Chapter 010 Hostage Crisis

　　The three of them walked along the corridor, passing the doctor's office, and soon saw a duty room that looked like a cross between an office and a lounge.

　　Through the open door, Brian Carter and David Brooks saw a beautiful woman in her thirties, whose face somewhat resembled Linda Bennett.

　　This must be Linda Bennett's aunt, Olivia Clark.

　　This woman wasn't wearing a white coat, and it seemed she had just taken a shower... or maybe just washed her hair, because when the three knocked and entered, she was using a hair dryer to blow her long, beautiful hair.

　　After Linda Bennett introduced everyone, she handed the CT scan and emergency medical record to her aunt, and explained what had happened.

　　Of course, she couldn't say she was taking a shower when Brian Carter suddenly barged in to peek and then got hit by her. She could only selectively recount what needed to be said, turning intentional injury into an accidental hit with an object.

　　Olivia Clark heard her downplay it and thought it was nothing serious, so she didn't pay much attention. But when she picked up the CT scan, she was startled, and her expression grew grave. The injury was truly severe—if it had been an ordinary person, they might have already been sent to the morgue. The fact that her niece's classmate was still alive was nothing short of a miracle.

　　While the two were talking, Brian Carter wasn't really listening. He was just curiously looking around, as if none of this had anything to do with him. He even picked up the hair dryer Olivia Clark had just used, playing with it in fascination. What was this thing? It made a loud whooshing sound and could blow out such a strong wind!

　　Seeing how clueless he looked, David Brooks kept sighing, Linda Bennett was helpless, but Olivia Clark was extremely worried. She hurriedly pulled Linda Bennett aside and asked anxiously, "Linlin, what happened? How could you be so careless? What did you hit him with?"

　　Linda Bennett said, "Wasn't it that washbasin you gave me!"

　　"Washbasin? That huanghuali washbasin used by a Tang dynasty imperial concubine?" Olivia Clark was momentarily stunned, then became furious. "That's a thousand-year-old antique! I gave it to you to keep as a collectible, for your dowry in the future. Why did you take it to school to show off?"

　　Linda Bennett felt wronged, "I..."

　　Olivia Clark said angrily, "Linlin, do you realize you almost killed someone?"

　　Linda Bennett's eyes turned red. "Auntie, what should I do now?"

　　Olivia Clark replied in frustration, "How should I know what to do?"

　　Linda Bennett became anxious, "Aren't you a neurosurgery expert? Just operate on him and remove the hematoma. As for the surgery costs, don't worry, I've saved up quite a bit over the years."

　　Olivia Clark gave a bitter smile, "Silly girl, is this a matter of money? This is a brainstem hemorrhage—the most serious kind of cerebral hemorrhage. Patients with more than twenty milliliters of bleeding are almost certain to die. For such cases, surgery is generally not recommended, because even if surgery is possible, the outcome is usually very poor, especially with such a large amount of bleeding."

　　Linda Bennett collapsed weakly into a chair, murmuring in despair, "Is there really nothing that can be done?"

　　Olivia Clark looked back at Brian Carter and found that, although he looked odd and silly, his mental state was actually quite good. Aside from his strange behavior, he seemed no different from a normal person. She couldn't help but frown and mutter to herself, "Logically, with such a large hematoma in his brainstem, he should be unconscious and unresponsive by now. How can he still be so lively? It's truly unbelievable. If his condition can remain this good, then maybe it's not entirely hopeless."

　　Linda Bennett's face lit up and she quickly asked, "Auntie, is there a way?"

　　Olivia Clark replied expressionlessly, "My method is only conservative treatment. The main thing depends on him. This case is the rarest I've seen in all my years in neurosurgery, far beyond normal expectations, with too many unknown possibilities. So you'd better be mentally prepared for the worst."

　　Hearing this, Linda Bennett's heart sank again, and she murmured, "Then... what can I do?"

　　Olivia Clark thought for a moment and said, "Have him admitted to the hospital immediately and give him the best care. Don't let him get agitated. Give him whatever he wants, try to meet all his requests, because if things take a turn for the worse, he could..."

　　"Hospitalized?" Linda Bennett was stunned and said awkwardly, "But he's still in school!"

　　Olivia Clark sneered, "He's on the verge of death, and you're worried about school?"

　　Linda Bennett opened her mouth, about to say something, when suddenly a commotion of footsteps sounded in the corridor outside, followed by someone shouting, "Stop!"

　　What happened?

　　The group, their conversation interrupted, immediately wanted to go out and check, but someone crashed in from outside... No, to be precise, two people did.

　　A bearded man in his forties, holding a long, sharp knife in one hand, and with the other arm tightly gripping a nurse wearing a cap. The nurse was already covered in bloodstains, clearly having been slashed by the man somewhere.