The Jailhouse Physician

Author: Quinn

Chapter 1: The Fallen Family

Words : 1897 Updated : Jul 31st, 2025

"You little punk!" On the beach, Laila was draped in a long, red, sheer dress that only half-covered her, her curves looking even more tempting in the dim light. She turned her face slightly, her face stunningly beautiful. Her watery eyes were full of charm, and her pouty red lips, tinged with a bit of playful annoyance and resentment. "You know how strong you are, and you still hit me that hard. Are you really in that much of a hurry to meet your girlfriend?" Laila huffed, her nose scrunching in mock disapproval. At the mention of his girlfriend, Pierce Jackson's heart skipped a beat, and he stopped what he was doing. "It's been three years. It's about time I return." Pierce felt a glimmer of hope inside. "I need to go see my parents. I haven't given them a word these past three years." Three years ago, Pierce graduated from Tepvine Medical University and was interning at a hospital with his girlfriend, Estella Lewis. One night after a shift, he stumbled upon a thug harassing her. Filled with fury, Pierce beat the assailant. Pierce was sentenced to five years for severely injuring someone. He spent three years in Hillridge Prison. On his first day, he met his mentor and began cultivating his skills in medicine and martial arts. Later, he joined the Tenent, and eventually became the new Prison Emperor. Beating Laila was the only way he could leave Hillridge Prison. "You're right." Laila nodded slowly, the tension heavy in the air. Suddenly, she arched an eyebrow and asked, "Little punk, does your girlfriend have a better figure than me?" "Aren't I gentle enough?" Pierce flushed. "Laila, please don't tempt me. I don't want to get in trouble. I'm afraid Master will break my legs if he finds out." "Tch!" "Aren't you strong? Why are you afraid of Master?" ... The next morning at nine, Tepvine Airport. Pierce slowly emerged, carrying a worn canvas bag. His skin was tanned, his crew cut made him look extra sharp, and his gaze was intense. "Harmony Residence." He told the taxi driver his destination and looked out the window, marveling at how much Tepvine had changed over the past three years. "I wonder if Mom and Dad are well. They probably resent me." Three years ago, Pierce was a prodigy excelling in every aspect, the pride of his parents. And then, he went to prison. Memories played through his mind like a movie. The taxi stopped at Harmony Residence. Looking at the dilapidated door, Pierce calmed himself before knocking. Creak! With barely any effort, the rusty iron door creaked open. "Mom." Pierce stepped inside and saw a woman huddled in the corner, her hair all gray, her face drawn and tired. At one glance, Pierce could tell many ailments plagued her. "Pierce?" Elena turned around slowly, stunned, looking at him in disbelief as if she had seen a ghost. "Pierce, my son, is it you?" "Mom!" Pierce rushed over and hugged his mother, his heart aching like it was being stabbed with needles. His mother was only fifty, but she appeared to be in her seventies. Her steps were unsteady, her back hunched. "Mom, it's me, it's me!" "You're back, that's all that matters." Tears streamed down Elena's face as she cupped Pierce's face, patting his shoulder heavily, a light finally returning to her clouded eyes. Inside the house, Elena poured him a cup of hot tea. "Pierce, weren't you sentenced to five years? How are you out already?" Elena remembered how her son was sentenced for injuring someone when the victim refused mediation. "I'm a doctor. I helped a lot of people in prison, so they reduced my sentence." Tenent was a secret, so Pierce made up a lie. But he was curious. Why had their home fallen into such disrepair? Harmony Residence, though in an urban village, was a prosperous part of the old city. The Jackson family had practiced medicine for generations and was well-off. "Mom, is Dad at the clinic? Will he be home for lunch? Are my brother and sister-in-law doing well at work? Dallas should be in kindergarten, right?" Pierce couldn't help but ask. "How has Estella treated you and Dad these three years?" At the mention, Elena's tears returned. "Your brother and sister-in-law are gone. Their car plunged into the Chanse River, and their bodies were never found. Your dad..." "Arthur Jackson, get out of here! I don't believe you can hide forever!" At that moment, the yard gate burst open, and a shout rang out. Pierce's brows knitted, ready to confront them. Arthur Jackson was his father, and he wouldn't tolerate such insults. "Don't!" Elena's face changed, hurriedly pushing Pierce into the bedroom, her expression frantic. "Quick, hide under the bed. Don't come out unless I call you. They won't hurt an old woman. Hurry, hide..." Crash! The wooden door shattered, and three shirtless thugs with cigarettes barged in. "Hide? Let's see where you hide. I saw you come back, and you still want to... Huh? You're not Arthur Jackson! You're his son?" The leader, the blond thug, stared at Pierce in surprise. "Yeah. I'm Arthur Jackson's son, Pierce." Pierce suppressed the rising anger, his gaze like a blade. "Pay up!" The blond thug extended his hand to Pierce. "Your father owes Mr. Nino twenty thousand, overdue for ten days. Either pay up or pack your belongings and leave. The house is ours now." "Twenty thousand? My dad borrowed that?" Pierce's brows furrowed, turning incredulous at his mother. "Mom, did Dad borrow money? Our clinic's always done well, why borrow?" Pierce pressed for answers. "Dallas fell ill with acute leukemia, but your dad couldn't give up. After all, Dallas was the only child left from your brother and sister-in-law. So he borrowed five thousand from the loan sharks." Elena couldn't hide it, recounting the family's upheaval. "Kid, pay up. We don't have time to mess around." The blond thug urged, "Debts have to be paid. Don't push your luck." "We'll pay you back." Pierce's heart was bleeding as he tried to hold back the pain of everything his family had been through. "But give me some time, I just got back." "Cut the crap, that's the same excuse your father used. Can't you come up with something new at least? You're just like your crippled old man!" The blond thug exploded, swearing profusely. "Crippled?" Pierce's whole body shook. He nearly lost his balance. "What happened to Dad?" "Two years ago, after your brother and sister-in-law's accident, your dad got money from the bank and was robbed on the way." Elena couldn't stop crying. Every single thing that had happened in the last three years felt like a knife cutting into her heart. "Your dad resisted, but was beaten, his leg broken, and he got stabbed in the stomach. If not for a timely rescue, he might not have made it." "Enough of the sob stories, so much nonsense!" The blond thug grew impatient. "We're not here for your sob stories. Pay up, or pack your belongings and leave! The house belongs to us now." "Get out!" Pierce's heart twisted in agony, unable to breathe. Returning after three years to find his family in ruins, how could he show kindness to loan sharks? If he hadn't been holding himself back, he might have snapped and killed someone. "What? You dare tell me to get out? I'll beat you!" The blond thug hesitated, then swung a fist at Pierce's face. "Don't hit my son!" Without thinking, Elena's frail body threw itself in front of Pierce to protect him.

The Jailhouse Physician

Chapter 1: The Fallen Family

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