In the fluorescent glow of the morning, the clock above the nurses' station was ticking past 10 a.m., and the air hung heavy with the scent of antiseptic alongside faint hints of fear despite the efforts of the hospital's ventilation system.
A young deliveryman, Jake, nervously approached the reception desk, clutching a small, unassuming package in his grip after adjusting his cap and steadying his breathing. "Ex-excuse me."
"I have a delivery for Mr. Andrew," he stammered, looking very nervous but the receptionist, a woman with a stern expression and a name tag that read "Agnes," eyed him suspiciously. "For Andrew? What is it?"
"I-it's some health product," he replied, avoiding her gaze. Agnes's suspicion grew. "Health product? What kind of health product?"
"Uh…umm…health...supplements?" he blurted out, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. Agnes's eyes narrowed, feeling the suspicion deepen. "Health supplements? For a janitor? Sounds a bit suspicious to me."
Before Jake could explain further, a burly security guard appeared as if materialised beside him. "What is going on here?"
"Is there a problem here, Agnes?" the security guard asked, his gaze sweeping across both of them and Agnes, seizing the opportunity, quickly explained, "This young man, Jake, says he has a delivery for Mr. Andrew. He claims it's 'health supplements,' but it sounds fishy to me. For a janitor? What kind of health supplements?"
"Health supplements, huh? For Andrew? That's new. Let me see the package." The security guard said, frowning with his eyes narrowing as he looked at Jake before he held out a hand, his posture firm. "Go on, hand it over for inspection."
"B-but it's a personal delivery," Jake stammered, his voice barely a whisper while his heart hammered against his ribs as he clutched the package tighter, his knuckles white. "I'm not supposed to… It's for Mr. Andrew, personally."
"Personal or not, this is a hospital. We have procedures." The security guard explained, his tone was calm but firm, while his frown deepened. "Anything coming in for staff has to be checked, especially if it's an unusual delivery like this. Now, are you going to hand it over…
"Or do we have a problem?" he asked gruffly, his left hand hovering near his belt where a nightstick was probably concealed. This caused Jake to feel a surge of panic. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong, but the situation escalated quickly before he knew it.
'What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?'
In that instance, Jake immediately glanced around desperately, hoping for someone to vouch for him, and it didn't take long before he saw tall man wearing the hospital's janitor uniform walking toward them which delighted him because knew that this was Mr. Andrew based on the picture he was given and the tall man's badge clearly displayed his name.
"Excuse me," Mr. Andrew said, rubbing his hands against each other. "I believe that package is for me."
Agnes and the security guard exchanged glances. Andrew's calm demeanour slightly defuses the situation. Feeling a little relief yet wary at the same time, the security guard asked, "What did you buy, Andy? I'm pretty sure it isn't just some random health supplement."
"Health supplement? What? No, it's a set of health potions," Azlan explained with a gentle smile after receiving the package from Jake, who immediately left the place, looking relieved. "I ordered it online from the VitaNexus Guild the other day and honestly, I didn't expect it to arrive so soon."
"Health Potion? Why do you need them?" the security guard asked, looking at Azlan, who was placing the box on the counter. While opening it up and carefully checking its contents, Azlan replied, "Remember about those rumours going around? Well, you see…."
"Hmmm? Isn't that Edwin?" Agnes mumbled, her eyes widening slightly as she caught sight of Mrs. Emily pushing Edwin in a wheelchair down the hallway. "It still amazes me every time I see this, and honestly, it makes me wonder how he bounces back so quickly."
"I really hope the doctors, especially Dr. Rodriguez, can shed some light on this soon." She sighed, watched them until they turned a corner, then finally tore her eyes away, shaking her head once more before turning back to Andrew and the security guard. "Oh yeah…"
As she was enjoying the conversation with the two, inside Dr. Rodriguez's office, the owner sat hunched over his desk, a single medical report clutched in his hands. The name "Edwin Malik" was printed clearly at the top. His usual calm demeanour was replaced by a furrowed brow and a perpetually shaking head.
"This... this just doesn't add up!" Dr. Rodriguez inadvertently yelled, pushing his glasses higher up his nose. He reread a paragraph, his eyes scanning the words as if they might change with a second glance. "Bone regeneration, accelerated tissue repair... it's all here. But the rate? It's phenomenal. Unprecedented."
