Chapter 3 Who Asked for Your Opinion?
Walter’s attending physician, Dr. Scott Hayes, arrived within moments.
He examined Walter, his expression growing increasingly troubled, then beckoned the family into the hall.
“This episode has aggravated an old lung injury. Surgery could help, but it would be a lengthy procedure and put his body under tremendous strain. In his present condition, there’s a ninety percent chance he wouldn’t survive it.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Richard demanded.
Dr. Hayes gave a strained smile.
“I’m afraid there’s very little else I can offer. Medication may make him more comfortable, but it won’t resolve the underlying problem.”
Standing nearby, Ryan frowned.
He’d already recognized the lung injury. It was treatable. Why was this man acting as though nothing could be done?
Apparently, the doctor wasn’t as capable as Ryan had hoped.
Richard’s face fell. He was about to respond when Dr. Hayes’s phone rang.
The doctor answered. A few seconds later, his expression brightened.
“Dr. Whitmore? You’re here at the hospital?”
He finished the call and turned back to the family.
“Mr. Bennett, there may be another option. A physician I studied under happens to be here. Let me ask him to examine your father. He’ll know what to do.”
“Who is he?” Richard asked, seizing on the possibility.
“Dr. Arthur Whitmore. One of the four most renowned physicians in the country.” Hayes hurried to qualify his claim. “I wasn’t his personal protégé, of course. I attended a series of his lectures. But I was fortunate enough to learn from him.”
Richard’s eyes lit up.
“Please ask him to come, Dr. Hayes. I’ll make sure your help is properly rewarded.”
“Wait here.”
Hayes hurried away. Before long, he returned with a distinguished older physician whose hair had gone mostly gray.
Dr. Arthur Whitmore went straight to Walter’s bedside and began his examination. After a while, he looked up.
“Bring me a set of silver acupuncture needles.”
While they waited, he offered Walter a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, my friend. We can get this under control. Acupuncture should help you breathe more easily.”
Ryan relaxed a little.
That was more like it. A full recovery would take time, but easing the immediate symptoms should require only a few needles.
Perhaps Whitmore deserved his reputation after all.
The needles arrived promptly. Whitmore prepared them, selected the first, and inserted it.
Ryan blinked.
Chest Center? Why not Spirit Seal?
Chest Center could regulate the flow of energy and ease wheezing, but Walter’s case called for a different approach. Using that point now would keep the trapped energy from escaping.
Whitmore was sealing it in.
The second needle went into Breath Gate.
Now Ryan understood what the doctor was attempting.
“That won’t work,” he murmured.
In the silence of the room, everyone heard him.
They turned, some startled, others plainly annoyed.
Since he’d already spoken, Ryan went on.
“You’re treating the symptoms without addressing the cause. It won’t solve the problem. You’ll only make him feel worse.”
Hayes frowned. “Are you a doctor?”
“I studied under my mentor for a few years.”
“Do you have a medical license?”
Ryan shook his head. “No.”
Hayes’s mouth twisted.
“You’re not even licensed, and you have the nerve to stand there criticizing him? Do you know who this is? Dr. Arthur Whitmore is one of the most respected physicians in the country. You think he needs you telling him how to do his job?”
Ryan frowned and opened his mouth to explain, but Richard cut him off with a furious look before rounding on Chloe.
“Keep your boyfriend in line. If he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he needs to keep his mouth shut. Does he think this is a game?”
Chloe flushed. She tugged sharply on Ryan’s arm and glared at him.
“Shut up!”
Ryan swallowed his reply. With a small shrug, he fell silent.
Fine. She was paying him. She could call the shots.
Walter’s earlier kindness was the only reason he’d spoken up in the first place. He’d wanted to spare the old man some unnecessary suffering.
If they didn’t want his advice, he wouldn’t force it on them.
Whitmore turned back to the bed and continued inserting the needles.
Within a minute, Walter’s harsh gasps began to subside. The tension eased from his body.
Whitmore nodded, satisfied, then glanced at Ryan with a faint smile.
“Well, young man? It seems to be working.”
Ryan shook his head. “It isn’t.”
Whitmore frowned, but Hayes spoke before he could respond.
“You just can’t admit you’re wrong, can you? He’s clearly doing better. Everyone in this room can see it. Are you blind?”
Whitmore regarded Ryan sternly.
“Doctors may differ in skill, but we must all be honest about what we observe. You cannot dismiss the evidence simply because it contradicts your opinion. That kind of stubbornness can cost a patient dearly.”
Ryan didn’t argue. He merely smiled.
“Then remove the needles and see what happens.”
“Dr. Whitmore, why indulge him?” Hayes snapped. “He isn’t even qualified to practice. He’s just too arrogant to admit he’s wrong.”
Worried that Ryan would offend the older physician, Richard stepped in.
“With Dr. Whitmore here, who asked for your opinion? Get out. We don’t need you.”
Ryan stayed where he was, watching Whitmore.
The physician studied him in return. There was no bluster in the young man’s expression, no sign that Richard’s outburst had rattled him. He simply stood there, calm and faintly smiling.
After a moment, Whitmore turned back to Walter and removed the needles one by one.
Walter lay quietly against his pillows. His face was relaxed, his breathing steady.
Nothing seemed amiss.
Having caught his breath, he waved a hand at Richard.
“What are you throwing him out for? Even if he’s wrong, he means well. He—”
He drew a sharp breath.
Then a violent coughing fit seized him.
It was worse than before. His face turned purple, and each desperate gasp seemed as though it might be his last.
Everyone went pale.
They turned to Whitmore, who was staring at Walter in bewilderment.
“Why?” he muttered. “The needles should have—”
“You used the Seven-Point Method,” Ryan said. “It’s an excellent technique. Unfortunately, the version you learned is incomplete. It leaves out two needles, which makes it far less effective…”