Chapter 134 Troubling Oddball
This was destined to be a chaotic day.
David and his group had just left when Roger showed up.
He rushed toward me like a sickly mad horse, stumbling along with his messy hair flying in the air. "Isabella, there's a troublesome weirdo here!"
I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a very tall man.
Broad shoulders and back, square face, bright and sharp eyes under thick eyebrows, in his early thirties, with a tense expression. His slightly furrowed brows carried a look of disgust and distance that made him seem unapproachable.
"Simeon Caudill," Roger said rapidly. "This guy has been hanging around my clinic all morning and won't leave no matter what! Seriously affecting my work!"
The Caudill family?
The Caudill family, ranked third among Dawnharbor's five major gang families!
I suppressed my surprise and watched alertly as Simeon walked toward me at a steady pace.
His steps were even, each one exactly the same distance apart, as if measured with a ruler.
A retired military man? I wondered as I observed him.
Jonas beside me suddenly laughed out loud, "Bella, he's the surprise I have for you!"
Before I could question Jonas, Simeon had already reached me. "You're Isabella?"
"I am." I nodded. Seeing he had no intention of shaking hands, I didn't extend mine either.
"Are you seeking medical help? Is the patient you or someone else?" I asked.
He looked me over, his sharp gaze like a plane scraping across wood. I felt like he was peeling off a layer of my skin.
"I'm not sick. I heard you're really good at making medicine. Show me what you've got. If you really have the skills, you can become the Caudill family's exclusive pharmacist, and the Caudill family will provide protection for the Sorelli family." His tone was flat and emotionless, saying coldly, "If you can pass my test, I'll allow you to become my assistant."
I raised my eyebrows slightly, looking puzzled.
What kind of idiot is this!
He stared at me for two seconds, his brows knitting together, getting impatient. "What's your answer?"
Lucas asked Jonas unhappily, "This is the 'surprise' you have for Bella?"
Jonas quickly explained, "No! Maria Caudill isn't feeling well. I recommended Bella and Roger to her, but she can't come in person, so she sent her son with me. Simeon! I never heard Mrs. Caudill mention anything you just said."
"I'm a doctor myself." Simeon gave Jonas a look, as if doing him a favor. "I know my mother's condition very well. No one can cure her."
"In that case, sorry you made the trip for nothing." I pulled at the corner of my mouth, showing a formulaic shallow smile.
Simeon seemed surprised I would refuse. "The Sorelli family is very weak now. Without relying on a major family, you won't survive long. Do you like medicine? Or are you just good at making drugs? Become my assistant, and I can train you."
This guy's self-important attitude was like a copy of Angelina.
"The Sorelli family doesn't need charity from the high-and-mighty Caudill family, and I have no interest in becoming anyone's assistant. You can leave now." I used all my self-control not to roll my eyes at him.
I walked past him, and Roger came up complaining, "That guy is so annoying! Arrogant, rude, and completely lacking self-awareness! Acting like he's so great, even more pretentious than me!"
I laughed. "So you do know you're usually pretentious."
Roger waved his hand. "Just talk about that guy, don't talk about me. I was doing a consultation, and he kept picking at my mistakes, saying I wasn't professional enough. Made me so mad!"
I looked at him sideways. "The mistakes he pointed out—were they all correct?"
Roger muttered reluctantly, "Just small issues. I would have noticed them myself anyway."
I stopped walking. Although I hadn't heard of Simeon before, he seemed to have some real skills?
But his personality was really hard to deal with, so I dismissed the idea of getting to know him.
Roger was still complaining. "You don't know how much he brags! He said that five years ago he was second only to Miracle Surgeon, and now he's surpassed Miracle Surgeon and become the best surgeon."
I said nothing, but my right index and middle fingers twitched slightly, beyond my control.
A warm hand suddenly covered the back of my hand.
It was Lucas.
The warmth of his palm calmed me just right.
Roger continued, "I said, Miracle Surgeon disappeared years ago and is old news. If he's so good, he shouldn't compare himself to people from the past."
"He said, 'Then who should I compare with? You?'"
"I laughed in anger. He was totally looking down on me! So I told him, 'Isabella is better than me. If you're so good, compare yourself to her.'"
The corner of my mouth twitched as I glared at him through gritted teeth. "So you're the one who brought me this trouble."
Roger looked a bit regretful. "You should have competed with him and taught him a lesson!"
"Do you even know his skill level?" I said irritably. "You just wanted to make things bigger!"
"Bella." Jonas stopped me, frowning. "I didn't know he was like this before. I'm very sorry."
"It's fine." I shook my head, indicating he didn't need to worry about it.
Just then, screams and cries suddenly came from the other side of the hotel lobby. "Katarina! Someone help! Help!"
The noisy commotion instantly attracted everyone's attention. My heart tightened, and I quickly headed toward where the cries for help were coming from.
"Excuse me! Please let me through!"
Pushing through the crowd packed tight, I saw a lady in a custom velvet dress lying straight on the ground, her face pale as paper, her lips tinged with purple-blue.
Her eyes were tightly closed, her chest barely rising and falling. Her female companion was collapsed beside her, gripping her arm with both hands, crying and shaking all over, speaking incoherently. "Call an ambulance! Is there a doctor? Katarina isn't breathing!"
I called out to her in surprise, "Mrs. Tate! A doctor is here!"
Roger walked over to Katarina with a serious expression, carefully examining her and asking Freya, "Do you know her medical history? What did she eat or do before she passed out?"
Freya was extremely panicked and couldn't say anything.
I crouched down and quickly placed my fingertips on Katarina's carotid artery.
The weak pulse was almost imperceptible. The skin under my fingertips was burning hot. I pulled down the collar of Katarina's high-neck undershirt and saw fine red rashes rapidly spreading across her skin.
Roger opened Katarina's mouth and took out a flashlight he carried with him. "Bella, look, there seems to be swelling in her throat."
"Move!"
A cold, harsh shout came from behind. Simeon pushed through the crowd to the front and shoved Roger aside.
"Stop dawdling. Death is already ahead of you."
He knelt on one knee, his fingers precisely finding Katarina's carotid artery while his other hand quickly lifted her eyelids and pressed on her chest twice.
"Everyone back! She needs fresh air!" He barked at the onlookers.
Seeing his every move was quick and decisive, showing rich experience, I also stepped back and left Katarina to him.
Roger had been pushed down by him. After getting up, he stood beside me, glaring at Simeon unhappily but holding back from getting angry.
Simeon's brows were tightly furrowed, his tone certain. "Cardiac arrest, ventricular fibrillation."
He looked at Freya, explaining the situation to her. "She needs an immediate injection of epinephrine as a cardiac stimulant. If we're late, we won't be able to save her!"
Freya nodded blankly. Simeon pulled out a syringe from his black medical bag and tore open the packaging of an epinephrine vial.
The glass ampoule snapped cleanly between his fingers. The needle pierced the vial, and the transparent liquid was instantly drawn into the syringe.
The needle tip aimed at Katarina's chest. I instinctively stopped him. "Wait!"