The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

That seemed to shake Elias out of his shocked state as he blinked, standing up.

Louis and he were standing opposite each other, close enough for their noses to be just centimetres apart. Though Elias was tall, even now, Louis seemed to slightly tower over him...just like back then.

He internally shook his head, trying to clear the unnecessary thoughts. Was getting his heart broken once not enough for him?

Elias spoke. "...I'll be there in a second-"

His words were cut off as he felt a hand grip his wrist, quite tightly. As if afraid to let go. Or maybe that was just Elias' imagination.

"Not so fast, 'doctor,'" his tone almost felt mocking, but if one listened close enough, they could hear the hint of hurt in it. "Not before you give me a way to contact you again. You don't get to... just leave me hanging. Not this time." His voice was firm and authoritative as his other hand went into his pocket and fished out his phone. He quietly extended it to Elias, the grip on his wrist still as tight as ever. "Your number. The one you won't just...change."

Elias gulped nervously, his gaze traveling from Louis' face to the phone, which was held out expectantly. He felt his fingers move of their own accord as he typed out a number. But Louis didn't loosen his grip.

As if sensing his questioning gaze, he smiled wryly. "I'm afraid I'll have to take more of your precious time, doctor. I have to check, don't I? After all, I don't trust you."

He pressed the call button to see if it'd ring and if Elias had given him the correct number.

A tense moment of silence passed when there was the sound of the ringing of a phone.

"...it is the correct one, huh."

He let go of his hand abruptly. The sudden action seemed to slightly startle Elias, who glanced at the nervous nurse.

Understanding the urgency of the situation, and also wanting to get away from the current one, he hurriedly stepped aside, taking the patient's reports from the nurse and walking out.

Elias stood by the door. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. 'Calm down, they don't know you're their son's 20s fling. You're just his doctor, he's just your patient. Be. Professional.'

He gripped the cold doorknob as he took one last calming breath, opening the door. He approached the bed, forcing himself to look away from the man's face. Yep, not the time, he shouldn't think he was attractive, even if he was. Focus, Elias. No drooling, even if the chin did look like it could cut.

He finally noticed the two people in the room. An older couple, presumably Raphael's parents, who had their eyes on him, casting judging, calculating gazes.

The woman was wearing a dark-colored pantsuit, while the man was in a polo shirt and slacks. Still, it did nothing to make him less intimidating.

He mentally prepared himself, knowing that this was going to be hard, dealing with the family. They were as rich and entitled as they came, but hey, it's not like Elias isn't experienced. Being the best in a field does mean you deal with arrogant people every day.

He approached them, removing his mask, which he'd subconsciously put on along the way. "Hello. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Morgan? I'm Dr. Kang, the one who operated on Mr. Morgan."

The couple eyed him up and down, as if appraising him and calculating his entire worth. At least now he knows where Raphael got his condescending gaze from. The woman was the first to speak, a slight sneer on her face. "I've heard a lot about you, doctor."

The man beside her smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I must say, you're younger than I expected. Are you sure this is something you can handle? After all, he's our only son." He smiled condescendingly, "Wouldn't want to take any chances, you know?"

"...I assure you, I'm fully qualified to handle this case, and you're free to change doctors if you wish." He rolled his eyes internally. Be professional. He continued with a tight smile. "As for the young part—maybe I just have really good skincare."

The man chuckled at that. His wife let out a scoff. "You should be focusing on work more than your skincare, Doctor Kang," she said, her tone cold.

God, they were pissing him off. He replied with a strained smile. "...I could say the same, Mrs. Morgan. Let's focus on your son's condition rather than my age, shall we?"

The woman let out a scoff but didn't reply. The man, though, laughed. "Very funny, doctor. I never knew doctors were such comedians."

They continued to stare at him for a few more moments before the woman spoke again.

"We'll get to the point. We want you to tell us everything—about his condition, the progress, the details, and the results."

Elias nodded. "Okay. Well, the cardiac arrest was due to a thrombus blockage in the coronary artery. The extraction and angiography were successful, and the patient is stable now—"

The two nodded along and seemed satisfied with his explanation, but Raphael's parents didn't seem content yet and cut him off. "We know that, doctor. What we want to know is, will he regain consciousness? Will there be any lasting damage or side effects?"

Elias sighed internally, resisting the urge to rub his temples in annoyance. 'Why ask me if you 'know' everything already?' He mentally prepared himself and began to speak once again. "There is a good chance that the patient's brain hasn't been affected. But we can't say for sure until he wakes up. As for the last part, there are some common side effects such as drowsiness, fatigue, and dizziness, but the symptoms will be mild and shouldn't be a cause for concern. We'll have to keep him under observation for a few days, and he'll need regular checkups for some time to ensure there's no lasting damage."

The couple nodded, their eyes flitting to their son, who lay still on the bed. The woman spoke up again. "We trust that there will be no complications. He's our only child, we've

invested a lot in him. So we can't risk him being harmed."