THE REN UPGRADE: MONSTERS WITHIN

13: A Blessing Or A Curse?

“Damn it! I need more gauze! Suction! Use your fucking hands!” 

A loud beep cut across the chaos. It rose higher and faster. The patient monitor was blaring. Reporting the state of the patient's vitals—

A forewarning.

There was a suffocating air of panic in the surgery room as the operating surgeon spat commands at his assistants. 

From the way his fingers trembled against the bleeding shoulder, anyone could tell things were getting quite out of hand for him. 

It was alarming to his assistants, because Dr. Maki was the best at what he did. He was ranked top for his composure in the surgery room, above anything else. 

But today, the case seemed to be different. Or maybe…it was just Hana Blackthorn who got unlucky. 

An artery in her shoulder had been nicked  and there was an outrageous overflow of blood. She was under a heavy dose of anesthesia, so she was aloof to the fact that she might just be on her way to bleeding to her death on the table. And this was all because she decided to hear what Ren Carter had to say about a goddamn marriage proposal.

Ren stood on the other side of the glass, watching the mess that was being made in the surgery room. Chris stood beside him, trembling slightly.

“Can you see that?” Ren demanded in a quiet voice. “It's a simple surgery, but he's about to take her life.” He turned and hazel eyes burned into the man's face. “I can't let that happen.”

“Do you know what you're asking?” Chris Han demanded in a squeaky voice. “You're a pharmaceutical intern who knows nothing about how surgeries are done!"

Ren stared at him, unblinking. “You're wrong. I'm not just an intern. I'm more than that.” He turned and stared at Hana Blackthorn’s body on the table. “I can stop that woman's death from happening.”

“Why are you so confident that she would die?” Chris Han's tone was as skeptic as the look in his eyes.

“I see things you can never comprehend,” Ren responded calmly with a straight face, leaving Chris Han even more confused. “Now enough with the questions.” He cocked his head towards the room. “Let me in.”

Chris Han started to say something. But a guard walked up to him and cleared his throat. “Sir, excuse me.” He leaned close and whispered hurried words into Chris Han’s ear. 

After a while, the head of the department straightened and adjusted the collar of his medical coat. “You better get in there right now, if you would. The patient’s brothers are here. And you don't want them meeting the man who exposed their sister to danger.”

Ren cocked his brow. A light of amusement danced in his eyes. “Really? I see.” 

Without another word, he turned and walked into the surgery room. 

When he walked through the doors, the attending surgeon was too busy trying to stop the excessive bleeding. He did not notice the intern who barged into his surgery room without his permission. 

Until Ren cleared his throat and thundered—

“Everyone out, please.” His tone was polite, as well as the gaze he used to regard each and every one of them. The scurrying attendants and the panicking doctor. They all turned and observed him like he just stepped into the wrong room.

Ren heaved a sigh and walked into the washroom section attached to the left side of the room. “Unless you want to lose your first patient of the day to the cold hands of death, you better move it, folks!”

He grabbed the antiseptic soap in the sink and squirted the liquid on his forearms and palms. Then he scrubbed meticulously. Fingertips. Nails. Elbows. The length of his forearms. 

He was rinsing off when the curtain was yanked open behind him. “What do you think you're doing?” Dr. Maki demanded in a strangled tone. “Aren't you just an intern? How dare you barge—”

Ren turned and took two menacing steps towards him, arms raised, rivulets trickling down. “Why don't we have this conversation later? I would like you to move on. Now.”

Dr. Maki was reluctant. But thankfully, Chris Han showed up and ordered him to leave the surgery room. “Ren Carter will handle it from here onwards.”

“What?!” Dr. Maki looked skeptical and enraged. “How could you— Forty years! That's how long I've been in the field! I know all there is to know about—”

“We know that,” Chris Han cut in bluntly, sneaking a scaredy glance at Ren who busied himself with rinsing off his hands. “But he handles this one. Come on.”

A few minutes later, Ren Carter was seen at the surgery table, meticulously taking care of the mess that had been created. 

His fingers worked fast, just like lightning, as he soaked up the blood with the gauze. Enough to see where the damage had been done.

“Suction.” He had two nurses assisting him. They were as sharp and meticulous as him, even though they obviously avoided getting on the nerves of the young intern who was suddenly in charge. They heard the stories about him. Everyone did. 

The artery had been extremely difficult to stitch together by the previous attending surgeon. But Ren did it like it was the easiest task in the world. His fingers worked deftly as he passed the thread and pulled. 

To everyone else, he appeared to be a genius.

But in his head—

There was a strange manual. And a strange sensation. What he was doing felt familiar…like he'd been doing it for centuries. 

“Clamp. Hold it steady.” 

After a moment, the beeping on the patient monitor slowed down. Vitals on the machine returned to stability. 

The assistants were finally able to breathe in relief. 

And Ren? His lips curved in a small, satisfied smile as he finished up. 

*****

A short hour later, he was seen returning to his new office. He whistled happily to himself. A thought lurked in the back of his mind. 

Maybe…just maybe…this talk about being possessed might not be such a bad idea, after all. 

If he could save people, perform medical tasks he never would have dreamed of doing, would this not be considered a blessing?

What fun it would be! Saving lives all the time! 

If only he had such powers before he lost his sister…

When he pushed into the office, Juno stood there by the floor-to-ceiling window. 

The Kohāi turned and curtsied immediately. “Young Master, it's good to see you.”

Ren laughed as he walked over. He slapped Juno's back. “For real, man. It's good to see you too!” His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I'm having a fucking blast. Can you believe I've got some kind of medical powers too? Man, I think I'm blessed!”

A grimace flashed across Juno’s expression a moment before he nodded. “Or, maybe…it could be a curse?”

He lifted his shoulders in a small shrug when Ren stared point blank at him. 

“A curse?” Ren frowned. “What do you mean?”

Juno heaved a deep sigh and scratched his jaw. “Young Master…have you seen the damage you've caused?”

Ren heaved a sigh and weaved his fingers through his hair. “You know, I was a bit worried earlier. All those bullets…” his brows pulled into a frown, “and I'm still standing. Does this mean in immortal now?”

Juno considered the question for a moment. “I can't quite say, but your body’s hosting two immortal spirits now, so—”

“Shh! Keep your voice down!” Ren hissed, looking around. “I don't want anyone here knowing that I'm a freak.”

Juno shook his head in disbelief. “But you already showed it to the whole world.”

“No, listen…I might have acted crazy out there, but those people do not know the root cause.” Ren paused and scratched his brow. “Can we keep it that way?” 

Juno paced for a moment, cradling his chin in deep thought. After a moment, he turned and stared at Ren. “Then, you would have to make it clear.”

“How do I do that?” 

“Utilize your new position as hospital director. Hold a press conference.”

Juno paused and walked the short distance to where Ren stood. He reached up and slapped Ren's shoulder, getting into his face. “Young Master, convince the world that you're not crazy.”