Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 57: Comeback Imminent

The patient had Grade 3 tears in his lateral collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament, and a Grade 2 tear in his posterior cruciate ligament.

Both his left and right menisci also had tears of varying degrees.

There were also tears in the rectus femoris and quadriceps tendon, as well as various fascial, bursal, and nerve contusions.

Of course, the latter were all minor issues. He wasn’t a professional athlete, after all. Being able to stand and walk would be enough.

Chen Yu was familiar with the surgical procedure. Most importantly, he had the Eye of All-Seeing to assist him.

That thing was incredibly convenient for surgery.

What was the biggest fear in surgery? An unclear field of vision. One slip, and you could sever a blood vessel, fail to stop the bleeding, and the patient would kick the bucket.

This was an orthopedic surgery where you could practically swing a hammer. As long as you didn’t damage any blood vessels or nerves, there usually weren’t any major problems.

Chen Yu was completely focused, proceeding with the surgery methodically according to the plan. His hands moved swiftly, so fast that Roy could barely keep up.

He had started his own private practice, and doctors who did that were usually quite skilled.

After all, they bore all the profits, losses, and risks themselves. It wasn’t like in a hospital, where a specialist could bail you out if your skills weren’t up to par.

But Chen Yu’s surgical technique still left Roy in awe. His hands were just too steady, too precise.

Six hours later, after deftly tying off the final suture, Chen Yu stepped back and silently awaited the system’s feedback.

A moment later, Chen Yu smiled.

He had taken a bit of a risk this time, but it was worth it.

’Diamond Level efficacy!’

Only then did Chen Yu realize there was a level even higher than Gold Level.

Diamond Level Treatment Effect: Increases treatment efficacy by eighty percent.

The only slight regret was that he didn’t receive a treatment technique.

’Looks like I need to perform more surgeries.’

Thinking this, Chen Yu smiled at Roy and said, "If you have any orthopedic surgeries in the future, feel free to contact me."

Roy nodded emphatically. ’You don’t even have to say it,’ he thought. ’If I run into any, I’m definitely calling you.’

With Chen Yu’s skills, he’d be considered an expert-level surgeon right from the start, even in a specialized hospital.

And this was orthopedics—the most profitable department in a hospital, aside from plastic surgery.

Stepping out of the operating room, Raul was already rushing over anxiously.

Even Quinn, who was on crutches, was there. His expression was grim. When he saw Chen Yu, he stood up, walked over, and gave him an inquisitive look.

"The surgery was a success. Go home and rest. Find a good rehabilitation specialist, and he should be able to get out of bed and walk in about half a year."

Raul let out a long sigh of relief.

Quinn grasped Chen Yu’s hand, a smile finally breaking across his face. "Chen, thank you."

Chen Yu waved his hand to dismiss the thanks, quickly finished the paperwork, and immediately drove toward Miami.

Having obtained the Diamond Level treatment effect, Chen Yu felt much more confident.

At the beginning of next month, Hill would make his comeback. Then he would persuade Hardaway to have the surgery. With these cases under his belt, it would be time for him to leave Orlando, find a team for real, and fulfill his dream.

Back in the rented apartment, after a long-awaited reunion, two young bodies were already tangled together in eager desperation.

On the dining table, the fine meal Chen Yu had personally cooked was slowly growing cold.

After the flames of passion were extinguished, Lexi curled up in Chen Yu’s arms, yawning from exhaustion.

Holidays were always the busiest times at the hospital. To be able to come back and be with Chen Yu, she had worked an extra-long shift in advance.

Chen Yu’s hand stroked Lexi’s skin, which was as smooth and fine as satin. He suddenly said, "Lexi, have you ever thought about living in a different city?"

Lexi rolled over to face Chen Yu and looked up, asking what he meant.

Chen Yu explained his upcoming plans. "Assuming we’re going to get married, we can’t live in two different places, right? Also, where are we going to buy a house and settle down?"

