An Understated Dominance - Chapter 5

Ruth’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know that?” she asked, shocked that Dustin could tell so much about her health just by looking at her tongue. He accurately mentioned everything from her migraines to diarrhea. Was he really that skilled, or was it just a lucky guess?

“You can learn a lot about someone just by looking at them,” Dustin replied casually.

“Do you believe him now, Ruth?” Natasha smiled, relieved that Dustin seemed to know what he was doing.

“He’s just lucky!” Ruth insisted, not wanting to admit she might be wrong.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Rhys. She’s just too stubborn,” Natasha said to Dustin with an apologetic smile.

“That’s okay. Shall we begin?” Dustin responded, not bothered by Ruth’s attitude.

He moved over to Andrew and quickly began his examination. It didn’t take long for him to figure out that the old man had been poisoned. The poison was strong, but luckily it was caught early, so he could still be saved. A day or two longer, and Andrew would have been in serious trouble.

“Ms. Harmon, can you get me some silver acupuncture needles?” Dustin asked.

“Sure!” Natasha replied, signaling to one of her bodyguards. He left and returned in five minutes with the needles.

“Thank you,” Dustin said, nodding at Natasha. He then carefully removed Andrew’s shirt, tapping gently on the old man’s stomach to find the right spots. He deftly inserted the needles into specific pressure points. His movements were light but confident, and his skill meant Andrew wouldn’t feel any pain. Natasha watched in surprise.

“He’s really good!” she thought to herself. She didn’t know much about acupuncture, but she could see that Dustin was definitely skilled at what he did.

Dustin was skilled in acupuncture, and Ruth was intrigued by him. She could tell he was not like the other experts she knew. Once he placed all 16 needles in her grandfather, he felt a sense of relief. It had been a while since he last did acupuncture, but he still remembered how to do it well.

“Is that all? Nothing’s changed!” Ruth said, looking puzzled.

“Your grandfather has been poisoned. It will take about two hours for the needles to drain the toxin from his body. Don’t remove them before then, or he could have serious problems!” Dustin explained.

Ruth frowned. “Why should I trust you?”

“Ruth!” Natasha shot her sister a look of disapproval.

“I need to use the bathroom. Please keep an eye on him while I’m gone,” Dustin said to the others before stepping out of the room.

Just a short while later, a group of doctors entered the room. They were some of the best in the hospital, led by a balding man.

“Hey! Who are you?” Ruth crossed her arms defensively.

“I’m Jansen, the executive director of the hospital and the dean of the medical school. I’m here to treat Old Mr. Harmon,” the balding man introduced himself.

“Oh, you’re that famous Dr. Jansen! The best doctor in Swinton!” Ruth exclaimed, her face lighting up.

“More like one of the best,” Dr. Jansen replied with a smile, clearly proud of his reputation. “But yes, that’s me.”

“Please help my grandfather,” Ruth said, quickly stepping aside to let him pass. She clearly trusted Dr. Jansen more than the younger Dustin.

“I will.” Dr. Jansen nodded and moved closer to the bed, but then he frowned when he saw the needles. “What’s going on with these? What nonsense is this?” he asked as he reached to remove them.

“Wait!” Natasha shouted, stopping him.

“What’s wrong?” Dr. Jansen asked, looking annoyed.

“Dr. Jansen, I’ve hired another healer. He said my grandfather has been poisoned. We can’t remove these needles because there might be serious side effects,” Natasha replied.

“That’s nonsense!” Dr. Jansen scoffed. “If these needles can cure problems, then what’s the point of doctors?”

“Exactly!” Ruth chimed in. “Natasha, that healer, Dustin, looks like he’s barely 20. How can he be a skilled healer? Please don’t tell me you believe him.”

“Then how do you explain that he knew you were having diarrhea just by looking at you?” Natasha challenged.

“He… he just guessed!” Ruth stammered.

“Ms. Harmon, all the best doctors in Swinton are here. I don’t know who you hired, but I think he’s trying to trick you. Do you really believe our trained doctors aren’t as good as some random guy?” Dr. Jansen pressed. “I know you’re worried about Old Mr. Harmon, but don’t fall for these superstitions. It could make things worse!”

“That’s right! Dr. Jansen has helped many people. Don’t worry, Old Mr. Harmon will be safe with him!” the other doctors agreed.

Their confidence made Natasha hesitate, but she insisted, “We should wait for Mr. Rhys to come back.”

“Why should we wait? He might already be gone!” Ruth argued.

“Ms. Harmon, I’m a busy man. I can’t spend more time here. If I take out these needles and something happens to Old Mr. Harmon, it’ll be my fault,” Dr. Jansen said firmly. Then, he pulled out all the needles.

As soon as the needles were removed, something alarming occurred.

Andrew’s body started to convulse. His face turned dark, and blood began to flow from his nose and mouth. The machines beside the bed started beeping loudly.

“What’s happening?” Dr. Jansen asked, surprised by the sudden change.

“What’s going on, Dr. Jansen?” Natasha frowned, concerned.

“That’s strange. He was fine earlier…” Dr. Jansen felt a knot in his stomach.

“Sir, the patient is coding!” a nurse shouted.

“Quick, get the machines!” Dr. Jansen ordered.

Without wasting any time, he started emergency resuscitation. Despite his efforts, Andrew showed no signs of improvement. His vital signs were getting worse, and Dr. Jansen was starting to panic.

“Ms. Harmon, I think… I think Old Mr. Harmon is… dying…” he said, his voice shaking.

“What?” Both Natasha and Ruth gasped in shock.