On the train from Orlando to Jacksonville, Chen Yu received an apology text from Hill.
"Sorry, Chen. They got the time wrong. I wanted to wait for you, but we had a scheduled appointment and would have been late if we'd left any later."
After reading the text, Chen Yu quickly replied, "I'm on the train. I'll be there soon." He was filled with a sense of exasperation.
'Gabriel is really going to great lengths to get rid of me.'
They were supposed to leave by car at ten this morning, but when Chen Yu rushed over, he discovered Hill and his group had already departed.
They had left at eight.
'Did they really get the time wrong?'
'Of course not. It's obvious Gabriel found out I saw Hill again and changed the departure time at the last minute, afraid Hill would insist on bringing me along.'
'And then there's Hill.'
Chen Yu couldn't help but criticize him internally. 'Is he being humble to a fault? How can he be such a pushover?'
'Someone says a few words, and he just changes his mind instantly.'
'You're the patient! It's your body that's injured. Can't you stand up for yourself a little? Make up your own mind for once.'
'Sure, you're part of the team, but you're the one who's hurt. Who could possibly blame you for choosing the treatment you trust?'
Three hours later, Chen Yu arrived in Jacksonville and immediately took a taxi to the Mayo Clinic.
After identifying himself to a nurse as Hill's personal physician, Chen Yu was led to a spacious waiting area.
Hill wasn't in the room.
Only Gabriel and Billings were present.
The two of them, who had been laughing and talking, stopped the moment they saw Chen Yu.
Billings glared at Chen Yu with undisguised contempt, his face radiating annoyance.
Gabriel frowned and sighed in resignation before approaching him. "Sorry, Dr. Chen. Grant wanted to wait for you, but we had a scheduled appointment, so we had to leave early."
Chen Yu asked where Hill was.
"He's getting an MRI," Billings scoffed from the side, launching into an accusation. "Mr. Chen, I don't know what your motives are for insisting on refuting our correct diagnosis, but your behavior has forced Grant to undergo numerous unnecessary tests and travel. It's already interfering with his treatment and recovery."
"Is this how your attending physician taught you to treat patients when you were a resident?"
"Let me warn you, Grant is a player for the Magic. If you're the reason his treatment gets delayed, we won't let you get away with it."
Billings crossed his arms, staring at Chen Yu, getting angrier as he spoke.
'He couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. It was clearly a simple ankle sprain, yet this guy had to exaggerate things and claim it was cartilage damage.'
'Just to show off how capable and brilliant you are?'
'A fresh-out-of-school resident, instead of dutifully finding a hospital to build his credentials, comes here to boss me around? It's a joke.'
"Joe!"
Gabriel cleared his throat and gestured for Billings to calm down. He then draped an arm over Chen Yu's shoulder, leading him aside. "Chen," he said with a smile, "Joe's a little worked up, and he can be a bit harsh. Don't take it to heart."
"However, Grant told me you're his friend. In that case, I believe our goal is the same: we both want Grant to make a healthy return to the court."
"So, I think Joe has a point. There's no need to put Grant through all this. We should be letting him get some proper rest."
At this point, his tone shifted. "Of course, you're a doctor. You have your own professional judgment. I don't understand these things, so I'm in no position to question it."
"So, after some discussion, we decided to get another diagnosis for Grant. See? We made him an appointment at the Mayo Clinic. It's one of the top hospitals in the nation—even the world. We've also found him the best orthopedic surgeons. You, more than anyone, should know just how high their standard of care is."
"So I really don't think we need to wait a week. Let's just entrust this to the Mayo Clinic and let them handle Grant's treatment. I believe that's the best option for Grant."
Chen Yu subtly shrugged off Gabriel's arm.
'Are they playing good cop, bad cop with me?'
'No wonder they contacted the Mayo Clinic. They're trying to use its reputation to shut me down.'
'It's true. I'm just a recently graduated resident with no credentials to speak of. Compared to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, I'm a nobody.'
'But I don't care who says otherwise—Hill has cartilage damage. I saw it with my own two eyes.'
