Trauma Center : Golden Hour - Chapter 109

“R-red light!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

“Fine? Are you out of your mind?!”

Baek Kang-hyuk kept driving, Jang-mi’s curses serving as background noise.

His driving was nothing short of wild.

The only saving grace was that the other drivers gave way to the ambulance.

If they hadn’t, Baek Kang-hyuk, Jang-mi, and Jaewon would’ve ended up getting transported back to Hanguk University Hospital themselves—each in a different ambulance.

“Is it up there?”

“Don’t ask so casually when you’re driving like a maniac!”

“Is it up there!”

“Don’t even ask urgently! That’s even more stressful!”

“What do you want from me?”

Baek Kang-hyuk chuckled and drove the ambulance up the trailhead.

Fortunately, the local police were out, controlling the flow of people.

Some people still weren’t listening.

WEEEEE-OOOO.

The siren blared, and people quickly got out of the way.

THUNK.

It wasn’t a road made for cars, so it started getting really bumpy.

“Uh…”

“P-professor! The car’s going to break!”

Jaewon, who’d been squeezing his eyes shut, shouted in alarm.

All the expensive equipment in the back was rattling around.

But Baek Kang-hyuk didn’t seem worried.

“Looked like it was all German and Japanese brands back there.”

“What does that matter! Are foreign brands indestructible?!”

What kind of outdated thinking was that?

Korean products had long surpassed foreign brands.

Even the phones Baek Kang-hyuk and Jaewon used were world-class.

But there was one thing Jaewon wasn’t considering.

At least when it came to medical equipment, that wasn’t the case.

“Germany and Japan have super strict standards for ambulance gear. Nothing ever breaks. I know from experience.”

Baek Kang-hyuk kept driving up the mountain.

The bumpiness only increased.

“Ugh… I think I’m going to get carsick…”

Jang-mi muttered, her face pale.

Jaewon in the back had lost the will to even speak.

Baek Kang-hyuk was the only one who looked unfazed.

‘Compared to off-roading in the Middle East, this is nothing.’

There, dirt roads were the standard.

And there was always a good chance you’d find debris—or, if you were unlucky, a dead body.

“Hey, are you just going to keep sitting like that?”

After a while, Baek Kang-hyuk glanced over.

Jang-mi, clutching her stomach, finally spoke.

“If I don’t, I’ll puke.”

“Stop whining. Call the rescue team. Get our exact location. Tell them we’re at the fork in the trail.”

Sure enough, they were at a fork that led to different peaks.

“Fine. But is the car still moving?”

“We’ve got to get there as fast as possible, don’t we?”

“Damn it…”

Jang-mi fumbled with her phone in the rattling car.

“Yes! You’re here?”

The agent answered before the phone could ring.

That was how anxiously he’d been waiting for them.

“Yes, we’re at the fork.”

“Oh, you’re almost here. We’ll come up to meet you!”

“Uh… Did you already bring the patient up?”

“Yes. The local fire station came to help.”

Looking up, they saw a small fire truck at the fork.

Beyond that, no cars could pass.

“What’d they say?”

Baek Kang-hyuk asked as he parked.

Jang-mi pointed past the fire truck.

“Looks like the accident was over there. They managed to bring the patient up.”

“Really? Hm.”

But Baek Kang-hyuk’s reaction was lukewarm.

He actually looked worried.

‘Did they bring them up properly?’

Head injuries almost always came with [cervical spine injuries].

You had to immobilize those injuries during transport.

Otherwise, you could cause secondary damage.

Baek Kang-hyuk had seen too many cases like that.

“They’re coming!”

While he was lost in thought, Jang-mi pointed past the fire truck.

A group of agents was running over with a stretcher.

“Let’s get ready!”

Baek Kang-hyuk jumped out of the driver’s seat.

Whether there was secondary injury or not, it was done now.

His job was to treat the patient.

That was all.

“Yes, yes!”

Jaewon jumped out of the back, pulling the stretcher from the ambulance.

It was designed so patients could be loaded from outside.

“Equipment really is top notch.”

Baek Kang-hyuk tapped the transfer stretcher, muttering.

The agents soon reached the ambulance.

One of them ran up to Baek Kang-hyuk.

Baek Kang-hyuk didn’t remember, but the agent had met him before.

“Professor Baek! Here’s the report with the patient’s status and identity.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Baek Kang-hyuk flipped through the report.

“Unconscious. Systolic blood pressure below 70… No diastolic?”

“No, it couldn’t be measured. I’ll explain as we load the patient.”

“Right, sure. Hm.”

Baek Kang-hyuk looked closely at the patient on the stretcher.

Fortunately, both the head and [cervical spine] were well stabilized.

The stretcher itself was made of reinforced plastic for immobilization.

“Well done.”

So, he gave a rare compliment.

The patient was safely transferred to the ambulance stretcher.

Baek Kang-hyuk pushed it in and spoke.

“We’ll talk as we drive—time’s short.”

