08. Saving A Life!

"Help, my husband is having a heart attack!" A woman that looked clearly expensive cried out for help.

Her husband looked like he would be in his late forties or early fifties. Next to the woman was a young girl in a suit, probably their daughter, and judging from the outfits they had on, and the expensive jewelries and accessories, it was easy to conclude that they were a rich family.

Van rushed over to the man and his family, kneeling next to the woman. "Let me check him." He offered and wasted no time in examining the man's body. He was unconscious, but he had a pained expresssion on his face, almost like he had been hurt before passing out.

Van checked his neck and wrist, but felt no pause.

"Give me your coat now!" He ordered in a tone of urgency.

"But it's expensive." The young girl complained.

Ignoring her daughter's attitude, the wonan immediately rushed to the car and came back with a luxurious fur coat. "Here you go."

He folded it and placed it under the man's head. "He's not having a heart attack, he suffered from cardiac arrest." Van explained as he positioned himself on top the man.

"C-Cardiac arrest?! That's bad, we need a doctor immediately!" The woman said in a state of worry.

"Let me handle this." Van ordered quietly but firmly. He placed both hands on the man's chest and pushed down right in the center of his chest. He repeated the action non stop for about thirty seconds, then he turned him to his back and gently hit him with his fist.

After a few hits, he turned the man over and repeated the same action.

He stopped when the man's heart started to beat again.

"He's going to wake up soon, stay with him. I'm going to get something." He said as he got up to his feet. He ran down to the local flower shop and purchased a hand full of miracle leaves and two sticks of aloe vera.

Going back to the man, Van broke open the aloe vera and rubbed the juice on one of the leaves, then he covered it with another like a leaf sandwich.

Not surprisingly to Van but by the time he got to them, the man was already seated. "Here, eat this." He handed it to him and the man eyed him suspiciously.

"He's the boy who saved your life." His wife explained and the man's face lightened up.

"Ah yes, my savior." He accepted the leaf with a smile, but that soon vanished as he took a bite from it. "I know it doesn't taste good. Next time, soak the aloe vera in hot water and drink it as a tea. It'll help regulate your heart and blood flow. Then eat a single leaf every morning before eating anything else."

"Hmm, thank you."

"Please get him some water." He said and the woman went into a convenience store nearby. She returned minutes later with a bottle of cold and warm water.

"I didn't know which was better." She explained.

"I understand, the warm is preferable. From now on, let him stay away from cold water and beverages for the time being."

"Thank you." The man said again after he was better. "I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here. I could have died. I really appreciate it."

The man didn't care about the fact that Van was looking poor and unkept, with his long hair and old looking clothes. The truth was that he would have died if he hadn't been around, so either poor or not, he was grateful to have him around.

“How are you feeling now?” Van asked, but he knew that if he had administered the treatment right –which he did– he should be alright.

"I feel very okay, thanks to you." He got to his feet with his wife's help.

"You might feel okay now but you still have to take it easy for the next couple of days. Get as much rest as possible."

"Of course." His wife was the one who answered. "I will personally make sure that he takes time off work to relax at home. Thank you."

“Did father really suffer from a cardiac arrest just now? How would you know?, and what did you give to him?” The man's daughter questioned Van with a suspicious look on her face.

He needed to be sure if the man actually saved her father's life or if he had an ulterior motive. Maybe he fed him some kind of poison so he could charge them for the antidote later.

If his father truly suffered from cardiac arrest, then surely he wouldn't have been treated so easily, especially not by someone who looked like a beggar.

After all, everyone in the city knew her family so it wouldn't come at a surprise if he wanted to scam them for money.

"Are you trying to insinuate that I don't know what I'm doing?" Van asked with a frown. He wasn't too surprised though, it was only typical for a rich brat like her to look down on him.

The young girl folded her arms and pouted at Van. "Don't blame me for being curious. I have every right to worry about my father, don't you think?

You claimed he had cardiac arrest, and yet look at him now, he looks more healthy than he was before. Isn't it a little too suspicious that you managed to heal him so quickly and easily?"

"Shouldn't you be grateful that your father is well?"

"The young man is right," the woman cautioned her daughter. "You should thank him and leave it at that."

"But mother, he's not even a doctor. How can I just accept it like that?" She turned her attention back to Van. "Do you have a medical license? Show it to me!" She demanded.

While it was true that he had been given a medal and a license to practice medicine legally, Van had not gone to accept it. He planned to do so after he made himself look presentable. "No, I don't. I'm not a doctor, and quite frankly, I don't think you should be concerned about that."

She was about to say something else but Van didn't give her a chance. He continued, "Why do you seem so upset that I was able to save your father? Is there something you would have gained with his death?"

"How dare ou?!" She flared up. "He is my father, of course I'm happy you saved him. I just need to know how! You really need to watch your mouth, you have no idea who you're talking to."

"I'm sorry if my method of treatment doesn't suit your taste, your highness." Van shot back angrily. He hated people who didn't know how to show gratitude. "I saved his life the way I know how to. If you don't trust the way I did it, you're welcome to take him to a hospital for a check up." He paused for a few seconds before he added. "You know, if I had known this is the kind of attitude I'd get after saving him, then maybe I would have just ignored your calls of help and let you wait for an ambulance. I'm sure you would have been proud of yourself for doing it the right way while they pack up your father's cold corpse!"

"He's right Elaine," her father said, holding his daughter's hand. "The fact that he's not a doctor is irrelevant to me. I mean, look at me, I feel so strong that I'm sure I can run round this whole place and not get tired. He saved my life, shouldn't that be the important thing?"

"But father!"

"That's enough Elaine, be nice to my new young friend." He smiled and turned to Van. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"It's Van, sir. Van Everest." He said calmly, then added. "Has there been anyone in your family who suffered from cardiac arrest?"

"Not that I know of, no."

"Okay, well do you mind if I take a look at you a bit more?" The man gave his consent and Van went ahead to check a majority of his body parts. From his tongue, to his eyes and palm. When he was done, he said, "Judging from the dark edges around your lips, you need to cut back on your smoking. It plays a huge part in worsening your condition.

You also need to minimize your alcohol intake, then make sure you add a lot of heart friendly meals to your diet.

Also, you seem to be suffering from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. You have to take care of those as well to reduce your risk of attacks in the future."

The man's jaw was dropped in awe as he listened to Van's diagnosis. He hadn't even mentioned it to his wife that he had a high cholesterol level, and it was true that he had been battling with high blood pressure for the past couple of months.

"Young man, how did you know all that?" The shock in his voice was as clear as day.

"All that is quite irrelevant sir, I feel you should prioritize your health first."

"You're right. Dear, could you please prepare a cheque of two hundred thousand for this nice young man here?"

His wife had started to head back to their car when Van spoke up.

"That won't be necessary ma'am. I only helped out because he was in danger, I'm not expecting any form af payment. If you really want to pay me back, I'd take an apology from your daughter for her rude behavior." Van said, his gaze fixed on Elaine.