Doctor Ryan and His Healing System

Chapter 17: Mooney’s Proposal

Linnet had felt her phone buzzing, and without realizing that it had been her father trying to reach her, she had chosen to ignore it. She was too invested in the match. Now, though, with her father in front of her, she regretted her negligence. She had not even realized that he was at the party.   

“What were you looking at?” he asked. “I called you several times!”

Linnet gave her father an awkward smile. It was the first time that she had fallen in love with a man, and she had been caught red-handed.

“Your brother told me the other day that you have a crush on a young man,” he continued. “Is Mr. Jones that young man?”

Linnet frowned. Nothing her father had said made any sense. She had not fallen in love with Ryan until this evening. So, unless her brother could tell the future… “That is Mr. Jones,” she replied noncommittally. “He is a great doctor and pianist. No doubt, he has a bright future ahead of him. If I did like him, would you approve?”

“I would,” her father replied. “He is just the kind of man I would have chosen for you, especially now that he has half a billion dollars.”

Linnet felt like jumping for joy when she heard that. “You are an amazing father!” she exclaimed.

Linnet’s father looked Ryan up and down and thought – When I was his age, I was not half as good as he is.

***

After the competition, Den went to his father’s room and told him about everything that had happened, and when he was done, Mooney said, “Ryan is an unusual young man. We should rope him in.”

“I was thinking the very same thing!” Den exclaimed. “Our business is in crisis. With a little luck, he could be our salvation!”

***

As the party began to wind down, the other guest began to hand Ryan their business cards. Everyone had been impressed with him, and they had all wanted a moment of his time. By midnight, he was exhausted, and he told Den that he was leaving.

Den shook his hand and said, “Thank you for coming, and I am sorry for the misunderstanding earlier. Before you go, though, would you mind having a word with my father?”

Ryan nodded and said, “It would be an honor. Show me the way.”

Den led Ryan to his father’s room. He was invited to sit in a chair by the window, and once he was comfortable, he said, “Please. What can I do for you, sir?”

“I would like to thank you again for saving me,” Mooney replied.

Ryan’s brows furrowed. “You have thanked me enough,” he said. “Perhaps there is something more that I can do for you…”

Ryan’s words put Mooney and Den in an awkward position and they blushed. “Actually, we need your help…”

Ryan smiled and said, “I am at your disposal. What exactly is it that you want me to do? Do you need me to save another patient?”

“Here is the thing,” Den began. “My father’s business decisions made him an enemy. I am talking about a competitor, and this all happened many years ago. It was over a land dispute. He wanted it. We wanted it. So, we pulled a few strings to get it.”

Ryan listened attentively and nodded occasionally. “What happened then?”

“He left town,” Den explained. “It seems that he is coming back, though, and that he is looking to take revenge on their enemies.”

Ryan frowned. “Are you asking me to kill him?”

“We know that you are capable of this,” Mooney replied. “I am sure that our request comes as a surprise to you, but if you help us out, we would forever be in your debt.”

Ryan rubbed his chin as he pondered their request. Typically, he saved lives…

Den noticed that Ryan was hesitant, and he worried that he would say no. “Listen,” he handed him a key and said, “We have prepared a villa for you. It is in the Hamptons. You will love it. Please accept it as a gift.”

The Hamptons was one of the richest neighborhoods in Edmonton. Ryan had always wanted to have a villa there, so he said, “Alright, then. I will do it. When will he arrive in town?”

“I am not sure,” Den replied. “It could be this week. Be prepared at all times.”

“Alright.”

***

The moment Ryan opened the gate to his home, Sherry rushed out to confront him. “Let’s find a new place to stay!” she shouted.

Ryan gave her a skeptical look and asked, “Why?” He had lived there a long time, and he had no interest in leaving anytime soon.

“We need to leave tonight,” Sherry explained. “This place does not belong to us anymore.”

Sherry was grateful to Ryan. He had offered to pay her debt, but she thought that it was impossible, and she was frantic. “Where are we going to live?” she asked. “We will be homeless!”

“We are not leaving,” Ryan said this in a way that suggested that the possibility of them leaving was not open to discussion.

This shocked Sherry. “If I don’t sell the house,” she said, “the loan sharks will come here tomorrow and beat us up.”

Ryan sighed and said, “No, they won’t. Go back to sleep. I’ll take care of this.”

***

When Ryan woke up the next morning, he found Sherry sitting with her back to the front door. Her face was red and swollen from crying. “Why are you doing this to yourself?” he asked. “I told you that I would take care of this.”

Sherry didn’t respond. She wanted to trust him, but her doubts would not let her.  From her perspective, Ryan was barely making ends meet himself. After all, wasn’t that why he was sharing an apartment with her?

Ryan went and sat down beside her. “Everything will be okay,” he said. “You need to trust me. I keep on telling you that, but you refuse to listen…”

Sherry sighed as it occurred to her that maybe he thought that he could beat up the loan sharks. She frowned and said, “Whatever you are planning, it cannot work… These men are monsters. Don’t blame me if they beat you half to death.”

Ryan put his hand on her leg and said, “Don’t worry. I have got this thing figured out.”