FROM RAGS TO RICHES

Chapter 2

At the nearest hospital in New York, the old man was rushed to the ER. A young man in scrubs stopped Damian as he tried to follow.

“You’re not allowed in. You’ll have to wait outside,” Roy snapped, eyeing Damian’s shabby appearance.

“I gave him first aid on the bus. Let me help the doctors.”

“Mr. Kennedy is already under the care of a professional. He doesn’t need a homeless guy like you playing hero,” Roy sneered.

“I know exactly what illness he’s suffering from. Let me help, or he’ll die.”

“You think doctors just stand around watching patients die?” Roy's bulged in anger. “Besides, I’m not some kid you can fool. You’re just trying to suck up to Mr. Kennedy for money, aren’t you? That’s such an old trick.”

Damian clenched his jaw, annoyed. This wasn’t the time to argue because someone’s life was at stake.

“Stop accusing me in a situation like this,” Damian said firmly but calmly. “I don’t even know who he is. I just want to help.”

“Bullshit! There’s no way anyone in the U.S. doesn't know Mr. Kennedy Harrison! He’s the third richest man in the country!”

Damian was stunned. So, that old man was one of the wealthiest people in U.S. Since going blind, he hadn’t watched TV or listened to the radio.

Suddenly, a nurse came running over to Roy in a panic. “Dr. Matthew, your father, can't come. He’s in the middle of surgery at another hospital. No other doctors are available, and the patient’s condition is worsening.”

Instead of panicking, Roy smirked. This is a chance to make the Harrison family indebted to him. “I’ll handle it,” he said confidently.

“Are you sure?”

“Are you underestimating my abilities, huh?! I’m Dr. Matthew’s son and the top of my medical class!" The young man snapped.

Damian raised an eyebrow, skeptical. This guy looked more like a class clown than a star student.

They rushed inside, Damian following close behind.

Roy stood beside Kennedy, who was unconscious with medical devices hooked up to him.

Damn it. What do I do?

Roy panicked. He couldn’t remember a single thing from med school. He’d spent more time partying than studying.

Six nurses stood around Kennedy, waiting for instructions.

“What do we do, Roy? Why are you just standing there?” a nurse asked nervously.

“Call me Doctor!" Roy huffed. He needed to look professional and save Kennedy. Especially, since Kennedy had a smart, beautiful daughter who ran the company.

A high-pitched beeping from the monitor cut through the tension. The moving line slowly went flat.

“Move aside!” Damian shoved Roy aside and took over. “We’re performing gastric lavage. Prepare a size 38 orogastric tube, 0.9% NaCl, and suction, now.”

The nurses froze in shock. They hadn’t even noticed Damian enter the room.

“Do you all want this man to die because you won’t listen to me?!” Damian barked, his voice booming with authority.

Snapped into action, the nurses scrambled to follow his commands. The nurse moved swiftly, putting on gloves and opening the sterile equipment.

Damian checked the patient’s airway, then gently but firmly inserted the large tube into the Kennedy's mouth until it reached his stomach.

“Slowly infuse 250 milliliters of solution,” Damian instructed.

The saline began flowing through the tube. Damian watched the patient’s expression closely, making sure there was no sign of aspiration.

“Get a collection container,” Damian said again. Seconds later, the fluid mixed with foreign substances flowed back through the tube, collected into a clear container.

However, there was no response of Kennedy's body.

Panic thickened the air, but Damian refused to give up. Determination blazed in his eyes.

After several cycles of flushing, Damian paused. “Let’s proceed with activated charcoal. Bring me the suspension.”

The nurse handed him a small cup filled with thick black liquid. Although the patient was unconscious, the charcoal suspension was slowly administered through the same tube, in hopes of absorbing any remaining toxins in the stomach.

A few minutes later, Damian exhaled a relieved breath. “Let’s remove the tube. Continue observation. If there’s no improvement, we’ll consider hemodialysis.”

Outside the ER, the tense atmosphere slowly began to ease. One critical step in saving the patient had been taken.

After Kennedy’s stomach was cleared, Damian signed his breathe relief. The monitor showed a heartbeat.

The nurses all sighed in relief. “Finally…”

Damian gave instructions for the nurses to continue monitoring Kennedy.

“Are you a doctor?” one of the nurse, stunningly beautiful, asked, her eyes shining with admiration.

“No, but I’ve studied medicine before,” Damian lied. He couldn’t exactly tell them he was a healing deity who knew every cure.

Meanwhile, Roy was fuming. That should’ve been his moment of glory.

A few moments later, Dr. Matthew arrived. “How is Mr. Kennedy? Is he going to be alright?” He was sweating and out of breath.

“He’s stable now,” a nurse replied.

Matthew exhaled in relief. “Who saved him?”

“Me, Dad,” Roy replied, stepping forward confidently.

Everyone in the room was stunned. The pretty nurse wanted to speak up, but Roy shot her a death glare, silencing her.

No one dared oppose Roy because his father was the hospital’s director.

“And who’s that?” Matthew asked, pointing at Damian.

“He’s no one,” Roy said coldly, casting a look at Damian. “Just some guy who got in the way.”

Damian didn’t respond, even though Roy’s lies irritated him.

“I was the one brought Mr. Kennedy here, Doc,” Damian replied flatly. “Anyway, I’ll take my leave.”

Matthew gave Damian a strange look.

After leaving the hospital, Damian walked aimlessly along the sidewalk. He had no idea where to go. He didn’t even know who he truly was. His memory was a blank. The only thing he remembered was waking up in a hospital and meeting Lucius.

Everything before that was gone.

***

Meanwhile, Kennedy smiled weakly at Roy. His face was pale, but his eyes glimmered. “Thank you for saving me, son. I don’t know how to repay you. Without you, I’d be dead.”

Roy flashed a gentle, fake smile. “No need to thank me, Mr. Kennedy. It’s my duty as a doctor to save lives.”

Mikaela, the pretty nurse, inwardly cringed. Roy’s obsession with the Kennedy family was disgusting. Wasn’t it enough that his father ran the hospital owned by the Harrisons?

“Can I speak with you in private, Roy?” asked Elisya, Kennedy’s daughter. Her elegance and beauty could easily charm any man.

Including Roy.

But she wasn’t married, despite being 27. She’d been too focused on running the company, the sole heiress to her father’s empire.

If Roy could marry her, he’d never need to work another day as a doctor. He’d be crowned CEO of Harris Corp.

They stepped outside.

“What would you like as a thank-you gift, Roy?” Elisya’s soft voice sent a shiver down his spine.

“There’s no need, Ms. Elisya. I was happy to help your father.” Roy gave his best smile. He had to seem kind and sincere.

“Don’t say that. I’d feel terrible if I gave you nothing.”

Roy paused. He couldn’t waste this opportunit, but what should he ask for? He didn’t want money. He wanted all of Kennedy’s wealth.

“How about dinner at your family’s restaurant? Just the two of us.”

Elisya blinked. Roy's request was unexpected. Most people would’ve asked for cash, gold, or expensive gifts.

Strangely, that request was harder for Elisya to fulfill than giving away a sum of money. She didn’t want rumors of her dating someone. All her life, she’d kept her distance from men because they only saw her wealth.

“Alright. Seven o’clock. At my family’s restaurant.”

Roy smiled smugly. He was already plotting how to make her fall for him.

“Well then, I should go. Please take care of my father.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, Ms. Elisya.”

Elisya walked off, flanked by four bodyguards. But she stopped when a nurse stepped in her path.

“Can I speak with you for a moment, Ms. Elisya? It’s important.” Mikaela looked nervous, glancing around anxiously.

Elisya frowned. “What is it?”