Doctor Ryan and His Healing System

Chapter 7: Ryan Gets On Board

Penny gave Ryan a sharp look. "Do you think you can cure father's illness?” she asked. “You know what will happen if you fail…” Penny called Mooney Wood her father, even though she was not officially his daughter-in-law.

What a calculating b***h! – Ryan thought.

Penny turned on Emily. “Your hospital should feel honored to be treating our father. I don’t understand why you have found us such an inexperienced doctor!”

Rode Gray took great pleasure in Ryan’s misfortune. He even hoped that Den would kick Ryan out of the hospital. Before things could escalate to that point, though,  Mooney began to cough violently and his blood pressure elevated sharply. It was apparent that if he was not treated soon, he would not make it.

When Den heard his father began to cough, his anxiety went through the roof.  Even though he was a carefree playboy, he loved and respected his father. “Enough of this!” he shouted. “Find a solution!” Tears began to well up in his eyes, and he clenched his fists to stop his hands from trembling.

Given that Den did not trust him, Ryan had decided to step away. When he realized that Mooney was dying, though, he changed his mind and decided to intervene. “Let me check him,” he said. “Please… If you love your father, let me help him…”

Den stood akimbo and said, “If you touch him, you are dead.” He was not willing to risk leaving his father’s life to Ryan, a young doctor who was at the beginning of his career. He would not risk losing his father.

Ryan suddenly raised his head. He looked at Den and said, “You have also been coughing, haven’t you; especially at night when you are trying to sleep? Sometimes you cough up blood, and you also suffer from arthralgia on rainy days. You should care more about your health, Mr. Wood.”

Ryan’s diagnosis embarrassed him. He swallowed to cover his nervousness, but he could not hide his rosy cheeks. He had kept his illness a secret, so he was astonished that Ryan had been able to give him a diagnosis without examining him. “How did you know?” he asked. Already, he was starting to accept the fact that his secret had been exposed.

“Never mind that,” Ryan replied. “You have bigger concerns: If you refuse to let me see your father, he will die. This is your last chance to accept my help. If you refuse it, I will leave.”

Though Ryan was worried about Mooney, he did not want to bring disgrace on his head. Unfortunately, Penny refused to compromise. She glared at Ryan and said, “I won’t let you see my father. Now get out!”

Ryan shrugged, turned, and walked away. Before he had reached the door, though, Den shouted after him: “Wait! This woman does not speak for my father. Mr. Jones, please save my father’s life. Do whatever it takes!”

Penny was surprised that Den had defied her. For as long as they had been dating, he had done what she had told him to do. “What do you mean?” she hissed. “I said that he cannot care for your father! What if he makes mistakes?” Clearly, she did not realize that it was not a good time to lose her temper.

“Hush!” Den ignored her so that he could focus on his father’s treatment.  

“Are you deaf?” Penny shouted. “Talk to me! Why do you let him in? Do you really think this poor boy can cure your father?” Penny growled hysterically, which made Den even more annoyed. Finally, he turned around and shouted at her: “Shut the f**k up! If anything bad happens to my father, we are over! Do you understand?”

Penny took a step back and her face turned white. She had been with Den for almost a year, and he had always been gentle to her. This was the first time he had yelled at her. “Are you insane?” she cried. “Why are you yelling at me? Do you want to break up with me?”

Den sighed and said, “We can talk about this later. I trust Ryan, though. Look at how he diagnosed my condition. It is incredible, and if you can’t see that, then maybe you should leave…”

Penny felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart. She stepped back and slumped into a chair. “How could you say that?” she cried. Tears cascaded down her face. “You were nice to me before!”

“Not everything is about you!” Den growled. “Just leave, okay! Get out!”

Finally, Penny pulled herself together and she left the hospital. Since childhood, she had aspired to live a luxurious life, and Den had brought her dream to life. She planned to apologize later, and she was sure that he would forgive her. After all, he was still passionately in love with her, or so she believed…

***

Ryan looked down on Mooney and his brow furrowed. “He is worse than I thought,” he muttered. “He is suffering from a deadly internal heat. It is caused by toxin accumulation. If left untreated, he will soon be dead.” He wracked his brains as he tried to figure out the best way to cure the old man.

Finally, he decided to give the patient an acupuncture treatment with silver needles. He started with five needles, and almost immediately, Mooney stopped groaning. Unfortunately, the treatment did nothing to bring down his fever.  

Based on Ryan’s experience, he was convinced that Mooney’s illness was caused by a ‘Special Reason.’ He added two more needles, and he breathed a sigh of relief as the old man’s breathing steadied.

Two hours later, it seemed that Mooney was out of the woods, so Ryan took a seat by the bed. He waited a few minutes, and then he slowly pulled the needles out.

Several minutes later, Mooney suddenly sat up and vomited a half-liter of dark red blood, and the color returned to his face. 

“How are you feeling?” Ryan asked.

Mooney grinned and said, “A lot better. Thank you.”

“It is all in a day’s work.”

Ryan waited for an hour to make sure that Mooney was fine, and then he opened the door for Den. “How’s he?” Den asked.

“He’s out of danger,” Ryan replied. “But come in and see for yourself.”

Den looked in, and when he saw his father sitting up, he was ecstatic. He rushed in, hugged his father, and said, “I’m so happy you are alive, dad!”

Den had not had very high expectations when they had arrived. His father had previously seen numerous doctors, and they had all told him that it was the end of the road for him.

Ryan walked back to Mooney. He smiled and said, “You have survived this hurdle, but you may not survive the next. If you want to live longer, you need to make some lifestyle changes.”

Den gave Ryan a skeptical look. “Are you serious?” he asked. “We were told by many doctors that he is incurable. Could it be possible that they were wrong?”

“If that is what they said, then they are wrong,” Ryan replied. “He can be cured.”