Surgery Godfather

Chapter 383: Chapter 0362: Period of Psychological Stress

United States, New York Special Surgical Hospital, Doctor Robert’s office.

The strong aroma of coffee filled the room, Robert had already consumed three cups, and his assistant, Barel, sat across from him at the office desk.

“Barel, I am going to ask you a few questions, and you must answer them honestly.” Robert’s expression was serious.

Barel was caught off guard. Robert had abruptly called him into his office, and after a long deliberation, finally asked him a serious question.

This question must be of great importance. Could it be about his relationship with the female intern doctor?

That couldn’t be it. The love affair, mutual and consensual, did not violate the hospital’s regulations, and there was no coercion of power involved.

“Am I Robert?” Robert leaned on his elbows on the desk, and suddenly asked.

“Yes, Doctor!” Barel responded passively.

“Is this the New York Special Surgical Hospital?”

“Yes, Doctor!”

“Is the orthopedics department of this hospital ranked first in the world?”

“Yes, Doctor!”

“Am I the current chairman of the North America Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine Association?”

“Yes, Doctor!”

“Alright, Barel, you may go now, I need some alone time.” The tension in Robert’s facial muscles eased, and he waved his hand, indicating that Barel could leave. The questioning was formally over.

What on earth? Was that all he wanted to ask? These questions were so overly simple and juvenile that it felt bizarre.

“Doctor! Should we call the police or request psychological assistance?”

Barel suspected that Robert was having mental health issues. Robert was clearly off kilter, now fiddling with a spinning top in his hand.

“What is this?”

Barel queried, having seen Robert play with the spinning top in the office multiple times. Robert would spin it on the desk and then crouch over the table, watching it intently until it fell over.

When on earth did Doctor Robert develop a fascination for spinning tops? Barel was worried, and did not immediately leave.

“Are you sure you don’t need psychological help?” Barel asked once more.

The hospital had mental health professionals available at any time to support doctors, assisting them with any difficulties and providing psychological counseling.

This was a standard provision in American hospitals, as the medical profession was high-risk with immense pressure, especially for young doctors who frequently needed psychological support.

Barel always felt that Robert had been acting strangely since he returned from China, but his performance during surgeries did not raise any red flags.

As a colleague and assistant, it was his responsibility to pay attention to Robert’s mental health.

“Don’t worry, Barel, I’m fine. Some things are just beyond common sense, and I always tend to deal with them scientifically. I’ve done multiple self-analyses with these scales, I’m probably just in a psychological stress phase, it’s really no big deal.”

Robert pulled out a few forms and tossed them to Barel, all were self-psychological testing scales.

“If I tell you, when I went to China this time, I met a young doctor who could be my mentor. His surgical skills are unparalleled. The gap between him and me is just like the gap between you and me, or even bigger.” Robert reasoned.

“That’s impossible. That’s like saying some random street fighter could beat Mike Tyson at his prime. People would love to see that, but in reality, it’s not possible, whether in terms of training time, intensity, methods, competition experience, coach subscriptions, or nutritional support, a street fighter could not surpass Tyson.” Barel’s analysis was not unfounded.

“What if it were the Hulk? A blow from him could easily knock out Tyson.”

“That’s just nonsense from Marvel!”

“But I did see it. Alright, Barel, I won’t argue with you. How many of the patients I have scheduled for this month have I not seen yet?”

“There are seven left from Long Island, one of them has a multi-ligament rupture in his knee and is a professional football player.”

Robert’s luxurious clinic was located in the Long Island area of New York. Each week, Robert would go to his own clinic to perform surgeries. Of course, Barel and others would accompany him.

This clinic was actually a luxury specialty hospital. It held all the necessary authorization for sports medicine surgeries. Many sports stars completed their surgeries and then received rehabilitation treatment from the clinic’s rehab team.

They received a one-stop service from diagnosis to surgery, to rehabilitation.

The high cost of surgery here is chosen only by those who do not care about money. Of course, Doctor Robert does not disappoint. His superb skills have long kept the surgical results at the top. Carrying on the tradition of his grandfather and father, they perform long-term follow-ups with their patients.

That is, he has the world’s best follow-up service. It is said that some patients of his grandfather’s surgeries are still being tracked in his clinic.