These past few days in Orlando, Chen Yu had earned quite a bit of money. He could already pay off a third of his six-hundred-thousand-dollar loan.

And with more and more patients, paying off the loan would be a piece of cake.

Since he had decided to marry Lexi, he had to consider post-marriage matters, like a house.

Lexi shook her head. "Let’s forget about a house for now. We both have loans, so let’s just rent for the time being. As for where..."

After a moment’s hesitation, Lexi said, "I can follow you."

Chen Yu was touched. This wasn’t an easy thing for Lexi. Moving to a new city, even though finding a job would be easy for her, meant starting everything from scratch.

All the connections she had built at Jackson Memorial Hospital would have to be abandoned. Just last week, Chen Yu had heard Lexi mention that she’d had the good fortune to be included in a surgical research project.

Just then, Chen Yu’s phone on the nightstand vibrated.

"Phone," Lexi said.

"Ignore it." Chen Yu rolled on top of her again.

Lexi let out a long, low moan. "It might be a patient."

Chen Yu, getting back into the mood, said, "Whoever’s calling at this hour is the one who’s really sick."

Far away in Dallas, a confused Hill put down the phone and shook his head at Tamia.

"No one’s answering." It was Christmas, and he had wanted to call and thank Chen Yu for his dedicated treatment over the past two months.

Chen Yu didn’t stay in Miami for long.

Other people might be on vacation, but doctors couldn’t be.

Lexi had to work, and Chen Yu had to return to Orlando to continue grinding for experience and make the final push for Hill’s comeback.

He had already made arrangements with Hill. He would return early to continue the rehabilitation treatment.

As for Hardaway, he would have to wait until after the New Year.

However, on the way back to Orlando, Chen Yu received a phone call.

"Hello, I am David Stern’s assistant. You can call me Josephine. Mr. Stern would like to schedule a meeting with you. When would you be available?"

Chen Yu checked the phone number again. It really was a call from New York.

’David Stern?’

A thought struck Chen Yu. He considered a possibility—it must be about the player health management department.

’Did Ewing mention me?’

"Yes."

Chen Yu had no reason to refuse. As Hill had said before, this matter depended on the league’s stance.

The meeting was scheduled for after the New Year.

That was perfect. It would give Chen Yu some time to think carefully about how to persuade Stern to support his proposal.

In the Christmas Day game, although Tracy McGrady went off for 43 points, the Magic still lost to the Pacers, led by Jalen Rose and Reggie Miller.

But it was plain to see that Tracy McGrady was on fire.

In the very next game, a back-to-back against the Bucks and their "Big Three," Tracy McGrady exploded for 36 points, leading the Magic to a narrow 2-point victory.

Tracy McGrady’s dominant performance had the Orlando fans buzzing with excitement.

But it wasn’t enough.

Everyone could see that if the Magic wanted to make some noise this year, they couldn’t rely on Tracy McGrady alone. They also needed Hill.

For this reason, Weisbrod specifically sought out Pleasance to ask if they should make some roster upgrades before the trade deadline.

Pleasance gave Weisbrod a resentful look.

"Making upgrades would be great, obviously."

Anyone could see that the Magic’s bench was weak, with almost no scoring ability.

They did have Mike Miller, but he was just a rookie, and his performance wasn’t consistent enough.

"John, do you think we have any assets?" Pleasance shot back.

’Without any trade assets, how the hell are we supposed to make upgrades?’

’Instead of wasting time on this, we’d be better off just praying for Hill’s successful return.’

Put on the spot like that, Weisbrod felt a little awkward. Just as he was about to say something else, his phone rang.

It was Chen Yu.

After hearing just a couple of sentences, Weisbrod shot up from his seat in shock. "Chen, is what you’re saying true?"

"Of course."

On the other end of the line, Chen Yu wasn’t the least bit surprised by Weisbrod’s reaction.

Today was the 2nd.

After pouring a massive amount of treatment effects into him, Hill had finally reached the point where he could make his comeback.