Doctor Ryan and His Healing System

Chapter 13: An Honored Guest

Den glared at the guard as he waited impatiently to see what he needed. “Well?” he growled. “What is so urgent that you had to bother me in the middle of my party?”

“S-S-Sir,” the guard stuttered. His face was as white as a sheet, and his whole body was trembling. “There is a m-man in the lot that is g-giving me some t-trouble. He doesn’t h-have an invitation, but when I asked him to l-leave, he refused. He s-said that he w-will not l-leave until he has s-seen you.”

“Is this what I pay you for?” Den shouted. “If someone needs to go, you should be able to get them going. Don’t you see how busy I am? Do not bother me again.” Just as Den turned around and was about to leave, the guard said, “S-Sir, I m-mean no disrespect, but I r-really think that you should s-see him. He said that if you d-don’t come to see him, you will b-be s-sorry.”

When Den heard this, his ire began to rise. “Who the hell does this guy think he is? Let’s go to see this donkey!”

Den walked out of the room and the guard followed him, but when they arrived at the lot, no one was there. Den gave the guard a dirty look. “So, where is this mystery man?”

The guard looked around frantically. “I don’t know,” he cried. “He was right here!”

“Well, he didn’t just disappear, did he?” Den was getting unhappier by the second. “Some security guard you turned out to be…”

The guard opened his mouth to defend himself, but before he had a chance to say anything, he spotted Ryan, “Look!” he pointed him out to Den and said, “Sir, there he is.”

Den nodded and let the guard lead the way, and when they got to Ryan, the guard tapped him on the shoulder and shouted at him: “How dare you come in without an invitation. Now that my boss is here, you are a dead man for sure!”

  Up until now, Ryan had had his back towards them, and when he turned around, Den was shocked. He had meant to invite Ryan, and he cursed himself for his thoughtlessness.   

“Are you really gonna kick me out?” Ryan asked.

The guard could not believe that Ryan was talking to his boss like this, and he lifted his fist. He was about to punch the other man, but before he could, Den kicked him in the ass.

The guard fell flat on his face, but he rolled over quickly. He asked, “Boss, why did you kick me?”

Den stepped forward and kicked the guard in the ribs. “Are you blind?” he shouted. “Don’t you recognize Mr. Jones? How dare you kick him out? He saved my father’s life, you i***t. He is an honored guest in my home!”

The guard began to weep. Never in his life had he been so ashamed of his actions. “I am so sorry,” he cried. “I didn’t know who he was. It was all just one big misunderstanding!”

Den spat on the ground in front of the guard. “You are pathetic,” he hissed. “Stand up.”

The guard nodded and struggled to his feet. Then, just as he looked up, Den slapped him across the face a few times. It was not long before his face was swollen and bleeding. Eventually, Ryan thought that the guard had been punished more than enough. After all – he thought – it was an honest mistake. He put his hand on Den’s shoulder and said, “Maybe that is enough… What do you think?”

Den took a step back. He turned to Ryan and nodded. “Perhaps you are right,” he replied. “I have been known to get carried away.” Then he turned back to the guard and said, “You should thank Mr. Jones for his kindness.”

The guard thanked Ryan and then he returned to his station.

Once he was gone, Den turned to Ryan and said, “This misunderstanding is all my fault, and I am so sorry. I should not have forgotten to send you an invitation. How can I make it up to you?”

“There is no need,” Ryan replied. “I’m actually here with my friend. In truth, I did not even know you were the host.”

“Still…” Den sighed and said, “After all that you have done for my family, I wish that I had sent you an invitation… I will never make such a mistake again. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course, I can!” Ryan replied. He was a little tired of Den being so formal and polite, so he smiled and said, “You don’t have to put me on a pedestal. Just treat me like any other guest, okay? And please, call me Ryan.”

The two men shook hands, and just as they were pulling away from each other, Linnet came over. “Do you guys know each other?” she asked.

“Of course, we do,” Den replied. “Ryan saved my father’s life. If it wasn’t for his help, my father would have died.”

Linnet looked at Ryan and raised his eyebrow. “Wow! You are full of surprises!”

Ryan chuckled and said, “It is all in a day’s work.”

“Anyway.” Den touched Ryan’s shoulder and said, “I am glad that you are here. Follow me, please. My father has prepared several gifts for you.”

“Sure. Let’s go then.”

Mooney was drinking coffee in the living room, and when Den appeared with Ryan at his side, his eyes lit up. He stood up and walked towards Ryan. “Mr. Jones!” he exclaimed. “I did not expect to see here! It’s an honor to have you in our home!”

“Please,” Ryan begged. “I was just doing my job.” “If you say so.” The old man winked in a way that suggested that he knew more than he was saying. “If word gets out, though, about what you can do, you are going to be very famous, very quickly.

Ryan did not like to think about such things, so he nodded and walked away.  

When Ryan entered the next room, he saw Mandy and Kevin right away, and he thought - Out of the frying pan and into the fire…

Of course, they were both giving him dirty looks. They walked over and Kevin said, “I didn’t expect to see you here. What gives you the right to be here?”

Ryan was in a good mood, so he turned around and ignored them. This reaction irritated Kevin, though. He grabbed a glass of wine and followed Ryan. Once they were side-by-side, he said, “I have to admit that you did well today, but you are about to make a fool of yourself.”

“We’ll see.” Ryan shrugged. He was about to say more, but then Den walked in and touched a fork to his glass. It seemed that he was about to deliver a speech.