Some patients, limited by the medical technology of their time, could not achieve good results. But when they came to Little Robert, they underwent the latest surgeries for correction.

This has been a clinic run by three generations.

Going back further, his ancestors were Germans. That is, Robert is of German descent, and his great-grandfather was a renowned doctor in Germany in his day.

Knee ligament reconstruction!

This phrase had once depressed Robert. It was a surgery he never really succeeded in.

A true success would mean enabling an athlete to recover their sporting ability and return to the field, which Robert could not achieve.

Now, upon hearing this term, he no longer felt the previous fear, but spoke indifferently.

“Any new developments in Little Andrew’s specialized surgical equipment and implants? Any replies from the OrthoPediatrics company?”

“The engineer says the prototypes can be presented to you next week. He said if you weren’t a doctor, they’d be jobless. Your equipment design is too exquisite. I don’t know if you’ve applied for a patent. He suggested you should.”

“I didn’t create this design – my teacher did. No, I never steal. Tell them just to produce it according to the blueprint. If they dare to apply for a patent secretly, I would ensure their bankruptcy.”

“Your teacher?”

Barel had never heard Robert refer to his father in this way. He always addressed his father as Mr. Robert of Florida, as his father lived in Palm Beach, Florida.

It is well-known that Robert’s teacher was his father.

“Don’t misunderstand, I’m referring to a Chinese doctor. Yes, don’t be so surprised. He is indeed my teacher. The surgical method used on the fortunate veteran was his invention. However, I haven’t fully grasped it yet. Barel, I tell you, his surgical patients can return to the field. I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes – he is the world’s best sports medicine doctor.”

“You mean, your visit to China this time was to see this teacher?” Barel was incredulous.

Robert naturally answered: “Yes!”

“It’s a miraculous hospital with miraculous doctors. Not everyone gets this opportunity. Even if I’m there, I can only observe from beyond the yellow line. If you were there, Barel, I’m afraid you wouldn’t even qualify to enter the operating room. A trauma surgeon from Japan respectfully makes tea for their teaching secretary every day. Yes, my teacher, he completed an olive core carving under an arthroscope on a knee joint model.”

“Arthroscopic olive core carving? Are you sure what you’re talking about is not imaginary but real?”

“I swear, if there is any lie in what I’ve said, Camilla will marry me.” Robert placed his hand on his chest.

My God, only Barel knew the weight of this vow. How could he tolerate marrying a woman?

For Little Andrew’s surgery, I’ve decided to have my teacher operate. You prepare for it. I will contact the teacher to find out when he can fly to United States.

“Barel, keep your eyes open then, and also prepare a spinning top. Otherwise, you might think you’re dreaming. Listen to me, I’m not mistaken.”

Barel glanced at the spinning top on his desk. No wonder, that is what it was for.

“Schedule the surgery on Long Island, prepare as soon as possible. This is the first surgery I’ve invited the teacher for, there can’t be any negligence. Once the teacher’s schedule is confirmed, we must be ready.”

Doctor Robert is normal, he would never joke about Little Andrew’s case, nor would he gamble with the reputation of generations of medical practice. It can be assured that this person does indeed exist.

Furthermore, the patient of Robert’s new surgical style, that Navy Lieutenant, had very good post-operative results. Robert’s surgery never had such an effect before.

Facts don’t lie.

Robert took out the printed blueprint and laid it on his desk: “Barel, come and have a look!”

“Be careful, your arm is crumpling the blueprint.” Robert brushed Barel’s arm off the blueprint.

“Look, he cleverly avoids the epiphysis, whether it’s the tibia or femur. They all circumvent it and suspend the ligaments away from the epiphysis. They also design a terminal embedment. Look how they still function – it’s a genius concept. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this.”

Barel was also a sports medicine expert. With a hint from Robert, he saw the ingenuity. Indeed, it was a genius concept that completely solved the problem of anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in children.

“What else do I need to do?” Barel was excited.

Robert thought for a moment: “All the booked patients, especially those with shoulder and knee ligaments multiple ruptures, inform them in advance to get their MRI and CT scans, and also the motion analysis. Now, for all such patients, I want to invite my teacher as the Chief Surgeon, until I fully master this surgery. Proceed with these as soon as possible. I need to get the data beforehand.”

“I will notify the Long Island clinic right now,” Barel said.