54: Chapter 54 Nickname: Stitching God
In the blink of an eye, a week passed.
Lu Chen's days in the Emergency Department's Red Zone had completely settled into a routine.
From initially learning the procedures with Zhao Yaqin, to later handling trauma Suturing independently, and then participating in the rescue coordination for various acute and critical illnesses.
He spent a full seven days thoroughly embedding himself into every link of the Red Zone.
During these seven days, he had handled a total of over sixty Suturing cases.
Head lacerations, hand cuts, facial lacerations, abdominal Punctures—wounds of all types, depths, and levels of difficulty.
Under his hands, they all turned into neat and fine sutures.
Not a single case of infection.
Not a single case of rework.
Not a single case of complaint.
Meng Yan, the Red Zone's Head Nurse, sent a message in the Nurse Station's work group.
The gist was: Lu Chen's sutured wounds basically required no extra care during dressing changes, and their recovery speed was significantly faster than similar wounds sutured by other doctors.
This message was forwarded to the main Emergency Department group.
Then it was forwarded to the Surgical System's communication group.
And then, things began to get a bit out of control.
...
Wednesday afternoon.
Red Zone Treatment Area.
Lu Chen had just finished the last stitch for a Middle-aged man with a wrist cut when he looked up and saw three people standing at the door.
Three young women, all looking to be in their early twenties.
One of them was cradling her left hand, a band-aid wrapped around a finger with a small bloodstain on it.
Meng Yan leaned halfway out from the Nurse Station and took a look.
"Dr. Lu, another patient is here."
"Okay."
Lu Chen beckoned them to come in.
"Who is the patient?"
The girl cradling her hand stepped forward.
"Me, I cut my finger."
Lu Chen took her hand and peeled off the band-aid.
A small cut about three millimeters long.
It didn't even reach the dermis.
The bleeding had already stopped.
"This doesn't need Suturing. A butterfly bandage will do, or you can just use your own band-aid."
"Huh? But I think it hurts quite a bit."
"The wound is very shallow and doesn't involve tendons or nerves. Keep it dry when you go back, and it will heal in three to five days."
The girl was a bit reluctant to give up.
"But I heard your Suturing is exceptionally good. Can you stitch it anyway? I'm afraid of scarring."
Lu Chen glanced at her.
"Suturing a wound of this depth is actually more likely to leave needle-mark scars. It recovers better without stitches."
"Then can I add you on wechat? It would be convenient to consult you if I have problems later."
The expressions of the other two girls were written all over their faces.
They weren't here for medical treatment; they were here for the person.
Lu Chen's tone didn't change at all.
"The Hospital has official consultation channels; the Nurse Station can guide you. I'm sorry, it's not convenient for me personally to add patients on wechat."
The three girls left with some regret.
Meng Yan walked over, holding a stack of Registration Slips.
"Dr. Lu, guess how many times this situation has occurred this morning?"
"How many times?"
"See for yourself."
Meng Yan flipped through the Registration Slips.
"This one, a paper cut on a finger, requested Dr. Lu for Suturing."
"This one, a slightly split fingernail, requested Dr. Lu to handle it."
"This one is the most absurd. She said she was scratched by a cat, but when I looked, the red mark was almost gone."
Lu Chen rubbed his brow helplessly.
"Isn't this a waste of medical resources?"
"They registered and paid; what can you say? I can only try to direct them to the Green Zone during triage, but some people specifically ask for you by name."
Sun Ji walked over from the Treatment Area on the other side.
"Another beautiful fan is here?"
"Don't even mention it."
"I say, Lu Chen, do you really not know, or are you just pretending? You already have a nickname in our Hospital now."
"What nickname?"
"Suturing God."
"Who came up with it?"
"I don't know. Anyway, all the Nurses call you that in their groups. It seems it first started spreading from the comment section of that video where you blocked the thugs."
Lu Chen's expression was beyond words.
"I suggest you all put this energy into your work."
Sun Ji smiled and shrugged his hands.
"I'd like to, but you've done all the work; I can only watch from the side."
Just then, Shen Xiaoning walked over from the Nurse Station.
She was assigned to duty in the Yellow Zone today, but she still ran over to the Red Zone during her lunch break.
"Dr. Lu!"
"Hmm?"
Shen Xiaoning was carrying an insulated bag.
"I brought you lunch. The Cafeteria has those Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs today that you said were pretty good last time."
"When did I ever say the Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs were pretty good?"
"Last Wednesday in the Cafeteria, you took two extra pieces. I remembered."
Sun Ji let out an extremely subtle cough from the side.
Lu Chen took the insulated bag.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome!"
Shen Xiaoning smiled, her dimples showing, and then her gaze inadvertently swept across the Treatment Area.
"Dr. Lu, did someone come to find you for Suturing again just now?"
"Yeah, a small cut on a finger. It didn't need Suturing."
"Another girl?"
"Yeah."
The corners of Shen Xiaoning's mouth twitched slightly.
"It seems like there have been a lot of female patients coming to find you lately."
"The proportion of female patients in the Emergency Department is naturally not low."
"But there weren't this many before."
Meng Yan added from the side.
"Xiao Shen is right. In the past week, the number of female patients specifically asking for Dr. Lu has indeed increased quite a bit, and most of them have superficial injuries—the kind that often don't need Suturing at all."
Shen Xiaoning turned to look at Meng Yan.
"Sister Meng, can't we stop them?"
"They've registered; how can I stop them?"
Shen Xiaoning's expression was a bit unhappy, but she didn't say anything more. She just looked at Lu Chen.
"Then eat well. I'm going back to the Yellow Zone now."
"Okay."
Shen Xiaoning walked a few steps and then stopped again.
"Dr. Lu."
"Hmm?"
"In the future, could you please not smile at female patients?"
"I didn't smile. I have the same expression for all patients."
"That's good then."
Shen Xiaoning turned and walked away quickly.
Sun Ji watched her back disappear around the corner of the corridor, then slowly turned his head to look at Lu Chen.
"Brother, can you really not tell?"
"Tell what?"
"Forget it. As long as you're happy."
Lu Chen ignored him, opened the insulated bag, and began to eat.
The Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs were indeed quite good.
He really had taken two extra pieces last Wednesday.
She really had remembered.
But that wasn't what was on Lu Chen's mind right now.
He was thinking about the afternoon schedule, how many Suturing cases today could advance his progress, and when he could save up 1,000 gratitude points.
After finishing his meal, he set the insulated bag aside and prepared to continue working.
His phone rang.
It was a call from Director Li Sen.
"Lu Chen, are you in the Red Zone?"
"I'm here, Director."
"Have you eaten lunch yet?"
"Yes."
"Good. Once you're finished, come out with me. This afternoon is the cross-department ward round, and you'll be coming along."
"Ward rounds?"
"The Hospital issued a notice last week. There's a cross-department teaching ward round once a month. It's my turn to lead today. Just follow behind me and watch; learn more, see more, and talk less."
"Understood, Director."