Chapter 107 An Idea Sparked
Everyone looked at each other, waiting for Evelyn to go on.
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Parasites come in all sorts, but the most common are roundworms. They infect both people and animals.
These worms live in the intestines, stealing nutrients from the body. The person becomes skinny really fast, but still feels hungry all the time.
Luckily, they’re easy to treat. Regular medicine from the pharmacy, like pyrantel pamoate, usually gets rid of them.
But Perry’s problem wasn’t roundworms. His parasite was a leech–tiny, but deadly.
These leeches had gotten into his breathing system and his reproductive system, messing up his organs and causing a huge amount of fluid to build up in his belly.
And you couldn’t figure that out just by looking inside his stomach.
“When I checked him at the base, I noticed strange swelling in the lower belly, but I didn’t mention it. I thought it might be something else.
“Later, in the operating room, Dr. Cook said he heard a strange sound in Perry’s throat. So I checked carefully and confirmed it was leeches,” Evelyn explained.
When she finished, two young female doctors in the room blushed bright red.
Back in 1983, gender mattered a lot more in medicine. Later on, it became normal for male doctors to work in obstetrics, but not at that time.
If a pregnant woman back then saw a male doctor trying to deliver her baby, she’d probably protest.
And women doctors almost never treated male reproductive issues either.
Even simple things, like putting in a catheter for male patients, often had to be done by the male doctors, because the young female nurses couldn’t bring themselves to do it.
That was why Evelyn had hesitated to bring it up.
Her way of thinking was ahead of her time, and sometimes people thought she was unusual.
But Rowan supported her fully. He frowned and scolded the others. “You’re doctors–have you already forgotten the first rule? With patients, gender doesn’t matter. You’ve heard that before, haven’t you?”
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Shame was useless here. It would only waste time and risk the patient’s life.
Feeling embarrassed, the female doctors stayed quiet and lowered their heads.
Evelyn continued, “The leeches in Perry’s body are sucking a huge amount of blood and damaging his organs. We need to examine his whole body and remove them, but that’s going to be really tough.”
Leeches were nothing like roundworms.
They stick strongly with suction. Even when they’re just on the skin, it’s hard to pull them off.
Usually, you can make them let go with heat or salt, but inside delicate organs, that’s way too dangerous.
Especially inside the throat or reproductive system.
And there was another problem. After leeches feed, they swell several times bigger. That makes it impossible to pull them out from where they first entered.
The room grew tense. Everyone knew the cause now, but no one knew how to fix it.
As doctors who promised to save lives, this helplessness was painful.
“Give him a blood transfusion. Also, glucose and saline to keep him stable,” Rowan said.
When the meeting ended, Rowan stayed behind with Evelyn.
“Have you thought of any ideas?” he asked.
Evelyn shook her head, looking worried. “I want to check the hospital archives. Maybe I can find a similar case.”
There wasn’t much else they could do. Brookhaven Hospital didn’t have modern equipment. This was the 1980s–they didn’t have ultrasound or MRI yet.
If they had those tools, it would be much easier.
They could crush or expel the leeches safely inside the body.
But without that, they had to rely only on themselves.
Still worried about Perry, Evelyn headed for the archives right after
Just as she reached the door, Rowan called out.
“Evelyn, do you know why I asked you to speak up just now?”
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She bit her lip and nodded slightly. “I know–you wanted me to stand out in front of everyone.”
“Exactly. You’re talented, so don’t hide behind me. What you discover is your achievement, not mine. Keep working hard, and you’ll go far.”
Then Rowan added, “I’ll call Twix too. Maybe he can advise on this.”
The two of them split up, both too busy to rest.
Later, Philip found Evelyn buried in a pile of books.
From a distance, only her head was visible.
Her dark hair had come loose, flowing down her back and swaying a little as her shoulders moved while she flipped through pages.
The archive smelled of dust and old books.
But around Evelyn, there was a faint rose–like scent from her hair–soft and pleasant.
“Eat something before you keep working,” Philip said, handing her a lunchbox.
Inside was still–warm noodle soup.
Evelyn sighed, but she didn’t want to waste his kindness. She put the books aside and quickly
ate.
“I heard about Perry,” Philip said quietly. “Thinking about it, the leeches must’ve come from last month’s field training—he fell in the water and probably swallowed some.”
Falling into water wasn’t unusual in the army.
No one had expected it to turn out like this.
Evelyn froze when something occurred to her,
Philip was there during the training too. Does that mean…
Her heart raced, and she accidentally choked on the soup, burning her throat.
Philip quickly patted her back. “Slow down. Drink some water.”
Her eyes teared up as she coughed, but eventually she felt better.
She pushed the noodles away, worried, and looked at him seriously. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I didn’t fall in the water. Don’t worry,” Philip reassured her.
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Chapter 107 An Idea Sparked
Still uneasy, Evelyn carefully checked him. No cuts, no signs of anemia.
Only then did she breathe out in relief.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard,” she said.
“Even for you, I wouldn’t dare get hurt,” Philip replied softly.
It wasn’t the right time for romantic words.
Evelyn’s mind was focused only on finding a cure for Perry.
She worried Philip would distract her, so she nudged him toward the door.
“Go sit with Perry. He should be awake now. But don’t tell him about the leeches yet.”
“I’ll take the rest of the noodles, so the smell doesn’t tempt you,” Philip said.
But the smell of noodles already filled the archive, hanging in the air.
And right then, an idea sparked in Evelyn’s mind.
