Chapter 3: Miracles

Chapter 3: Miracles

Xenia casually discussed with the Board members specific details regarding the healthcare system in the United States as they walked through the hospital lobby.

She noted out loud, “Your system does not seem to be either efficient or productive. Explain to me again why the insurance companies are the gatekeepers to health care affordability?”

The President of the Board stumbled to answer the question, “I’m afraid the answer to that lies in a deeply rooted lobbying position of the insurance companies, and that explanation would come at a much greater cost to your time than we have here today.”

Xenia frowned, “So your entire healthcare system doesn’t put the patient first?” She then playfully laughed and said, “And the world thinks my family is sinister!”

The board members laughed her remarks off knowing them to be both true and embarrassing for their country, and the President said, “Dr. Stone will lead you from here. Again, we are beyond honored to have you here today, and many patients’ lives will change forever from this moment forward, all thanks to you and your great benevolence.”

Xenia curtsied and turned to Dr. Stone, “Who is our first patient? I am an honorary doctor myself in my Empire you know.”

Dr. Stone led her away as he said, “In that case I shall introduce you as Dr. BloodStar to our patients! Our first patient – ”

Xenia abruptly cut him off, “There! There is our first patient!”

She rushed over to an elderly man struggling to take a few steps up a shallow stepway in the atrium. “Hello, sir. I am Dr. BloodStar. If I didn’t know better, you have a severe case of arthritis.”

The elderly man smirked and said, “Oh a smart young doctor. Are you a resident physician? Your teachers tell me I have osteoarthritis from aging. An elderly gentleman such as myself at the old age of 79 has his joints worn down. My cartilage is all but missing in my knees, spine, shoulder, and more they say. Its bone on bone, and the pain makes for a tough day of getting around.”

Dr. Stone scurried over and said, “Ah yes, but we have great medicines to relieve the pain on a daily basis! Come now Dr. BloodStar, I’d like to show you our first patient.”

Xenia sternly corrected Dr. Stone, “As I said Dr. Stone, this is our first patient.” She then asked the old man to take a seat in the lobby, and she asked, “Would you like for me to cure your arthritis?”

The old man laughed and said, “Why I would love that, but you shouldn’t get an old man’s hopes up like that!”

She smiled and said, “You just relax. You literally won’t feel a thing.” She then put her hand over his chest softly pressing against it and a blinding white light formed around her palm. She held it there with an air of focus about her as the white light began to course through her palm and into the elderly man’s body. The man’s surface veins began to light up with a white luster as the energy filled his entire vascular system before seeping out into his soft tissue and bones.

She looked up at his astonished face and said, “This is my energy, my ki. I am giving some of it to you.”

The elderly man was still stunned, “Ki? But such a powerful ki? How? And it isn’t destructive? That would make you one of the most gifted ki users in the entire world!”

She smiled up at him and said, “Oh I know.”

After 30 seconds, she removed her hand and said, “Well, try these steps again. How do you feel?”

The elderly man stood up and moved his limbs as if observing his brand-new body, “I feel... I feel... I feel like I’m 18 years old again!” He then bounded up the step and jumped back down. “Not a single iota of pain! My God, you really have cured my arthritis!”

She gave him a stern look and said, “Your arthritis is cured, yes. But there are a few side-effects you should know about.”

The elderly man paused. He knew this was too good to be true and braced himself for what dastardly side effects there may be.

She continued, “My ki energy is used to increase the longevity of warriors in my country. Your superstar football and basketball athletes would kill to have the same treatment you just received. Now, your joints are fully restored. Your cartilage is as fluffy as it was 60 years ago, and it won’t be deteriorating any time soon. But... my energy actually wasn’t specifically targeted to your joints. It coursed through your entire body. As a side effect...”

The remainder of the afternoon was spent touring the hospital seeing several VIP patients of differing ailments including chronic heart failure, end-stage renal disease on dialysis, stroke, metastatic cancer, and more.