“Yes, sir.”

The agent nodded and climbed in.

Baek Kang-hyuk and Jaewon also got in the back.

The ambulance was big, but with four adults it was cramped.

“Shall we go?”

Jang-mi, now in the driver’s seat, looked in the mirror.

Baek Kang-hyuk gave a silent “OK” sign.

She smoothly pulled out, maneuvering the big vehicle through the tight space with uncanny skill.

The fire truck that had come from the local station was still having trouble, making it clear her driving was no joke.

“How are you this good?”

Jang-mi smirked.

“I used to do valet parking in Gangnam for my dad.”

(T/N: Oohh, so her skill is canon to the novel. I thought it was just an added skill for her in the drama.)

Th𝕀ṡ 𝓬hⱯpƚ𝙚r 𝘪𝐬 p𝙤𝓈𝕥℮𝑑 b𝙮 𝘬𝖎ţ𝖾𝑛ɵ𝘷℮𝖑

“Gangnam valet…”

Jaewon mumbled in awe.

That meant she was a master of wild driving and weird skills.

He started to wonder if the ride back would be rougher than the ride there.

The ambulance, as if on cue, started barreling down the slope.

THUNK, THUNK.

Making odd noises.

‘We’re doomed…’

While Jaewon was worrying about the grim future, Baek Kang-hyuk was asking more about the patient.

“You said there was no [pupillary reflex] on the left—when did you last check?”
(T/N: A reflex that controls the diameter of the pupil in response to light or other stimuli, indicating brain and nervous system function.)

“Only at first contact. Not since then.”

“Hm.”

Baek Kang-hyuk glanced at the clock.

It had been over forty minutes since the initial call.

If they’d had a helicopter, they’d already be at the hospital.

No matter how hard you drove, this was the best you could do by car.

“Slave, check again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“No urine or fecal incontinence, right?”

“No, none.”

Baek Kang-hyuk checked the area around the patient’s pants and nodded.

That was a good sign.

Absence of those symptoms didn’t completely rule out [spinal cord injury] or [cerebral injury], but it let you mostly exclude severe spinal damage.

“That’s a relief. Have you contacted family?”

“Not… not yet.”

“Did they come alone? No companions?”

“No, there are always more solo hikers on weekdays.”

“Please try contacting them. We’ll start treating the patient now.”

“Yes, I will.”

The agent nodded, not even able to imagine what kind of “treatment” Baek Kang-hyuk meant.

“Slave. Got the clippers?”

“Yes, here.”

Jaewon handed over the hair clippers from his coat pocket.

Fully charged, set to 2mm.

You might wonder why a doctor would carry these, but in the Severe Trauma Center they were indispensable.

BZZZZ.

Baek Kang-hyuk started shaving the patient’s hair with practiced skill.

“Huh?”

The agent stared in surprise, then shook his head.

Not his business.

‘They’d shave it at the hospital anyway… Guess they’re just doing it now.’

Anything to save time.

As expected, just like Ahn Jung-heon said, Baek Kang-hyuk was an outstanding doctor.

“Pupils?”

While shaving, Baek Kang-hyuk glanced at Jaewon.

“Left side’s gone… It’s already dilated. There’s some [papilledema] too.”
( T/N: “[papilledema]” is swelling of the optic disc due to increased intracranial pressure. )

“I figured.”

“The right side still reacts, but there’s papilledema and it’s slower than normal.”

“The reflex?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll have to hurry.”

“Yes, professor.”

Presence of [papilledema] was a very bad sign.

It meant increased intracranial pressure was affecting the eyes.

And loss of pupillary reflex meant things were even worse.

‘Evidence that brain function is deteriorating…’

If there was direct brain injury, nothing could be done.

Not even Baek Kang-hyuk’s grandfather could fix that.

But if it was just compression from [brain hemorrhage], there was some hope.

But only if surgery happened immediately.

‘We’re already late.’

If they’d had a helicopter, it would’ve been different.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

‘Bastards.’

But there was nothing to be done.

It was already late, and the patient was right in front of him.

Baek Kang-hyuk hurried to finish shaving the patient’s head.

“I’ll wipe.”

Jaewon immediately began cleaning the shiny scalp with [betadine].

‘Huh?’

The agent looked even more surprised now.

He could understand shaving the hair, but [betadine]?

That was strange.

But it was hard to interrupt—they were dead serious.

“Hurry up!”

“Yes!”

Baek Kang-hyuk prepared the local anesthetic and pressed Jaewon to move faster.

He realized that everything was going surprisingly smoothly.

It didn’t even feel like they were in a moving vehicle.

“Hey, gangster! We’re still moving, right? Why is the ride so smooth?”

“I’m flooring it! I’m just a way better driver than you, so shut up and operate!”

“Sh-shut up?”

“I get a little aggressive behind the wheel, so just accept it!”

“Huh.”

(T/N: Damn Jang-mi! What a badass.)