The Doctor's Reckoning

Chapter 9: Breaking Point

Andrew’s face turned an angry crimson, the sting of Joaquin’s slap fresh and humiliating. 

“Y-You… How dare you?!”

He clenched his jaw, his fists trembling as he glared at Joaquin.

“You’ll regret this!” Andrew hissed, his voice venomous. He raised his hand, but Andrea’s cold, cutting voice stopped him mid-motion.

“If you lay a finger on him,” she said, her tone laced with steel, “you won’t leave this room unscathed! You should know better than to challenge me, Andrew.”

Andrew froze, his pride battling his fear of Andrea’s influence.

 After a long, tense pause, he lowered his fist and spat out, 

“This isn’t over!” 

With one last glare at Joaquin, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by Andrea’s amused chuckle.

“Well,” she said, leaning back in her chair, “that was dramatic. Tell me, Joaquin, how did it feel to slap Andrew?”

Joaquin blinked at her, caught off guard by the sudden levity. 

Slowly, a small smirk crept onto his face. 

“It felt… satisfying,” he admitted. 

“I’ve been holding back for so long. I was weak before, always trying to avoid conflict. But today—”

Andrea cut him off with a wave of her hand.

 “That’s all well and good, but don’t think slapping people will solve all your problems. You need to be firm, ruthless when necessary.” Her voice softened, and she added, 

“But don’t worry. From now on, no one will bully you as long as I’m around.”

Joaquin looked at her, a mixture of gratitude and skepticism in his eyes. 

He wanted to believe her, but years of hardship had made trust difficult.

Andrea raised an eyebrow, her teasing smile returning. 

“So, how about a kiss as thanks for my help?”

Joaquin’s eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed. 

“A k-kiss?” he stammered.

Andrea laughed. “Relax, I’m joking. You’re too easy to fluster, Joaquin.” She grabbed the contract sitting on the desk. “Now, let’s get back to business.”

Joaquin handed her a pen, and Andrea quickly signed the document with a flourish. 

“There,” she said, sliding it back to him. “You’re officially my caregiver. No one can kick you out now, not even Andrew.”

Joaquin let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. 

“Thank you,” he said sincerely.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Andrea replied. “You’ve got a long way to go.”

Andrea shifted her attention to her injured leg, wincing slightly as she adjusted her position. 

“By the way, can you help me with this leg? It’s been giving me hell.”

Joaquin knelt to inspect it but shook his head after a moment. 

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t learned the techniques for bone setting yet. For now, you need to rest and avoid putting pressure on it.”

Andrea sighed dramatically.

 “You’re killing me, Joaquin. What good are you if you can’t fix my leg?”

Joaquin chuckled despite himself. 

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

Meanwhile, in the hospital lobby, Jasmine, Joaquin’s sister, walked through the bustling corridors, her expression tense. 

She was here for one reason: to discuss Joaquin’s engagement with Mikyla. 

But as she rounded the corner, she froze, her stomach sinking at the sight before her.

Mikyla stood close to Andrew, her hand resting lightly on his arm as they laughed about something. 

The intimacy between them was undeniable.

“Mikyla!” Jasmine called out, her voice sharp.

Both Mikyla and Andrew turned to face her. 

Mikyla’s expression hardened instantly. “Jasmine,” she said coolly. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk to you about Joaquin,” Jasmine began, she looked at Andrew. “But what is this?! Are you cheating on my brother?!”

Mikyla chuckled mockingly.

“Cheating?” she said. “Joaquin and I are over. We’ve broken up already!”

Jasmine’s heart clenched. 

“W-What?”

“Yes! He is nothing to me now!”

“How can you say that? After everything he’s done for you?”

Mikyla waved her hand, dismissing Jasmine’s question. 

“Also, maybe you haven’t heard,” she said mockingly. “Joaquin’s been demoted to the caregiver station. He’s nothing but a disgrace now.”

“T-That… can’t be true! Joaquin’s a doctor!” Jasmine insisted.

“Oh, but there’s more,” Andrew continued, his tone dripping with malice. “Your brother assaulted me today. Do you think I’ll let that slide? I’ll make sure he’s out of this hospital by the end of the week.”

Jasmine’s eyes widened. Being a doctor was his brother’s dream. 

She couldn't take it if she saw him loosing what he had been working hard for. 

“P-Please,” she said, her voice trembling. “Don’t ruin his career! He’s been through enough–”

Before Jasmine could finish her sentence, Andrew slapped her mercilessly. 

She almost fell but managed to compose herself. 

She looked at Mikyla trying to find any awe in her, but she just smirked. 

“You deserve it! Joaquin assaulted Andrew too!” Mikyla blurted.

Jasmine's eyes watered, she cannot let her pride ruin her brother’s reputation. 

She looked down and said, “S-Sorry… Please, don’t do this to my brother!”

“Begging, are we? How pathetic. If you want me to spare him, then kneel and apologize,” Andrew said.

For a second, Jasmine hesitated. 

She looked at Andrew and Jasmine hopelessly. 

But she slowly dropped to her knees, swallowing all his pride and embarrassment. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

Andrew leaned down, his smile cruel. 

“What? I can’t hear you,” he said mockingly. 

Jasmine tightened her grip. 

“I’m sorry!” Jasmine cried, her humiliation complete.

Andrew and Mikyla laughed.

The humiliation was unbearing and Jasmine couldn’t do anything but cry. 

She could hear the murmurs around her, but she didn’t mind it at all. 

For his brother, she would do everything. 

She didn’t notice that behind them, Joaquin stood frozen in the hallway, just witnessing the entire scene. 

His eyes red. 

Anger and sorrow storming inside him.