Doctor Ryan and His Healing System

Chapter 15: Kevin And Robert’s Scheme

Robert could see that Linnet did not want anything to do with him, but he was used to getting what he wanted. Thus, he did not give up easily. “What are you up to tonight?” he asked. “Shall we see a movie?”

Robert found Linnet’s disinterest in him very confusing. He was a handsome man. He had money. Women of all ages tended to find him desirable, even those that claimed to be ‘playing for the other team.’

“I have a boyfriend now,” Linnet replied. “So, sadly, I cannot.” Her tone was cold and indifferent, and to Robert, it came as a crushing blow to his ego.

“Please,” he begged. “Give me a chance.” He thought that she was making up excuses to get rid of him. “Who is this boyfriend anyway?”

Linnet pointed to Ryan and said, “There he is. He is quite impressive, isn’t he?”

Linnet’s words struck Robert’s heart like ice picks. “Are you serious?” he asked. “You like that poor wretch? You are way out of his league.”

“Stop talking nonsense,” Linnet mumbled. “He is one of the best doctors in the word, and he is a fantastic pianist. You are just jealous!” Her face was beginning to turn red from anger. “Please, just leave me alone.”

Robert could tell that this was going nowhere, so he turned around and walked away. He had an arrogant way about him that tended to attract women. Only now did it occur to him that he had been attracting the wrong women all along. Now, that he had found someone he liked, his reputation had preceded him, and he had lost before he had even begun.

Kevin was on good terms with Robert, and when he saw him pouting on the couch, he went and sat with him. “Hey, dude. Are you okay? You look upset.”

Robert sighed and said, “Linnet said that she likes Ryan, and not me… I can’t see why...”

Kevin was secretly pleased. He thought – perhaps I have found an ally! “I could help you get back at him,” he suggested. “We should pay him back for his evildoing.”

Robert raised one eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?”

Kevin smiled, leaned into Robert, and whispered his plan into his ear. Half-way through the explaining, Robert began to grin. “Yes… Yesss…” he muttered. “Very good…”

Once the plan had been laid out, Robert held a glass of wine in front of his face and looked through it. He could see Ryan. There were people around him, and they were all giving him compliments. “You are so dead,” he whispered.

***

Linnet smiled at Ryan, touched his arm gently, and said, “I didn’t know that you were such a great pianist…”

“How would you know?” Ryan asked. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “We’ve barely just met. There are many things that you don’t know about me.”

Linnet began to fidget with the sleeve of her blouse, and when she spoke, her voice cracked like that of a barely pubescent boy. “Can I ask you a question?” she croaked.  

Ryan was put off by her voice. It gave him the creeps and he said so. “What is this about?” He asked. “If you have a question, go ahead and ask it.”

Linnet nodded seriously, hesitated for a moment, and then she said: “Ryan, do you want me for a friend?”

Linnet’s question took Ryan by surprise and he found it puzzling. “Why wouldn’t I?” he wondered. “Do you not want me for a friend?”

Ryan frowned. Does she want me to be her boyfriend? – he wondered. He hoped that she didn’t. He wanted to focus on his practice, and he had little interest in being in a relationship. “We can be friends,” he continued lamely, “if you want…”

Men can be so dense – Linnet thought – Must they have everything spelled out for them? “What I meant to ask,” she explained, “is if you wanted to be more than just friends. I like you and I want to be your girlfriend.”

For a moment, Ryan did not know what to say. He didn’t want to date her, but he did not want to hurt her or publicly humiliate her either. Finally, he leaned over so that he could whisper into her ear. “Listen,” he said. “It isn’t a good time for me. I am sorry…”

Linnet was bitterly disappointed by his blunt refusal. She had turned down many men, and women too, but she had never been rejected. “Is it because I am not pretty enough?” she asked.

Ryan shook his head in disapproval. “You are stunning,” he said. “It’s not you. It’s me. I need to focus on my career. Eventually, I would like to own my own healing center. Do you understand?”

Tears began to well up in her Linnet’s eyes. For the first time in her life, she knew what it felt like to be rejected by someone that she loved. She was just about to reply when Robert called everyone’s attention. He was standing on the stage and he had a microphone in his hands.

“Can I get everyone’s attention?” Robert asked. He waited until everyone had turned to face the stage, and then he said, “I was thinking that we could play some games. What do you say?”

“What were you thinking?” someone asked.

“We could have a shooting contest,” Robert replied. “A little bit of archery, to kill the time. I have all the equipment with me, and if anyone needs help, I could show them how. What do you think?” He was addressing everyone, but his eyes were locked on Ryan.

Robert had been the shooting champion for five years running, so it made sense for him to suggest this game.

“What are the rules?” Someone else asked.

Robert had a large gym bag behind him, and it contained a half dozen bows and a plethora of arrows. He pulled out one of each and said, “I need a competitor. Any volunteers…?”

No one raised their hands. They did not want to make a fool out of themselves in front of their peers.

Suddenly, Kevin spoke up. He said, “How about Mr. Jones. He said that he could beat Robert with one arm tied behind his back. I for one would like to see him put his money where his mouth is!”

Everyone turned and gave Ryan a skeptical look. He was a good doctor and pianist, but he looked far too frail for archery. Almost everyone thought that he did not stand a chance of defeating Robert.

Ryan knew that this was a trap, but he was confident that he could accept the challenge without getting caught in it.  He looked at Kevin, smiled, and said, “Why not?”

When everyone heard this, they began to cheer and clap.

Once Ryan was on stage, he looked at Robert and said, “You had better try your best. After all, your reputation is on the line. What would people say if they learned that the five-time champ lost to a layperson?”

Robert scowled at him but said nothing.