Doctor Ryan and His Healing System

Chapter 1: The Old Man’s Gift

Doctor Ryan Jones looked up from his clipboard and said, “You have early-stage diabetes. So long as you take your medicine and are diligent with your diet, this need not be serious. I am giving you a prescription for two medications. The first will control the disease, and the second will help with your recovery.”

The Emergency Department of Central Coast Hospital was packed, and Ryan was taking extra time with his patient so that he could catch his breath before moving on to the next emergency. 

“Are these magic pills?” the patient asked with great curiosity.

“They are not magic. It is science.” Ryan glanced through the patient’s files and said, “If you prefer a natural alternative, you might want to consider acupuncture. There are no side effects, but they are expensive, and you would need a monthly treatment for the rest of your life.” 

The patient was staring at Ryan, and he appeared to be dumbfounded. Ryan’s words confused him, and he had no idea how he could afford to pay for this treatment every month until the day that he died. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “Are you really a doctor? We did not travel thousands of miles to be here, just to have you talk nonsense at me! You are wasting my time, and your superiors are definitely going to hear about this!”

The patient roared, turned around to leave, and slammed the door in Ryan’s face.

Ryan frowned. He had already received three complaints this week, and it was starting to affect his mood. He understood why the patient was upset, but he had not done anything to deserve a complaint. He sighed, and as he waved his hands in the air, a sentence appeared in front of him: Life is to be lived; twenty-seven days, ten hours, and seven minutes.”

He stared helplessly at the sight of the numbers.

Upon graduating, Ryan had been accepted as a medical intern at Central Coast Hospital. He had caught a cold, though, and it almost took his life. That had been a month ago, and because he was new, he had not been able to call in sick. The old man had been his saving grace. He had shown up out of nowhere with a sword in his dominant hand and a handful of needles in his other hand.

The old man bestowed amazing diagnostic skills upon Ryan. These included Acupuncture with Needles, Kungfu, and general knowledge of every other field. He touched Ryan’s forehead, and his face had glowed as his mind received the old man’s gift.

Once Ryan had received the gifts, he realized that his cold had passed, and as he did a quick body-scan, he realized that he had acquired the ability to see the lifespan of himself and others.

The first time that he saw words and numbers in the air, he had worried that he was delusional, and he had kept it to himself. Later, though, he had witnessed the end of a patient’s life, and he saw their counter run down to zero. From then on, he knew that he had the power to tell how long a person had before they died. 

How could this ability exist? – he had wondered, but no answers came to him.

Some days later, he found out by accident that he had less than one month to live, which was inconceivable to him. He did have hope, though. While he was working as a doctor at a hospital, he noticed something incredible: By treating patients’ ailments, he was able to extend his lifespan! What kind of magic is this? – he wondered.

As Ryan was rushing down a hallway, a young woman touched his arm and said, “Hi. Hello. I am in urgent need. Can you help me?”

Ryan looked at the girl and his brows furrowed. She looked to be in her early twenties. She wore no make-up, and her features were delicate. He thought – She is much prettier than t****k influencers, even with no make-up on.

Ryan nodded and he went to the nurses’ desk to get her file. When he went to talk to her, though, he got distracted by her body. She was sitting upright with her chin up and her chest out. Her skin was clear and smooth, and the tops of her ample breasts were popping out of her shirt. But when he looked at the rest of her body, he could not help frown. To get a better look, he leaned closer, and then he looked her in the eyes.

The girl began to blush, but she did not look away. She held his gaze, sneered, and crossed her arms beneath her chest to make her breasts look bigger. “You like them?” She asked. “Do you want me to take off my dress?”

“I am only looking to make a diagnosis,” Ryan replied. “If you pulled down your collar a bit, it would help the procedure move along faster.”

The girl gave him a skeptical look. If she lowered the collar, her breasts would fall out. She did not believe that a legitimate doctor would ask her to reveal her breasts in a public place. “You bastard!” she shouted. She stood up, and she lifted her right hand to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist before she could follow through. 

“Are you trying to slap me?” Ryan asked. “How could you hit a doctor? You are seriously ill, and I am here to help. By the way, I only like big boobs. Yours are much too small for me, so you needn’t worry, Miss Linnet Powell.”

“I have a C cup,” Linnet hissed. “You are such an idiot.”

“I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” Ryan said. “But you are very ill. Luckily, I know what is wrong. You have not been sleeping well lately, and when you do sleep, you have terrible nightmares. Because of this, you have had a loss of appetite. You have lost some weight, you are tired all of the time, and you are showing signs of depression. Am I right?”

Linnet was amazed by Ryan’s analysis. “How did you know all of that?” she asked. She had seen many doctors and they had all said the same thing, except that none of them had gotten to the root of the problem: Her insomnia.

Ryan smiled. “I am a doctor,” he said. “It is my job to know.”