"It was pure dumb luck!"
The guy still refused to believe Claire had any real skill.
"What does a mere student know anyway?"
"Aren't you a student too? What do you know?"
"You haven't even looked at the patient, yet you're standing here running your mouth?"
Claire stood up and faced the guy head-on.
He was so thoroughly shut down by her logic that he was left speechless, his face flushing deep red.
Not out of shame, but because he suddenly realized Claire was remarkably gorgeous.
"I-I'm just looking out for you. If something goes wrong, you can't afford the consequences."
Claire's eyes were completely void of warmth. "Oh, so you're saying that for a situation requiring accountability, we should just toss your professor under the bus instead?"
"Did you drag your professor here to be your scapegoat? What's your angle?" Every word Claire spoke hit like a poisoned arrow.
The guy clearly hadn't thought about it that way.
"That's not what I meant!" He immediately whipped his head toward his mentor, terrified that Professor Yates would be angry.
"That's enough," Professor Yates interjected, cutting his student off. "Leo Cross,
stop talking. From what I can see, this young lady is applying traditional acupressure techniques to manage the patient's pain."
"What traditional techniques? She's literally using a piece of silverware! Don't let her fool you, Professor."
"My dad always said a pretty face is the most deceptive."
Leo was completely indignant.
Claire deadpanned. “...Thanks for calling me pretty.”
Leo: *That wasn't my point! Do you not know how to focus?*
"Leo, you're letting your prejudice blind you. Just because you've never seen a makeshift tool relieve pain doesn't mean it's impossible."
Rather than side with his student, Professor Yates looked at Claire with open admiration.
"Young lady, what major are you studying at our university?"
"Clinical Medicine,” Claire answered honestly.
She didn't mind this professor. He had rushed over the moment he heard someone was sick, and he didn't put on airs.
Plus, he didn't blindly shield his own student.
"You're studying Western medicine?"
Professor Yates was genuinely surprised. He had assumed she was a traditional medicine major, where students were actually trained to use everyday objects as makeshift needles.
A veteran professor might be able to pull that off.
But for a young girl to do it was truly astonishing.
"Yes. But I also apprenticed under a master in traditional medicine."
Claire didn't bother hiding it.
Professor Yates nodded. Combining both disciplines was a fantastic approach.
"You must have studied traditional medicine for quite a few years, right?”
Otherwise, how could she stop severe pain with just a piece of plastic?
"Mhm." Claire didn't feel like elaborating, mostly because the ambulance had finally arrived.
Professor Yates stepped forward to speak with the paramedics, sharing his professional assessment.
Exactly like Claire, Professor Yates concluded that Mrs. Ingram was suffering from renal colic caused by kidney stones.
"Felix, get that sweet girl's contact info so we can properly thank her later,"
Mrs. Ingram reminded her son as she was loaded into the ambulance.
Felix had already thought of that. As he moved to ask for Claire's number, she simply waved him off. "Just focus on getting to the hospital. It was no big deal."
Since she refused and the ambulance was in a hurry, Felix decided he would track her down on campus later.
Professor Yates didn't follow them to the hospital, but he did recommend a specific doctor for Felix to request.
"Professor, should I tag along with them?" Leo asked.
He was currently interning at the Cabinda Hospital anyway.
"If you want to, go ahead." Professor Yates didn't object.
He knew Leo was still stubbornly refusing to accept the young girl's skills.
Letting Leo see the results for himself would be a good learning experience.
Otherwise, the boy's arrogant streak would only get worse.
Leo was indeed thinking exactly that. He wanted to see if that student really knew her stuff or if she was just lucky.
After watching the ambulance pull away, Professor Yates turned back to Claire "Which mentor are you
studying under? You look quite young. Are you preparing for grad school?"