Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 128 - 89: You’re Already 32

Tawana was on the verge of a breakdown. "But that’s just what I was thinking! What if he really just leaves? Is he not going to get his knee treated? Good heavens, Silvio will kill me."

Chen Yu dropped his nonchalant expression and said with a serious face, "Rudolph, this is just a tactic. Rest assured, no matter what he ultimately chooses, I will cure him."

"After all, who can say no to making money?" Chen Yu added jokingly.

’A $200,000 surgery fee, plus long-term post-operative rehabilitation... he wasn’t getting out of the United States for less than half a million US dollars.’

Tawana was stunned. He stared fixedly at Chen Yu for a long moment, then said, unsure whether to laugh or cry, "Chen, you really are..."

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

"But what if he doesn’t come back?" Tawana fretted. "I told you, he’s very stubborn."

’I hope he doesn’t just walk away for good.’

Chen Yu gathered the medical records from the table, his expression serene. "Don’t worry. No one can cure him except me."

Tawana stared blankly at Chen Yu. ’Isn’t that a little too confident?’

After exchanging contact information with Tawana, Chen Yu personally saw the older man out. Upon returning, he began to wonder if he should start preparing the treatment plan.

Chen Yu was confident Redondo would make the right choice.

The reason was simple: he was sure Redondo couldn’t bear to leave the green pitch.

’What about a free clinic?’

The last free clinic he ran had been quite effective.

The pace of the outpatient clinic at Saint Luke Hospital was like an old man’s stroll, which meant there wouldn’t be many surgeries for Chen Yu to perform.

Besides, the hospital had its own doctors who also needed to make a living. If Chen Yu took all the surgeries, they would naturally be unhappy.

’If only the clinic could be finished sooner. In my own clinic, I’ll call the shots. I could even stay open twenty-four hours a day to see patients, and no one could tell me what to do.’

But the construction schedule was what it was.

The renovations, the construction of a high-spec operating room, and the delivery of all the equipment—it all took time.

Chen Yu had already told Calva to prioritize the medical center’s renovations, but it still took time. At the fastest possible pace, he estimated it wouldn’t be ready until the end of next month.

Just as he was thinking about this, his phone rang.

It was a call from Nelson.

"What’s up, Nelson?" Chen Yu answered.

Nelson hesitated on the other end of the line before saying, "So, here’s the thing. We had an away game against the Heat yesterday. We won."

Initially, Skiles had been worried that the intense training Chen Yu put the players through before the road trip would affect their performance.

But who would have thought? Despite the grueling back-to-back away games, the entire Phoenix Suns team was in unbelievably good shape.

In the first game against the East’s top-ranked Digital People, they fought hard to the very end, losing by only 4 points.

In the second game against the Magic, who were on a hot streak in the East, J Kidd scored a triple-double, helping the team secure a 6-point victory in Orlando.

And that was followed by a back-to-back game against the Heat.

Normally, after consecutive away games, especially a back-to-back, the players’ condition should have been terrible.

But surprisingly, they were still in good form, building a 14-point lead in the first half.

It was simply unbelievable.

This was the Heat, mind you—currently second in the East.

"But an incident occurred at the end of the fourth quarter. When Jason drove for a layup, he was dragged down mid-air by the Heat’s Bruce Bowen. He landed hard on his back."

Chen Yu’s brow furrowed instantly. He quickly asked how J Kidd was doing.

’And this Bowen guy, who’s that? I don’t remember him, but that’s a really dirty play.’

Nelson said, "I went onto the court to examine him. There were just over two minutes left in the game, so I had him subbed out to rest. He stood up on his own and had no trouble walking. He didn’t leave the court until after he’d shot his free throws."

"After the game, I examined him again. He said it was no big deal, just the usual pain you’d get from a fall. My exam didn’t turn up any issues, so I just told him to go back to the hotel and rest. But this morning, he told me that after a night’s sleep, the area around his lumbar spine felt a bit achy and swollen. I checked his lumbar spine’s mobility, but there were no obvious limitations. His running and jumping were normal, too."

"Chen, we’re about to board the plane for New York. I’ve been thinking it over, and I felt I had to let you know. If you think it’s a problem, I won’t let him play against the Nicks tomorrow."

Chen Yu asked how J Kidd himself felt while simultaneously opening his laptop to search for footage of yesterday’s game.

’There’s bound to be a clip online.’

Nelson replied, "Jason himself thinks it’s nothing, just a bit of discomfort. He says he can play."

As he spoke, Chen Yu found the video he was looking for.

Skipping to the last two-odd minutes of the game, Chen Yu watched the moment J Kidd got injured.

J Kidd made a cut to the basket and went up for a layup. Bowen came over on a help defense and grabbed his arm directly. J Kidd lost his balance in the air and fell backward, planting hard on the floor.

Chen Yu narrowed his eyes, rewound the clip, and watched it again.

’Looks like he landed on his lower back.’

It was so sudden he didn’t have time to take any protective measures.

’If he’d had a moment to brace himself, the fall might not have been as bad.’

’Sudden falls like that are the most dangerous; there’s no time to react at all.’

Still, Nelson had already examined him repeatedly, and Chen Yu trusted his professional judgment. From his description, it didn’t sound like J Kidd had a major problem—just a standard muscle contusion from a fall.

’Even a regular person would be sore for a couple of days after a fall like that.’

He was about to tell Nelson to check J Kidd’s condition before the game and then decide whether he should play, but he suddenly stopped. He remembered his earlier conversation with Tawana.

Redondo’s injury started as something minor that he ignored, and it eventually became a major one.

’What if J Kidd is in the same situation as Redondo?’

’He thinks it’s fine, plays another game, and then boom—it turns into a huge problem.’

’The odds are small, but still... what if?’

’Besides, they’re on the road, so arranging a proper examination would be a hassle.’

"You’re heading to New York, right? Okay, how about this: I was planning to go to New York anyway. I’ll head over tomorrow and check on him in person. We’ll decide after that."

Chen Yu had been planning to go to New York to poach doctors for his clinic.

In Chen Yu’s vision for the clinic, he would handle orthopedics. If he got too busy, he could consider poaching Wash.

General surgery could be handed over to Lexi.

But he still needed an internal medicine specialist.

Chen Yu could handle simple internal medicine issues, but not complex cases. For that, he needed a specialist.

Chen Yu had consulted numerous friends and former professors and had zeroed in on one person at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. They had already spoken on the phone and agreed to meet soon to discuss the details.

As it happened, there were also some accumulated tasks from the Player Health Management department that required Chen Yu’s attention.

He was already planning on making a trip to New York in the next day or two, so this worked out perfectly.