These doctors, usually stifled by their daily routines, were now slapping tables and clapping their hands. After all, Jihua Hospital had a conscience—there were separate buildings for the recreation lounge and gym, so there was no worry about disturbing patients or maintaining some lofty image of a doctor.

Even though they were used to witnessing the birth and nurturing of new life, hearing such news always brought joy, especially when it came from colleagues they worked with day in and day out. And that lucky little baby was being genuinely and eagerly awaited to arrive in this world.

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations, Brother Wright!”

...

The chorus of cheers and blessings rose and fell.

“Thank you, thank you—” Ryan Wright rubbed his hands together, his face flushed with excitement as he gratefully accepted everyone’s congratulations.

Eric Bennett also raised his glass of cola to Ryan Wright. “Congratulations, senior,” he said. “If you ever get too busy, just let us know.”

Eric Bennett didn’t talk much and always looked a bit cold, but he was very thoughtful, and his words hit right at what Ryan Wright was feeling.

Ryan Wright gave him a grateful look, then turned to everyone else and said, “Actually, there’s another reason I invited everyone to dinner today.” Ryan Wright looked a little embarrassed. “My wife works hard too, and I want to spend more time with her. So in the future, I might need to trouble you all a bit more with work in the department. I want to apologize in advance.”

This was actually a bit of a sensitive topic—no one wanted their workload to increase. But fortunately, the department had always had a harmonious atmosphere, and Ryan Wright had helped everyone out plenty of times before. So when he brought it up, everyone just waved it off with a smile. “Don’t worry, if you can’t handle it, just come to us.”

“It’s just that... sigh...” Seeing his colleagues so warm and the atmosphere just right, Ryan Wright suddenly got emotional, covering his face as his voice choked up a bit. “I’m always so busy... I never have time to really be with her.”

As the mood started to turn sentimental, Brian Sullivan quickly tore off a chicken wing and stuffed it straight into Ryan Wright’s mouth, patting him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Brother Wright, we all understand. Work is important, but your wife is even more important. But right now, nothing is more important than the fried chicken in your mouth.”

As soon as he finished, he noticed Eric Bennett was looking at him.

Sure enough, Ryan Wright’s sadness was abruptly interrupted by the fried chicken. His eyes were still red, but he couldn’t help but let out a laugh, reaching for the chicken by his mouth while cursing with a smile, “You brat.”

The dinner almost slipped into awkwardness, but the burst of laughter brought back the cheerful atmosphere. Eric Bennett saw Brian Sullivan notice him watching, and casually looked away, commenting, “Quick reflexes.”

That was a compliment for his ability to lighten the mood.

Brian Sullivan, feeling inspired, grabbed another chicken wing and handed it straight to Eric Bennett.

A heavy, greasy smell hit him. Eric Bennett suddenly took a step back, his expression changing.

Actually, he’d felt a bit unwell since he came in. Normally, he liked fried chicken, but lately, even a whiff of greasy food made him nauseous. So after all this time, he’d only had some cola and just one French fry.

But now, the greasy chicken wing was right under his nose, the strong smell overwhelming Eric Bennett’s already fragile sense of smell.

He glanced at Brian Sullivan, then suddenly lowered his head and covered his mouth.

“Ugh—”

A suppressed dry heave.

Dr. Bennett didn’t want to embarrass himself like this, but he just couldn’t hold it in. He covered his mouth and hurried straight to the restroom, leaving Brian Sullivan standing there awkwardly with a chicken leg in hand.

“Is this his new way of insulting me?” Brian Sullivan asked stiffly, still holding the chicken leg, looking bewildered.

After a moment, he turned to Megan Young, who was sitting next to Eric Bennett, and asked, “Do I really look that disgusting?”

“You’ll have to ask Dr. Bennett about that. Maybe you took his spot at the conference, and he’s still mad at you.”

Forget it, he thought. Everyone around Eric Bennett is the same kind of troublemaker—don’t expect anything nice from them.

He quietly withdrew his hand holding the chicken leg, pretending nothing had happened. Meanwhile, Ryan Wright said thoughtfully, “My wife was like that too. She had bad dry heaves for a while, but most of the time she couldn’t actually throw up. We never thought much of it, just assumed she was sick. Turns out, she was pregnant.”

Brian Sullivan thought for a moment, and after Eric Bennett came back from the restroom for the third time, he leaned in seriously toward the slightly pale-looking Dr. Bennett, “Eric Bennett, throwing up like this... you’re not pregnant, are you?”

--------------------

Author’s note:

Senior Wright: I have some good news—my wife is pregnant.

Brian Sullivan: I have good news too—my wife is—hey, don’t hit my face, thanks.

Eric Bennett: I’m your dad.

No update tomorrow, saving up some collections. Thanks for understanding, bow~

Some readers are especially concerned about the CT issue, so here’s a brief explanation: talking about harm without considering dosage is just nonsense. A single CT scan of the head exposes the fetus to about 1-10 mGy, while the International Commission on Radiological Protection reports that only when the absorbed dose exceeds 100 mGy is there a possible risk to the fetus. It’s not like one scan will immediately cause deformities. But I really don’t want to argue about this anymore, so I changed it to MRI in the main text (lights a cigarette).

Chapter 7: Examination

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“Sullivan、Brian、Brian——”