Before the sun completely set, Dean and Paquet rushed to Hawkins Town Central Hospital.
It is a one-story building with only a wall separating it from the adjacent primary care clinic, making it inconspicuous at all.
But it is one of the pillars of a small town.
Dean once heard a saying that in this land, hospitals, churches, and schools are like the three legs of a stool. If one of them falls, a town will be destroyed.
But Hawkins' leg is obviously not very reliable.
After the two explained the situation to the nurse at the hospital front desk, they followed her to the single ward where Jane Seymour was.
A brown-haired boy was lying on the hospital bed upright, with an infusion tube inserted into one arm, many wires and instruments connected to his chest, and a large number of needle holes left by the hospital's blood draw on his body.
In addition, he was put on a ventilator. Under the oxygen mask, his face was so thin that it was almost out of shape and so pale that it was almost transparent.
A middle-aged red-haired woman wearing a knitted sweater stood beside the hospital bed, resting her face on her hands and snoring softly as she dozed off.
She has deep nasolabial folds and looks older than her actual age.
"Bang bang!" The nurse knocked on the door frame.
"Lucia, there are two gentlemen looking for you."
"Ah?" The woman woke up with a start and glanced at the two of them sleepily, her eyes filled with bloodshot eyes, "Who are you?"
"I'm sorry to disturb your rest. I'm Paqui, and this is Dean. I've met your sister Jane Seymour a few times, and we have some friendship." Paqui put a bouquet of carnations in front of the bedside table and walked over to talk to the woman. Shaking hands, "Since Jane passed away, we haven't been back to Hawkins Town for many years. We didn't expect to hear such sad news..."
Paquet greeted the woman politely for a moment, then got straight to the point.
"So how's Peter doing now?"
"Thank you for your concern." Lucia looked at the boy on the hospital bed with distress, "But he is not doing well. He has been unconscious and the doctor can't do anything."
"How long ago did this situation start?" Dean handed the woman a glass of water. "I know a few friends who work in large hospitals. They may be able to help, but I need more detailed information."
"Really?" The woman was surprised and held Dean against the water glass. "I will say anything, please save Peter!"
"So start?"
"Almost half a month ago, Peter was on the street and suddenly passed out without warning."
"Good Samaritans sent him to the hospital. They did a lot of blood tests, tests, X-rays... but they couldn't find any obvious symptoms. This is also true. He woke up on his own not long after he fell into coma."
"What did Peter say to you when he woke up?" Dean asked,
"He was very calm. He said it was like he had slept comfortably. He didn't feel anything was wrong or uncomfortable. He was walking around the mall normally before he fell into coma, and he didn't encounter any accidents."
"At first, the doctors thought he had not slept well and had somatic symptoms caused by excessive stress from studying in the past, so they temporarily kept him in the hospital for observation."
"And then you fell into coma again?" Paquet tapped his index finger on the bedside table and looked at the patient on the bed.
The woman nodded heavily, looking sadly at the setting sun outside the blinds, and then pulled the boy's skinny feet that were covered by the corners.
"Early the next morning, Peter lost consciousness again, and then regained consciousness soon..."
"His symptoms increased day by day, and he fell into coma and woke up again and again every day. He was in coma for twelve hours on the first day, more than fourteen hours on the second day, and sixteen hours on the third day... He has not woken up since the seventh day. "
Lucia clutched her chest and recalled with uncontrollable grief.
"I swore to Jane's coffin to take good care of Peter for her, and to love Peter as a son for the rest of my life."
"But Peter had an accident under my care. I can't do anything. I can only pray for God's blessing, God's blessing... Maybe I'm not pious enough... Wuwu..."
"It's not your fault, madam." Dean comforted,
Lucia wiped away her tears and held Peter's hand, which was as thin as a chicken's claw, with a face full of reluctance.
"What a sensible child. He didn't cry or fuss when he woke up. He comforted me and told me not to worry. He said that he would go to heaven to reunite with his mother, Jane Seymour."
"He's very strong," Dean couldn't imagine it. If he were to die soon, he would most likely do something uncontrollable.
After all, in the face of death, all living beings are equal.
And he has not lived enough yet.
