Chapter 47
All the medical knowledge I had came from books, and I had never actually performed surgery myself.
After all, I had only been an intern.
Then, I suddenly remembered something my professor from the emergency department once said:
“It’s a patient’s choice to give up on treatment, but when a doctor gives up on treating a sick patient, they are forcing that patient’s survival rate to become 0%. Never forget—until the patient’s very last moment, a doctor must never give up on saving their life.”
Right… If I give up here, the Viscountess might end up dying a painful death again…
And besides, there was no way to back out now. When someone is sick, you can’t just fold your arms and do nothing.
If I prepare surgical tools and the necessary medicines ahead of time, then even if it later develops into cancer, I’ll be ready to act immediately.
For now, that was the best conclusion I could reach.
There was no way to stop the cancer from growing at this stage. If things had already progressed this far, then even if I couldn’t see it yet, the cancer cells might already be forming.
The good news was that it had been caught early, and with proper preparation, there was still a chance to save her.
Thinking about that, I felt relieved I had found out now.
Yes… there’s still time.
The real problem was—how would I tell Father?
“Um… Dad.”
“What is it, Lia?”
“The check-up is done, but could we step into the other room to discuss her treatment…?”
I tried to sound as bright as possible so Mother wouldn’t notice anything serious.
Father peered at me over his glasses, as if seeing right through me, but then nodded calmly.
He turned to Mother and said:
“Nella, I’ll talk with Lia for a bit.”
“All right, take your time.”
She seemed so happy just to see me that she didn’t suspect anything.
Father and I went to the next room and sat facing each other on the sofa. His expression quickly turned serious.
“What’s going on that you wanted to move somewhere private?”
I took a deep breath and went over the lines I’d prepared in my head.
“Mother’s illness is as you suspected. If we use the new medicine, she’ll improve. But… I think she should take this as well.”
I placed the dose of Dospirin I had made in front of him. He tilted his head in puzzlement.
“But… didn’t you say this medicine causes side effects like stomach pain? Because of the salmatra ingredient?”
“Yes, that’s right. In fact, it shouldn’t be prescribed to patients with weak stomachs.”
“Then why?”
Right now, Mother’s ruined stomach was a serious problem, but her Barrett’s esophagus was even more urgent.
I decided it was better to slow down the stomach treatment a bit if it meant preventing the Barrett’s esophagus from turning into cancer.
I had read research showing that taking a PPI along with aspirin was effective in improving Barrett’s esophagus.
“Right now, the area connecting the stomach and esophagus is the bigger issue. So…”
Realizing words alone wouldn’t explain it well, I quickly grabbed paper and pen.
I drew a diagram of the stomach and esophagus, explaining the mechanism of Barrett’s esophagus.
“Mother’s stomach acid isn’t staying where it should—it’s flowing back up the esophagus, damaging the surrounding area as well.”
Father listened, silent for a while before finally speaking.
“…Do you have a reason for thinking that?”
He didn’t reject my words outright, but I could tell it was hard for him to believe.
I guess I’d feel the same way.
After all, I hadn’t looked inside her body—just a quick check-up, yet I had pinpointed the problem area.
I swallowed nervously and explained my reasoning.
“I saw in your notes that recently, Mother has had trouble swallowing food. She said it feels like food doesn’t go down easily, right?”
“…”
“If it were just stomach pain or heartburn, it wouldn’t make swallowing difficult.”
Difficulty swallowing—also called dysphagia—was more likely an esophagus problem than a stomach one.
If only the stomach hurt, it would just cause nausea or burning, not trouble swallowing.
Father gave a small nod, seeming to accept my point.
“So you think there’s a problem above the stomach as well.”
“Yes. In the worst case, she may need surgery.”
“What…?”
He looked shocked. Considering the level of surgery in this era, it was no wonder.
“That’s why we must do everything possible to stop the disease from progressing.”
I left it at that for now, but in truth, it had already progressed far enough that even with modern medicine, surgery would probably be necessary.
“Dad, in that case… I have one request.”
He still looked deeply troubled by my diagnosis, and his hands trembled slightly. It pained me to see him like that.
“Go ahead…”
“Please let me take care of Mother’s nursing. Since I made the Dospirin, it would be safest if I administer it myself.”
“You… want to nurse your mother yourself?”
“Yes. You’ll have to go treat other patients again, won’t you? I’ll take good care of her in the meantime.”
I tried to reassure him, but he still looked worried.
“I don’t doubt your ability, but… wouldn’t it be too much for you to travel between the duchy and nurse your mother? If you just tell me exactly how, I can push myself a little more—”
“Dad, you’re already overworking yourself.”
I firmly cut him off.
Even I could tell from looking at him that he was worn out. I couldn’t let him push himself any further.
“And you said we’d treat Mother together. If anything happens, I’ll send for you immediately, so don’t worry.”
I took his trembling hand in mine. His eyes flickered between my face and our joined hands.
After a long moment of hesitation, he let out a deep sigh.
“All right. I’ll trust you. But tell me right away if it’s too much.”
“Yes! Thank you, Dad!”
I couldn’t help but smile with relief.
Now all that was left was to care for Mother’s health and prepare for surgery.
***
We returned to her room, prescribed the needed medicine, and stayed with her until she fell asleep.
Though we didn’t talk much since she was tired, she seemed brighter by the time she drifted off—probably happy from seeing me.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen your mother so cheerful. Will you visit often?”
“Of course. I’ll come at least three times a day for now.”
Back at the main house, I urged Father, who looked worn out, to get some sleep before heading to my own room.
But I couldn’t sleep. There was too much to do.
“Let’s see… I’ll need at least these things right away.”
As I listed and sketched everything needed for the surgery, the list grew long.
Thankfully, what I had seen in the operating room during my internship was helping me remember.
“The tools, I can order and prepare… but the medicines—that’s the real problem.”
I tapped the paper with my pen, thinking.
Mother’s surgery would be anything but simple.
If the cancer was confirmed, I would have to open her up and remove part of her esophagus. That meant I’d need general anesthetics, disinfectants, and IV fluids.
Making all that myself would be impossible. I’d have to find a way to use what this world already had.
Wait… didn’t they say the Imperial Palace had a wider range of medicines?
Chloe had once told me that medicines requiring special handling or difficult to make were managed directly by the state.
Maybe what I needed would be among them.
Yes… I’ll have to get a license.
