One Night Surprise Novel

“It was that day I performed twelve operations in the span of twenty-one hours. That... was not something to be proud of. That
day, all I felt was how fragile human lives were, and it shook me to my core. I still feel the same today.”
Some young soldiers who retired from the battlefield after the age of war might look fine from the outside, but they had to receive
years of therapy to heal. Some even broke down and took their own lives because of the weight of the sin they had to carry.
Those who had never gone through war could never imagine how bloody and cruel it was.
“Professor Allen, what was the most shocking thing you experienced?”
Allen might have agreed to answer that question, but he still shivered when the host asked him that. “It happened after my first
operation. The corridor was packed with people. I didn’t even have time to take off my surgical clothes, and my assistant had
taken me to another operating theater. The moment I went in, I heard a screech coming from the bed. Someone was crying,”
Allen spoke quietly and slowly. Not even a sound was heard in the hall. Courtney was sitting on the chair a crew member gave
her, and it was so quiet, she could hear her own heartbeat.
“There was a mother and a daughter on the bed. They were shopping for clothes in a nearby mall when the explosion happened.
She instinctively protected her daughter at the moment of impact, so the woman was severely burned, and shards of glasses
punctured her body. Her organs might have been destroyed as well. They were stuck together when the rescue team took them
back. The previous surgeon had just finished separating them, but the surgeon fainted before she could complete the operation,
so I was summoned instead. The mother was alive, but she was severely injured and needed to be operated on at once. Her
child’s condition was stable, but she was weak. The child could not hold on any longer, and there was bleeding in her chest. It
would be disastrous for her if we did not make an incision to check.” Allen spaced out, immersing himself in his past. He had
stopped talking, but the audience started murmuring.
Linda clenched her fists, her attention on the humble man on the stage.
The host held his mic and asked, “What happened next?”
Allen looked away, as if snapping out from his reverie. He looked at the audience and talked a little faster. “All the other doctors
were operating on other patients, and I was the only surgeon left, but I had two patients desperately waiting for me. Interns,
here’s my question. Who would you save if you were in my situation?”
He turned his attention to the remaining interns on the stage. The question came too suddenly, and everyone looked at one
another in confusion.

Only Courtney remained silent. She did not even look around.
Oliver noticed the solemn look in Linda’s eyes, so he leaned back and asked, “Who would you save?”
“The child, I think.”
Oliver only heard the answer a long while later, but he said nothing. He turned his gaze back to the stage.
“Can I say something?” A moment of commotion later, a doctor raised his hand. He adjusted his glasses, a look of confidence
shining in his eyes.
Allen extended his hand toward the man, telling him to continue.
“If it were me, I would choose the best assistants available and set up two operating theaters to perform on them at the same
time.”
The crowd broke into a discussion, and even Linda was shocked. The interns around him looked at the man, trying to figure out
why he answered that so confidently.
Allen clasped his hands tighter together, but aside from that, he showed no other change. He seemed interested, and he said,
“Continue.”
“Professor, you did say if I were in your position. If I had your abilities, I would try to save both of them at the same time, though
all preparations must be done to prevent any more accidents from happening.” He paused and smiled. “Well, but I am just an
intern who just graduated from medical school. I do not have your abilities as of now, but I love life. I love being a doctor. You’re
my role model, and I aspire to be a respectable doctor like you.”
It was a perfect speech, and the contestants around him looked a little annoyed. Some of the short-tempered ones even
muttered, “Wow, what a brown-noser.” Even so, Allen started to smile.
“It’s good to have ambition. I like young people who have that.” He clapped, and the audience followed suit. Oliver looked on with
interest. When they were done applauding, Allen looked at Courtney, who had been looking a bit too calm. “Contestant number
seven, you might be clapping your hands, but I can see you have a different opinion. I’d like to hear your choice.”
“Who, me?” Courtney was a little surprised. She paused for a moment before standing up from her seat. She did have her own
opinion, but she did not want to say it out loud.

“Yes. I would like to hear your opinion.”
Allen insisted. Courtney hesitated for a moment, then she nodded. “Alright. I would save the child if I were in your place,” she
said coolly, putting her emotions aside. “Of course, I admire contestant number three’s courage, but I would save the child first if I
were in your place. Firstly, I’m a mother as well. The mother protected her child right away, and if she could make the choice, she
would want her child to be saved as well. Secondly, the child had no outward injuries, but she had internal bleeding in her chest.
It would take a shorter amount of time to save her compared to the mother. If the chest bleeding wasn’t treated in time, the intra-
abdominal pressure would become too high, and she might die because we missed the best time to rescue her. As for the
mother, her organs were very likely damaged, but nobody could be sure until they checked. If the damage was too severe, it
would be too hard to save her, and I would have no idea how long it would take. If I were to save the mother first, I might lose
both of them.”
Courtney’s answer rang out in the hall, and Allen’s face fell. He stared at her seriously, waiting for her to continue.
Courtney concluded, “After weighing the risks, I would save the child first. Operating on them at the same time would be too
risky. Nobody can be sure about the patients’ conditions until we open them up and confirm their injuries. If I couldn’t handle it
alone...”
Allen raised his hand, telling her to stop. She stopped talking and looked calmly into Allen’s eyes.