Lawler used to turn his nose up at it, but he had heard from many people that it worked wonders for restoring energy and vitality.
Now, he didn't dare look at traditional medicine with any prejudice.
After finishing dinner, Claire headed out.
Lawler offered to walk her back, but Claire turned him down.
She strolled over to Lance's hospital room.
She wasn't there to check on Lance, but to find Mary.
The older woman wasn't exactly taking it easy. Once Dr. Duncan and the others learned she was staying at the hospital for a few days, they frequently dropped by to ask for her advice.
Mary welcomed them all, eagerly answering any questions they had.
However, to avoid disturbing her grandson's rest, she held these discussions out in the hallway.
When Claire arrived, she happened to catch Mary and Dr. Duncan discussing a recent case.
It was a construction worker, Gabe Miller, whose lungs had been pierced by rebar. He hadn't been brought to this hospital originally. The previous facility had been too afraid to treat him, which was why he got transferred here.
"The wound wasn't treated in time, and it got infected. On top of that, the initial bleeding wasn't controlled well. The patient has a unique condition that makes blood clotting incredibly difficult, so he's been stuck in the hospital ever since."
"His situation is far too complex, and we've been trying to figure out a solution..."
Dr. Duncan hadn't wanted to bother Mary with this patient initially.
But Vice President Sterling had told him that he needed to speak up when the time was right.
Having Mary at the hospital was a rare opportunity.
So, here he was.
Mary nodded thoughtfully as she spotted Claire approaching and waved her over. "Claire, come here."
Claire hurried over, and Mary asked Dr. Duncan to repeat the case details.
"In the situation you just described, stopping the bleeding is the key."
Once the bleeding was under control, they could clear up the infection, and the rest would be manageable.
"Do you have any thoughts on this, Claire?" Dr. Duncan asked. Unlike some stubborn experts, he was open-minded.
He was always eager to learn.
"If he's already developed antibodies to conventional medicine, we might as well try traditional remedies."
Fortunately, Claire had studied diligently under Hale, who had trained her as his absolute final protégé.
Dr. Duncan's so-called impossible dilemma was actually no problem for her.
"If you
to use the prescription
be
I'm thinking of, I'll need to brew the
e myself. It would be best i
we could source fresh herbs.
"Tell me what you need, and I'll have someone track them down immediately," Dr. Duncan said, clearly thrilled.
The patient's family was in a tragic situation.
His entire family relied on his income to survive.
He had a wife raising three kids and a paralyzed mother at home.
If he died, there was no telling how his family would manage.
The construction site would certainly pay compensation, and there was insurance,
but how long would that money really last?
The site manager had only advanced five thousand dollars for medical expenses so far.
They were complaining about being broke, claiming they hadn't received their
project funding and couldn't give the hospital another dime.
In short, Dr. Duncan felt deep sympathy for the injured man.
If Claire's traditional medicine method worked—and was cheaper to boot—that
would be the perfect solution.
"I'll write you a list."
"You can start gathering the
ingredients now. I'm going to head
back and get some sleep and fl
come to the hospital tonight to brew it."
"Of course, if you can't get everything ready by tonight, tomorrow is fine too."
Dr. Duncan couldn't guarantee he'd have all the herbs secured by that evening, so he decided to push it to tomorrow.
Claire figured she already had plans for tomorrow morning, so she suggested the afternoon.
Although Dr. Duncan hoped to treat Gabe as soon as possible, he didn't dare push his luck.
With that, the two easily reached an agreement.
After finalizing the plan, Dr. Duncan
shot a quick glance at Mary, terrified
that agreeing to Claire's method might have offended the esteemed surgeon