Chapter 146 - 134: I Am His Girlfriend

The facilities at this hospital were relatively advanced. Perhaps because each building had its own independent power supply, Maeve Preston easily switched on the color ultrasound machine.

Soon, Flora Bloom was holding the color ultrasound printout, a huge smile on her face as she practically bloomed with joy. ’My Polly is already this big!’ The initial shapes of its tiny hands and feet had formed, and she was sure it wouldn’t be long before they looked more complete.

Before the apocalypse, many expectant mothers used these kinds of scans to find out their baby’s gender. Flora, however, just wanted to use the machine to document her Polly’s growth.

Of course, as she left the OB/GYN department, Flora also took the opportunity to stow all the equipment for prenatal check-ups—like the B-scan and color ultrasound machines—into her space.

Upon reaching the first-floor pharmacy, she also stowed away the nutritional supplements and medications pregnant women need, such as folic acid, DHA, prenatal vitamins, and calcium tablets, into her space.

When the four of them, along with the tiger and the insect, returned to the weather station, nothing inside had changed. Flora Bloom went up to the second floor. She and the others worked together to clear everything out. After using her superpower to clean the floor, she took all the machines out of her space and placed them next to the power outlets.

The weather station had an emergency generator, which Irvin Holden and Caleb Bloom managed to get working.

Ethan Monroe and Caleb Bloom gently placed Joel Bloom onto a stretcher, then carried him up to the second floor.

Flora Bloom went up to the second floor with her mother and the three doctors. She watched as Neal Wallace, Cynthia Grant, and Maeve Preston calibrated the X-ray machine and took scans of Joel Bloom.

The scans revealed that Joel Bloom had three broken ribs, one of which had punctured the side of his lung.

Watching a cardiologist, a military doctor, and an OB/GYN study Joel Bloom’s chest X-rays, Flora once again poured some spiritual water down her brother’s throat.

’No wonder the spiritual water couldn’t heal Joel instantly. A bone is piercing one of his organs. If it isn’t reset, the slightest movement could cause massive internal bleeding. No matter how much spiritual water he drinks, it can only provide a temporary fix, not a complete recovery.’

But without the spiritual water, especially after losing access to Shauna Wallace’s healing arts, Joel wouldn’t have been able to hold on for this long!

As a cardiologist, Neal Wallace said he was reasonably confident about operating on Joel’s chest. The only problem was his leg.

As a military doctor, Cynthia Grant could treat minor fractures and hairline cracks using techniques passed down in her family, but she was young, inexperienced, and had never encountered a break this severe.

Manual reduction was impossible. For surgery, she had only ever served as an assistant; she wasn’t confident enough to lead. While Neal Wallace, as a cardiologist, had dabbled in orthopedics, he likely had even less experience than Cynthia. And Maeve Preston was an OB/GYN, so that went without saying.

"If we operate on his ribs first, how long will it take?" Flora suddenly asked.

"At least three hours!" Neal Wallace replied. "We’ll also have to repair his damaged lung, and there might be internal bleeding or other injuries."

"What if it’s just anesthesia, opening the chest to reset the bone, then closing and suturing? How long would that take?"

Flora’s words made Neal Wallace freeze. He suddenly realized something. "You mean...?" He glanced around warily at the others, not finishing his sentence.

’How could I have forgotten about that magical water Flora has? No matter how severe the injury, drinking it leads to a quick recovery!’

’Joel’s injury is unusual because the broken, displaced bone needs to be reset and stabilized. But as long as we can handle the basic reduction, Flora’s magical water can heal her brother completely.’

"It’s exactly what you’re thinking!"

"The same goes for his leg. As long as I’m here, if you can just reset the bone, everything else will be fine!"

Neal Wallace nodded emphatically, showing he understood. He and Cynthia Grant began sterilizing and arranging the necessary surgical instruments and tools. Maeve Preston, a competent doctor herself, assisted on the side, desperately trying to find a way to increase her value to the team.

Flora took out some food that she’d had Ethan Monroe prepare in advance on the yacht, giving it to Caleb Bloom, Jade, and the three doctors so they could eat first. She then took out more food, setting the overflow on a nearby table, and called Ethan to go downstairs with her to distribute provisions to their own group.

Ethan Monroe’s cooking was truly excellent. The moment they reached the first floor, the aroma of the food in their hands drew everyone’s attention.

Everyone, from the few people in their own group to the nearly twenty people in the opposing one, stared at them with intense, hungry eyes.

This was especially true for the young girl she had just rescued, who stared at the food in her hands, swallowing hard. Her large, limpid eyes were adorable.

Flora and Ethan placed several dishes on the ground and handed the rice to Mark Sterling, a man nicknamed Farker, and the people with them. Then, she had Sherman Lynch and Irvin Holden go to the second floor and bring down the rest of the food.

Flora gave her own portion of rice to the young girl. The girl whispered a shy "thank you," then joined the others and began to wolf down her food.

Flora, meanwhile, sat down in front of the beautiful, professionally dressed woman. At Flora’s approach, Shauna Wallace nodded faintly and said, "Thank you for saving me."

Flora asked coolly, "Are you my brother’s girlfriend?" She studied the woman before her. ’She’s not just beautiful,’ Flora thought, ’her demeanor isn’t that of a bad person. Besides, in these apocalyptic times, women who awaken Healing or Water abilities tend to have a soft, dewy kind of beauty. I’m starting to doubt what Dad said about her.’

The moment Flora finished speaking, a female voice from the other group suddenly cried out, "I’m Joel Bloom’s girlfriend!"

Hearing Lucia’s words, Kyle Warren’s face darkened. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her down beside him.

"You bitch, you’re my woman! You shameless thing!"

Flora’s initial surprise faded into calm. She simply said, "Let her go." Her tone was so casual it was as if she didn’t care whether he obeyed.

’Okay,’ she thought, ’this woman is a perfect match for the "bad woman" Dad described.’

Kyle Warren stared at Flora’s face with a derisive smirk. "So what if you’re powerful? This bitch is my sloppy seconds! If your brother wants her, he can have her! But you have to let me go!" It wasn’t just Kyle; his entire group was terrified by the sudden arrival of Flora and her companions. They were afraid not only of her pets, but of the person who commanded them.

As he spoke, a nervous Kyle shifted his stance, painfully dragging Lucia by her hair to his other side. She cried out, "Flora! Sister Flora, Joel was always telling me about you! Please save me! I’m being forced into this, I really am Joel’s girlfriend!"

As Flora listened to them both, her mind drifted to what the young nurse, Shelly, had said at the hospital. She turned to ask Shelly a question, only to find a pack of gluttons—including the two who had just returned with more food from upstairs—sprawled out around the dishes, devouring their meal in a chaotic frenzy, completely ignoring her.

"Hey, Shelly, was my brother at the hospital with this woman?"

Hearing Flora call her name, Shelly looked up, a bit of egg at the corner of her mouth. She slurped it in, then looked at the person Flora was pointing to before mumbling indistinctly through a full mouth, "Yah, thash her."

Flora put a hand to her forehead. She was speechless at the sight of her team, who had devolved into a pack of hungry wolves. She turned away and communicated with Vert through their spiritual link.

Upon receiving Flora’s command, Vert’s giant scythe was instantly at Kyle Warren’s neck, the blade resting against his carotid artery.

Kyle trembled with fear, but he kept his grip tight on Lucia’s hair, his other hand squeezing her neck.

Flora could clearly sense the woman’s Water Ability. ’Someone who’s awakened a superpower should be physically stronger than a normal person! So why does this Lucia look so pale and weak?’

’Could it be because she’s pregnant?’