Pandora loved this about her granddaughter. Claire was just so honest, so straightforward.
Claire wanted to make it on her own, and Pandora respected that. After a few words, they ended the call. Pandora simply told her to come home when she could.
Claire looked over at Barry.
"I've talked to my family. It's all good," she said.
She hadn't bothered to step away or lower her voice during the call. Barry and Lawler had heard enough to know that Claire's grandmother supported her unconditionally.
Barry took it in stride, but Lawler found himself wondering if his own family would be that understanding. He already knew the answer. Not a chance.
"Since you're clear on your end, we need to come up with a solid plan before we talk to the patient's family," Barry said.
He turned to Claire, curiosity in his eyes. "I'd like to get a better sense of your medical background. How much do you know about bone cancer?"
Claire could tell this was a test. If she couldn't prove herself, this shot at working alongside such an expert would vanish.
"In Western medicine, bone cancer is a malignant tumor that develops in the bone or surrounding tissues..." she began.
“In traditional medicine, though, the earliest understanding of bone cancer goes all the way back to classic texts. Traditional theory says the illness comes from weak kidney energy, imbalances in yin and yang, and organs not working together. All of that lets things like cold and dampness invade the body, blocking energy and blood, which then settles in the bones and forms a tumor..."
Claire explained it all smoothly, and Barry's surprise grew with every word. She wasn't just talented in traditional medicine. She got Western medicine, too. She really knew both worlds.
Barry watched her, his eyes bright with excitement. A thought flashed through his mind. If this girl were his student, he'd be so proud.
"So what did you actually study? Traditional medicine or Western?" Lawler asked, realizing Claire knew way more than he'd expected.
Claire touched her nose, a little sheepish. "Both. I've studied both."
Lawler stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously? How is that even possible?"
"There's only so much one person can do, and you're still in high school," he protested. The idea that someone so young could master what he'd spent nearly thirty years studying felt like a slap in the face.
"Lawler, what are you talking about?" Barry shot back. He saw Claire as a prodigy Geniuses like her were rare but they existed. What took most people eight years, a genius might manage in three, two, or even less. Never overestimate yourself, and
never underestimate others.
"Claire might be young, but she started learning early. Nothing's impossible," Barry said.
Lawler blurted out, "I started with
traditional medicine when I was a
kid, to
He trailed off realizing
о
both Barry and Claire were now looking at him. He shouldn't have said that. He actually hated traditional medicine.
He tried to recover. "But later I got interested in Western medicine, so I went to Apex Traditional Medicine University. Eight years straight through undergrad and grad school, then a doctorate. There just wasn't* any time left to study traditional medicine anymore." He was judging Claire by his own path. He couldn't believe anyone would have enough time to learn both.
Barry turned to him. “You started with traditional medicine as a kid, so why the switch to Western? Are you really not interested in traditional medicine at all?"
He'd always thought Lawler's dislike of traditional medicine was too intense. Now that Lawler had admitted his background, Barry was even more puzzled. Even if he didn't like it, did he have to be so against it?