The nurse changed three sets of IVs, and it was past two in the morning before the needle was removed.
Zhao Dazhuang's anesthesia wore off, leaving the surgical incision painful, yet the nurse instructed frequent turning and body massages.
Shi Yang helped Zhao Dazhuang turn over and massaged him every half hour.
When it was quiet, Zhao Dazhuang closed his eyes and relaxed, occasionally letting out a muffled groan of pain, the sound soft yet deeply resonant.
Zhao Meimei sat close to Shi Yang on the caregiver's bed, looking at her father, lost in thought and feeling a sense of confusion and even fear.
She had accompanied Grandma Zhao in the family hospital compound, and also her grandmother. Even now, she could vividly remember how they lay on the hospital bed, emaciated and frail, their eyes dull and lifeless, tubes inserted in their noses and mouths, and monitors beeping, displaying numerous lines and numbers flashing continuously.
