Alex examined Kendall, touching her head, while using his inner strength to try to determine what was wrong with her. Finally, he said, "Okay, you should feel better soon."
"Thank you, Alex," Kendall said gratefully. "Thank you very much. I will never forget your kindness."
"Don't thank me too much," he said. "I've only eased the symptoms and delayed the frequency of your attacks. I haven't cured you." He paused, and then looked at her seriously as he said, "Your disease will probably flare up once a month, but you will have some warning. I'm not just helping you out of pity. I have some conditions."
"What do you mean by conditions?" she asked suspiciously.
"I will suppress your martial arts skills, and you will be an ordinary person from now on, okay?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Kendall agreed, with almost no hesitation.
Alex nodded and placed his hands on Kendall once again. She could feel something shift inside her, and her body began to shake violently. Then it was gone, and she relaxed.
There was no pain. In fact, she didn't feel any different at all. But when she waved her arm, the movement was like that of an ordinary person, and her martial arts skills and strength were gone.
She thought Alex had completely removed her martial arts skills, but in fact, he had simply closed away the ability. If he was willing, her martial arts skills could be restored.
She was in awe of his skill and beyond grateful for what he had done for her.
"As payment for what you have done for me, please let me stay here," she said. "I will work in the clinic, doing whatever tasks need to be done. Please, let me stay!"
She seemed sincere. Alex studied her carefully, trying to detect any sign of resentment or subterfuge. In the end, he decided not to answer and simply ignored her request.
**
For three days, Kendall waited outside the clinic, hoping Alex would finally give in.
On the fourth day, Alex found her at the door of the clinic, completely frozen.
He frowned. He and Sophie had kept an eye on the woman over the past several days, baffled by her behavior. However, now that Kendall appeared to be suffering, Sophie let Kendall into the medical clinic, too kind-hearted to watch her suffer.
Kendall pleaded with Alex once again. "Please, take me in. I'm homeless."
Sophie broke into the conversation and said, "Alex, I agree. Let her stay. We could use her help around here. I can see that she's sincere and loyal. Although I don't know what happened between the two of you in the past, she seems reliable now. I trust her."
But she used to be a killer, Alex thought, frowning. Dare we put her to work in the clinic?
"Well, I'm the head of Woodside Clinic," Alex said. "I've just taken over, and Sophie and I are the only ones here. We don't have any personnel, so I guess we could use your help." He paused before continuing. "We won't be able to pay very much at first, at least until the clinic is up and running again. But we can give you room and board, and hopefully a bonus now and then."
Kendall was surprised. "Alex, are you the head of this clinic?"
"Is that a problem?" His tone had become cold.
She shook her head. She was simply surprised and grateful that he had been willing to take her in. The pay was indeed poor; she would never have taken on an assassin gig at such a low salary.
"Are you not afraid that I simply want to seek revenge?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"If you try, I'll make your fate worse than death," he threatened, his eyes flashing menacingly.
She cowered, ashamed of what she had done, and she made up her mind. This is Alex's business, and I must respect that, she thought.
She reached out her hand to shake his in agreement. "You're the boss now, so I'll do what you say."
**
Alex had never imagined he would ever run a medical clinic or settle down. In fact, he hadn't expected to open a real estate company either. Life was full of interesting twists and turns, much like the twisting plots of a book.
After Kendall had settled in and started working, Alex asked Sophie to begin recruiting other employees.
But for three days in a row, no one came to apply for a job of any kind. No one even asked Sophie if the clinic had been successful in the past, leaving her frustrated and sad.
However, Alex remained calm and took advantage of the quiet to train Kendall.
On the morning of the fourth day, Alex saw they still had no patients or prospective employees, so after breakfast, he ran over to Parkview Hospital to give Sawyer an examination.
After the exam, Alex was surprised to find that Sawyer's physical condition had changed.
"Alex, how am I doing?" Sawyer asked.
Sawyer's temperament had always been cold and brusque, which made it hard for people to get close to him. But with Alex, he was as gentle as the spring breeze. He talked openly and respectfully. "It's okay," he said. "You can tell me honestly. I can bear it."
"Sawyer, your constitution is different from ordinary people," Alex said, as he took the man's pulse. He smiled. "I thought it would take you at least three months to recover, and at least another six months for you to get back to normal. But now, looking at your vitals, it seems your body function has basically recovered. You're cured and seem to be in perfect health now."
He patted Sawyer's legs as he went on. "Of course, it will take your legs a while to build their strength again. So, take it easy and don't overdo it. In time, you'll be back to walking around normally."
"What fantastic news!" Sawyer laughed happily. "You cured me! If not for your medical skills and treatment, I don't know if I would have ever walked again. Thank you!"
Alex shrugged, as if he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. "I was just doing my job, Sawyer."
"You don't understand," Sawyer said. He grabbed Alex's hand and patted it. "You're too modest. If I hadn't met you, I may not have died, but I might as well have been dead. You have given me my life back. I have hope again!"
Alex studied the other man. He didn't know why, but Sawyer always seemed to look at Alex strangely, and he seemed to be reluctant to let go of Alex's hand.
"It's sunny, and I'm in a good mood today," Sawyer said. "Alex, would you please take me to the chapel? I'd like to light a candle to express my gratitude for life."
Alex nodded. "Sure. I'd be happy to take you there."
The hospital had a small chapel on its grounds where visitors, patients, and staff could go to light a candle or to sit quietly in a peaceful environment.