Chapter 9 HARMLESS INVITATION

ELIAS SAT IN his office, feeling a slight sense of self-doubt. He was not really a doctor, after all. He had not gone through the typical training that normal doctors went through, so he did not truly know what to do in between surgeries.

A small knock came from his door. He immediately reached for the ancient pouch, tucking it into his drawer before the door opened and Harper came in.

"Doctor Barton," she said with a small smile. He nodded at her in acknowledgment.

She stood at the entrance of the office as if hesitating to come in, but after a few seconds, she stepped inside.

"I heard that your first surgery was a success..." she said. "Congratulations."

"The other doctors intentionally did not take that case?" he asked, as a matter of fact.

She looked away and nodded.

"And it was all orders from the head surgeon. Doctor Marcus, am I right?" Elias added.

Harper nodded again.

Elias cursed angrily under his breath. His suspicions had been confirmed.

"Listen, Elias," Harper said, sitting down and leaning forward. "My father approved you to work here. That is why you are here, despite all the checks the board might have wanted to put you through. But Doctor Marcus doesn't like it. He feels as if his authority was undermined."

"How?" Elias asked, genuinely confused.

"Doctor Marcus is the head of the committee that evaluates every applicant and fresh graduate from medical school who wants to work here," Harper explained. "So the fact that my father just picked you, regardless of your background, without any checks and while ignoring Marcus's disapproval... To Marcus, you are proof that my father can erase his authority whenever he wants." She paused. "It made Marcus angry."

"Angry enough to try to sabotage me even before I started?" Elias asked.

"Be prepared, Elias," Harper said. "He can hold a grudge. He will. And, more importantly, he still has a great deal of influence over the other staff."

Elias nodded slowly.

He remembered the nurse from the ER earlier who had helped him.

"I want that Nurse Lilly to be transferred from the ER," he said to Harper. "I want her assigned to my surgical team so she can assist me on my cases."

Harper looked slightly confused by the request, but she nodded.

"I guess I can do that. Staffing falls under my brother's department, but I'll make it happen."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Elias said.

"You didn't do your research on your employers," Harper said with a laugh.

She took out her phone and searched for something on the internet. A few seconds later, she showed him a blazing headline from four years earlier, announcing when Derek Bellamy had been made Head of Administration at his father's medical center.

The article speculated that the position was putting him on the right track to take over the company after his father's death.

Elias glanced at the news quickly before handing the phone back to her.

"I was in prison at the time," he said. "And they don't allow phones or internet browsing."

Harper nodded.

Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say—or ask—something, but she thought better of it.

Instead, she said, "Derek has a very ambitious streak."

"The type of man I would like," Elias said.

Harper shook her head. "Maybe not," she sighed. "In fact, I would advise you to be wary of him. I know he came to welcome you this morning after the board session, but..." She hesitated. "I would advise you to stay clear of him."

Elias laughed and stood up. "I think I can take care of myself, Miss Harper."

"Derek has spent his entire life preparing to inherit this hospital. He doesn't like unexpected people standing between him and anything he believes belongs to him." She got up too, realizing that she was being politely dismissed. As they headed toward the door, she suddenly turned around.

"You should write the report for the surgery you did this morning..."

Elias cocked his head. Master Chen Wei had never taught him how to write a surgical report.

In prison, there had been the long teachings about human anatomy and energy points—which Elias had taken as horseshit at the time—and then the occasional demonstration with a volunteer.

And that was that. No teaching on how to write reports for a board.

"Doctors write reports, Elias," Harper said. "And Doctor Marcus would be glad to add the fact that you delayed in writing yours to his list of complaints against you."

Elias nodded. "Thank you. I will get to it right away."

Even though he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to write.

"And it's Harper. You can call me Harper, not Miss Bellamy," she said with a smirk.

Elias gave her a small nod.

"And get yourself a phone, Doctor," she added before walking out and gently closing the door behind her.

Elias sat there for a few moments before realizing that there was a smile on his lips.

He chuckled and turned to his laptop. He stared at it for several minutes, not knowing where to start.

Elias glanced at the drawer containing Chen Wei's pouch. He certainly couldn't write: Inserted acupuncture needles and transferred internal energy into the patient.

Then, he reached for the phone to dial the ER for Nurse Lilly. She had not been officially transferred yet, but she might as well start working for him now.

Just as he was about to dial, there was another knock on his door, and before he could answer, it opened.

It was Derek Bellamy.

"The newest doctor with the magic touch!" Derek said with a laugh.

Elias extended a hand for a handshake, which Derek took and pumped enthusiastically.

"I heard about what happened in the ER," Derek said. "You sent everyone out and then took care of it on your own."

"How is the patient?" Elias asked.

"Oh, that's your job. It's none of my concern," Derek replied, waving the question aside. "I'm just here to welcome you again. I should have brought a bottle of champagne, but I wasn't sure if you drank."

He paused.

"You know, after all those years locked behind bars like an animal without alcohol, it might be weird for you."

He said it in such a lighthearted tone, with a smile on his lips, that anyone else might have mistaken it for harmless teasing.

But Elias picked up on the subtle menace underneath his words.

Still, he simply said, "I drink alcohol occasionally."

"Occasionally is great," Derek said.

"Let's go out for a drink right now." He looked at his watch. "It's lunchtime. Let's go. We might have something to talk about."

Elias remembered Harper's warning to be wary of Derek.

But a small smile appeared on his lips as he tugged on his jacket and followed Derek out of the office.