NABC Chapter 56 Falling Ill
Chapter 56 Falling Ill
"Oh my God, this... isn't this Xiao Han?" Old Liu was startled. He hastened to shout, "Help, help, save a life, save a life!!"
Late at night, outside was a piercing cold wind, and snow flying all around. Many people were warming themselves by the fire at home or hiding under the blankets watching TV.
Old Liu's voice was drowned out by the whirling snow. He never expected such a thing to happen. It practically broke him. He scrambled to his feet, not bothering to grab a flashlight, and quickly ran towards the Xiao family's front door.
Bang bang bang!
Old Liu knocked on the door vigorously, yelling, "Xiao Mei, something terrible has happened, your son has fainted. Open the door, quick."
Creak...
The door opened instantly, and Mother Xiao hurriedly asked, "What's going on? What happened to Xiao Han?"
"He... he's passed out, you need to come see!" Old Liu led Mother Xiao quickly over.
Xiao Han lay on the icy cement ground, already covered in snowflakes. After kneeling for hours, he couldn't hold on any longer. His body heavily fell, and soon he was blanketed by the swirling snow.
"Xiao Han, Xiao Han!" Mother Xiao was startled, and she immediately panicked. She hurriedly helped Xiao Han up, then said excitedly, "Come on, wake up, wake up."
"Let's get him back inside to warm up," Old Liu said urgently. "He's nearly frozen solid."
Mother Xiao quickly picked up Xiao Han, who was six feet tall and over a hundred and fifty pounds. Mother Xiao, frail and barely ninety pounds herself, had to lift someone heavier than herself. Clearly a daunting task but, Mother Xiao struggled to pick up Xiao Han and quickly moved into the house.
The room was warm. Mother Xiao placed Xiao Han on the bed and covered him with a comforter.
"What should I do?" Mother Xiao was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Getting angry was one thing, but Xiao Han was her only son, her only hope.
"Ah, it's all your fault," Old Liu was anxious too. "Why did you have to get into a fight with him? He's just a kid, bound to make mistakes. Now look, he's almost frozen."
Mother Xiao quickly brought hot water and wiped Xiao Han's hands and feet with a hot towel, trying to warm him.
But Xiao Han did not show the slightest response. If not for a faint breath from his nostrils, one might have thought he was dead.
"It's no good; I have to take him to the hospital!" Mother Xiao was frantic. If anything happened to Xiao Han, she'd have nothing to look forward to. Xiao Han was her hope, her only son. If her son died, she wouldn't be able to go on.
"How are you going to get to the hospital in the middle of the night?" Old Liu said quickly.
"Find a way, find a way!" Mother Xiao was very anxious inside, but she knew that panicking was useless. She had to find a way. For so many years, she had been through storms alone. They never defeated her before, and at this moment, she couldn't fall. If she fell, what would happen to her son?
"What about, I go call a car?" Old Liu said in haste.
"No, Uncle Liu, it's hard to get a cab now. I'll carry him out," Mother Xiao said urgently.
In Fuxing Community, this place was a ghost town for taxis; even if you went out to call one, they'd likely not be willing to come. Besides, how long would that take? Therefore, Mother Xiao decided to carry Xiao Han on her own and if she saw a taxi on the way, she'd quickly hail it.
"Fine, fine, I'll go with you, it's good to have someone along," Old Liu nodded quickly.
Afterward, Mother Xiao, with great effort, hoisted Xiao Han up while Old Liu wrapped a coat around Xiao Han. Mother Xiao moved out quickly.
"Alright alright, go on now!" the female doctor glared at her and said, "Wait for Doctor Hu to come down to see the patient, or call him if you want."
"Oh!" the nurse nodded.
There were only two nurses on duty at the nursing station. The other nurse stepped forward to rescue Mother Xiao, doing her best to administer first aid with her limited knowledge. Soon, Mother Xiao regained consciousness, her breath flitting, and said, "Doctor, save... save my son."
After uttering those words, Mother Xiao fainted again.
Five minutes later, Doctor Hu came downstairs unhurriedly. Only then did he begin to diagnose Xiao Han.
"This is bad, 40.5 degrees!" Doctor Hu suddenly froze.
"We must reduce the fever immediately!" the nurse panicked upon hearing this.
"Let them go and register first," Doctor Hu spoke. "Also, they need to make a deposit of three thousand yuan for hospitalization. This disease is tricky; prolonged freezing has destroyed the body's immune tissues. If it had been any later, he would probably have been sent straight to the morgue."
"Uncle, you're a family member, right?" the nurse asked.
"Yes, neighbor!" Old Liu hastily nodded.
"Go and register, then pay the money," the nurse said urgently.
"Alright," Old Liu nodded.
At the night shift payment center, Old Liu shakily took out just over a thousand yuan hidden in his clothing. The billing doctor glanced at him and said, "Old man, you need to pay three thousand one hundred and five yuan."
"I don't have that much, I'll pay tomorrow," Old Liu quickly said.
"Uh..." the billing doctor paused for a moment and said, "That won't work. You have to pay now, otherwise we can't admit the patient."
"Miss, it's a matter of life and death!" Old Liu was distraught.
"What life and death?" the female billing doctor raised her eyebrows and said, "It's just a persistent fever, no one's dying. Hurry up and get the money, otherwise I can't process this."
"You!" Old Liu immediately became furious. "Call your leader here! I've never seen anyone handle things like you do!"
"Enough, don't get stubborn with me," the female billing doctor replied irritably, and then said, "People like you come in every day. I've dealt with many tougher than you. No use, money is what matters!"
Upon hearing this, Old Liu was even more enraged.
However, Old Liu had weathered many storms and knew that it was no use to keep arguing with such people. After all, Xiao Han was still waiting for life-saving help. With no other choice, Old Liu hurriedly made a call to the factory.
After the call, the people of Fuxing Community were all aware of the situation, and dozens of them donated money on the spot, raising over a thousand yuan. Auntie Zhang, the Residents' Committee chairperson, braved the snowstorm and came to the hospital in person with the donations. Only then was the money handed over.
"What happened?" Auntie Zhang asked hurriedly.
"Ah, it's a long story..." Old Liu quickly recounted the events.
Upon hearing the story, Auntie Zhang sighed and said, "Xiao Han is such a good kid; he got second place in the city-wide exam this time. Such an excellent achievement he has. I hope nothing happens to him, or how could Meizi ever go on living?"
[Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and family happiness. This is the first time for the New Year asking for rewards.]