However, Chen Yu didn't argue. "Let's just wait for the test results."
'If the tests here show cartilage damage, then everything will be fine.'
'This is the Mayo Clinic, after all. Maybe their doctors are skilled enough to actually spot the cartilage damage.'
About fifteen minutes later, a doctor pushed open the door and entered.
She was a woman.
'Female orthopedic surgeons were a rarity. After all, swinging mallets all day was practically manual labor.'
'She looked to be in her forties, tall and slender. Her physique couldn't help but make Chen Yu question her professional abilities.'
'Can you even handle the 'construction work' on an operating table?'
'Time had already left its marks on her face; the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were quite prominent. Her skin was also in poor condition, likely due to frequent exposure to radiation.'
'Her long, blonde hair was pinned up, and she had a high-bridged nose and an excellent disposition.'
'Judging by her features, she must have been quite a beauty ten years ago.'
Chen Yu noticed her name tag read Kate Walsh.
His mind raced, and then he remembered.
'He'd read her papers. They were mainly in the field of arthroscopic surgery, and he vividly recalled a few of her particularly bold and audacious procedures.'
'He'd always pictured a scruffy, middle-aged man who swung a mallet with wild abandon. He never expected the author to be a woman.'
"Dr. Wash, what are the results? Is Grant all right?" Gabriel asked as he approached her.
Wash smiled. "Don't worry. I know he's a superstar, a professional athlete, so I was very thorough with the examination. There's nothing wrong. It's just a common, moderate ankle sprain."
At this, Wash asked, a bit puzzled, "His injury isn't serious. Given the quality of medical care in Orlando, it should be a simple issue to resolve. Why come all the way to Jacksonville?"
Orlando has a high concentration of hospitals, and its standard of medical care is ranked among the best in the nation.
Even if Hill was a star athlete who required special treatment, it hardly seemed necessary to make a special trip to the Mayo Clinic for a common sprain.
Billings shot a glance at Chen Yu and said sarcastically, "It's because a certain rookie insisted Grant has cartilage damage."
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned icy.
Wash paused, slightly taken aback. "Cartilage damage? Who said that?"
'She had personally overseen the tests and hadn't seen any sign of cartilage damage.'
Without hesitation, Chen Yu stepped forward. "I did."
Only then did Wash notice Chen Yu.
She looked him up and down and asked if he was a doctor.
"That's right. I'm an orthopedic surgeon from Jackson Memorial Hospital."
"Fired," Billings suddenly interjected.
He had made some inquiries and found out that Chen Yu had already left Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Chen Yu fought back the urge to punch Billings. "Excuse me, I wasn't fired. I resigned."
Wash waved her hand, interrupting Chen Yu.
Whether he was fired or had resigned was of no concern to her. She asked, puzzled, "Why would you make that diagnosis? The MRI shows no signs whatsoever that Mr. Hill has any cartilage damage."
'Chen Yu cursed inwardly.'
'We had already agreed to just wait a week for the proof to show itself.'
'But no, they had to go and make a big deal out of it, dragging the Mayo Clinic into this. Now how am I supposed to explain myself?'
'And the Mayo Clinic… is this the best they can do? Can they really not find it?'
"It's my personal diagnosis. If you need proof, you'll have to wait a week."
Chen Yu's words provoked Billings yet again.
"Stop with this 'in a week' nonsense! John, don't you get it? This guy's a fraud! Believing him will only delay Grant's treatment."
Billings pointed an angry finger at Chen Yu.
Gabriel's expression began to turn hostile.
On one hand, there was a fresh-faced rookie. On the other, the world-famous Mayo Clinic. Even a pig would know who to trust.
He was just about to tell Chen Yu to give up and stop causing trouble when Wash raised a hand, interrupting them.
"Excuse me," she said. "I think I need to take another look at the scans."
With that, she strode briskly out of the room.
Billings, who was fuming, froze.
'Wash's reaction…'
'Could it be… that there's actually something wrong?'