Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 28: Where She Belonged

Chapter 28: Where She Belonged

"She said that she had a Grade 3 concussion, with all of the symptoms of a Grade 2," explained Bai Long Qiang when Doctor Li entered the living room at the Song family residence. He was still gripping Wang Tian Mu tightly, refusing to let her go even for a second.

It was his fault that she had been kidnapped in the first place, and not only did he fail to notice it, but he had also failed to rescue her.

When Wang Tian Mu’s mom had called him, asking if he knew where she was, it was like his entire life paused, not restarting again until he took her from the taxi.

"You young people really need to stop trying to get your medical degree from the internet. A concussion is a concussion. Make sure she gets plenty of rest for the next 48 hours; make sure you wake her up every hour at least, and she will be fine," said the doctor as he approached the girl in Bai Long Qiang’s arms.

"Now, put her down so I can examine her," he continued, gesturing for her to be placed down on the couch.

"I’ll hold her," said Bai Long Qiang, wrapping his arms even tighter around the sleeping girl in his arms. "She said that she was hit from behind." He shifted Wang Tian Mu’s weight until her front was draped across his chest, her head and arms resting on his shoulders.

He gently parted her hair where it seemed to be a bit sticky, and he could feel an obvious lump. Yup, the fucker had made her bleed.

While Doctor Li was attending to the wound, Bai Long Qiang met his father’s stare. "Ye Mei Hui," he said, answering the unasked question.

"I’ll get on it," grunted his father, and he turned around to make some calls.

"Is this the same girl that was responsible for the slime incident?" asked Grandfather Song as he stared down Bai Long Qiang.

"She is," Bai Long Qiang replied. He would have nodded his head, but he didn’t want to disturb the girl sleeping on him right now. Her health and well-being were the most important things.

Grandfather Song simply stood up with a nod and disappeared into one of the rooms off of the living room.

The Ye family wouldn’t stand a chance after this. Too bad Ye Mei Hui’s behaviour was enough to sink years of hard work.

But neither the Song family nor the Bai family believed in second chances, and she had already used up any type of good or pity they might have felt for the 15-year-old.

"All clean," said Doctor Li, stepping back from his patient. "It doesn’t look like it needs stitches, but I would give it a couple of days before you wash her hair. The skin around the wound is going to be more than a little tender for the next while."

"Understood. Thank you so much, Doctor Li, for coming out here and looking after our daughter," said Mrs. Wang as she stood up and escorted the doctor out of the house.

There were enough people looking after Wang Tian Mu right now that the doctor was only going to be more of a hindrance than anything else.

"I’ll bring her upstairs and get her changed for bed," said Bai Long Qiang as he stood up and wrapped her legs around his waist. He positioned his left forearm under her bum while his right hand was holding her up by the shoulders so she wouldn’t fall backward.

It was a somewhat awkward position, but it was the best one for now.

"You do know she is six, right?" came a low voice from one of the chairs. Bai Long Qiang turned around and saw Mr. Wang coming to his feet; the look on his face told Bai Long Qiang that he was not impressed.

"I know, Sir," he replied in what he hoped was a soothing manner. He knew what this girl would mean for him in the future, but right now, she was simply someone who needed him. "I would never do anything to dishonor her in any way."

"See that you don’t. Because I can promise you, whatever is your worst nightmare, I will find out and let you experience it firsthand. Do you understand me? That is my little girl. She is not yours until she says she is."

"I understand," assured Bai Long Qiang, happy that Wang Tian Mu had someone like that in her corner. There were lots of parents who would have gladly given over the rights of their child at such a young age if a member of the Bai family was interested in them.

"I’ll show you the way," said Mrs. Song, leading the way upstairs and into the room that Wang Tian Mu used while staying there.

"Thank you."

They entered Wang Tian Mu’s room, and her mom quickly pulled out her pajamas. Setting her gently on the bed, Bai Long Qiang quickly excused himself and headed into the washroom, giving the mother and daughter pair time to be able to get changed with him.

He looked around the bathroom and tried to find the stuff that she had used for her contact lens. He didn’t think it would be a good thing to be wearing it right now, with the concussion and all. Plus, he had read that it was not recommended for people to sleep with their contacts in.

Unable to find the solution, he quickly used the washroom and cleaned up. There was a slight knock on the door after a few minutes, letting him know that Mrs. Wang had finished changing Wang Tian Mu for bed.

"You will let us know if you need anything, right?" she demanded, looking him in the eyes.

"Of course," he promised in return. However, he knew in his heart of hearts that he wouldn’t be contacting her. Wang Tian Mu was responsible for looking after her. It was as simple as that.

Once she left, he quickly went to the closet and searched through there for her contact solution. Finding the white bottle and case, he quickly brought it to the bedside table and read the instructions on the bottle.

Taking in a deep breath, he lifted the eyelid on her left eye and, gently removed the contact and placed it in its case with the appropriate solution.

"Never hide," he muttered, kissing her forehead. "You are much too beautiful to hide."

Crawling into bed beside her, he set his timer for every hour and dozed, his treasure finally back in his arms where she belonged.