*** *** ***

Mrs Bruce's face contorted with anger as she heard the doctor say the name, Ryan. 

"What did you just say?" she asked for good measure.

The doctor kept his head down as she asked him, embarrassed that he had to resort to this. Not once in his life had he ever administered the wrong acupuncture treatment to a patient. Even worse, he doesn't even know where he went wrong so he can't devise a solution either.

Alina on the other hand was just as puzzled as the others in the room as she didn't know much about his medical prowess either. Ryan has always been lazy with everything so she never expected a well-renowned doctor to acknowledge him or advise that he should be asked for help. She was puzzled but chose to keep her mouth shut as this isn't a bad situation either.

"Cat got your tongue?" Jeffery asked.

"Speak up, doctor!" Sasha yelled. "We are losing grandma with every passing second."

The doctor let out a heavy sigh as his shoulders slumped. "I think you should call that guy, Ryan. If he was able to find the fault in what I did and predict the outcome so accurately, I believe he would be able to find a solution to her condition too."

"What are you talking about, doctor?" Alex chimed in, worried that his reputation would be soiled by this event and that his chances with Alina will dwindle even further. "Why am I paying you if you are just going to suggest some deadbeat does your job for you? Tell me! Why am I paying you?!"

His voice rose and he became angrier by the second but quickly got hold of himself as he peeked at Alina from the corner of his eye. The last thing he wants to do is show Alina and her family this side of him.

"Just do whatever you can to save her life," he pleaded, his voice becoming softer.

"I will," the doctor assured him. "That's why I need to get that man here."

Ryan on the other hand, stood in front of the hospital for a while as he contemplated where to go. He couldn't possibly go home without Alina and he's presently too broke to commute. 

With a heavy sigh, he turned back and walked inside the hospital, heading for the room.

"Since they don't want me inside, I can at least hang around here until Alina is ready to go home," he thought as he sat on the bench a few feet away from Grandma's ward. He sighed as his thoughts wandered back to his parents and their murder. 

He had gone there today to remind himself of the vow he made to his mother, and he intends to keep it. When he's capable enough, he will make every single one of his parents' enemies pay. He would have his revenge and would not rest until his actions affect their generations to come just like theirs had affected him.

The door to Grandma's ward opened and the doctor came out looking left and right and squinting as he saw the figure sitting a little away from the ward with his head laid back and his eyes closed. His face lit up as he confirmed the person and immediately hurried over to him.

"Thank God he didn't leave the building after everything they did to him," he thought. 

"Sir," he said politely as he approached him. He had also been rude to him earlier so he tried his best to be extra polite now that he needed his help.

Ryan looked to his side and behind him if he could find who the doctor was talking to. Seeing no one, he pointed at himself to be sure. "Me?"

"Yes, sir," the doctor smiled. "I-"

"If you are about to ask me to go in there and solve the mess you created, then forget it," he stated before the doctor could complete his statement. "I won't be doing anything of the sort."

"Sir, I understand why you feel this way and I must apologize for my actions," the doctor said politely, trying to brush off the fact that he just got interrupted disrespectfully by a nobody. "I believed in myself with good reason. You see, I've never had a bad record. A patient has never died on me even once in my career. A success rate like that would surely make anyone arrogant. I'm extremely sorry for my arrogance and dismissal of your wise insight."

"Now, you are kissing ass, huh?" Ryan cocked an eyebrow. "Too bad, it's still not gonna change my mind."

"Sir, she's your wife's grandmother," the doctor insisted. "Surely, you don't want your wife to be saddened by her grandmother's death."

"You were there and you saw that she didn't even bother to stand up for me. Why should I care?" he shrugged. "Besides, the old woman has lived long enough."

"She's dying in there!"

"I don't see how that's my problem," Ryan said, getting annoyed at the man's pestering. "You did the acupuncture, not me. Go fix it yourself."

"Fine," he said defeatedly. "If you do this for me, I'll pay you eighty percent of whatever I'm paid for this job. Just help save my career."

Ryan thought about it for a bit as another of his master's annoying quotes reverberated in his head. "A doctor's only emotion should be saving lives. Every other thing comes after."

"You really do have a word for every situation, huh?" he thought. "I'll do what you say but I definitely won't be doing it for free this time."

"Ninety percent or no deal," he said calmly. 

"That's too much!" 

"Then go do it yourself," he replied.

"Fine,". the doctor said. "Ninety percent."

"Good," he stood up. "I'll send you the details so make sure I get the money. You can charge that rich brat as much as you want and I don't even mind you taking the glory."

The transaction was made on the spot before Ryan agreed to go with him and the deal was established. 

"Go prepare an injection to stimulate her heartbeat," he ordered as he decided to walk ahead of the doctor. "I'll wait for you in front of the door."

The doctor did as told and got the injection ready in no time. He was eager to not only save his career but also learn a thing or two from this mysterious guy who seems to be a diamond in the rough. Even though he felt embarrassed by his present situation, he would like to keep friendly relations with this man if possible.

The doctor led the way as they entered the ward and Ryan could see the relief on Alex's face turn into anger. He seemed like he was ready to pounce on the doctor any second but he surprisingly kept his cool.

"What's he doing here?" Mrs Bruce spoke up, stepping in front of them. "I'm not letting this filthy thing touch Grandma. What if he kills her?"

"I am vouching for him," the doctor said. "If anything happens then I would gladly take the blame."

Mrs Bruce still stood defensively in front of them, glaring at Ryan instead of the doctor.

"Just let him be, mom," Alina sighed. "If the doctor is vouching for him, we should at least give him the benefit of the doubt considering his reputation. Besides, if Grandma is truly dying in an hour then there is nothing to lose, is there? The doctor already said he had no solution to the problem. It wouldn't hurt to let him try."

A pang of pain settled in Alex's heart as he listened to Alina defending Ryan. He wanted to gut the doctor right there and also gut Ryan too, finally getting rid of him. But he still maintained his facade of a good boy and kept a stable expression. 

Mrs Bruce finally moved out of the way defeatedly and the doctor gave way to let Ryan who was behind him walk up to Grandma's bedside. 

"I'm warning you," Jeffery hissed. "Hurt one hair from her head and I will kill you personally."

Ryan ignored him as he continued to remove the acupuncture needles and arranged them properly with the doctor watching intently beside him. This was the first time he was seeing this. Ryan wasn't making any big changes to his treatment, he was only correcting them by putting the needles through specific pores on the skin and aiming for specific points in the veins.

When he got to the chest, he signalled for the doctor to come closer, pointing to the needle in her chest. 

"This was where you made the biggest mistake," he explained pulling out the needle slowly. "You clogged her arteries and reverse the blood flow which only made things worse."

He placed the needle in the right area on her chest and stood up, allowing the doctor to administer the injection. 

"What now?" Mrs Bruce asked.

"Now, we wait," Ryan replied.

"I wasn't asking you," she hissed. 

She had barely finished talking when Grandma coughed. The doctor hurried over to her and checked her pulse and his eyes widened in surprise.

"She's...... fine," he said. "She's recovered completely!"