Chapter 53

Hope was slim, and Leah's faith wavered. She gritted her teeth, held her breath, and nervously watched Matthew perform acupuncture. It felt as though she was doing more than Matthew himself.

Matthew grasped the acupuncture needle's handle, gently twisted it, and withdrew it slowly. Crimson blood emerged from the tip of James's tongue, making the scene alarming.

Jeffrey sneered. “Do you even know acupuncture? There’s blood coming out. I’ve never seen it done like that.”

Matthew remained unfazed, intensely focused as he inserted the silver needle into an acupoint. He then inserted needles into the stomach meridian at ST 6 and the liver meridian at LR 3. His movements were swift; he inserted needle after needle, making it hard to follow. In the blink of an eye, over 20 silver needles were in place.

Matthew let out a long breath. “It’s all done.”

Done? There was no response from James. How could it be done?

Jeffrey sneered again. “The patient was a vegetable before treatment, and he still is. You call that done?”

Rachel’s face was clouded with worry as she examined James’s body. There was no movement in his fingers, legs, or mouth—not even a flutter of his eyelashes. She saw no signs of him waking up.

“Wake up, honey. Please wake up. We still have so much life ahead of us. You can’t leave me,” Leah repeated anxiously.

At that moment, a doctor in a white coat entered. Seeing the needles, he exploded in anger. “What’s going on? You’re not a doctor here. Who gave you permission to perform acupuncture?”

The man, Mike Abrams, was the hospital’s director, the only doctor with a Ph.D., and a well-known figure in Lambda City. He was furious that someone had treated his patient.

Matthew glanced at Mike and said indifferently, “The patient is experiencing syncope, but he’ll wake up soon.”

Syncope? Wake up?

Mike found this ridiculous. “You’re way off. He’s in a vegetative state; he can’t wake up. Can’t you see that? How do you think you can treat someone I can’t, with your skills? Stay in your lane!”

Matthew, recognizing Mike’s modern medical approach, shook his head. “You don’t understand. He’s just in a deep faint. He’ll come around soon enough.”

Mike pointed to his chest. “What did you say? I have a doctorate. Isn't it funny you say I don't understand? If he wakes up, you can take my place!”

Jeffrey chimed in, “Exactly. Even a certified doctor can’t rouse someone from a vegetative state, let alone you. Don’t be a dumbass.”

Suddenly, coughing echoed in the ward. “He’s awake! My husband is awake! He’s coughing!” Leah exclaimed excitedly, seeing James cough.