in-law," Pei Hao stopped him, "Xiao Xi mentioned that you might need a lot of money on your end. I have around two hundred thousand in savings. If it's not enough, I can try to borrow more."
Xiao Jun suddenly felt his nose tingle, his emotions that had been suppressed for hours finally found an outlet. From the moment Mo Zi was brought into the hospital until now, he had been carrying everything on his shoulders: running around to sign various agreements and make payments, comforting his parents back in his hometown, and figuring out how to borrow money. Every time a doctor came out of the operating room, he braced himself for the worst, fearing they would say she didn't make it. But now that the child was born, he couldn't even think straight...
Pei Hao stood behind Xiao Jun, watching him bury his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking intensely.
He gently patted Xiao Jun's shoulder without saying a word.
After a while, Xiao Jun wiped the tears from his face and turned to Pei Hao, saying, "Thank you."
"I did what I should," Pei Hao pointed to a chair near the operating room's entrance, signaling for Xiao Jun to sit.
Both of them sat down without speaking. It was going to be a sleepless night for sure. Xiao Jun's worried expression indicated that he probably hadn't even had dinner. Pei Hao's only contribution at this point was ordering takeout for him.
When the takeout arrived, Xiao Jun took a few bites but didn't eat much. As midnight approached, the hospital became quieter, and in the later hours, only a few sporadic figures moved in the corridor. Pei Hao and Xiao Jun sat in silence on the chairs, both staring at the operating room door, hoping that a doctor would come out and provide some updates.
The suspenseful wait without any news was incredibly nerve-wracking.
Suddenly, the doors of the operating room burst open, and a doctor hurriedly emerged. Several doctors pushed Mo Zi's bed toward the direction of the elevators, shouting to the few people in the corridor, "Clear the way, make way!"
Pei Hao and Xiao Jun sprang up like springs, following the doctor to the elevator.
But once the doctors and Mo Zi's bed entered the elevator, there was no space left. The doctor left with a quick instruction to "go to the ICU" before the elevator doors closed.
In the chaos, Xiao Jun managed to steal a glance at Mo Zi. She had an oxygen mask on, clearly having lost consciousness, her face devoid of color. Remembering the doctors' panicked expressions just now, a sense of foreboding gripped Xiao Jun. He tightly clenched his fists, trembling, not even noticing when the elevator had arrived.
It was Pei Hao who pulled him into the elevator, and Pei Hao who led him to the ICU entrance. By the time Xiao Jun came to his senses, Pei Hao had already communicated with the doctors.
"Brother-in-law, you wait here. I'll go pay," Pei Hao said and quickly disappeared.
Xiao Jun dug his nails deep into his palms, trying to wake himself up. How could he lose his composure at such a crucial moment?
The doctor said they couldn't stop the bleeding, and he made Xiao Jun sign numerous agreements, most of which authorized the hospital to perform surgeries. Xiao Jun tremblingly signed these agreements, as if he were signing a life-or-death contract for Mo Zi. Each signature tightened his heart.
When Pei Hao returned after paying, he asked if the maternity nurse had been contacted. That was when Xiao Jun realized that he had been so concerned about Mo Zi that he hadn't thought about what to do with the child from tomorrow onwards. He had agreed with the maternity nurse for her to come in half a month, but he wasn't sure if she would be available tomorrow. While his parents were coming over tomorrow from their village, it wasn't certain if two elderly people could take care of a newborn.
Seeing Xiao Jun's lost expression, Pei Hao understood. He set an alarm for "Contact Maternity Nurse" on his phone for tomorrow morning, saying, "Leave it to me to contact the maternity nurse."
"Thank you. I'll repay you the money as soon as possible. My parents will be here tomorrow too," Xiao Jun slumped weakly onto a sofa outside the ICU. He wished he could slap himself, wake up from this dream, and find Mo Zi safe and sound, and the child too.
"Don't worry about the money for now," Pei Hao replied calmly. He hadn't thought about taking it back after giving it away.
A sleepless night passed.
At dawn, around seven o'clock, a hint of red appeared on the horizon, gradually spreading to the surroundings. The sun emerged, its golden head rising.
It had been an extremely long night. Yu Xin had been busy all night. The patient who came in yesterday experienced severe postpartum bleeding, losing over 4000 ml of blood. The hospital's blood supply was almost depleted, and they had to borrow more from other hospitals.
Those in the obstetrics and gynecology department knew that postpartum hemorrhage was one of the major causes of maternal mortality. Their hospital had experienced cases that couldn't be saved. With so much blood loss yesterday, the patient was still in a coma; now it was a matter of fate.
When Xiao Xi arrived at the hospital, it was already close to noon. She couldn't get through to Xiao Jun's phone, so she hurried to the obstetrics and gynecology department and caught hold of a nurse, asking, "Excuse me, is there a patient named Mo Zi?"
The nurse looked puzzled and pointed to the front desk, saying, "I don't know. Go over there and ask."
By this time, Yu Xin had changed back into her regular clothes and was getting ready to leave. She heard the name "Mo Zi" and turned around to size up the young man who was panting while talking. His face was haggard, as if he had been traveling a long distance to get here.
She said to the young man, "Are you referring to the patient who had severe bleeding last night? She's currently in the ICU."
"ICU? Intensive Care Unit?" The young man looked at her in a panic, "Is my sister okay?"
"She's currently in a coma. For specifics, you'll have to consult the doctor," Yu Xin said, leading the young man to the elevator and adding, "Go to the top floor. The elevator will take you straight there."