Abigail’s emotions were nearing a breakdown. She clutched her chest, unable to speak for a long time, her face flushed red, her lips turning purple, and her hands trembling uncontrollably.
Sophia frowned and said, “Elias, help your mother sit down!”
Following her gaze, Elias noticed his mother’s abnormal complexion. He recalled how, since the child’s illness, his mother had been staying up late to take care of the child, often appearing dazed and exhausted. This made him worry.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
He and his wife supported Abigail, helping her sit down.
Abigail kept shaking her head, panting heavily, and said, “Don’t worry about me! Go find a doctor to save the child! What sin has our family committed? Such a good child has become a fool! He doesn’t understand anything to this day! It’s truly a punishment!”
As Abigail sat down, she suddenly broke into uncontrollable sobs. Sophia noticed the situation worsening and quickly took out acupuncture needles, inserting them into Abigail’s acupuncture points. Soon, Abigail’s head and arms were covered with fine needles. At first, she resisted slightly, but after about ten minutes, her condition improved significantly. She calmed down, and even her eyes seemed different from before.
Abigail, startled by her own behavior, realized how frightening she had just been.
“What happened to me?”
Although she didn’t believe that someone as young as Sophia could be a miraculous doctor, her upbringing prevented her from voicing any harsh remarks. Besides, her previous hysterical state, almost like being possessed, was undeniable.
Sophia checked her pulse and stated, “You haven’t been resting well for a long time, your body is weak, and menopause is approaching. You’ll need to be more mindful in the future.”
“Menopause?”
“Yes.” Sophia noted down her symptoms and a prescription, then asked, “Did you have a major hemorrhage more than twenty years ago?”
Hearing this, Abigail’s back turned cold, and a chill spread across her entire body.
“How… how do you know?”
“Mom, is this true?” Elias also asked.
Abigail sighed. Recalling that winter, her mood sank. After giving birth to Elias, she had planned to have another child. However, that winter was particularly cold, with ice thick enough to drive cars on. Despite wrapping herself in a military coat, she couldn’t keep warm. Near her due date, she had been staying home, preparing for the birth. That night, her husband didn’t return until very late, and she, worried something had happened to him, ventured out into the snowy rain with an umbrella. She slipped on the icy road, causing complications with the pregnancy. At the hospital, she suffered a massive hemorrhage and barely survived, but the child was lost. She was devastated, and her husband, filled with guilt, treated her with extra care in the years that followed, strengthening their relationship.
“I was pregnant then. People said it was a girl, but she wasn’t born,” Abigail paused, still in disbelief. “How could you tell?”
Sophia nodded. “Many skeptics think traditional medicine is mystical, but at a certain level of mastery, identifying such details is entirely possible. Recognizing a hemorrhage from over twenty years ago is just an ordinary skill.”
“That hemorrhage damaged your vital energy. Although you’ve been recuperating, your body hasn’t fully recovered. While you were younger, it wasn’t noticeable, but now that you’re older, the issues are surfacing.”
“Is that so?” Abigail murmured, still stunned by Sophia’s words.
To diagnose an old injury from over two decades ago through pulse-taking—how could that not seem mystical?
Now, Abigail realized that Sophia wasn’t an ordinary doctor. Many so-called traditional medicine practitioners her age didn’t even know how to take a pulse, yet she surpassed many seasoned experts.
“Mom, I told you Dr. Smith is amazing!” Elias said enthusiastically. He had thoroughly researched her reputation beforehand; otherwise, he wouldn’t have trusted her to treat his family. Besides, even if others doubted, could they doubt Scott Livinus? The Scott family specialized in medicinal herbs and had connections with many national-level medical masters. If they didn’t recommend anyone else but specifically brought in Sophia, there was only one explanation: Sophia’s medical skills were exceptional!
At this moment, Elias’s wife, Freya, anxiously said, “Dr. Smith, please go in quickly! My daughter’s condition is very bad!”
Sophia agreed and entered the room, followed closely by Scott Livinus.
Elias’s daughter, Danielle, was only a year and a half old. She had a round face, was slightly chubby, and had large eyes. However, she often stared blankly at people, occasionally twitching, sticking out her tongue, and shaking her head incessantly. Something was clearly amiss.
Typically, a one-and-a-half-year-old child would already be interacting with people, expressing emotions through various actions, laughing and playing, and possibly even saying simple words or phrases. Children who were quick learners might even recite simple rhymes or count numbers. Even slower learners would at least be babbling single syllables and walking steadily. Danielle, however, exhibited none of these behaviors.
Danielle struggled to stand; her hands twitched continuously, her jaw clenched tightly, and she looked at people with a dull, lifeless expression. She lacked the vibrancy and innocence of a typical child, appearing instead to be mentally impaired.
After observing her for a moment, Sophia asked, “How long has this been happening?”
“It wasn’t noticeable at birth, but as she grew older, we started to see something was wrong,” Elias sighed. “The hospital diagnosed her with incomplete brain development and said her intelligence would never reach a normal level. They predicted she’d grow up mentally challenged. But how can we parents give up hope? I can’t accept my daughter being declared a fool at such a young age. She’s so adorable, even though she’s a bit slow. She’s so caring; when her mother cries, she wipes her tears.”
Freya’s eyes welled up with tears at his words.
A mother carrying her child for ten months only to face this situation—her pain was immeasurable.
“Dr. Smith, is there no way to treat incomplete brain development?”
Sophia didn’t immediately say yes or no. Instead, she moved closer to the child and listened to her breathing.
“Is she running a fever?”
“Yes.” Freya checked her temperature with an ear thermometer. “40 degrees. Her condition was relatively stable before, but now she has a high fever, phlegm in her throat, poor complexion, and abnormal stool—she’s been having diarrhea.”
