The Way of Heaven: Whereabouts of Truth - Episode 3
[ACCIDENT]
5:00 AM... Around this time, work starts to pile up.
After finishing the nth round of breastfeeding and diaper changing for the babies every 3 hours, there is the process of handing over the baby bottles, used medical equipment, and other items to the aide for sterilization.
Morning rounds, blood draws, sorting test slips, filling in temperature charts, organizing nursing records,
and in between, serving and clearing breakfast... etc. In every department, this time of day is like having Bon, Christmas, and New Year's all at once—a state of total chaos.
Of course, we anticipate this from early on and try to get done what we can, so
unless there is an emergency during this time, we finish the handover to the day shift starting at 8:30 AM
and the night shift ends at 9:00 AM, but... Junko and Hitomi's night shift was significantly delayed because of the annoying visitor in the middle of the night,
which meant they couldn't get done what they needed to do.
They didn't even have the luxury of walking around the ward; it was practically running.
In that situation, an accident occurred on the gynecology side that Hitomi was in charge of.
During her rounds, Hitomi was pondering the degree of gauze contamination for Kyoko Hayashida,
a patient in Room 305 who had undergone ovarian tumor surgery.
Normally, she would choose to change the dressing without hesitation due to the bleeding... but here, the presence of Kobayakawa stood in her way once again.
She could picture how, when one of the staff members changed a dressing the other day, he had been furious, like a raging fire,
shouting, "Who did this!!"
According to Kobayakawa, because the way he had performed the procedure (how the gauze was applied and how it was taped) was different, it was clear that someone had redone it. First, he pointed out that it wasn't done the way he had, and then he expressed his anger that it hadn't been reported to him beforehand.
However, unless it is an emergency, a post-facto report is usually sufficient. In the first place, whether a report is necessary or not is obvious to a nurse with a certain amount of experience... that is the result of accumulating 'nursing skills that have become second nature.' How gauze is applied and how taping is done changes depending on the condition, so it is natural that the method differs from person to person.
As long as the medical chart is filled out, it is usually a trivial matter that wouldn't even be an issue.
"Basically, it's his fault for not checking before the rounds," she thought,
wanting to take the staff member's side.
But such nonsense was all under Kobayakawa's control.
Anyway, he is troublesome when he gets angry...
Once you are glared at, his presence turns into something threatening...
If he says go right, you are not allowed to go left, and if he says it is white,
even if it is red, he will make you say it is white...
In an oppressed environment akin to bullying in the adult world, a unique world was being created on the 3rd-floor ward,
where Dr. Kobayakawa held absolute authority.
In the end, Kyoko Hayashida's gauze was changed by Hitomi.
Hitomi hesitated for a moment, but dirty gauze is uncomfortable for the patient, and leaving it for a long time could lead to a bacterial infection.
Even while Kobayakawa was on her mind, Hitomi usually went through with most things in such cases, but to avoid trouble, she tried to restore it exactly as Kobayakawa had done it. She felt a sense of doubt, wondering what kind of technique he had that would make one say, 'Imitate this'...
Not limited to this time, under the remarkable development of modern medicine, Kobayakawa's methods were lagging behind. Many staff members felt antipathy toward Kobayakawa's competence, as he was old-fashioned and still clung to outdated techniques, and they felt they couldn't keep up with him.
And yet, where does that arrogant attitude come from?
Kobayakawa, who has a background of having worked at a certain national hospital in the past, would bring up that story at every opportunity and act conceited. Is being from a national hospital an element that can be a source of boasting in a tiny local hospital?
After finishing the dressing change, Hitomi cleared her subsequent work without difficulty, handed this matter over during the handover
to the day shift, and Junko and Hitomi's hectic night shift ended safely.
After changing from her white coat into her private clothes,
"See you, Hitomi, good work," she said,
and shortly after Junko left the locker room, Hitomi followed her.
When she was about to take her car keys out of her bag right in front of the parking lot,
her mobile phone rang.
The name of Yumi Ogawa, one of the staff members on the 3rd-floor ward, was displayed as the caller.
"What could it be?"
She had come out during the day shift earlier... she hadn't said anything when they met face-to-face... she thought as she answered the phone. With Yumi's voice sounding gloomier than usual, she intuitively felt that something had happened.
Because Yumi Ogawa, a junior who is often misunderstood for being inefficient due to her straightforward personality, has a sisterly temperament, Hitomi couldn't leave her alone and had been looking after her in various ways. Partly because she is not good with words, Yumi doesn't talk much with the others, but now, even beyond the preceptor relationship at work, she asks Hitomi about everything. It took time, but she has grown fond of her.
"Hello... Senior, I meant to say this earlier, but
um... I have something to talk to you about, so could you make some time for me soon?"
Hitomi promised to contact her later and got into her car.
The morning sun invited even more sleepiness to her tired body.
"Ah, I'm sleepy! I want to go home and sleep soon."
She hurried on her way home.