<b>Chapter </b>43


    Autumn and winter always brought a surge in illnesses, and Elissa had just finished three grueling days of back–to–back clinic appointments. Only now were the extra walk–in patients beginning <i>to </i>thin out.


    “Thank you, Dr. Elissa. Every time I begged for ast–minute slot, you always squeezed me in.”


    It was finally an afternoon off, yet Elissa was still in the clinic, performing acupuncture on a patient. The womany on the treatment table, gratitude lining her tired face as Elissa worked.


    She was nearing fifty–a long–term patient with severe kidney disease. Life hadn’t been kind: she’d lost her only child in midlife, and her husband was a mean–spirited man. Every visit meant waking before dawn, catching two buses and three subway trains from the outskirts just to make it downtown.


    Perhaps it was the healer’s heart, or maybe something more personal, but Elissa felt a wave of tenderness. She smiled and said, “No need to thank me. Youe here and pay for treatment, I do my job and help you get


    better. That’s how it should be.”


    The woman dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “Your receptionist told me… Every time, you’ve paid out of your own pocket to give me a discount on my prescriptions. And you’ve never once charged me for the


    acupuncture.”


    Elissa’s hand paused for a brief moment, but her next movements were steady and precise. After expertly cing a dozen needles, she hesitated, then gave a soft smile, admitting her own private reason. “If my mother were still alive, she’d be about your age.”


    She let the words settle, then gathered herself and instructed, “If you need anything, just press the call button. I’ll be back in thirty minutes to remove the needles.”


    By the time her workday ended, it was nearly three in the afternoon.


    <b>1/3 </b>


    12.12


    Starving, Elissa ducked into a nearby noodle shop for a quick meal, then called Tanya Foster. When she learned Tanya was busy with clients at herw firm, Elissa decided not to head home just yet. She picked up some fruit and went to visit Jacqueline.


    To her surprise, Aaron was home as well.


    The old couple greeted her warmly. “Weren’t you working today? The nurses were saying in the group chat that you’ve been swamped. Aren’t you tired? And you still found time to visit us two old folks?”


    “I mostly came to see Jacqueline,” Elissa replied, setting down the fruit and slipping her arm through Jacqueline’s with a grin. “I promised her I’de by and give her a facial this week.”


    Elissa had always been fascinated by traditional medicine–especially making her own botanical skincare. The creams and balms she concocted during her downtime were legendary; her colleagues at the clinic were always begging for her next batch. But Jacqueline was the only one she’d ever pamper personally.


    Jacqueline shot her husband a triumphant look. “Hear that? She’s here for


    me, not you.”


    Aaron feigned offense. “Ungrateful girl! You never know who’s the king around here.”


    Jacquelineughed. “Oh? Then tell me–which of us is the king?”


    “Obviously, I am–or, well, maybe I’m the prince,” Aaron conceded, ever the doting husband.


    Elissa couldn’t help butugh and slipped into Aaron’s custom–built apothecary, a room that never failed to amaze her. Every shelf was lined with rare and precious ingredients.


    She opened the cabs and began selecting ingredients–poria, ginseng, angelica, and a dozen others–retrieving the tools she kept stored there and losing herself in the ritual of mixing and grinding.


    Halfway through, Jacqueline poked her head in. “Elissa, how about sweet


    512


    12:12 #


    and sour ribs for dinner? If you’re in the mood, I’ll get your teacher to cook


    them himself.”


    Elissa’s face lit up. “Yes, please! It’s been ages since I’ve tasted his cooking.”


    She’d been nine when she first started apprenticing under Aaron, learning everything from identifying herbs topounding remedies. Holidays had always meant early mornings andte nights at the clinic; Rowan would drop her off and pick her up, day in and day out. Later, she’d learned to make her way on her own.


    Jacqueline, who’d always longed for a daughter but only had one son, couldn’t help but dote on Elissa from the start. She knew every one of Elissa’s favorite dishes by heart.


    “All right, you keep working in here. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready,” Jacqueline said, smiling as she closed the door behind her.


    Elissa might have started making these potions just to pass the time, but there was no denying it–when it came to talent, some people really were born with a gift.