Ch 555 – Sophie’s Crisis

Holly's expression was cold. She was getting tired of Sophie trying to make her daughter's recovery into a crisis rather than seeing it for the miracle it was.

Alex just ignored the doctor. After all, he knew the effects of the supplement from personal experience.

The pill was a closely guarded secret. Its origins and effects were beyond ordinary medicine—it was almost more like magic than science. But something tells me Sophie's not ready for that kind of revelation, Alex thought.

Realizing she had overstepped, Sophie calmed herself down. "Ma'am, at least let us run some tests," she said. "Once we know for sure that everything's normal, Keira will be released from our care."

Holly nodded, and the doctors rushed to Keira's bedside to begin their tests. It didn't take long for the medical team to notice her vitals weren't just normal—they were better than normal. Keira was a young woman in good health, but the readings they were seeing were what someone would expect from a top athlete. They were stunned into silence.

Sophie still couldn't believe her own eyes. "How is this possible?" she whispered. There have been so many experts looking for answers, she thought, and some kid with a magic pill wanders in and saves the day. How?

The quiet was broken by a commotion outside the room.

"Let me through. I need to see Ms. Lambert," a man shouted. The door swung open, and a disheveled man barged in past one of the orderlies Alex had seen downstairs. "Get out of my way, please. I'm here to treat Keira Lambert."

Sophie and the other doctors were relieved to see Dr. Vincent Cook, an internationally renowned physician, had finally arrived.

"Please come in, Dr. Cook," Sophie said, waving the orderly away. "The patient's over here. Just before you arrived, a young man administered some kind of pill, but we don't know what it is or what it does. I'm worried we might be dealing with something that could strain her cardiovascular system. She appears to be responding well, but I've never heard of anyone shrugging off a brain bleed and coming out of a coma less than ten minutes after a single dose."

If anyone can expose this man as a charlatan, it'll be Vincent, she thought.

"A pill that can reverse brain damage?" Vince asked, his face flushing with anger. "That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. Sounds like he's a con man."

Sophie looked at Alex. "I still haven't decided which one he is."

"This is nonsense," Vincent said. "I need to see a new MRI scan immediately. Run every test, then run them again. You have to be meticulous. Check everything."

"Right away," she said, and the entire medical team sprang into action.

Vincent was known to be as blunt as he was brilliant. The Lamberts had gone to a lot of trouble to get him involved in Keira's treatment, and he had dropped everything to come to Philadelphia because her case intrigued him. He wasn't interested in their money, but he was fascinated by her symptoms. His priority was pushing the boundaries of medicine.

When the results from her tests were brought to him, he looked through them carefully. Each result was a surprise, and his mouth was hanging open in shock. He wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"No indication of brain damage," he muttered. "No impairment of heart or lung function. There's no sign of trauma at all, and there's no trace of whatever pathogen she was exposed to. She's in excellent health." His eyes grew wide, and his face lit up with excitement. "This is unprecedented. People are going to be studying this case for years, and it will revolutionize our entire understanding of medical science. I need to know who was responsible for this."

"That would be this young man, Dr. Cook," Holly said, placing her hand on Alex's shoulder.

Vincent took his hand. "Teach me," he said. "I need you to teach me everything. I'll get on my knees and beg if I have to, but I must know how you did this."

No one could believe what they were witnessing. Vincent was the doctor that other doctors aspired to be, and he was practically worshipping Alex. It was mind boggling.

Even Holly seemed surprised. "Vincent, calm down. Don't get too excited."

"He's not even a doctor," Sophie shouted in disbelief.

"She's right," Alex said. "I haven't been to medical school or studied with any doctor. I have no background in medicine at all."

Sophie reached for Vincent's arm and tried to pull him away from Alex. "You're risking your legacy," she said. She idolized him and couldn't bear to see him throwing his reputation away. She couldn't stand to watch him become a laughingstock.

"I know what I'm doing," Vincent said, shaking her off. "Do you seriously not understand what this could mean to the world? Are you going to pretend this isn't happening?" He turned back to Alex. "Please. There's so much I can learn from you. What you've done here could change everything. Once Keira's recovery is made public, you'll have doctors from all over the world ready to do anything to study with you."

Sophie's head was spinning. What's happening? She thought. He's practically drooling over a single pill? She understood, of course, how important this kind of discovery could be, but none of this should be possible. She could barely make sense of what she was feeling, and she was baffled by Vincent's sudden reverence toward Alex.

She had looked up to Vincent before she had even gone to medical school. She had followed his career for years, and she had read everything he had published, hoping for a chance to work with him. When she had found out he would be consulting on Keira's case, she hadn't been able to contain her excitement. She would have done almost anything to have him as her mentor, and now here he was, groveling at Alex's feet.

Have I been wrong about Alex? She wondered. If someone I have so much respect for is willing to take a chance, then maybe I'm being too stubborn.

She remembered how angry she had been when he had scoffed at her treatment plan, and she wondered if it had been her ego running wild. She had called him a charlatan and a quack, but she wasn't sure anymore.

Her face felt like it was on fire, and she wasn't sure how to react.