chapter23

Everyone stared, holding their breath, watching as Lydia placed each needle with steady hands. At first, everyone had their doubts, but those quickly gave way to pure shock.

Cameron watched his father's body loosen up. The lines in his face smoothed out, and he looked... peaceful. Cameron couldn't hide his amazement. "Lydia is just as gifted as Garrett."

Garrett Norwood was already a star in the medical world, and he was still so young.

Honestly, all four Norwood boys were geniuses. Each one seemed even more impressive than the last. Lucinda was smart, sure, but compared to her brothers, she was in a different league.

Sometimes Cameron and Kylie wondered if Lucinda just wasn't as sharp as her brothers, but then again, she was the only girl in the family. She'd always been a little spoiled, the baby of the house, and maybe that explained why she didn't care much for studying.

But now, seeing what Lydia could do, Cameron felt nothing but relief and pride. This was what being a Norwood meant.

Cameron's praise stung Lucinda. Her nails dug into her palms, leaving little crescent marks.

It's just acupuncture, she thought bitterly. There's no guarantee she'll actually save him.

A part of Lucinda, a part she almost didn't recognize, secretly hoped Lydia would fail. She forgot, for a moment, that the person fighting for his life was the grandfather who had always loved her best.

About fifteen minutes passed before Lydia quietly started removing the needles. Mr. Norwood felt like his body had been scrubbed clean from the inside out. All the aches, all the tiredness, just... gone.

He wasn't quite ready to face everyone though, so he decided to pretend to be asleep a little longer.

Everyone watched as Lydia calmly disinfected and packed away her needles. The old man still didn't move. The doubts came creeping back. Had something gone wrong?

"Lydia, why isn't Grandpa waking up? Did you mess up? Is he... paralyzed?" Lucinda's voice rang out, sharp and accusing, almost like she wanted everyone to suspect Lydia.

Lydia zipped her backpack, then glanced at the old man, still lying there with his eyes closed.

"It's time to open your eyes," she called out, her voice cool and even.

Everyone turned to look at Mr. Norwood.

He realized he couldn't keep up the act any longer. With a dramatic sigh, he clutched his chest, let out a couple of groans, and slowly opened his eyes, blinking up at the ceiling. "What... what happened to me?"

He even added a few weak coughs for effect.

Only he knew the truth. He felt amazing, better than he had in years. His body was light, his mind clear, like he'd just discovered a whole new energy inside himself.

He'd actually woken up a while ago, but when he first saw Lydia working over him, he was so shocked he nearly fainted again.

Once he recovered from the surprise, he had to admit, Lydia's acupuncture was on another level. It was almost like a miracle. He could feel the change in his body right away.

Honestly, he just didn't know how to face her, so he'd played dead for as long as he could.

"Dad!"

Cameron and Kylie hurried over, faces full of relief and joy.

"You're alright. You really scared us," Kylie said, her voice still shaking a little.

Cameron nodded. "That was way too close, Dad. Thank goodness for Lydia. I had no idea she was so good at acupuncture. She really brought you back, just like that."

Mr. Norwood's eyes snapped open with new energy. He glared at his son and snorted, What, were you hoping I'd die right here in front of you?"

It was obvious Mr. Norwood was more than fine. If anything, he seemed even healthier than before.

People exchanged glances, stunned. Lydia really was something special. Even if Garrett had been here, it was hard to imagine anyone else pulling off such a recovery for their grandfather.