Xenia finally said, “Phew, a girl sure does get tired with all of this work!”

At the hint of fatigue from her, the lead secret service agent stepped in, “Princess Xenia, I would like to escort you to your hotel for the evening so that you may rest if you will? Have you seen enough patients for the day?”

She looked to the secret service agent and began to speak when a team of trauma surgeons rushed by yelling, “Motor vehicle accident involving two cars. Severe internal bleeding and several dead on arrival. Call the vascular team!”

Xenia stopped herself before speaking and then said, “One last stop. Take me to the Emergency Department.”

Dr. Stone sheepishly looked at the secret service agent and then to Xenia, “Right this way Princess BloodStar.”

He rushed down the hallway in pursuit of the surgeons with Xenia close behind. They arrived in the Emergency Department to find a trauma surgeon and her team of residents preparing a semi-sterile field with the intent of performing emergency surgery in the trauma bay. The surgeon yelled, “We do not have time to transfer this patient. All evidence thus far points to a complete traumatic transection of the aorta. Every second counts!”

The surgeon prepped her scalpel and motioned to make her first incision; however, at the last moment, Xenia inserted her hand into the pathway and onto the patient’s abdomen. The surgeon accidentally punctured Xenia’s hand and looked up in rage.

“Get this bitch out of my trauma bay! You are interfering with surgery and may cost this man his life! Someone will see to your minor injury.” The surgeon was furious to have been interrupted and injured someone knowing it would lead to many headaches for her including injury reports and possible mention at mortality and morbidity conference if this patient died, and he likely would.

Xenia paid the surgeon no mind infuriating her even more. She looked down at Xenia’s hand and noted a white light entering the patient’s body, but also rapidly healing Xenia’s puncture wound on her hand. In seconds, it was as if the wound was never there.

The surgeon was confused, and she hesitated before throwing a tantrum over Xenia still being present and even continuing to ignore her. She then observed the glowing white light to be coursing through the patient’s body along the superficial vessels.

The resident on the case called out, “Blood pressure stabilizing, pulse stable, oxygen saturation normal... this patient has completely normal vital signs now...”

Xenia removed her hand from the patient’s abdomen as the patient sat up on the trauma bay table. Xenia pat him on the back and said, “Welcome back! We almost lost you there.”

The room was stunned and silent. Everyone including Dr. Stone looked to her in amazement and yet also disbelief. In the silence, Xenia heard the cries and sniffles of a woman in the adjacent trauma bay.

As Xenia looked back in the direction of the cries, the surgeon finally called out to her, “I don’t know what miracle you have performed here with your ki, but the patient next door has specifically asked to be left alone. She requests time to grieve for her dead infant. Her infant’s spine was crushed in the car accident.”

Xenia said, “Dead? Are you sure?”

The surgeon nodded, “We assessed that patient first before you arrived. There can be no question. Dead.”

Xenia smiled and said, “I’d like to see for myself.”

The surgeon and Dr. Stone yelled after her, “Don’t go! You will only cause that poor mother more pain!”

However, Xenia had already entered through the curtain. The surgeon, Dr. Stone, residents, nurses, and freshly resuscitated patient all looked on speechless at Xenia’s reckless actions.

Mere seconds after entering the room, Xenia let out a loud determined cry. At that moment the onlookers saw a blinding white light fill the entire room as it shone through the curtain. The white light was so bright, they all had to shield their eyes from it as they tried to peek through their fingers to catch a glimpse of the events taking place.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the blinding white lights disappeared. A loud ‘thunk’ was heard as if a body had fallen to the floor. This sound was immediately followed by a loud shriek from the grieving mother which quickly turned into a full ensemble of various cries and sobs.

The team looked around at one another eventually looking to Dr. Stone for their next cue. However, just as he was about to speak... a soft coo came from the adjacent trauma bay. A coo that could only be made by a comforted, loved, and very much alive... baby infant.