Page 237 of Scarbound

Dr. Daniels’ expression tightened. “That concerns me.”

Duri looked at him. “Does he have to go to hospital?”

“I’m going to assess him first. But I want to be clear. If I see signs that suggest a significant head injury, severe dehydration, internal injury, or anything I can’t safely evaluate here, we don’t negotiate. He goes.”

Ji-Woo nodded immediately. “Understood.”

Duri looked toward the bed. “What if he refuses?”

“If he has the capacity to make that decision, we respect it.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then we deal with that if we get there.”

Dr. Daniels set his bag down. “Right now, I need information. Medication. Medical conditions. Allergies.”

“Dr. Kim knows his psychiatric medication,” Duri said.

“Good. Ask her to call me.”

Ji-Woo pulled out his phone.

Dr. Daniels stopped him briefly. “And tell her exactly what happened. I need to know what medication he’s taken recently, whether anything was interrupted, and what his baseline mental state was before this.”

Ji-Woo nodded.

Within minutes, Dr. Daniels had spoken briefly with Dr. Kim. Then he entered the bedroom.

Duri followed. Ji-Woo remained near the doorway.

Dr. Daniels stopped several feet from the bed. Noeul was asleep, or appeared to be. The doctor watched his breathing first. Then his color. The bandage on his head. The injured wrists visible above the blanket.

He did not touch him.

“Has he been trembling like that the entire time?”

Duri looked down. Small shudders moved intermittently through Noeul’s body.

“Yes.”

“And the way he keeps drifting away?”

“Since we found him.”

Dr. Daniels nodded. “I’m going to start with the least invasive things I can.”

Duri glanced at him. “Can you examine him without waking him?”

“I can observe him and check some things carefully. But I’m not going to examine someone who is asleep or too overwhelmed to consent simply because it’s convenient.”

Duri nodded slowly.

Dr. Daniels continued. “If he wakes, let him see who is here before anyone touches him. One person speaks at a time.”

Ji-Woo swallowed. “Will he be okay?”

The doctor looked at Noeul for a long moment. “I don’t know yet.”