"Smoking?" Luca's voice was raised a few pitches higher. If what Johann said was true, then Leia had really made a
big mistake.
Luca knew Leia had the habit of smoking, but she should have quit smoking after knowing that she was sick. She
asked, "Hasn't she quit smoking yet?"
"Yes, but she smoked a cigarette after the woman convinced her to do so. That one cigarette almost took her life
away. The nurse persuaded her not to smoke in a serious tone. She was unconvinced, but she stubbed out the
cigarette when she had smoked half of it. The nurse took the rest of the cigarette out of her ward. The doctor on
duty saw it and asked the nurse to keep the rest of the cigarette. If anything happened to the patient, this would be
considered evidence. I bet you know why," Johann explained to her.
For someone with a social status like Leia, if something happened to her and the doctor could not find out the
reason, everything she did and every meal she took might become the reason.
It was because the doctor on duty yesterday was attentive enough and that was why they were able to know why
Leia's condition worsened.
"Was it because of that cigarette?" Luca wondered. She never heard that Leia had any friends here after she came
back.
Although Leia had left the entertainment industry, she took advantage of Jack's fame. Hence, many men were
willing to be in a relationship with her. However, Leia secretly came back here this time. Luca never saw anyone
visiting her. After all, it had been kept a secret when she was admitted to the hospital.
"Yes. The head nurse mentioned this to me after she was rescued. Then, I took the cigarette to the lab and asked
them to examine it. Although the cigarette is available in the market, two types of herbs were added to the
cigarette. Here's the result." Johann handed Luca another hard copy report.
Luca knew about herbal medicine and pharmacology. She was able to understand it with just a glance, so Johann
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtdid not say anything much about it.
Luca frowned when she looked at the ingredients on the report. Many people were smoking cigarettes for kicks
these days. They would add some herbal ingredients to the cigarettes too. People would usually get a thrill after
smoking the cigarette, and it worked better than coffee in lifting one's spirits.
However...
The ingredients of the herbs could damage the organs in the human body once they were taken excessively.
Although they were herbal ingredients, they also contained poison.
Leia ended up like this only because she smoked cigarettes that were added with the herbs.
"Does that friend of hers intend to harm her?" Luca asked.
"I'm not sure about that, but the nurse told me that Leia seems to know that something was added to the cigarette.
She emphasized that it could lift someone's spirits. She can't get it in the market, and she even refused to
surrender her cigarette to the nurse at first..." replied Johann. He had seen many patients who had made mistakes
that affected their health, but he had never seen someone make such a big mistake.
Luca put the report down and shook her head. The cigarette was not supposed to be so harmful, but Leia was a
patient now. Her body's reaction to such things was strong if she used them.
"Dr. Park, do you think I can perform dry needling on her?" Luca asked. She was lacking confidence.
“I think you can give it a try. Actually, other than performing dry needling on her and giving her medications, there's
no other way to treat her. Once she stops taking the medications, I assume that she'll be transferred to the ICU
right away,” answered Johann. He believed in Luca's skills.
"Let me give it a try, then.." Luca let out a sigh.
"I requested this document from the director of the hospital. You're allowed to perform the procedure on her now."
Johann took the related document out. He knew Luca would not decline Queenie's request.
Queenie wanted to save Leia, and Luca was her only hope.
"You're fully prepared for this," Luca said self-deprecatingly. It would be great if she could help Leia, but if things did
not turn out well, she could not bear to see Queenie being sad.
"These are the basics for a doctor." Johann put on his white coat and walked out of his office together with Luca. "I
was about to get off work. There's no operation today. Dr. Craw, you don't mind if I learn some techniques from
you, right?"
"I don't mind," replied Luca. She thought that she might be able to find some confidence in herself with Johann by
her side.
The two of them came to Leia's ward.
Queenie was not the only one in Leia's ward. There was another woman there.
Luca's gaze fell on that woman, and she frowned.
Johann looked at the woman who came and furrowed his brows. Then, he shot a glance at Luca. The woman looked
similar to Luca.
However, it was not a strange thing. There were many people in the country, and there could be people who bore a
resemblance to another person, especially their eyes.
Besides, this was not how Luca looked in the past. It seemed like that woman had done plastic surgery before. That
was why they look similar to each other. It was normal.
"Mrs. Norman, this is." Luca frowned and asked.
"Oh, she's Leia's friend. She came to visit her yesterday." Queenie sniffed. Queenie was worried when she saw Luca
and Johann coming here together. She was afraid that they would bring bad news to her.
"Yesterday?" Johann frowned. Leia had been staying in the hospital for such a long time. Other than the Norman
family, who was taking care of her, no one else came to visit her. Only one other woman had come to visit her, and
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmthat was yesterday.
One cigarette from that woman made Leia end up in this situation. She could no longer easily get out of bed.
Mandy looked at Johann. A hint of admiration flashed across her eyes. She considered herself lucky these days as
she kept running into handsome men. Furthermore, they were young, wealthy, and goodlooking men.
“Hello, I'm Leia's friend. May I know what happened to her? Wasn't she doing well yesterday? Why did —" Mandy
expressed her concern for Leia.
"You're the one who gave Ms. Norman the cigarette, right?" Luca interrupted her with a cold voice. The woman did
not leave a good impression on her.
Mandy was startled for a moment, and she gave Luca a dirty look. Who was this woman? Why was she here
questioning her? She was not wearing a white coat, so it looked like she was not a doctor.
"What do you mean?" Queenie frowned and asked. She had no idea what happened yesterday.
"Yesterday, Ms. Norman smoked a cigarette. The cigarette is the reason that caused her liver failure. You're the one
who gave it to her, right?" Luca looked at Mandy. This woman had this seductive aura on her as though she could
easily charm a man.
However, what Luca hated was not the alluring aura that she gave off but the troubles she had caused for the
Norman family.
Mandy was about to deny it when Johann chimed in, "Although there are no security cameras in the ward, cameras
are everywhere outside the ward. The nurse who was on duty yesterday can prove it too. Miss, do you know that
the cigarette you gave Ms. Norman is the reason why she became like this now?"
Mandy took a step backward and immediately shook her head. "I don't. The cigarette? Leia told me that she was
craving a cigarette and she wanted to smoke. I didn't know things would end up like this..."
"You let Leia smoke?" Queenie widened her eyes, refusing to believe what she had heard. The gentleness she used
to have was no longer on her pale-looking face, and she questioned Mandy, "How could you let Leia smoke a
cigarette when she's already in such a condition?!"
Mandy did not expect a cigarette to put Leia on the verge of death. She slowly explained, "It was just an ordinary
cigarette. Besides, cigarettes affect the lungs, not the organs in the human body. Is this the nonsense the doctors
are coming up with to shirk the responsibility of failing to save her?"