Ann's shoulders visibly drooped. "You're right, Alex," she admitted. "I was focused on getting a quick result rather than on taking enough time to do the best for my patient. I was wrong."
The other doctors also looked embarrassed. They were all aware they had forgotten their underlying principles by focusing more on profit than on the people they were supposed to be helping, and the realization left them feeling deeply ashamed.
As dusk approached, there was a long queue at the entrance of the Woodside Clinic. The patients who had witnessed Alex saving Maria's life had all berated Michael for neglecting his responsibilities, and then they had left the Trinity Medical Center and had come to see Alex instead.
Although Alex charged one hundred dollars, his medical skills had saved a woman and her baby. Everyone agreed it was worth paying the money to get the best treatment.
As a result of his scheming, Michael had lost millions of dollars and had been left with a huge mess to sort out. Rather than forcing Alex to close, he had actually improved Alex's business, and that knowledge made him furious.
Alex saw the people waiting outside the clinic and thought quickly. He sent Kendall out to manage the line and told Sophie to prepare the staff to see patients.
But he only let Kendall send in the first fifty patients. The rest would have to come back the next day. The patients respected Alex, so those who were unable to see a doctor that day went away quietly.
After seeing those patients who had waited, Alex was about to close the door when he saw two cars driving up. As he watched, Ann and the other doctors got out.
Without waiting for Alex to speak, Ann and the others stepped forward. "Alex, we've come to ask for our jobs back," she said. "We're fully aware of how badly we've misjudged you, and we want to make things right."
Alex didn't humiliate them. They seemed truly repentant, so he took all eight of them back. Business was booming at the Woodside Clinic, so he could afford to be generous and give them a second chance.
Of course, he didn't give them back their original positions. Instead, they would start as apprentices, and their salary would be only one tenth of what it had been before. It would be a good lesson for them, and it was beneficial for the Woodside Clinic to have them on board.
Sophie was impressed as she looked at the eight doctors. After a lot of twists and turns, the doctors, who had been convinced of their own superiority, had not only willingly become apprentices, but now also looked up to Alex.
The next morning, as soon as the Woodside Clinic opened, they were once again crowded with people waiting to see a doctor.
Kendall and Sophie were thrilled to see the clinic so busy.
With their help, Alex relaxed into his role. Many of his patients came from poor families, so Alex spoke with Celeste about what kind of discount they could offer to those who might not be able to afford the regular prices.
"Okay, and should I—" Before Celeste could finish speaking, cars screeched to a halt outside the clinic, and then a team of nearly twenty men and women strode in through the open door.
They headed straight toward Alex, who stepped forward to meet them.
"I'm Alex Ambrose, and I'm in charge here at Woodside," he said. "What can I do for you?"
"Mr. Ambrose," said one of the men, "I'm Agent Johnson of the FBI."
He looked at Alex and shook a sheet of paper at him. "We have received a report that your clinic is giving fake drugs and inferior medicine to your patients. We have a warrant to search your premises. The paperwork is in order, so I advise you not to get in the way, or I'll close your clinic and start arresting people."
He had the confident authority of a man used to being obeyed. Without waiting for Alex to answer, he waved a hand at his staff and said, "Right, go on in and check everything carefully. If there is the slightest discrepancy, the smallest problem, the clinic will be closed immediately."
Alex gestured at Sophie to show them to the pharmacy, and the FBI team followed her down the hall.
Watching them go, Alex turned to Agent Johnson.
"Let me guess," he said. "Did Michael Murdoch make this complaint?"
He moved closer to Agent Johnson and smiled. "It's a pity you have to waste your time like this. You won't find anything wrong with our medicines."
Agent Johnson stood his ground, staring at Alex. "I fully expect that my team will find issues at your clinic. If the active ingredients in these drugs are shoddy, then they can't cure your patients' diseases, which means it's a waste of their money. Are you confident your medicines work?"
He reached out to stop a patient on his way out, grabbed the prescription and medicine from him, glanced at them, and then opened the package.
"Your doctor is a fraud," he said to the patient. "He took your money and has given you nothing in return." Agent Johnson's smile widened. "You're a fool if you believe he can cure you."
The other patients stood up to defend Alex.
"Who are you to criticize Dr. Ambrose?" one of them demanded. "What do you know about medicines? Can you cure anyone?"
Agent Johnson waved a hand, silencing them. "Alex Ambrose wants to make money out of you, and he's charging you for drugs that don't work."
"You're talking nonsense," another patient argued. "Dr. Ambrose has excellent medical ethics. He saved someone's life just the other day. He'd never cheat us."
"I know you don't believe me," Agent Johnson said. "So I asked some experienced investigators from the medical board to come here. They are all highly respected and will give you an objective answer."
Alex spotted five medical board investigators standing behind Agent Johnson. He recognized two of them from television, as they often appeared on panel shows and news programs to discuss medical issues.
Agent Johnson had clearly come prepared.
The patients all turned to look at the investigators.
Agent Johnson handed them the medicine he had just taken from the patient. "Mr. Franks, Mr. James, if you would please examine the medicine."
The investigators took the medicine, read the label, turned it over to read the active ingredients, and then finally glanced at the prescription. It was a common medicine for relieving migraine, and there was nothing wrong with it.
They looked at several other prescriptions, superficially checking the drugs for content, expiry date, and efficacy.
"These medicines are all safe," Mr. Franks said. "They are not harmful in any way."
Alex and his team started to relax.
"But," Mr. Franks continued, "they will have little effect on the diseases they are being prescribed for. The patients are wasting their money. These drugs might cost up to fifty dollars, but the clinic is charging you one hundred dollars and making a huge profit. Even worse, because of the ineffectual nature of the medicine, you'll need to take dozens of these drugs before they have a lasting effect."
Mr. James agreed. "Treating any disease with these drugs would cost thousands of dollars. This is unacceptable."
The patients were shocked.
"What? Is this true?" one woman demanded. "But Dr. Ambrose is a good man. Surely he wouldn't deceive us like this?"
They all turned to look at Alex.
Agent Johnson stepped forward. "You're using ineffectual drugs, and you're making money from these trusting people. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Celeste opened her mouth, but Alex frowned at her to stop her from speaking.
"Look again," Alex said to the investigators. "Check the active ingredient list again. These are effective medicines."
"Don't try to argue." Mr. Franks put his hands on his hips. "I've been practicing medicine for decades, and I only need to look at something briefly to judge the materials. These are all common, mild ingredients. It's disgusting that you charge for better quality medicines when these are not."
The other investigators all nodded in agreement.
The patients had gone quiet, but they looked at Alex with questions in their eyes.
Agent Johnson's smile was grim. "Alex, you have no choice but to plead guilty."
"No way," Alex said. "They've barely looked at our medicines, and yet they're writing them off? That's ridiculous."
He picked up the packet of medicines and looked at it. "You're right," he said. "There are milder ingredients here, but that's not the whole story. All the necessary elements are here to cure this patient. Examine it again."