But this Peter was only eighteen years old and still in school, yet he was so calm in the face of approaching death.
"That's right, Peter...Peter has always been a strong, quiet, and sensible child. He never let me worry."
the woman cried,
"But this damn disease chose him!"
"The doctor said that his respiratory system and blood circulation system are constantly failing, and the ventilator cannot support him for long. He may leave at any time."
There was an uncomfortable silence in the ward, and sadness filled the air.
"Besides coma and cardiopulmonary failure, does Peter have any other symptoms?" Dean's mind flashed through plots from later film and television works, and he thought of dangerous radioactive elements such as radon and uranium-235. It only takes a tiny amount to Kill invisible. "Such as bleeding, skin and hair loss, nausea, diarrhea, fever, etc."
Lucia choked up and denied all symptoms of radiation exposure, and then further explained, "This is the strange thing. The doctor did not find any obvious external or internal injuries on his body."
Dean changed his mind and said, "Is it possible that he was poisoned by some kind of toxin?"
"Yes, this is the most likely possibility. After Peter fell into a coma, the doctor detected an unknown substance in his blood, perhaps a toxin." Lucia explained in a timid manner, "Equipment of Hawkins Central Hospital Laojiu couldn't find out what the substance was, so he took more than a dozen tubes of Peter's blood and sent it to hospitals in big cities such as Indianapolis and Chicago for testing, but the results were inconclusive."
"It would be very troublesome if you are poisoned and comatose," Paqui said in a solemn voice. "Infectious toxins, neurotoxins...the total number of various toxins must be at least thousands. If you can't find out which one you have been hit by, you can't prescribe the right medicine."
"Obviously, this toxicity is rare and time waits for no one."
…
The woman was even more sad when she heard this. She lay on the bedside, grabbed one of Peter's skinny hands, held it to her mouth and kissed it, "Oh...my poor Peter...it's because aunt is useless, it's because aunt neglected you. That's why you let me down." You were subjected to this inhuman torture."
Dean raised his eyebrows. This gesture of expressing intimacy was a bit strange.
"Ma'am, calm down. Myself and my doctor friends can try to help you find out the toxins in Peter's body." Dean comforted and reached into his arms and took out the private detective's license.
Paquet folded his hands on his chest and twitched the corners of his mouth. When did this guy take the license to show off.
"What do you need me to do?"
Lucia wiped her tears when she heard this and raised her swollen and red face.
"Is there anyone else in your family?" Dean asked,
"No, Peter and I depend on each other." Lucia raised her absent eyes and said dully, "I work at the gas station in the town, and Peter studies at Hawkins Middle School... Life has always been peaceful."
"Then I have an idea about Peter's condition," Dean pondered. "Since the hospital has never been able to find out what kind of toxin he was poisoned, why don't we try to start from the source? Find out who poisoned Peter. Man, then ask the answer from his mouth."
"Someone poisoned him?" Lucia's expression became vivid, as if she had never thought of this possibility. "Peter is an honest and kind-hearted child. He has never taken the initiative to provoke anyone or offended anyone... Who would be so cruel? Poison him?"
"So are there bite marks from poisonous snakes or insects on him?" Dean asked,
"No, the doctors have checked it dozens of times and there are no abnormal scars."
"Then it's most likely man-made poisoning." Dean said with a hint of certainty in his tone.
"You didn't buy your license, right? You dare to say that without evidence." Paquet looked at Dean, narrowed his eyes, and a sharp light shot out from the slits of his eyes, "You are treating an ordinary accident. By referring to criminal cases, you are causing trouble for Hope, listen to me, don't be so arbitrary."
"Who is Hope?" Dean asked.
"The Sheriff of Hawkins, my old buddy and 'source of information'."
"Okay, blame me for not being rigorous enough. It may not necessarily be someone taking the initiative to poison," Dean glanced at the two of them, "It could also be that Peter accidentally contracted the toxin after passing through a special place and ingested it. , So, Ms. Lucia, think carefully, where did Peter go in the few days before he was poisoned? "
The woman thought for a while,
"Peter has been on summer vacation for more than a month, and he was poisoned half a month ago. During that time... he should have been to shopping malls, cinemas, libraries..." Lucia said sadly, "Peter likes watching movies, reading, and shopping. Interesting little things.”
