Charles followed Shiller to the patient's ward, clearly after the previous group of doctors had just made their rounds. Charles glanced down at his watch; in theory, this should be his last ward check for the day.
A pale and haggard lady lay on the bed, her hand on the blanket, deep in sleep. Shiller stood at the door and gestured to the husband sitting by the bed. The husband quickly stood up and walked over to Shiller, looking somewhat at a loss.
"Mr. Aux?"
"Yes, just call me Aux, thank you, Doctor. I heard it was you who allowed me into the ward," the man said.
"Under normal circumstances, family members are not allowed bedside during abnormal births," Shiller began and emphasized, "but I am part of the emergency psychological intervention system, and I am only responsible for the patient's emotional state. I believe your presence is beneficial for the expectant mother, so naturally, I would let you in."
The tall man nodded so hard he almost left an afterimage. He said, "For all these years, Lisa and I have never had a fight, although she always says I'm annoying, our relationship is very good."
He seemed nervous, and some of his inner thoughts echoed in Charles's mind: "The doctor is definitely here to scold me," "Did I fail to take good care of Lisa?" "Guilt," "Fortunately, Lisa is alright," "Must remember to buy some milk before she wakes up," "The insurance company will come tomorrow morning,"...
Throughout the years Charles could remember, such chaotic thoughts had always surged into his mind, some of them exceedingly jumbled. It had taken him a long time to learn how to actively use this ability to pick out the most useful information.
Digging deeper, Charles saw the man's past, starkly devoid of highlights: graduating from a technical school, becoming an electrician, marrying his wife, and this was their first child.
Charles could infer that the man named Aux truly loved his wife, as he could even find traces of fetal ultrasound images in his memory—a level of detail many doctors would struggle to remember, yet he had a vague impression.
Even that vague impression indicated that the child's condition was not very good, smaller in size than the average fetus and poorly positioned. The solemn expressions of the doctors in his memory also corroborated this.
It so happened that he heard Aux say, "Doctor, to be frank, I've been mentally prepared for this. I can't say I've been eagerly anticipating the child's arrival because it has caused Lisa so much pain."
"Just two months into the pregnancy, she began to vomit repeatedly and suffer from stomach pains, unable to eat. Once her belly started to show, she said she felt pain all over, dizziness, nausea, and that's when she got really skinny."
"There was a stable period in the middle, and we were both very happy, but regrettably, at seven months, the fetal heartbeat became irregular, and we had to be hospitalized for treatment. Since then, Lisa has never smiled again; she used to be such a cheerful girl, and she's never been troubled by anything for so long."
Charles could hear the deep sadness in the man's voice, and then he glanced at the woman again. Even though Lisa was not awake, Charles could still feel her thoughts and emotions.
The woman was too despondent and detached, her mind filled with incomplete fragments, but it was easy to see that most of them concerned the child.
Undoubtedly, she had envisioned a perfect family life, a humorous and considerate husband, a cheerful and lively child, and a dog and two cats that caused quite some trouble but also brought endless fun.
Of course, the first step towards that life had not gone smoothly. What truly broke her was the multitude of physical and psychological torments throughout the long pregnancy, battling discomfort and enduring prolonged anxiety.
All of this seemed not worth it, because there had not been a good outcome. The worst-case scenario, which completely negated her efforts, made everything seem like a joke, leading her to complete breakdown.
Charles squinted his eyes lightly; his mind wandered through the corridors of the hospital, listening to everyone's thoughts.
"How could this prescription be wrong again?" "I'll go call that intern to move the water dispenser to the other side later," "What should I eat after work?" "Today's surgery suturing was a mess again," "Where is my pen?"...
Suddenly, a stream of thought caught Charles's attention, coming from the attending physician of the lady named Lisa. After checking his memory, Charles knew that although this failed delivery caused great harm to the woman's body and brought her to the brink of emotional collapse, they were still young, and with some rest, they could have children again.
That was the key, Charles thought. The lady's situation wasn't as severe as she imagined; rather, anxiety had amplified her pessimistic emotions, making her believe that if the first step was not smooth, the rest would not be either, so she simply stopped thinking in that direction.
But in reality, if one would just be a little rational and trust the results of scientific examinations, it would become clear that this one failure wasn't the end of everything. Happiness was not out of reach; it was just going to be a little late.
"It is indeed a startling misfortune," Charles heard Shiller say as he came back to his senses. "Among the patients I have dealt with, your wife isn't the only one with emotional problems due to pregnancy discomforts, but she certainly is one of the most severe cases. Self-harming to the extent of creating such deep wounds during pregnancy is unimaginably hard."
"I knew it," Aux said as he covered his face, his voice starting to tremble continuously, "She always did it when I went to get hot water. Once, she said she was hot, and I tried to roll up the sleeve of her hospital gown for her, but she stopped me. I should've realized it then..."
Shiller shook his head and explained, "Simply stopping her self-harm is useless; self-harm is just the result, not the cause. Her emotional problem stems half from her physical discomfort and half from her pessimistic view of her condition."
