Chapter 10: A Doctor Must Not Fear Death
1063 Words
As night fell, Frederick Hartwell was once again awakened by the familiar touch of therapeutic massage in his dream.
For five consecutive nights, a mysterious person had visited at this hour to provide him with massage therapy.
Miraculously, after five days of treatment, Frederick felt his health rapidly improving.
"Who... who is this person?"
He strained his eyes in the dim light, attempting to glimpse his savior's face, yet could only see a vague outline of a young man from Dravonia.
With a determined effort, Frederick managed to snatch a button from the young man's shirt.
"Young man, whoever you are, once I'm well, I will surely repay you!"
Clutching the button tightly, he made a vow.
"Aurora doesn't deserve you with her current appearance, but if you wish, I'll give you Evelyn in marriage!"
After ensuring Frederick was sound asleep, Darius Blackwood quietly left the old man's hospital room.
Barely catching his breath, a call from Isabella Fairfax suddenly came through.
"Meet me at the coffee shop below Echo Ridge General Hospital within half an hour. Don't be late."
Without waiting for a response, she hung up, leaving Darius with no choice but to hurry to the specified location.
Arriving shortly after, Darius found Isabella in a black dress and sat beside her without hesitation. "May I know why you wanted to see me, Miss Fairfax?"
Isabella glanced at him, her voice as cool as ever.
"You mentioned wanting to return Ethan Fairfax to his ancestral grave. I'm willing to agree to it."
Her tone was devoid of emotion, as if discussing a stranger.
"Really?" Darius looked at her incredulously.
"Yes," she confirmed, "But there are three conditions you must agree to."
Anticipating the complexity, Darius immediately agreed. "No problem!"
"You're not afraid I'll trick you?" Isabella was surprised by his readiness.
"I owe Ethan Fairfax my life," Darius replied with a smile, his sincerity evident.
"Even if it costs me my life, I, Darius Blackwood, will not hesitate."
His resolute statement cut through Isabella's icy facade, leaving her momentarily dazed.
Since that fateful night, her world had been dominated by self-interest and calculation.
Yet here was Darius, willing to risk his life for a nebulous promise.
Wasn't that foolish?
With a soft laugh and mixed feelings, Isabella said, "Follow me."
…
They proceeded to the top floor of Echo Ridge General Hospital, stopping outside a room where a young woman in a nurse's uniform was crying bitterly, her sorrow filling the corridor.
"The person inside is Dylan Sanders, the Mayor of Silverpine City," Isabella explained.
"He's contracted a rare, highly infectious, and difficult-to-treat disease."
"Your first task is to cure him," she stated.
"Okay," Darius agreed without hesitation, heading towards the room.
"Aren't you afraid of dying?" Isabella asked in shock.
"That's a deadly infectious disease!"
Without looking back, Darius replied calmly, "A healer must not fear death."
His words struck Isabella like thunder.
In her search for a cure, every so-called expert had shied away from the challenge.
Her view of Darius now complicated with respect and something more.
At that moment, Brielle Sanders, noticing Darius Blackwood preparing to enter the hospital room, quickly approached to inquire.
"Isabella Fairfax, is this the doctor you've brought to treat my father?"
Her voice was frail, and her gaze towards Darius was filled with suspicion.
"To be precise, he's not exactly a doctor," Isabella explained. "But he can cure your father's illness."
"What?"
Brielle's initial shock quickly turned into disbelief, followed by anger.
"Isabella Fairfax, have you lost your mind? Do you realize who my father is, and you've brought some quack to treat him?"
She demanded Darius be sent away.
Isabella remained calm, her icy glance alone silencing Brielle's protest.
"Even Chris, the renowned expert, refused to intervene for a fee of one million.”
"You know as well as I do how serious your father's condition is. No one in Silverpine City dares to take on such a risky acute infectious disease.”
"Do you want to just watch your father suffer and die?"
Isabella's words shattered Brielle's last hopes, leaving her devastated and collapsing to the floor in tears.
"Why, why is this happening?"
The girl's helpless roar and her frail figure were heart-wrenching to witness.
"Isn't it said that physicians are supposed to have a heart of compassion? Then why is there not a single person in Silverpine City willing to save my father?" she lamented, her voice filled with despair and disbelief.
"How can they all just stand by and watch someone die?"
"If you have no objections, I'll proceed to save him," Darius said, glancing at the distraught girl before confidently entering the hospital room.
His robust constitution almost guaranteed immunity to poisons and diseases, making him fearless in the face of the infection.
"Physicians are supposed to have a heart of compassion?"
Isabella mused sarcastically, comparing Darius's actions to those of the so-called medical professionals, who now seemed more like a joke.
Witnessing Darius's silhouette entering the room, Isabella experienced for the first time the true weight of the term "physician".
It represented not just a profession but, sometimes, the very essence of hope.
Two hours later, Darius emerged from the room, his face pale and covered in sweat, yet he managed a smile for the anxious pair waiting outside.
"Mission accomplished. The Mayor's health has been restored."
"Really?!"
Brielle stood up in disbelief, overwhelmed with joy upon seeing her father slowly opening his eyes through the glass.
The experts and professors, previously cautious, now rushed into the room, stunned by the recovery.
"This is impossible!"
Professor Smith, leading the medical team, trembled as he reviewed the normal readings on the medical monitors.
"Such an infection couldn't possibly be cured in just two hours!"
While similar cases had been documented internationally, recovery always required much more time.
The young man's swift cure of the Mayor defied expectations.
"There must be some secret remedy!"
Professor Smith's look towards Darius suddenly changed, seeing him not just as a healer but as a holder of invaluable medical knowledge.
The decision was made in an instant.
Professor Smith, along with the other experts, detained Darius Blackwood with an air of authority.
"You cannot leave!" they commanded.
"You must prove that you haven't been infected before you can go. So, explain in detail every step you took to cure the Mayor!"
- Writer