Dean nodded and kept these places in mind.
But he felt it was unlikely.
These are public places with many people. If the toxin is contracted in these places, Peter should not be the only victim.
"Who are Peter's friends at school?"
Lucia felt even more sad,
"Peter is not very gregarious and likes to stay at home alone and read. As for friends, I once saw him talking and laughing with a boy with short hair and bangs, but I don't know his name."
"Well, you don't know, my friend, so which peers have Peter been bullied by in school?" Dean thought, people who don't fit in have always been the school bully's first choice for punching.
"A few basketball players with naughty personalities bullied him and beat him until his nose was bruised and his face was swollen, but they wouldn't commit such a terrible crime as poisoning, right? With all due respect, kid, your statement is a bit alarmist."
"I didn't find them guilty, I just learned a little bit about where Peter had been during the summer. Sometimes enemies know a person better than friends."
Dean explained this, but he had another idea in his heart.
He has had personal experience in his past, and he deeply understands how terrible bullying is and how bad its impact is.
The place where children study is a miniature jungle. Those with weak and introverted personalities will always be used as objects of fun and anger by those with strong personalities. Because they are young and favored by the law, these perpetrators are not measured in their attacks. In some cases, they are even more vicious and terrifying than adult criminals.
"Ms. Lucia, if you want to save Peter, please tell me the answer."
Lucia struggled for less than half a minute before telling Dean the names and home addresses of the three basketball players in detail.
Dean wrote it down with a pen.
"They are all boys who are about to enter the twelfth grade. They live on Maple Street, not far away."
"Help Peter," Lucia looked at Dean's calm face and calm movements, feeling a little more trust in her heart, and a glimmer of hope ignited in her eyes, "He is so young, his life has not yet begun, he should not leave early. go."
The woman's voice fell.
A reminder flashed in front of Dean,
You triggered the event - coma.
Jane Seymour may know the whereabouts of your parents Lena and Light, but she died in a car accident five years ago.
She also has a son, Peter Seymour, who may hold clues and become your only hope.
But misfortunes never come singly. Peter fell into a deep coma for unknown reasons and died soon.
Now, investigate the cause and effect of his coma, find a way to bring him back to life, and ask for clues.
…
Event Difficulty: Unknown
Progress (5/100)
Deadline: one week
Reward: At least 30 experience points (depending on difficulty.)
Failure penalty: None
…
After comforting the crying Lucia, Dean asked her for another photo of Peter.
Then he asked her about the whereabouts of Lena and Guangming. As expected, she didn't know them at all.
Then Dean and Paquet asked Peter's doctor and confirmed Lucia's statement.
"In the next few days, I will go out to investigate..." Dean stuffed the tablet into the rough palm of the big man, and at the same time let the shadow of the past living in the tablet return to its original form, "You take it and stay in the ward. Ask for more clues and information from Lucia. By the way, don’t leave Peter too far. If there is an emergency, call me and keep in touch.”
Peter's condition is unknown, and no one knows how long he can live.
So Dean made two preparations. If the incident failed and Peter died, the tablet held by Pacquia would suck away his soul.
At that time, Dean can use the mediumship ritual to ask for clues about Lena and the light from Peter's soul.
Of course, only a trustworthy person like my uncle can trust him with peace of mind.
"There is no room for bargaining in this matter," Dean said before the big man could refute, "I followed your arrangement and worked as a nanny for two teenagers for a while. This time you will follow my arrangement."
"I have no objection, why are you excited?" The big man rubbed the teardrop-shaped scorpion, observed the tattoo of the pale pupils on it, and said with emotion, "You have grown up and matured, and many of your behaviors are incomprehensible to me."
"I also know that you hide secrets, but I don't force you to tell me."
"After all, as your uncle, who will help you if I don't help you?"
"So you agreed?" Dean was surprised. When did Paqui become so reasonable?
"What's that look on your face? Show me some respect! By the way, what is this board of yours and what does it do?"
"Hold the amulet, don't lose it!"
"OK, but I have to make a call and ask the owner of the outdoor store for a few days off."
(End of chapter)
