The patient, of course, was Holbrook's eldest grandson, who was an exceptional actor. He rolled on the ground with exaggerated moans, suddenly rolling his eyes and twitching, as though he were having an epileptic fit.
The apprentices, who had been watching nervously, quickly carried the "patient" into the acupuncture room, urging him to lie down and rest.
Holbrook, playing his role perfectly, said with feigned urgency, "Miss Linch, the most important thing right now is to save the patient! Please, call Mr. Lopez here immediately. This is a matter of life and death!"
Tracy, baffled by the strange symptoms of the patient, couldn't ignore his obvious pain. She reluctantly set aside her anger, realizing that it wasn't the time for personal grudges. Grabbing her phone, she dialed John's number.
"Come to the Feazer Medical Clinic now!" she snapped.
A long pause on the other end of the line.
"Who's this?"
Tracy went silent for a moment. Of course, she knew John was doing this on purpose, trying to wind her up. She gritted her teeth and replied:
"It's Tracy."
"Tracy? Oh, I thought it was my second sister. Looks like you've dialed the wrong number."
"You…" Tracy's frustration bubbled up again. She wanted nothing more than to storm over and smack him. But just then, Holbrook sighed from beside her.
"Alas, this really is a matter of life and death!"
Tracy clenched her teeth in irritation and said through gritted teeth, "John, I'm your second sister. Get over here, now. A patient is seriously ill!"
"What did you call me?" John asked, seemingly puzzled.
Tracy took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. She knew she was just letting her anger get the best of her, but it was hard to ignore.
"My little brother, listen to me. Let's talk about our grudge later. The most important thing is to cure the patient first."
"Okay, wait for me, my sister. I'll be there soon."
John hung up, and not long after, he arrived at the clinic.
Tracy rushed over to him, her worry for the patient overriding her irritation. "Hurry! The patient is convulsing. The situation is very serious!"
But when she looked at John, she couldn't help but notice that he was walking at a leisurely pace, unbothered. Frustrated, she grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the acupuncture room.
Once inside, John pretended to examine the patient with a serious expression. After a moment, he looked up and said:
"The patient's condition is extremely complex. General treatments won't work. He needs me to administer a special needle."
"Then hurry up!" Tracy urged, clearly anxious.
John nodded, but then added, "The acupuncture points for this set of needles are very specific. Sister, you're not fit to be here. Let Mr. Davis come in to help me."
Tracy didn't hesitate. "Oh, I understand."
She left the room, quickly calling Holbrook in.
The moment Holbrook entered the room, he slapped the patient on the forehead and said with a smile, "Alright, stop acting now. You did a good job today."
"Ha ha!" The "patient" sat up from the bed with a grin, all signs of his previous agony vanishing in an instant.
Holbrook introduced with a chuckle, "Mr. Lopez, this is my grandson, Ken Davis."
John nodded, smiling at the young man. Then he turned to Holbrook with a playful, knowing look.
"Old man, I didn't expect you to be so good at coaxing girls. You must've been quite the charmer back in the day, huh?"
Holbrook's face turned bright red as he waved his hands in embarrassment.
"No, no, please, don't tease me, Mr. Lopez," he said, clearly flustered.
"You…" John smirked, clearly enjoying the banter.
Just as the three of them were laughing, the door to the acupuncture room suddenly burst open.
Tracy stood there, eyes wide in shock. She had been thinking over her frustrations outside for a moment before deciding to take a more professional approach. As a doctor, there shouldn't be any difference between men and women, especially when it came to treatments. If the male patient needed special acupuncture in a particular position, she should be able to handle it without hesitation. Furthermore, she had hoped to learn something from John, considering the strange nature of the patient's symptoms.
But when she opened the door, the scene inside wasn't what she expected. Instead of seeing John working his magic on the patient, the three of them were casually chatting and laughing. The patient didn't have any needles in him.
At that moment, Tracy's suspicions were confirmed.
She scowled and stormed in, fury rising.
"Mr. Davis! How could you play this trick on me with that bastard? This is too much!"
The three men in the room exchanged awkward glances.
They had wasted her time for nothing.
Holbrook sighed, his face a mixture of guilt and amusement.
"I guess Miss Linch hates me now," he muttered. "Mr. Lopez, you're on your own with this one. I can't help you now."
John gave a bittersweet smile.
In the Clinic…
Tracy was sitting on the operating table, her anger still simmering.
"Hey, sister, don't be mad at Doctor Davis," John started, his tone apologetic. "I already told him it wasn't a good idea. I didn't want to lie to you, but that old man insisted on putting on this show."
Holbrook, who had just left the acupuncture room, nearly tripped over his own feet when he heard this.
"Damn it," he muttered to himself. "I'm the scapegoat…"
But in truth, Holbrook didn't mind. Even if he wasn't entirely comfortable with the trick, he would never betray John. After all, John was his teacher.
Tracy glared at him, her voice thick with sarcasm.
"You're so capable, John. You fooled me again like I was some kind of fool. The worst part is, I actually believed you. Seems like I really am an idiot."
John, still trying to smooth things over, said softly:
"Sister, don't say that. It's all my fault."
"No. You're right. You've made me realize one thing: I'm just an idiot. I live so well, depending on luck…"
John smiled bitterly.
She was so angry, and yet, there was a certain vulnerability to her words.
Sure enough, no matter how gentle a woman was, she could become unrecognizable when she was angry.
John could only smile awkwardly, knowing that he had messed up.
"Sis, I know you're mad at me because you think I've lied to you about the Australian thing. But I'll tell you the truth now."
Tracy huffed, not wanting to show just how much his words were getting to her.
"Who said I was angry? I'm not angry, and I don't want to hear the truth."
John paused, then said, his voice lowering:
"I killed that Australian."
Tracy fell silent.