Back Alley Doctor Glenn/Chapter 13

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* Japanese

> **Chapter 13 - Prayer**
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> 'What's wrong?' Rufus asked, noticing Glenn's sudden hesitation.
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> 'Dr. Glenn?' Sherry looked up at him with concern. The other doctors looked on in confusion, not understanding what had happened.
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> The moment Glenn caught sight of Hugo's pulsing heart, marred by that small, blackened lump...his mind was pulled back to Katarina's surgery.
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> On that day, ten years ago... Everything had progressed smoothly, and by all appearances, the operation had been successful. Heart surgery is always a highly dangerous undertaking, but Glenn, gifted with talent as he was, had succeeded in removing the crystallization tumor without incident. Everyone participating in the surgery watched as the color returned to the heart, believing they had finally triumphed over the disease.
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> They had been too quick to celebrate, however. The tumor had been more closely tied to the surrounding tissue than expected, and removing it weakened the wall of the heart considerably. Just as Glenn was closing up the chest, the part of the heart where the tumor once sat tore open, resulting in a large hemorrhage. Katarina's life flickered out swiftly thereafter.
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> As Glenn stared at the familiar sight of the tumor on Hugo's heart, his own was gripped by fear. The fear that history would repeat itself. That he would be responsible for another death.
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> Glenn's body stiffened, his mind went blank, and his focus shattered as he began drowning in his past regrets once more.
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> 'GLENN!!!' A powerful yell from his old friend snapped him back to reality. Rufus had seized Glenn's lapels and was shaking him. 'You should know better than this! Think of absolutely nothing else besides the operation! The only thing that matters right now is saving Hugo's life! This boy... He believes in you. Show him his trust was not misplaced!'
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> Glenn was taken aback. He looked at the sleeping boy whose heart lay exposed on the operating table. Thump...thump...thump... The heart pounded as if calling out to Glenn. Telling him that the boy still lived--and could still be saved.
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> That's right. This isn't the time to be spacing out, Glenn thought. He took a brief moment to compose himself, and once again faced Hugo, his eyes set with resolve once more. Seeing this, Rufus let go of him and signaled to the others to resume the operation. Sherry sighed in relief and readied herself to continue.
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> Rufus assumed the position opposite Glenn. It was time to perform the new technique--the segment of the operation that Glenn had refined since their last attempt.
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> The tumor had a secret. With the exception of the central part that secreted the toxin responsible for the crystallizing effect, it was almost completely harmless. Given time, it would be reabsorbed into the rest of the nearby heart tissue with no ill effects. In other words, so long as the toxic segment was excised, there was no need to remove the rest.
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> This small change to the procedure would have made all the difference in Katarina's surgery. When Glenn discovered this during his research, pangs of regret dug deep into his chest.
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> However... Katarina and Sherry's words had turned his regrets into gratitude. This refined technique existed, and could be used to save so many lives, all thanks to Katarina's sacrifice. A small smile crossed Glenn's lips as he briefly reflected on all of this.
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> A heart-and-lung machine was connected, and drugs were administered to temporarily halt Hugo's heart. Both were cutting-edge medical technology that Rufus had made special orders to obtain for this operation.
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> With the heart lying still, Glenn carefully adjusted it to have a closer look at the tumor. Removing only the central part would require several extremely precise cuts. One wrong move, and the walls of the heart would be injured. But, if successful, they could safely extract the toxins while avoiding a repeat of Katarina's complications.
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> Sherry folded her hands. 'Katarina, please lend Glenn your strength,' she whispered in prayer.
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> Glenn slowly lowered his scalpel down toward the darkened tumor.
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> Sherry, Rufus, and the other doctors closely watched the sharpened tip, each of them holding their breath.
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> Outside the room, Hugo's parents, fraught with worry, fervently prayed to the Goddess for their son's survival. They had dutifully waited since the surgery began for what felt like an agonizingly long amount of time, and they were nearly at their wits' end.
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> Just as they thought they couldn't take any more, the 'operating' light turned off. Their eyes snapped to the door, anxious for answers. Was everything okay? Would their son live?
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> The door opened and Glenn's large silhouette filled its frame. Hugo's parents rushed toward him, their desperate hope plain on their worried faces.
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> Glenn looked at the two of them and slowly removed his surgical mask... Behind it, his face was covered in a wide grin.
