SHADOWS OF DECEIT

Chapter 22

Yunjin was already waiting for him outside, a look of stark tension in her eyes. Without saying a word, she led him down the cold, sterile corridors toward the treatment rooms. Joshua's footsteps echoed off the tiled floors, each one heavier than the last as his mind tried to catch up with what was happening.

"Yunjin, what's the situation?" he asked, his voice steady despite the rising panic in his chest. He was used to emergencies, but there was something different about this one.

Yunjin's expression remained tight, and she didn't answer him immediately. When they reached the central monitoring station, she stopped and motioned toward the screen. Joshua's eyes immediately zeroed in on the image.

Joshua's eyes locked onto the CT and MRI scans displayed on the monitor, each image painting a more alarming picture than the last. His mind sifted through the data with practiced efficiency, cataloging the critical injuries one by one. 

The internal bleeding was extensive, pooling dangerously close to vital organs. Fractured ribs jutted at awkward angles, threatening to puncture already compromised lung tissue, and a ruptured spleen was adding to the blood loss. 

The spinal scan showed a dark contusion, unnervingly close to a cluster of nerves that, if damaged, could lead to permanent loss of mobility. Each injury was a time bomb, and Joshua felt the weight of every ticking second.

"We're looking at multiple surgeries," he muttered, his voice low and steely as he mapped out the procedures in his mind. 

"First, we stabilize the blood loss—that's the priority. Once he's stable, we can address the spinal damage. But if we don't move quickly," he paused, his jaw tight, "this could escalate into full organ failure. We're on the clock here."

Beside him, Yunjin nodded, her gaze just as sharp as his. She was visibly tense, but her voice remained steady. "We'll need the OR prepped for a multi-stage procedure. We can't afford any delays once we start, and an intubation is critical." 

She hesitated, her gaze flicking back to the monitor. "His lungs are barely holding. He won't make it under their current state."

Joshua's hands gripped the edge of the counter, his knuckles white against the metal. Every instinct told him to act fast, but with precision. 

One wrong move could tip his patient into irreversible decline. He exhaled slowly, pushing down the surge of urgency, focusing instead on the familiar rhythm of a plan forming.

"Yunjin," he said firmly, his gaze meeting hers. "Get the OT ready, and prep for anesthesia and intubation immediately. This has to be flawless. No room for error."

He reviewed the scans one more time, committing every detail to memory, visualizing the sequence of each cut, each stitch, each decision that would bring this man—this stranger, yet undeniably someone important—back from the edge. 

Joshua rolled his shoulders, steadying his breath, preparing himself mentally for what was about to be a grueling and high-stakes procedure.

Just as Yunjin turned to leave, the hallway was pierced by a sharp outburst from beyond the glass. The noise reverberated through the space, jolting Joshua from his intense focus.

 His eyes followed the source, zeroing in on one of the observation rooms where a man was towering over a nurse—Sakura—who was visibly frazzled, her shoulders tense under the weight of his angry, biting commands.

 The man's presence was a live wire, a bristling storm of impatience and frustration.

Joshua's confusion was evident, and Yunjin caught his expression. She leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper, though there was a distinct urgency in her tone.