Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 268: Can You Say The Same?

Chapter 268: Can You Say The Same?

"No!" he insisted, becoming more and more worried about his plan to keep the child. If Wang Tian Mu weren’t interested in the child, he would have to keep one of the women alive to be able to look after him... and he really didn’t want to take that chance.

He was worried that the abuse and neglect that he saw now would just continue if the child weren’t taken out of harm’s way.

But it was the middle of the zombie apocalypse; there was no longer a safe place to raise a child.

"I see," replied Wang Tian Mu, nodding her head. "Then, of course, he can stay with us."

That was one of the things that Cheng Bo Jing loved about the woman in front of him. He didn’t have to ask; she already knew what was on his mind.

"Sorry," she continued, shrugging. "I was a little stressed when you weren’t where you were supposed to be, and no one could find you."

"That’s all his fault," grunted Ye Yao Zu and Cheng Bo Jing, pointing at each other. "It was his decision to come," they continued, their words perfectly in sync.

"Tell the truth," growled Cheng Bo Jing, glaring at his friend. He didn’t care that they were still in a disagreement with a psychotic woman and cannibalistic survivors; he wasn’t willing to be blamed for this side quest.

"But if you hadn’t agreed with my suggestion, we wouldn’t be here right now," answered Ye Yao Zu smugly.

"But you are our official second in command after Bai Long Qiang. Technically, a suggestion from you isn’t really a suggestion at all," countered Cheng Bo Jing, putting his foot down.

"And where am I on this team hierarchy?" asked Wang Tian Mu, cocking her head to the side and looking at the arguing me.

-----

It was always one of those things that I wondered: where I actually fit into the team. I knew that Bai Long Qiang had formed the team in the military because each one of the men had a set of skills that most others didn’t.

But now that Bin An Sha was part of them, they no longer needed a doctor or medic on the team... so where did I fit?

And don’t get me wrong... I’m not crying or pouting or wanting to be part of the cool crowd. I think that everyone on a team needs to have a purpose. A spot that was specific for you that you could do better than anyone.

For me, that was to heal those that were sick or injured. As a kid, when Bai Long Qiang and Ye Yao Zu were planning the team, I had always assumed that my place would be the doctor.

Letting out a long sigh when the silence spread out a bit too much, I turned my attention to the woman who had technically kidnapped my men.

"Ouch, that must hurt, not knowing your place. But at least you know that with that many men, you can always spread your legs to earn a living," shrugged the woman, a smirk on her face. She was surrounded by her people, confident that she was still in control.

It seemed like no matter how many times the guys told her that she was dying, she just couldn’t understand.

"Does this make you feel better about yourself?" I asked, walking over to the small campfire in the middle of a storeroom. The whole thing reminded me of a cross between a Costco and a Cabela’s that we had in Canada when I was growing up.

But like 100 times bigger.

"What are you talking about?" asked the woman, the smirk on her face never leaving. She reminded me a lot of Ye Mei Hui from high school. The popular girl who made sure everyone else knew she was the popular girl.

"Does it make you feel better by putting other women down? Reducing an entire sex down to... well... sex?" I asked, seriously interested in the answer.

In my first life, I never had the time to make friends, and in my second life, all of my friends revolved around Bai Long Qiang, and not a single one was a girl. When I got out into the workforce, I was never on the same level as the rest of my co-workers, and they tended to avoid me like the plague.

I didn’t know if this was the usual way two women interacted with each other. But it did suck.

"Ah," the woman nodded sagely. "Is this where you and I are supposed to bond together because we both have boobs and a pussy?"

"And there you go again, reducing us to nothing more than body parts," I replied with a sigh. "Whatever. I am starting to question my intelligence the longer this conversation lasts."

"You and Father must be in a relationship. The two of you are too pure and idealistic, perfect for each other, but will be swallowed up by the world the second you are left to your own devices," continued the woman, trying to land shot after shot at me.

But she didn’t seem to understand one crucial piece of information. I needed to care about her opinion to be willing to take offense to it.

In my first life, there was the expression: "Opinions are like assholes; everyone has one."

My brain immediately concluded that if opinions were like assholes, then what came out was nothing more than shit. I didn’t need to take someone else’s shit into my life, think about it, worry about it, or ’digest’ it to know that it was shit.

To me, it wasn’t worth it.

"We are in a relationship," I smiled... I might want to be perfect, to not let anything bother me, but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t human. I wouldn’t be able to sleep well if I didn’t take a couple of shots of my own. "But I am also in a relationship with him, him, him, him, him, and him," I continued going around the room and pointing to each one of the men I considered to be mind.

The woman blinked, not sure what to say or how to react for a few minutes. "Wow... so you really are a whore. Nice to know I got it right."

"Sure," I nodded. "But at the end of the day, I know that they have my back. I know that they will protect me to the best of their ability, and I know that they will kill for me. Can you say the same?"