The Doctor's Reckoning

Chapter 7: The Unbelievable Truth

The room buzzed with tension as Joaquin stood at the foot of the hospital bed, Joaquin was preparing his tools for the treatment. 

The air was thick with skepticism, and Carlo made no effort to hide his disdain.

“This is ridiculous!” Carlo sneered, crossing his arms. 

“You’re feeding her false hope! There’s no way your little water-and-herbs trick will work!”

Andrea leaned back against the pillows, her eyes fixed on Joaquin. 

“I’ve already told you, Doctor,” she said with a cool smile, “I’ll decide what’s worth trying. If Joaquin says he can help, I’ll let him.”

An intern beside Carlo snorted. 

“A caregiver acting like a doctor? What a joke!”

Joaquin glanced at them briefly, unfazed. 

“You’re welcome to stay and watch. Maybe you’ll learn something.”

The boldness of his retort made the interns gape, and even Carlo’s eyebrows twitched in irritation.

“Fine,” Carlo said, his tone laced with mockery. “Let’s see this miracle of yours.”

Joaquin took a deep breath, steadying himself. 

He dipped his fingers into the bowl of water he had prepared earlier. 

The potion shimmered faintly, though no one seemed to notice except Andrea, who raised an eyebrow.

“What’s in that?” she asked.

“Natural extracts,” Joaquin replied simply. “Years of refinement passed down in my family.”

Carlo rolled his eyes. 

“Spare us the sales pitch and get on with it.”

Ignoring him, Joaquin began to gently apply the potion to Andrea’s scar. 

His movements were precise, almost rhythmic, as though he were following a ritual. 

The room fell silent, the onlookers too intrigued to interrupt.

After a few minutes, Andrea frowned, then gasped softly. 

“It feels... warm. Tingling, even.”

“It’s working,” Joaquin said quietly, his focus unwavering.

“Working?” one of the interns scoffed. “You’ve barely done anything. Stop pretending this is some kind of magic.”

But before anyone could respond, Andrea sat up abruptly, her eyes wide. 

“Wait! Look!”

All heads turned to her leg, and the room collectively froze.

The scar—the deep, angry gash that had marred her perfect skin—was fading. 

It was faint at first, but with each passing second, it became more pronounced. 

The redness subsided, the raised tissue smoothed out, and soon, all that remained was the faintest trace of a mark.

The room erupted.

“No way!” one intern exclaimed, stumbling back.

“This can’t be real!” another cried.

Andrea's wound healed almost as if by magic. 

Within seconds, the scar that had marred her calf disappeared, replaced by flawless, porcelain-smooth skin. 

The interns stared, their mouths agape, while Carlo, who had spent the past few minutes mocking Joaquin, stood frozen in disbelief.

“This is impossible!” Carlo muttered, leaning closer to inspect Andrea’s leg.

“How did you do it?” he finally asked, his voice sharp with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

Joaquin remained calm, his expression unreadable. 

“Natural therapy,” he said simply.

Carlo’s brows furrowed. 

“Natural therapy?” he repeated, his tone skeptical. “Don’t play games with me, Joaquin. This is no ordinary treatment!”

“I don’t need to explain myself,” Joaquin replied evenly. 

“The results are clear, aren’t they?”

Carlo’s face darkened. “If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll report you for being a fraud! The hospital won’t tolerate quackery!”

Joaquin met his gaze, unwavering. “Go ahead and report me, Carlo. But the results speak for themselves. I’m not here to debate; I’m here to help.”

Andrea, now fully composed, turned her sharp gaze to Carlo. 

“Doctor,” she said icily, “you’ve been doubting him from the start, yet he delivered results you couldn’t even dream of. So tell me—who’s the real professional here?”

Carlo opened his mouth to argue but quickly shut it when he saw the steely look in her eyes.

“Leave!” she commanded.