Chapter 10: If You're Not Afraid of Death, Why Be Afraid of Taking Medicine?
Through the open door, the conversation inside could be heard clearly.
Among the three fellows who'd been waiting in the hallway, Foreman—looking thoroughly annoyed—handed another ten-dollar bill to Chase.
"I'm seriously impressed! This kid can't even get the patient to take her meds!"
Chase chuckled and slipped the bill into his wallet:
"That's par for the course. He's an intern, and patients naturally have low trust in interns.
When he performed the cric and the code, Rebecca was unconscious.
How's she supposed to know that the person who saved her life was this baby-faced intern?
Without one of us in there vouching for him, it's nearly impossible for a patient to trust an intern's word.
And when the intern feels that distrust from the patient, his confidence tanks, and he'll basically give up trying to convince them—comes running to us to handle it instead.
So David should be walking out of that room any second now."
Listening to Chase's analysis, Cameron shook her head:
"You two are seriously pathetic with these bets. Alright, I'm going in.
Let's just resolve this. Rebecca's been through enough hell—she doesn't need to suffer any longer."
Just as Cameron was about to enter the room, Foreman reached out and stopped her:
"Hold on. He hasn't come begging for our help yet. No need to rush in.
Maybe he still wants to give it one more shot?"
Cameron looked at Foreman with exasperation—she knew exactly what he was up to.
Foreman had already handed his money to Chase, which meant he, like Chase, had already written off David's chances of successfully convincing Rebecca.
The only reason he was stopping Cameron was because he wanted to wait for David to come out asking for help so he could rub it in his face.
Cameron muttered "pathetic" under her breath and tried to push past Foreman's arm.
But just then, more words drifted out from inside the room.
Hearing the content, Cameron glanced at both of them, then hesitated.
Inside the room, David looked steadily into Rebecca's eyes and said seriously:
"I'm not trying to comfort you. This medication can actually cure your condition.
It's fine if you don't believe me. It's fine if you want to give up.
But if you're not afraid of dying, why are you afraid of taking two pills?
Are you scared it might actually work?"
Hearing David's words, Rebecca's expression shifted slightly.
Nobody wants to die—not unless they truly have no other choice.
She wanted to give up simply because she'd been traumatized by the various brutal treatment methods.
Radiation therapy, emergency cricothyrotomy, defibrillation...
These procedures would make ordinary people shudder just hearing their names.
And she'd actually endured all of them.
The result? She'd suffered agony but her condition hadn't improved. Any rational person would want to escape that cycle.
Like her—she'd rather die than continue such pointless, torturous interventions.
But taking two pills? That she really had nothing to fear.
After a brief hesitation, Rebecca took the pills and the water cup, swallowing them down in front of David.
Then she inverted the cup, showing David she'd finished every drop.
"You're right. I'm not afraid of death, so why should I be afraid of medicine?
Now can you tell me what that actually was? Placebo sugar pills?"
David smiled slightly.
So Rebecca still thought he was tricking her with candy?
"Did you taste any sweetness? That was real albendazole.
You can pick up the rest of your prescription from the pharmacy downstairs.
From now on, take it once daily after meals, two tablets each time, for thirty days.
Oh, and fair warning—long-term albendazole use can cause some side effects.
Including but not limited to abdominal pain, nausea, headaches, dizziness, fever. It might also cause some hair loss.
But all of that's worth it, isn't it?"
Listening to David's words, Rebecca's mouth gradually fell open.
The moment she heard David say she could pick up the medication from the pharmacy, she realized what he'd told her wasn't some comforting lie, but the truth!
Because you can't just take random medications without serious consequences!
No doctor would prescribe medication recklessly!
Moreover, getting a prescription filled requires authorization from an attending physician.
Which meant what David said about albendazole curing her condition was actually true!
She was really going to be okay?
Rebecca, who'd been consumed by despair, gradually came alive.
First surprise, then joy, then worry, and finally settling back into happiness.
"You mean I'm not going to die?"
"No, you're not going to die. You're going to live a full life. You'll get married, have kids, grow old, and eventually end up in a picture frame on someone's mantle.
But you will never die from neurocysticercosis."
Rebecca, receiving this definitive answer, somehow found the strength to leap out of bed and throw her arms around David.
She kissed him firmly on the cheek, then raised her hands as if announcing her rebirth:
"I'm not going to die!"
David was genuinely happy too.
Though not because he'd received a kiss from Rebecca, but because of the notification in his mind.
The moment Rebecca committed to taking her medication on schedule, the life extension notification arrived simultaneously.
[Successful rescue. Lifespan extended by one day. Current lifespan: 3 days, 5 hours.]
He didn't know if it was his imagination or reality, but every time he received an infusion of life energy, David felt his body becoming incrementally lighter.
Watching Rebecca happily calling her family to share the miraculous news, David quietly pushed open the door and slipped out of the room.
Let Rebecca savor her happiness.
He didn't have time to enjoy his own.
The moment David stepped into the hallway, he froze.
Because all three fellows were staring at him with peculiar expressions.
David glanced at the clock on the corridor wall in confusion:
"Wait, isn't it four o'clock? Aren't you guys off shift yet?"
Chase, who'd been studying him with that strange look, suddenly spoke:
"Kid, why did you keep trying to convince Rebecca when she clearly didn't trust you?
You could've used a much simpler approach to prove you were right."
David understood that Chase was asking why Rebecca had changed her mind and agreed to take the medication after his challenge.
"Nothing profound. I just thought about what I'd do if I were in her position.
If I were already dying, there'd be nothing left to fear.
As long as it didn't involve cracking open my skull, I wouldn't refuse to take two pills.
So even if Rebecca didn't believe me, she shouldn't have refused."
"That's it? That simple?"
"That simple."
Chase studied David skeptically. David looked perfectly healthy—so why did he have such profound empathy with a terminal patient?
Could this guy actually be some kind of prodigy?
Just as various theories swirled through Chase's mind, David spoke again:
"Oh, by the way—is the ER short-staffed tonight? I'd like to get some emergency medicine experience if that's possible."
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