Vegetative state

Time: 5:53 AM. Nineteen hours and forty-seven minutes left.

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*Xin Lei*

Duan Deming's surgery took almost six hours before the cardiologist came out of the operation theatre.

The doctor took out his mask. 

Bro quietly asked, "How is he?"

"We have taken out the bullet, but it had hit too close to the heart. Two major arteries are damaged, which have made his condition too serious."

I typed even though I knew what he was going to say. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "He has slipped into a vegetative state."

Silence.

"The operation was successful, but we cannot say for sure when he would regain his consciousness. He can wake up tomorrow, in a week, in a month, or it may take up to years too. We cannot calculate it."

I shut my eyes, feeling discouraged.

"We will constantly monitor his condition and use different treatment methods to help him recover if possible. We will try our best."