The clinic staff had challenged Alex, and he had proven himself. Yet they still didn't trust him. The staff, and even the patients, had simply left, as they didn't believe Alex knew what he was doing. He was too young and had had no formal training.
They'll be back, Alex thought. Three days, at most, and they'll realize their mistake.
The doctors believed in their own medical skills and not what Alex could offer.
After everyone had gone, the medical clinic became very quiet, and only Alex and Sophie were left.
"Now what do we do?" Sophie asked, looking around at the vacant space.
How do I explain this to my father? she wondered.
"Since everyone is gone, we might as well sit back and take it easy," Alex said.
He found a chair and sat down, sighing with pleasure, determined to take advantage of such rare leisure time.
Although he was still considered a rookie, he had at least gained a foothold in the medical profession.
In the past, practicing medicine was a skill one could only learn if invited to the Moon Palace to study with the Moon Maidens. They had been the original practitioners of the healing arts. They had established many of the modern medical skills still in use, and they taught a chosen few in the practice of the medical arts.
Alex wasn't worried about the departure of the doctors. In fact, they would only have gotten in the way of his own practice, so he was glad they were gone.
"But Alex, everyone has left. We can't just sit around and do nothing." Sophie was on the verge of tears. "What's going to happen to the clinic now? How will it operate without any staff?"
"We'll be fine," Alex assured her. "We don't need anybody. Let's take it easy for a while and have a good rest. Do you usually run around all day and night?" He yawned, and then continued. "I think I'll take a nap. You can go do some shopping."
Sophie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Exactly. There's no one here. Doesn't that bother you? Won't we have to close?"
"Only if we go bankrupt," Alex said. "I may not have the same connections or prestige as you or the other doctors, but I have enough money to support us. If we can keep going and stay open for a year, then I can support the clinic."
He smiled at Sophie, and then waved his hand as he said, "Go; enjoy yourself."
Sophie was about to open her mouth to respond, but then she froze as her eyes caught a movement at the door. A woman was standing there, wearing a hat, and leaning on a pair of crutches.
Alex, sensing her distraction, looked up and followed her gaze, and then his eyes widened in surprise when he saw who it was.
What's Kendall Payne doing here? he wondered.
"Hello," Kendall said as she hobbled in, not noticing Alex. "I was wondering if you have any job openings for office staff?"
She had heard the clinic hired many people, and she hoped they would have an opening for her. As she looked around, she noticed the place was empty.
"No, we're not hiring," Sophie said. "You should probably look elsewhere."
Sophie had no use for an employee. Everyone else had just left, and she didn't know if she was going to be able to keep the doors open.
Disappointed, Kendall turned to leave.
Alex stood up and said, "Hello, Kendall."
She turned around at the sound of her name, and her eyes widened. "Alex?"
Seeing that it was indeed him, she lowered her head and walked quickly back out the door.
"Wait," he called as he ran after her, catching up with her just outside the door. "Why did you leave when you saw me? I thought you were looking for a job?"
He knew things hadn't been going very well for Kendall since things had gone bad with the Chamber of Commerce.
So, he had been surprised to see her running away.
Kendall lowered her head and didn't respond, but she looked sad and embarrassed.
Alex joked, "Did the Ghosts kick you out or something?"
"No, Alex. I didn't have the guts to go back to them, so now I'm like a stray dog." Kendall's expression was one of sadness, but she was still charming.
"Didn't you tell me that if I ever needed you to be a spy, you'd keep an eye on the Ghosts for me? It seems as if you've broken your promise," Alex said.
"No, I didn't break my promise," Kendall said. "Do you remember when Clark Fairfax arrived at the Hall family home to help you out? I helped to arrange that. I keep my promises, but I don't think that was enough to pay off my debt."
"Oh?" he asked, thinking back to that day. Had it really been Kendall who had secretly been helping out?
"Well, what brought you here, then?" Alex asked, still suspicious of her sudden appearance. An assassin didn't just randomly show up looking for work at a medical clinic. Perhaps she had known Alex would be there.
"Alex, I know you must doubt me, but I'm out of the assassin business now," she said. "People like me spend money like water, and I have no savings. In addition, I'm sick, and I've gotten too old to carry on as before. So, I must look for a new line of work and find a place to live. You can be rest assured that I would never bother you unless it was to help you out of some sort of major problem. I'm leaving now."
She slowly turned around and walked out with difficulty.
"Wait a minute!" he called after her, and she stopped. He continued, "Kendall, I thought we were even. Are you mad at me about something? Do you hate me?"
"I don't hate you," she said. "I really don't hate you."
"Well, good. You had me worried for a moment," he said simply. "Why don't you come inside the clinic and tell me about your illness?"
He was in a good mood that day, so he wanted to help Kendall feel better and cure whatever sickness she had. On second thought, he figured he might not cure her of everything. If she got back to normal, she might become an assassin again.
Kendall stared at Alex for a few moments, shocked and touched that he wanted to help her. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she hastily wiped them away.
He helped her inside and guided her to the examination area.
"You really don't need to go through any trouble for me," she said. "I don't deserve your pity."
"Well, we'll just see about that. Come here." Alex waved his hand toward an exam table.
Kendall hesitated. She had been deceived by many traitors and villains since she was a child. After her original encounter with Alex, she had been surprised she had survived. But she was grateful to him, because it had helped her to change.
When Alex had spotted Kendall, the thought of their original deal had never even crossed his mind. He simply wanted to help cure her.
Kendall was both grateful and relieved, so perhaps they could be friends after all.