It was yet a day like any other at Doldam hospital where nurses and our star doctors were beginning their routine of handling patients and normal everyday duties. With the start of the summer season, it seems like everyone was in the laidback holiday mood. The flow of patients into the emergency department was even slower than average with minor cases and the staff was actually grateful for that. While the nurses were chatting about their plans for anticipated vacations and summer outings, Seo-Jeong was finishing up with a patient with minor localised burns before she sent him home and headed over to make an entry on his chart at the computer.
Overhearing the exciting conversations that were going on at the nurses' station, she smiled to herself thinking of joining them once she was done with her work. She was so glad to be given a heaven's chance to work in such a great community of dedicated medical staff - they were like one big family sharing and caring for one another. Destiny really knew how to set things in the right direction. As she pondered over all the events that have happened for the past year, she felt like being thrown into one big primetime drama show, or a comic book storyboard. How unexpected! How fulfilling! How...overwhelming as well...
Upon hitting the 'submit' button, Seo-Jeong heard something out of the blue from the side...She looked over near the edge of the table and wondered how Dong-Joo's cellphone ended up being there. Picking it up, she became concerned and inquired from one of the nurses passing by. She kindly told that Dr Kang had came over to the area before leaving for an appointed surgery about an hour ago.
Realising that he must have absent-mindedly left the phone on the table, Seo-Jeong quickly answered the call, "Hello, Mother...Oh sorry, 'Ma'am'? Oh no, I mean 'Mother'?" (She saw that it was Dong-Joo's mother who called).
There was no reply right away except for some background environment noises...At the same time, Seo-Jeong was half-distracted when the paramedics came pushing in a number of new patients who had just met with a car collision accident. Much to her worry, there was still a long pause over the line, yet the nurses have started preparing to attend to the patients and calling on Dr Yoon...
Still hanging onto Dong-Joo's phone, Seo-Jung reluctantly went over to grab her stethoscope. Once more, everyone in the emergency department was springing into immediate action...
In spite of the drama and high-spirited stimulation, Seo-Jeong's attention was captured by emerging sound of a shaky and agonising voice of Dong-Joo's mother that was finally coming through over the phone...
"Mother? How are you feeling now?" Anxious Seo-Jeong was in a dilemma as she appeared to freeze about two steps away from one of the triage beds where one of the newly-arrived patients was waiting to be attended.
Just as one of the nurses was calling out for Dr Yoon, Seo-Jeong heard more of Dong-Joo's mother's heavy groaning and panting...She made one of the most critical decisions in her career...Fishing out her pager to call for Im-Bum who has yet to show up at their emergency area for the day, Seo-Jeong spun around and raced towards the opposite exit of the hospital...
"Just hang on there, Mother...I'll be with you right away, please tell me where you are at now!"