9

The lady stood her ground, blocking them. She glared at Damian and then Eleanor, shifting between the both of them. Damian guessed that the girl was Eleanor's sister. But, he couldn't tell if she was the younger or the older one.

They looked a lot alike and if there was any age difference between them, Damian was sure that it wasn't up to four years. It wasn't until Charlotte grabbed Eleanor's hand and began to beg that Damian guessed she was the younger sister.

“Eleanor, you have to do something!” Charlotte insisted. “The doctors are saying that he might not make it till morning. There's still time. We can fly in the best doctor from any country. Please, Eleanor. We can't let Grandfather die.”

“It's true, ma'am. We don't think he's going to make it through the night. His body is fighting treatment and it won't be long before it fails him completely.” One of the doctors agreed, stepping forward to tell her.

Eleanor pulled her lips into a straight line before she placed her hand on her sister's shoulders. “Charlotte, you don't have to worry. Grandfather is going to be fine.” She assured her.

“How?” She asked.

“That's why Mr. Damian is here. He's going to treat Grandfather.”

Again Charlotte accessed Damian with her eyes. From her perspective, he didn't look like much. He was wearing a flannel jacket over a white shirt, and brown cargo pants. “He doesn't look like a doctor. Somehow, he looks like he belongs at a construction site.” Charlotte voiced her thoughts.

Even the doctors present seemed to agree with her thinking. Damian too knew that he looked nothing like a doctor. But, that wasn't enough for them to belittle him. He didn't leave Regina to come here and face Charlotte.

“Maybe I'm not needed here,” Damian said, ready to leave.

Desperate, Eleanor grabbed his arm to stop him. “No, please, you can't leave like this. I apologize on her behalf. She's made a mistake.” Damian paused.

Charlotte cocked her brows at her. “You can't be serious, sis. You’re the CEO of Everest, Eleanor. You shouldn't be caught begging someone like him. It's bad for your reputation.”

“Can you keep quiet?!” Eleanor snapped at her. “If any of you doctors have a better idea, then say it. But, if you can't save my grandfather, then I suggest that everyone here let's Mr. Damian do his job.”

She turned to Eleanor. “Jason Mueller recommended him so there's no doubt that Damian is skillful. Can you just let him check Grandfather?” Eleanor asked. “Why are you acting like this?”

Charlotte frowned. “It’s because I'm worried, Eleanor. How can you trust a stranger with our grandfather's life? Does he even have a medical license? How are we so sure he is who Jason says he is? What if he ends up hurting Grandfather?” She asked.

Eleanor took a step forward. “Then, I'll take full responsibility. If Damian ends up making Grandfather worse, I'll take all the blame. But, he's going to have to try and treat him first. What if it works, Charlotte? What if Damian can help?”

Charlotte finally looked Damian in the eyes. “Can he really?” She asked. “He doesn't even look like he can help himself.”

“Charlotte!” Eleanor scolded her.

“Please, sister. Let me speak!” Charlotte retorted and then she took a step closer to Damian, “What proof do you have that you're even qualified? Show it to me and I'll consider you checking my grandfather.”

Damian looked into her eyes. He had met a lot of people like Charlotte before. No, she wasn't being unnecessarily rude. She was being protective. Unlike Eleanor who trusted the judgement of her friend Jason, Charlotted needed more than just words to be convinced.

And he understood that perfectly. She was scared and frustrated but this was not the time for petty arguments. She didn't seem to realize it though. Her emotions were getting the better part of her thinking.

Her grandfather didn't have all the time in the world for this.

“What exactly do you want from me, Ms. Charlotte?” Damian asked. His voice was so calm in response to Charlotte’s outburst that he surprised almost everyone in the room. They expected him to have been offended by her.

He continued, “Do you want proof? That I am who your sister says I am?” He asked again, “Well then, what do you suggest I do to prove myself to you?”

Charlotte folded her hands across her chest and Damian saw when an idea hit her. “I'll give you something simple: diagnose me. If you can tell me what’s wrong with me, right here, right now, I’ll believe you. In fact, I'll trust you and you can treat my grandfather.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened, “Charlotte, that's—” she began to say but Damian cut her off politely. “It's fine.”

Damian looked at Charlotte for a few moments. He nodded. “Alright, I accept. I'll diagnose you.”

He took a few steps closer until he was less than two feet away from her. He looked into her eyes and checked the movements. He noticed the slight shadows under them as well.

Her skin didn't look healthy. There was something off about it. “Can you stick out  your tongue?”

Charlotte hesitated. She didn't expect him to ask her to do that but she agreed. She opened her mouth and showed him her tongue. 

He nodded and took a step nack. “From what ‘I’ve seen, you've been battling with an upset stomach for the past two days,” he began, “My guess is that you ate something that didn’t sit well with you. Now, your body is rejecting it.”

“Oh, and yes,” he continued, “you've been having diarrhea coupled with the stomach ache. I'm sure you've gone to the toilet at least six or eight times today. To top it off, you must be feeling weak and dehydrated because of it.”

When Damian finished his diagnosis, the room was shocked into silence. Even the doctors who had tested Charlotte and told her what was wrong were shocked. They couldn't have guessed that just by looking at her. So how?

Charlotte's mouth was open in shock and she froze. “Impossible. How…” she stammered, “how did you know that?”