Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 48: More Important Things To Do

Chapter 48: More Important Things To Do

Logically Bai Long Qiang knew that Wang Tian Mu was not dead. It wasn’t just because he had a tracking device inside of her, but he knew he would have felt her death down to the very marrow of his bones.

"She was in City Z at the time, I believe," said the General as if this was just another day... as if he hadn’t completely destroyed his son.

"I see," answered Bai Long Qiang. He would have to start looking for a house in City Z if that was the case... and find a way to get transferred to the military base out here without his father’s interference.

There was a long sigh on the other side of the table, the sound loud enough to pull Bai Long Qiang out of his thoughts.

"Your mother said that it wasn’t necessary for you to be there," admitted the General, turning his attention back to his son. "And I agreed with her."

"I see," said Bai Long Qiang with a nod. "And if it were Mother’s whole family that had died, she wouldn’t have wanted you there either? You wouldn’t have gone?"

A snarl was ripped out of the General as he shot to his feet and leaned over his desk, his hands planted on the hardwood so he wouldn’t strangle his son. "Nothing would have stopped me from being there," he growled as a red haze descended over his eyes.

"Ah, but it wouldn’t be necessary for you to be there... right?" responded Bai Long Qiang, raising his eyebrow. His father might be able to scare others, but not him. Never him.

"As your mother said, she is a child. If you are really interested in her, you can wait until she turns 18. When it is more.... Acceptable for you to show your interest," said his father as he took his seat again. The fact that there were ten perfect semi-circles in his desk was ignored by the two men.

Bai Long Qiang burst out laughing, but there was no humor in the sound. "A child?" he asked his father. "What part of her has ever made you think that she is nothing more than a child?"

General Bai Shou Shan looked at his son, his eyes wide. He understood the draw; he remembered exactly how it felt the first time he had set eyes on his wife. But there wasn’t an age difference between them like there was between Bai Long Qiang and Wang Tian Mu, and he refused to let his son go to jail for a girl.

"At six years old, she entered the most prestigious high school in City D. If she had been given the time, she would have graduated from it at six, too. Instead, she met me and decided to stay with me for those three years. Then, she managed to get into the best medical school in City A, where she graduated with the highest grades ever given to a student. At 12, she moved to the other end of the country for her internship. Tell me, father. What part of her is a child."

"Her accolades might be... impressive, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is a 12-year-old girl, and you are 21," dismissed his father like it didn’t matter. But Bai Long Qiang knew things that he didn’t.

"Do you know that the government has been trying to recruit her since she was seven? Patriarch Song ran interference most of the time, but that didn’t stop them. They are desperate for her to join them... a national treasure."

General Bai paused at that, but it really didn’t matter. "It means nothing."

"What happens if I turn my back on her for the next six years and she finds someone else? You said the women don’t feel the same thing that we do. Are you really willing to let me experience a lifetime of misery because Mother doesn’t understand?"

Bai Long Qiang didn’t bother to wait for a response. His father wouldn’t see anyone other than his mother. And he had more important things to do than talk to a brick wall.

----

Bai Long Qiang walked into the front doors of Mercy Hospital and went straight to the desk. "Hello," he said when the security guard looked up at him. "I am looking for Doctor Wang. I believe she is a resident here?"

The guard looked at him with a measure of suspicion. "What do you want with her?"

"I am a friend," answered Bai Long Qiang, not really answering his question. "I just arrived in the city, and I wanted to see her."

"She is in the ER right now," replied the guard, pointing the way to the emergency department. Bai Long Qiang didn’t know if he should hug the man or strangle him. What was he doing telling a complete stranger where to find her?!?

"Thank you," smiled Bai Long Qiang, biting his tongue. At least it worked out in his favor this time. But he would have a chat with the director about not protecting his doctors better.

Turning around, he straightened his uniform and adjusted his hat under his arm. Taking measured steps in the direction the guard pointed, he ran through what he wanted to say when he saw her.

’I’m sorry’ didn’t seem like enough. ’I didn’t know’ made him seem like a complete idiot, even if it was true.

Nothing was right. Nothing conveyed his feelings.

Pushing open the doors to the emergency department, his eyes quickly scanned the room.

There were patients in almost every bed, but it wasn’t nearly as chaotic as he thought it would be. Nurses sat in the middle of a circle, their position allowing them to see every area of the room. Doctors in white coats went in and out of the partitioned sections, talking to the patients.

He closed his eyes for a second before they snapped open.

There.

She was there.

He strolled toward a closed curtain, raising a hand to the nurse who was about to stand up to talk to him.

He didn’t need help. He just needed her.