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Chapter 568: Chapter 558 What Kind of Sequelae
Shen Yunfang pushed open the door to the hospital room and immediately caught sight of the person lying on the hospital bed.
No, it would be more accurate to call him a mummy; the person on the bed was wrapped from head to toe in white gauze, barely any skin visible, the only exposed face was so gaunt it was unrecognizable. If it weren’t her own man, Shen Yunfang would definitely not have recognized who it was on the bed.
Shen Yunfang gripped the door handle, closed her eyes for a moment to steady her emotions, and then braced herself, taking steps one by one towards the hospital bed. Right now, she saw no one else but the only one on the bed.
The few steps felt as if she was crossing mountains and seas. She finally managed to control her legs and successfully made it to the bedside. Fearing she could not hold herself up, she pulled over a stool, sat down with a plop, and then focused on her husband. The tears she had been holding back the whole way could no longer be contained and started falling down.
The two young soldiers who had brought Shen Yunfang felt awkward seeing her reaction. The sister-in-law had been so strong and calm on the way, only asking about Commander Li’s condition without saying much else, no crying, no fuss, and no visible sign of sorrow. They hadn’t expected that she had been holding it all in, only to break down upon seeing him in person.
Knowing that this was not the time to disturb her, yet realizing that they still had a task to complete before leaving, they had to make sure everything was handed over properly.
"Sister-in-law, don’t be sad, Commander Li will definitely be fine," they said.
Shen Yunfang heard the voice behind her and remembered that there was more than just Li Hongjun in the room. She quickly collected herself, wiped away her tears, and turned around, "Yes, I also believe that he will definitely be fine."
The young soldier scratched his head, not daring to say he was pessimistic. Given Commander Li’s condition, if there had been a chance of improvement, they wouldn’t have brought his wife over to possibly see him for the last time. But he wasn’t foolish; such words were absolutely taboo.
"Sister-in-law, this is Xiaohai, the guard assigned to take care of Commander Li. He has been looking after Commander Li for the better part of the last month. Now that you’re here, he can give you a hand with anything. Just give him your orders and he’ll take care of it," they explained.
Shen Yunfang then turned to see the additional young soldier in the room, very young, probably only seventeen or eighteen, not very tall, around one meter seventy, and quite ordinary in appearance. But at that moment, as he saluted, he looked every bit the part.
"Xiaohai, thank you," she said. Regardless of anything else, he had taken care of Li Hongjun for so many days, and as his wife, she owed him this word of gratitude.
Xiaohai, hearing her words, stood at attention and then stretched his mouth into a smile. But recalling Commander Li on the bed, he forcibly suppressed the smile and straightened his face, "Sister-in-law, it’s my duty."
At that moment, Shen Yunfang truly had no mood for small talk, so she just nodded and said, "Regardless, thank you for taking care of our Li Hongjun. Now that I am here, you can get some rest."
"No worries, I’m not tired," Xiaohai replied hastily and then felt as if he might have misspoken. Commander Li had been unconscious the whole time; all he did was to keep an eye on the IV drip, which didn’t really tire him out. But once said, his words might have touched a sore spot for her.
Shen Yunfang knew he didn’t mean it that way and didn’t take it to heart. She forced a small smile, "I want to ask about Li Hongjun’s condition. Who should I speak to?" She urgently needed to know Li Hongjun’s real medical condition. The information given by the two young soldiers was hearsay, and several days had passed since then. Even if initially the situation had been as they had described, she had no idea whether Li Hongqi’s condition had changed. She needed to communicate directly with the doctor.
"Doctor Wang is the attending doctor for Captain Li, sister-in-law, let me take you to her," Xiaohai volunteered eagerly.
The two young soldiers saw there was nothing more for them to do here, so they told the two and went back to report.
As for Xiaohai, he took Shen Yunfang to the doctor’s office, where Li Hongjun’s attending doctor, Doctor Wang, happened to be.
Doctor Wang was a woman in her forties. From her dress and demeanor, Shen Yunfang could tell she was a woman from a relatively well-off family. However, at that moment, Yunfang wasn’t concerned with that; she directly blurted out all the questions she had in mind, "Doctor Wang, right? I am Li Hongjun’s wife, and I would like to know how Li Hongjun’s condition is right now?"
Doctor Wang recognized Xiaohai, but she didn’t know the woman who came in with him. However, after the introduction, she knew that the woman was Captain Li’s wife, "Captain Li’s condition is not good," Doctor Wang bluntly stated without mincing words.
Even though Shen Yunfang was mentally prepared, she couldn’t help but stagger at the news, fortunately she was leaning against a desk and managed to steady herself.
"What exactly is ’not good’ about it?" She asked with difficulty.
"Let me put it this way," Doctor Wang said, trying to keep it simple and understandable, "When Captain Li was brought to our hospital, virtually no part of his body was intact. During the surgery, we removed a total of twenty-two shrapnel pieces of varying sizes from his body. Although those were serious wounds, the surgery was a success and is not life-threatening. The most severe injury now is to his brain; due to the severe concussion from the bomb, some blood vessels in Captain Li’s brain burst and the leaked blood formed clots, putting pressure on certain nerves in his brain. That’s also why he has not woken up yet."
"Can’t a craniotomy be performed to remove the blood clots in his head?" Shen Yunfang asked.
Doctor Wang looked at her in surprise, not expecting this military spouse to have such knowledge. Even now, many people are unaware of craniotomy, and even those who are, would not think of trying it, because most would not look at this surgery with a scientific perspective. Many believe it to be very frightening, thinking that one definitely could not survive having their head cut open.
"Under normal circumstances, it is possible to perform a craniotomy to remove the blood clots. However, Captain Li’s situation is a bit special. Our hospital has convened several senior experts for a consultation, and the location of the hematoma in his brain is very dangerous. With our country’s current medical capabilities, this type of surgery doesn’t have a one hundred percent success rate. And, even if the surgery were successful, due to the sensitive location of the hematoma, it’s very likely that some complications would remain," Doctor Wang explained, being candid.
This option had been considered, but from all perspectives, the cost of a craniotomy was too great, and they didn’t have the right to make that decision for Captain Li. That was why they had reported the situation to the higher-ups, and that’s why they had brought Shen Yunfang here.
Whether to proceed with the surgery was a decision that had to be made by Shen Yunfang, his wife.
After listening to Doctor Wang, Shen Yunfang fell into silence. It took her a long while before she spoke again, "What kind of complications might there be?"
"It’s hard to say, but based on the nerves compressed by the hematoma, it’s very likely to be a regression in cognitive function..."
"Alright, doctor, I understand. I will go back for now, thank you for your help," Shen Yunfang didn’t want to listen anymore; all she wanted now was to see her husband, Li Hongjun.
