Tongue Lashing

There was really a difference between a person that practiced medical things as a necessity and the one that practiced it as a field of work.

The way Linda did things was different from the way she would do them. Roxie didn't take her eyes off the things Linda was doing. She wanted to add more knowledge to her repertoire.

Once Linda was done, she carried the first aid box back to where she took it from. After a while, she appeared in the living room again.

"I cooked. Should I serve the food?" Linda asked.

Roxie shook her head.

She replied, "I don't have any plan to eat right now. I want to take a shower first. All this sticky blood is uncomfortable. You can ask Kai and Ambrose for their input, they might want to do things differently."

The smile on Linda's face became faint, "Understandable. You should do what you want."

Roxie stood up and walked into the depth of the house. Kai and Ambrose refused Linda's offer to eat right now too.

The two of them followed Roxie. Once they got to a certain point, they separated.

Roxie went into her bedroom.

Kai and Ambrose went into their bedroom too.

Roxie was hungry so she didn't plan to spend too much time in the bathroom.

She didn't go into the space. Roxie didn't trust herself.

If she tried that, the temptation to just sleep off would be too hard to overcome.

Even the bed in this room was seducing her too.

Fortunately, the water system in this house that acted as their temporary base wasn't cut off.

Although the electricity had been unstable since they came, it was better than nothing. 

Roxie freshened up and went back to the living room. 

Kai and Ambrose were already there. 

"Should I serve the food now?" Linda asked again.

Everyone nodded in agreement to this time. 

Roxie stood up.

"Should I help you transport the meals to the dining table?" Roxie asked.

Linda shook her head with a smile, "That would not be needed. Thank you for the offer though."

Roxie went to the dining area. She took her seat.

Everyone sat down.

Soon, Linda brought steaming bowls filled with food to the dining area. She placed them on the table. When she finished arranging the bowls and plates filled with food, she took her seat too.

Roxie closed her eyes and she said a short prayer. 

She started to eat after finishing the short prayer. The other people started eating too.

"How was the trip?" Linda questioned as she stirred the porridge in her bowl slowly. 

"It was okay." Roxie replied. 

"That's good. What about you guys? Kai, did any interesting thing occur? Can you tell me about it if an interesting thing happened?" Linda said.

Kai's brows was furrowed.

He looked like he wanted to swallow all his portion of food and leave immediately. 

Roxie wanted to laugh. Thankfully, she cautioned herself.

Linda was trying so hard. It was just a pity that the person she was aiming for was very uninterested.

"Did anything inconvenience you guys? I hope Roxie didn't drag you guys down too much?" Linda continued. 

Roxie stopped eating. She looked at Linda with narrowed eyes. 

What was Linda getting at?

Linda's words were annoying to the ears.

She knew Linda was trying to alienate her. A few minutes ago, she was the last to get medical attention from Linda. She was always the last option when things was related to Linda but she didn't care.

Roxie thought it was normal. Not everyone would cling to her and love her wholeheartedly. Now, Linda was taking it into another territory. The jealousy in Linda's words was heavy.

Had Linda forgotten that Roxie was the one that allowed her to stay? Has she forgotten her roots so soon?

This was one of the reasons why Roxie liked minding her business. If she had rejected Linda harshly earlier, she would not have the displeasure of facing this nonsense now.

She blamed herself for getting seduced by Linda's profession. 

"What do you mean?" Roxie asked. 

"I didn't mean anything." Linda didn't even look panicked. Apparently, she didn't know or acknowledge that she did something wrong. 

Linda continued, "You are a girl and your endurance would not be the same as the men so I am just asking a polite question. Why are you interrogating me with a cold face?"

"Why won't I interrogate you with a cold face? You are spouting offhanded comments like your stomach is filled with septic waste. Do you know if I am a woman with great strength? Did you test the endurance each person in our group has? No, you didn't. You were jumping to conclusion like a circus monkey. Stop acting like I am accusing you wrongly." Roxie sneered.

The food she was eating suddenly became bland. Roxie dropped her spoon and folded her arms across her chest.

This time, Linda was flustered. Sweat beaded on her forehead. 

"What are you talking about? I am just asking an innocent question. I don't know why you taking it the wrong way. I admit it, my question might be worded in an ignorant manner but I didn't mean any harm. How would I automatically know all the things you are talking about?" Linda responded. 

"I should be the one asking questions, not you." Roxie replied, "This will be your only warning. If I find you doing all these useless things you just did, we would go our separate ways." Roxie said.

Linda was only getting another chance because of the medical field she studied.

Kai dropped his spoon too, "Roxie is right. You are the one that asked for refuge, we didn't ask you for help. Please, watch your behavior."

Ambrose nodded. 

"You won't get another chance after this." Ambrose said, "The next one wouldn't just end with your expulsion from our side."

Linda became quiet.

Roxie stood up and went back to her room.

Today was a stressful day. 

She just wanted her bed.