Mute (1/1)

“You’ve been quiet.” Sooyoung observed her best friend who had not said a single word through the breakfast.   “Way too quiet.” Yuri added, nodding approvingly. “You okay, Tiff?” “Yeah.” She replied as nonchalant as she could. “Just tired. That’s all.” “That never stop you talk before.” Yuri closed the fridge and took the salad out. “Want some?” she offered Tiffany.  “No, thanks. I have to go.” She grabbed her backpack, rechecking everything she needed for the day. “See you guys later?” “Sure.” ----- "I need a consult." "Really?" YoonA's eyes lit up. "What is it?" She rubbed her hands in excitement. "I've been waiting for an emergency patient to come in. My hands have been idle for too long. Two days without surgery is too much.” "It's not an orthopedic case." Tiffany cut impatiently. "Look-" YoonA eyed the younger woman incredulously. "Then I'm not your guy. Find me when my case walks in from that door." "Please just-" "Doctor Hwang, I'm an orthopedic surgeon." "Please Doctor Im, will you just listen to me?” Tiffany hissed irritatingly.  "Fine. What is it?”  Tiffany sighed in relieved. ER was such a mess this morning. Everyone, including the senior doctors, is all busy with their own patients. "Male, 58, admitted to the hospital due to weakness and shortness of breath. BP: 80/60, pulse: 127x/m, irregular, RR: 32x/m. I've given him 500cc of NaCl 0,9%, but BP is dropping. It's 70/30 now, RR:48x/m, Pulse is barely there. I really can't-" "Is there any bleeding?" "No-" "Did he vomit? Diarrhea?” "No-" "Is there any congestive sign?" "What?" "Where's the patient?" YoonA became serious all of sudden.  "Here," Tiffany opened the curtain, revealing a man who was literally gasping for oxygen.  YoonA put the stethoscope on his chest and listened to his breath sound. She calculated his weight and ordered the resident. "Get me 1 amp of dopamine in 50cc NaCl 0.9% in syringe pump. Start with 3.75cc/hour." Tiffany was too flustered to move.  "Now, Doctor Hwang." The attending glared. She quickly went to find a nurse and get YoonA's order. "Mr. Song," YoonA glanced at the wristbands. "My name is Doctor Im YoonA and I'm going to help you, okay? Stay calm. We will help you." The patient merely stared at her blankly. He was starting to feel lightheaded.  Not long after, a nurse brought the drugs and equipment.  "Put him on monitor. Take a look at the vital sign closely." YoonA said to the nurse.  "Okay, Doc." "Doctor Hwang, a moment." She gestured Tiffany to follow her. YoonA opened a room and let Tiffany in first.  "I almost killed him, didn't I?" The resident stared at her feet. She was too embarrassed to look YoonA in the eyes.  "Hey," YoonA held Tiffany's shoulder. "Look at me. I'll be YoonA for five minutes." She tried to joke.  "What happened to him? Why did he get worse?" "It's a cardiogenic shock, Tiffany. More fluid will make everything goes south. Did you listen to his chest?" "Yes. I hear rales but I thought that it’s because of infection. Pneumonia, maybe? I don't - what did I do?" She buried her face on her hands.  "Being a real doctor in the ER has a lot of pressure, eh? It's fine. It's okay. Things can get hectic and tough. You’ll get used to it." "Will you please tell me, how do I recognize the sign? I can't mess up again." "When a patient comes in, you go straight to his vital signs and you go from there. As an ER doctor, your work is to make sure he doesn't die in this room. A, B, C - primary survey. That's all." "That was exactly what I did and yet-" "It's okay-" "It's not, YoonA!" Tiffany shouted frustratingly. "I misdiagnosed. I almost," she hissed. "Almost killed him. You don't get to say it's okay." YoonA understood Tiffany didn't like to be comforted like this. So she decided to play along. "You're right. That was a terrible mistake. That was a mistake that shouldn't be happened in the first place. A doctor should've known better." YoonA put her hands on Tiffany's arms. "However, a doctor is a human. We make mistakes, it's natural. You're gonna learn from this and you'll do better." "But-" <