"Do you have to go.." Juda grumbled, hugging her waist tightly.
"Yue's going, so I'm going,"
"Then can I tag along?"
"Nope, my baby must stay right here where it is safe and sound. Take a break from work for a few days and stay at my parents' place. Lui, you too," Tian glanced at the young blond girl who was nonchalantly laying on one of the hospital beds.
"Do you think Bohai will ever date me? I mean, I tried talking to him. He seems very friendly. But I think he thinks of me as his sister," she mumbled, chewing on a piece of gum. She pulled at his long half bleached hair and frowned. "Maybe it's my hair.. it looks disgusting. Juda, can you spare me some of your scissors? I want to chop it off."
She grabbed the surgical scissors from the small table.
"Ah ah nope, don't touch that. You don't know what kind of patients we have been having. You can get contaminated," Juda moved all the surgical stuff away from her. "Tian~ take me with you.."
"No, no, I won't fall for your puppy look. I'm not even going to look at it," Tian shook her head with a small smile.
"Aww.. but I have a cute puppy dog look… everyone falls for it. Won't my darling baby take a look?" she leaned on her back, gently pinching her waist.
Tian flinched. "Nope, not going to. Move please, I'm going to collect some medical supply,"
"Boohoo.. so cold," she pulled Tian down and kissed her cheeks forcefully. "Go now,"
"Yes ma'am," smirking Tian left the room.
Juda worriedly glanced at her retreating back. "Lui do you think we are weak?"
"We are hella weak. You've seen Tian and Yue fight, right? Darn, we will never be as good as that. Plus, my speed is not that accurate. I ended up running into walls way too often," Lui patted her forehead. It was slightly hard from all the bruises she got.
"I'll miss her," Juda handed her a hand cream
"I'll miss Bohai…"
Both the girls sighed loudly.
******
Tian softly hummed as she open the supply closet. Everything in there was neatly arranged on shelves. She went about picking out things they might need for travel, like gauze and a few medications.
"Sniffle…"
A small sound startled her.
"Hello? Is anyone in here?"
"Go away…" a sobbing voice shouted.
Curiously, she walked further into the corner of the closet. There sat a small figure hugging his bent knee tightly.
He glanced up with snot and tears dripping down his face. "I hate you.. I hate you so much,"
"oh…." it did not faze her. "oh-kay… you can hate me as much as you want. But can I know the reason?"
"I just hate you…." Qian grumbled, wiping his snot on his pant legs.
Tian handed him a tissue box. "Then it's okay. I don't hate you though," she gently patted his trembling back.
Ten minutes later, Qian finally calmed down. He sat up, leaning against the wall. "I hate this so much.. I hate it…"
Suddenly, a small thing was shoved inside his mouth. He was about to spit it out, but a sweet taste spread in his mouth.
"You cried way too much, might faint. Juda said sugar helps."
Qian bite into the sugar cube, sniffling slightly. "Tian… do you hate your parents?"
"Why should I hate my parents? They are not bad people,'
"No… your real father. Don't you hate him? Because.. because he hurt your mother who was so young…. He.. he was a predator…"
"I don't know. Only my mum should know how she felt about it. Who knows, it could have be consensual too…"
"You don't hate him? He was the reason you had to suffer so much. He was the reason your mu had to suffer so much,"
Tian just shrugged. "I was born. I went through shit. Now I'm happy. That's life. There are ups and downs. I'm not going to blame others for that. Besides… I don't care about my childhood being shitty. At the camps, I was trained to the booth, taught how to use a gun, how to kill a person, because of that now I can take care of my family."
She smiled at him. "I think everything happens for a reason. All the sufferings... it all happens so that we can have a good life later on."
Qian's started to cry even more…. "i.. I don't hate you…"
"That's good, I don't hate you too.."
"Tian… we are of same age… can you take me in as your brother.. I just broke up with my father. I don't have anyone to call family."
Tian just looked at him, unsure. "You have to ask Yue about this. I'm pretty sure he will say something like. She is my sister I won't share."
Qian chuckled. "He will say that. But I will bribe him with food. He is a sucker for food…." He wiped his nose hard on the tissue.
Tian glanced at him with a shocked look. "Actually you are right, you can bribe Yue with food. You should get him a rose cake. He has been craving for one for a long time…"
He sat up, smiling a bit. "Rose cake… where will I find that? I can't even cook…"
"Don't sweat on it. Just give him a candy and he will accept you as his family. Hary did that. He got in super easy," she chuckled softly.
Her soft eyes peered at him. "Whatever you have with your father….. I don't want to intervene… but people make mistakes, Qian. And you some mistakes can't be rectified. Only guilt will remain in our hearts. You can't beat a person up for that…."
"Take time. Heal before you talk to each other. Or else you both will only hurt each other." She wiped away his tears.