"So what you need to do now is to take good care of her body first and then stabilize her emotions, preventing her from overthinking," Shiller advised.
"Taking care of her is manageable," Aux admitted with some difficulty. "In fact, I've been looking after her all along, but I don't know how to comfort her."
"Does she have a religious faith?"
"We are a Protestant family."
"The hospital has a dedicated prayer room. Once her health improves, you can accompany her there to pray. On the third floor of Building S, which houses psychiatric services, there's a fellowship for Protestant believers. After she is able to move around, you can take her to participate,"
"Additionally, I will prescribe some medication to help her sleep. For the first week, she must focus on regaining her mental and physical strengths. While taking these medications, take care not to drink coffee or eat cold food."
Aux took out a notebook and started to jot down notes as Shiller continued, "The following week, she'll have to take medication to soothe her mood, mainly anti-anxiety drugs. Although the sources of her anxiety no longer exist, the emotion itself is the issue and should be addressed as soon as possible."
"During the medication period, it is crucial to keep an eye on her attention span, whether she experiences stiffness, staring blankly, or speaking nonsense, and to be vigilant for self-harm behavior and suicidal tendencies."
"Come back for a follow-up after two weeks. I'll give her a simple assessment, but remind her it's not a test and she shouldn't be nervous. I'll then discuss some basic matters with her. If her recovery is going well, the emergency psychological intervention will be complete."
"For long-term therapy thereafter, I'll refer her to my colleague. But don't worry—if there are no major issues, you can return to your community hospital."
After listening to all this, Aux nodded and said, "Thank you, Doctor, I know mental health professionals are quite busy these days. I appreciate you taking the time to explain so much to me."
Shiller smiled and said, "It's no problem. Everyone at the hospital says you're a good husband. I heard your family has pets?"
"Yes, we have a dog and two cats, named Pix, Donna, and Doo-doo. They're a bit mischievous but very adorable."
"So, what breed is Pix?"
"Oh, he's a Golden Retriever, a male, two years old now. His primary job every day is to chew on slippers."
"How is Lisa's relationship with him?"
"Absolutely fantastic. When Lisa picked him up, he hadn't even opened his eyes yet. We bottle-fed him together, and he's also a witness of our marriage."
"Maternity wards don't allow large dogs, so you could consider applying for a comfort dog of the same breed. I'll mark your application as a high priority in the report, as they trust my judgment quite a bit."
"If you don't want the hassle, just bring a cat. I'll speak to the head nurse, but make sure to transport them in a safe space capsule, and ensure that they interact outside the ward, in the courtyard, away from crowds, to prevent allergies. Maintain cleanliness, and be careful not to get fur everywhere."
"My goodness, really?" Aux seemed almost ready to jump up with joy. "Lisa will be thrilled. Donna's a lively girl, and Doo-doo's quiet and adorable. Both of them are treasures to her heart. With them around, she's bound to recover quickly."
"But be mindful—if the cats aren't used to going outside, they might get stressed out in crowded places and may not handle car rides well. You can buy some calm spray from the veterinary clinic across the street. Once they get used to it, it should be fine."
"God, I can't describe how thorough and patient you are. Thank you so much. So, when should I submit my comfort dog application?"
"First, log on to the New York City working dogs registration website. Then, send an email to the New Jersey Women's Protection Center requesting them to email the working dog application department. I'll also send an email explaining your wife's psychological state. If all goes well, they should respond to you quite promptly."
"Why have I heard that such working dogs are difficult to obtain?"
With a hint of helplessness, Shiller said, "This is the New York Elderly Association Hospital, New York's finest. Your wife gave birth here, but you lost your child, and she even needed emergency psychological intervention from our psychiatrists. They know how severe the situation is."
"Make sure to emphasize that your wife is still alive and that it is she who needs comfort, not you. There was a case where a patient made a mistake and the agency staff brought a bunch of white flowers, which gave all of us quite a scare."
Aux immediately burst into laughter, as he could imagine the scene and especially the perplexed expressions of these elite doctors; it was quite comical indeed.
"Alright," Shiller said, patting Aux on the shoulder, "This will soon be over. Look on the bright side—the things that tormented her are gone, and she will become that cheerful girl again."
"Of course, she will," Aux said contentedly. "She's always been strong. She'll recover quickly."
Seeing Shiller turn to leave left Charles dumbfounded. "Is that it for the rounds? Wait, that's all? Aren't we taking any effective measures?"
He hurried to catch up with Shiller, saying, "That lady named Lisa is in a lot of pain right now. She has a strong tendency to destroy herself. Shouldn't we stay a bit longer and then..."
"No," Shiller said sternly.
Charles thought he might say something important, but Shiller said:
"After 7 pm, demons lurk in the hospital to snatch children. Remember not to venture to the corridor on the left side of this building's first floor at nighttime. If you get caught, I won't come to rescue you."