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> **第１３回　祈り**
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> 「……おい、どうした？」
> たまらずルーファスは声をかけた。
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> 「グレン先生……？」
> シェリーもその様子を心配そうに見つめている。
> 他の医師たちにも、何が起こったのか理解できない。
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> グレンは、脈打つ心臓を視界に捉えた瞬間──
> カタリナの手術を思い出していたのだった。
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> １０年前の、カタリナの手術──
> 実は、それは一度成功したかに思われていた。
> 当時から心臓の手術は
> 常に大きな危険のつきまとうものだったが、
> 天才的な腕を持っていたグレンは
> 《結晶病》の腫瘍(しゅよう)を何とか剥がすことに成功した。
> 美しい色を取り戻した彼女の心臓を見て、
> その場にいた誰もが手術の成功を信じた。
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> しかし……それは甘い認識だった。
> 腫瘍は心臓の組織と少なからず結びついていたのだ。
> その切除は、心臓そのものの強度を劣化させた。
> 結果、グレンが閉胸を行なっている最中に
> 心臓の一部が裂け、大量の出血を引き起こし──
> カタリナは帰らぬ人となった。
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> 心臓の腫瘍を前にその時の恐怖が蘇り、
> グレンの体は完全に硬直してしまった。
> 頭の中が真っ白になり、
> 今やっている術式の手順が飛んでしまう。
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> 「──グレン！！」
> そんな状態のグレンを引き戻したのは、
> かつての友の力強い呼び声だった。
> 気づくと、補佐をしていたルーファスが、
> グレンの厚い胸倉を掴んでいた。
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> 「……手術中に余計な事を考えるな。今はヒューゴ君の手術に集中しろ。」
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> 「この子は……お前を信じているんだ。」
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> グレンはその言葉にハッとして、
> その眠る少年の姿を見返した。
> どくん、どくん、どくん、どくん……
> 心臓がグレンを呼ぶように活動を続けている。
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> （ああ、そうだ……呆けている場合じゃねぇ。）
> グレンは気を取り直して再びヒューゴに向いた。
> ルーファスはそれを見て、掴んでいた腕を離すと
> 無言で手術の続行を促した。
> シェリーは、ほっと胸を撫で下ろす。
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> グレンの向かい側にルーファスが立つ。
> 新しい術式は、ここからが本番だ。
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> ──この腫瘍にはある秘密があった。
> 腫瘍の中心部の毒を排出する部分以外は……
> 全くと言っていいほど無害なのだ。
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> 腫瘍は時間をかけて心臓と融合していき、
> 最後にはほとんど心臓の組織と同じものになる。
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> つまり、中心部さえ取り除いてしまえば
> 完全に切除する必要はなかったのだ。
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> カタリナの手術が失敗した理由はまさにそれだった。
> 研究して突き止めた事実を反芻するたびに、
> 彼の心をとても大きな後悔が蝕んだ。
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> だが……
> あの時シェリーに告げられた言葉が、
> グレンの後悔を「感謝」へと変えさせた。
> カタリナの死があったからこそ
> この新しい術式があるとグレンは思い直したのだ。
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> 人工心肺を繋ぎ、さらに心臓の活動を
> 一時的に止める薬品を注入する。
> これらは、最先端の医療機器メーカーが開発した
> 試作品をルーファスが特別に取り寄せたものだ。
> 彼は静かになった心臓を支え、見やすく調節する。
> ──実際に腫瘍の中央部のみを
> 取り除くには極めて微妙なメスさばきが必要だ。
> 一歩間違えれば心臓を傷つけてしまう。
> だが、成功すればカタリナの時のように
> 心臓の強度を落とすことなく病巣を取り除ける
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> （姉さん、グレン先生に力を貸して──）
> 心の中でシェリーは強く祈りを捧げた。
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> グレンの持つメスが
> 徐々に、どす黒い腫瘍に近づいていく。
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> シェリーが、ルーファスが、他の医師たちが、
> その切っ先を固唾を呑んで見守っていた。
> ──手術室の外では、
> ヒューゴの両親も女神に祈り続けていた。
> 手術開始から相当な時間が経ち、
> 彼らの疲労もピークに達していた。
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> その時、不意に手術中を示すランプが消える。
> 最初に中から現れたのは……グレン。
> ヒューゴの両親は、
> すがる様にその巨躯の元に駆け寄った。
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> グレンが彼らに向いてマスクを外す。
> 現れた口元には、力強い笑みが浮かんでいた。
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