"I've seen some incredible recoveries in my twenty years, especially with the Awakened. Their enhanced healing is one thing, a significant advantage in critical situations." He remarked, leaned back in his chair while recalling some information from his experience, before a deep sigh escaped him. "But Edwin's injuries… a collapsed lung, multiple fractured ribs, internal bleeding… that kind of trauma usually means months, often years, of intensive care and rehabilitation."
"And he's been here less than a week." Dr. Rodriguez remarked, ran a hand through his thinning hair, before a faint, disbelieving chuckle escaped him. "After seeing the latest scans show nearly full recovery, I felt like his body was rewriting the rules of biology. I mean, we're talking about a man who was practically at death's door. Now, he's asking for solid food and complaining about the hospital Wi-Fi."
"Is this even possible? Or am I missing something crucial?" he wondered, picking up a pen after sighing heavily and tapping it against the report. I've checked the lab results multiple times and cross-referenced everything. There are no anomalies in his vitals or unusual substances in his system. It's just perfect healing."
"For goodness' sake, I'm getting a headache," He groaned, standing up from his seat and walking to the window, gazing out at the bustling city below. "This whole situation is such... bizarre yet an absolute miracle. A medical anomaly that defies every single textbook I've ever read."
"Honestly, what in the world is going on with you, Edwin?" Dr. Rodriguez mumbled, turning his gaze back to the report. His expression was a mix of pure wonder and complete confusion. "What triggered this? Was it just… luck? Or something else entirely?"
He walked back to his desk, sinking into his chair and pulling the report closer, his eyes scanning the pages again as if a hidden message might appear. He traced a finger along the lines of text, muttering to himself. "No, no, it's all here. The same data. What am I missing?"
Just then, a gentle knock sounded at his half-open door. He looked up to see Akane, a fellow doctor from the neurology department, peeking in. Her bright smile was a stark contrast to his troubled expression.
"Hey, Dr. Rodriguez," Akane said, stepping inside. "A few of us are heading down for lunch. Want to join? I think the cafeteria's got that surprisingly decent lasagna today."
Dr. Rodriguez sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Thanks, Akane, but I think I'll pass. I'm a bit busy wrestling with a bit of a medical mystery at the moment."
"A mystery? Sounds intriguing. Is it about that new patient, Edwin?" she asked, stepping a little further into the room. "The one from the disaster? I heard whispers about his recovery. Everyone's talking about it."
"Whispers don't do it justice, Akane. It's... unprecedented. I've never seen anything like it. His injuries were life-threatening, but now, for some reason, he's practically ready to run a marathon." Dr. Rodriguez sighed, pushing the report away slightly, and Akane's eyebrow shot up.
"Seriously? That's amazing, huh?" she asked, stepping closer and peering at the report. "I mean, we see some incredible recoveries with the Awakened, but this sounds like something else entirely. What's your theory?"
"That's the problem, Akane. I don't have one," he admitted, shaking his head. "No anomalies in his labs, no strange reactions. It's just... perfect healing at an impossible rate. It's defying every medical textbook I've ever read."
Just as Akane was about to respond, her phone buzzed loudly. She glanced at the screen, her eyes widening slightly. "Oh, shoot!!
"I gotta take this. It's about that new admission in Neuro. Sounds urgent." She said, giving Dr. Rodriguez an apologetic smile. "I'll catch you later, then. Good luck with your medical mystery!"
With a quick wave, Akane hurried out of the office, leaving Dr. Rodriguez alone with his thoughts and the perplexing report. He sighed heavily, pulling the papers back towards him. After a long silence, a heavy sigh escaped him. "What am I missing?"
Feeling helpless, his eyes soon drifted to the small picture frame on his desk – a photo of him, his wife, and their smiling daughter. A bittersweet smile touched his lips as he picked it up, his thumb tracing the outline of his wife's face. "Oh, Anna…"
"I really missed you," he whispered, his voice thick with a longing he rarely allowed himself to show, a bittersweet smile touching his lips. "If only you were here, you'd know what to do with this. You always had a knack for seeing things I missed, for connecting the dots no one else could."
He closed his eyes for a moment, as the memory of the lab explosion, the one that had stolen her and so many others, still raw and painful even after all this time, resurfaced in his mind. He remembered the chaos, the dust, the desperate hope that had slowly dwindled into despair.
After a long moment, he opened his eyes and gently placed the frame back on his desk, forcing himself to refocus. He took a deep breath, pushing the personal grief aside, at least for now. His gaze fell back to the report, the name "Edwin Malik" still stark at the top.
"Alright, Edwin," he muttered, picking up the pen again. "Let's try this from a different angle."
To Be Continued