White Olive Tree

Chapter 25

Chapter 25
Instructor Chen Feng always remembers September 26th.
July is full of fire, summer is gone and autumn is coming.  Liangcheng has a pleasant climate and the sky is high and the air is cool.
At around three o'clock in the afternoon, he suddenly received a call from the headquarters of the peacekeeping force stationed in East China. It was from Luo Zhan, saying that something serious had happened to Li Zan.
He was injured by a human explosive bomb at close range, and his life hung on a thread.
Luo Zhan had no more news at the time. He just asked him to be mentally prepared and notify Li Zan's family.
When Chen Feng heard the words "notify family", he understood the seriousness of the situation.
That afternoon, Chen Feng was almost crazy with anxiety. He was looking for people everywhere to ask for help.  It took until late at night to piece together the entire clue.
Li Zan was too close to the explosives and passed out on the spot. He was sent to a nearby field hospital for rescue. He suffered intracranial damage, broken ribs, punctured liver, and broken legs, not to mention multiple organ damage and open wounds.  .  If it weren't for the protective suit, he would have died long ago.
The order from above is to rescue people no matter what.  The capacity of the field hospital was limited, so the local military immediately used helicopters to transport the patient to the capital of a neighboring country, summoned the best expert doctors to operate, and performed rescue operations for more than ten hours.
Li Zan was seriously injured and was in a coma for a week before he woke up. Then his injuries recurred and he fell into critical condition several times. It took more than half a month before he gradually stabilized and returned to China.
A month later, the injuries elsewhere on the body gradually improved under the treatment of top doctors, but the hearing loss in both ears was severe.  The superiors hired the best experts to treat him.  However, after repeated surgeries, although there were signs of slight recovery of hearing, severe tinnitus and dizziness almost destroyed him.
The experts tried again and again, but were at a loss.
He is like a machine that has been repaired again and again, approaching its limit.
Now, three months have passed in the blink of an eye.  The United States is his last straw.
It was just after Christmas, and it was freezing cold in New York City.
Chen Feng stood in the hospital's slowly ascending sightseeing elevator. Downstairs was the bustling street of New York City. The street had a festive atmosphere, but he had no intention of looking at the scenery.
Li Zan stood next to him, looking into the void with an expressionless face. The scenery outside the window passed through his eyes like running water, leaving no trace.
Chen Feng suddenly remembered that when Li Zan was just sent back to China, he lay on the hospital bed day after day, clearly awake but with his eyes closed, unwilling to have any communication with the outside world.  For many days, he didn't say a word.  It wasn't until a nurse changed his clothes that Chen Feng saw the scars on his back that were as dense as spider webs. It was shocking and he could vaguely imagine what he went through at the moment of the explosion.
Chen Feng said: "Ah Zan, don't be afraid, it will be cured. Jackson is the best ear surgeon in the United States. The surgery he performed on you before was very effective. Can you hear a little sound? Take your time.  ,Will be fine."
Li Zan didn't respond and remained motionless.
Chen Feng held his shoulders, turned him around, and asked, "Are you not wearing a hearing aid?"
"Wear it," Li Zan said.
Chen Feng took a closer look and found that there was indeed a small flesh-colored hearing aid embedded in his right ear.
Chen Feng didn't say anything more. He was about to sigh, but he held it back.
The elevator arrived and the two of them walked out.
Dr. Jackson has been responsible for Li Zan's treatment a month ago. This time Li Zan came here to undergo surgery again.
After examining Li Zan, he said: "It is very difficult to return to the previous state, and it will take a long time to recover. But we take our time and make plans based on the recovery situation, and strive to improve every operation."  I have a little bit of hearing, and try to achieve the functions of daily life through hearing aids. As for whether I can leave the hearing aids, it depends on the future effect."
Li Zan suffered from pneumonia due to physical weakness some time ago and has not completely recovered. He coughed twice and said, "Right now, what affects me more than my hearing is my tinnitus and dizziness."
"How frequent and intense are the symptoms?"
"There will be one every hour..." Li Zan opened his mouth, his eyes a little obscure, and whispered, "The sound is very loud, like explosions all the time."
Dr. Jackson couldn't help but frowned slightly, but then smiled and said: "There will be some tinnitus and dizziness during the recovery period. You are very weak now, which will also affect the recovery effect. Don't be anxious, take your time."
After the meeting, Li Zan was taken to the ward by the nurse.
When he left, the military doctor glanced at Chen Feng.
Chen Feng was left alone and asked the doctor: "Is something wrong?"
The military doctor sighed: "The last operation I performed on him was actually very successful. As I said just now, there will be tinnitus during the recovery period... But judging from the condition he described, the severity he felt has exceeded  To the extent that I see it medically.”
After Chen Feng heard this, he felt his scalp was going crazy. He rubbed his forehead vigorously and asked, "Does this mean that you can't do anything?"
Jackson said: "I'm wondering whether Second Lieutenant Li... has some psychological problems that hinder his subconscious recovery; or in other words, intensify the symptoms he feels."
Chen Feng said: "He is a bomb disposal soldier, but he was injured by a bomb. He will definitely have psychological shadow. Now, whenever he comes across bomb disposal, or just thinks about it, his head and ears will be in pain.  ."
The military doctor said: "Many bomb disposal soldiers I have seen have this situation. Being injured by a bomb at close range will leave a serious fear. However, with his level, I suspect there may be other reasons.  You don’t know. … No matter what, I suggest you try some other treatments and approaches.”
"Okay. I'll pay attention. Thank you."
Chen Feng came out of the doctor's office and walked to the ward. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a sudden sound inside, like someone kicked the wall hard.
This is very unfamiliar to Chen Feng.
He stopped outside the door and looked inside through the glass.
Li Zan stood by the window with his head raised, his jaw clenched, his chest heaving violently, and his fists clenched tightly.  After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and walked a few steps to try to control something, but the pain in his heart could not be relieved at all. He bent down deeply, held his knees with his hands, and breathed heavily as if he was about to vomit.
The next second, two or three drops of bright tears hit the floor.
Chen Feng was startled, but Li Zan quickly stood up, holding the back of his head with his hands and pacing messily by the window.
He walked around, almost helpless, holding the window sill with both hands, lowering his head and continuing to control his emotions.  Suddenly, he couldn't hold back a cough. He couldn't hold back the cough anymore, and he covered his mouth and started coughing violently.