Chapter 56: I Believe You

Amanda said nothing, asking in return, "Why do you say that, President Ford?"

"I could tell from your expressions."

If it wasn’t treatable, the expressions you both had when you came out of the study wouldn’t have been so relaxed. Though they were a bit solemn, you didn’t look like you’d reached a dead end.

Most importantly, if you couldn’t treat him, you wouldn’t be in any mood to chat with me right now.

Amanda gently tapped her fingers on the tabletop. Propping her chin in her hand, she looked at him with a knowing smile. "I’m surprised your powers of observation are so sharp, President Ford."

He hadn’t heard a single thing, yet it was as if he’d been privy to their whole conversation. Everything he said was spot on.

Her expression grew serious. "I can treat the Professor’s illness," she said. "What worries me more is whether he and his wife can endure the process."

This is why many doctors don’t reveal the full diagnosis to their patients, especially those with cancer. As long as they’re unaware, they can often hold on for some time. But the moment they find out they have cancer, their spirit just breaks, and the illness deteriorates rapidly.

That’s why she’d been so hesitant to tell him in the first place.

Samuel Ford listened intently. They were sitting close, and he could clearly see the worry in her eyes. ’She really cares about the old headmaster and his wife.’

At this realization, his gaze softened slightly. He took a sip of tea and said, "Since they already know, there’s no point dwelling on what-ifs. Besides, you can cure him, can’t you?"

He looked at her and said slowly, "Once a move is made, you don’t look back."

Hearing this, Amanda looked up at him, truly taking in the legendary President Ford for the first time. ’Such a momentous issue, yet he speaks of it so casually, even comparing it to a board game.’

Amanda let out a long sigh and leaned back in her chair. "I was overthinking things."

’He’s right. If I can cure him, what is there to worry about? As a doctor, letting my own emotions affect my patients would be the very thing that makes them anxious.’

Samuel Ford shook his head gently. "Your concern is clouding your judgment."

’It’s not that she doesn’t know this,’ he thought. ’It’s just that she cares about them, so she can’t be as detached as she normally would.’

’It’s a perfectly normal reaction.’

Once she sorted through her thoughts, Amanda felt the tension leave her. She relaxed considerably. "Thank you for the advice, President Ford. Please, let me get this meal as a thank you."

"Okay." Samuel Ford didn’t argue. "If you need anything from me, don’t hesitate to ask."

"Okay. Then thank you in advance, President Ford."

"Of course."

* * *

The next day, after dropping her child off at kindergarten, Amanda returned to see the old headmaster and his wife waiting for her downstairs.

She hurried over to them. "Professor, Ma’am, when did you arrive?"

The headmaster’s wife, who was helping him stand, offered a strained smile. "We just got here."

Her eyes were still puffy, with dark circles underneath. When Amanda saw the bag of hospital scans in their hands, she understood everything. She reached out to steady the older woman. "Come on, let’s go upstairs."

"Okay."

After pouring them each a glass of water, the headmaster’s wife asked anxiously, "Megan, the Professor told me... you can cure this disease? Is it true?"

She quickly added, "It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just... this is cancer."

The word "cancer" itself is enough to strike fear in anyone.

When her husband told her, she’d been so shocked her mind went completely blank. Even though he kept insisting that Amanda could cure him, a part of her couldn’t help but worry.

Amanda listened patiently, not at all offended. "I can treat it, Ma’am. Please don’t worry. The Professor’s cancer is still in its early stages. You can even look it up—it’s curable."

Her words put the headmaster’s wife a little more at ease. The hospital doctors had said the same thing, which was news to them. ’But for Megan to know it was early stage just from taking his pulse... that proves she really has skill.’

’That’s right,’ she thought. ’She was never one to brag.’

But she still looked at her, puzzled. "Megan, is your method based on traditional Chinese medicine?"

’Taking the pulse... that’s a TCM thing, isn’t it?’

Amanda nodded. Since she was going to be treating the Professor, she needed to explain everything clearly to put them at ease.

"I’ve studied some Western medicine as well, but I plan to primarily use traditional Chinese methods to treat the Professor. At his age, chemotherapy would take a major toll on his body."

"And its effectiveness...?" the headmaster’s wife asked, getting to the most important point.

"It will be a complete cure."

Amanda was resolute, her expression leaving no room for doubt. The headmaster’s wife finally let out a breath she’d been holding. She grasped Amanda’s hand. "Megan, please don’t think I’m being a nag. I’m just so worried about him."

"Of course not," Amanda chuckled, sitting down beside her. "It’s only natural for you to be worried, Ma’am. If you weren’t, the Professor would probably start to worry instead!"

"Exactly!" The old headmaster caught on immediately and chimed in, looking at his wife with a wide grin. "If you hadn’t asked a single thing, I would’ve started to wonder if you’d stopped caring about me."

’Silly old man.’

The headmaster’s wife shot him a glare but couldn’t suppress a smile. "Megan, when can we start?"

’Since I’ve decided to trust her, there’s no more room for hesitation.’

’Once you trust someone, you trust them completely.’

Amanda looked at her, suddenly recalling what the Professor had said. ’She’s actually more decisive than he is.’

’It’s true. His wife is even stronger than I thought.’

Amanda smiled and walked them through the treatment plan. Even knowing they wouldn’t understand the technical details, she did her best to explain it in terms they could follow.

"...So, that’s the general idea. I’ll start with acupuncture to contain the cancer cells and prevent them from spreading. Then, we’ll work on eliminating them little by little. The subsequent course of herbal medicine may take a while, so you’ll need to be mentally prepared for that, Professor."

"Don’t you worry," the old headmaster said, waving a dismissive hand. "I’ve been through plenty in my life. Just give me whatever medicine you need to."

"Alright. In that case, let’s begin today. The sooner we start, the sooner you can rest easy."

"Yes, that makes sense." The old headmaster nodded, his posture showing he was putting his full trust in her. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just lie down flat on your back. Leave the rest to me."

"Okay."

They followed her into another room, which was spotlessly clean. On a table sat a simple, antique-looking case, the kind one might imagine an old-world physician carrying. It clearly had some age to it.

"Professor, you can lie down here," Amanda said, indicating a bed in the room.

"Okay."

His wife helped him over to the bed and lie down. She watched as Amanda opened the case and took out a cloth pouch. Amanda unrolled it, and—good heavens, it was filled with needles of all different lengths and thicknesses. There were far more than she had ever seen the old practitioner at the TCM clinic use.

At that moment, her anxieties completely vanished. Just seeing that professional display told her that Amanda knew exactly what she was doing.

"Ma’am, would you mind waiting outside for me?" Amanda said.

The Professor waved her off as well. "Go on, dear, go rest outside."

The headmaster’s wife was not an unreasonable woman; she knew family members weren’t allowed in an operating room. She nodded and headed out.

Amanda turned to the Professor with a smile. "Don’t be scared, Professor. It’ll only sting a little."

The old headmaster chuckled, at a loss for words for a moment. She was comforting him as if he were a child. "Alright," he said. "Give it your best shot."