Honey looked up from her arms. "When I climbed the tree, I saw soone there. He had his gun pointing at you."
The paper plane was Honey’s way to inform Wang Shi, keeping in mind not to startle the enemy. "There wasn’t any lizard, but dad acting to protect you, and divert the man’s attention." At the opportunity, Honey inford Feng Jin about it, while Bagheera and Cleo acted on Honey’s instruction. The two wild pets perfectly used their hunting and tree climbing skills to nab the man.
It was a team effort. Only Suyin being oblivious.
Suyin turned to Wang Shi, "How could you leave Honey in danger?"
"He was not. You were. And I know Bagheera and Cleo were there to save him. They are being trained to protect him in any ergency."
"But you could have told . A hint, a signal, or anything."
"There are things we don’t think necessary to tell others, isn’t it?" Sarcasm. He was talking about her. "Now if you’ll excuse ." he stopped by Feng Jin, "Interrogate. I want to know his motive and who send him here."
"Give a day."
"Have you seen Dr. Jeff?"
"With teams, at the base camp. We have stopped the hunt after Honey inford us, and escorted everyone there."
Suyin gulped. She ran a hand through Honey’s hair. "I need to talk to your dad. Are you okay? Can you go back with your uncle?"
Honey sensed sothing off. "Are you two fighting? There wasn’t any lizard. Trust ."
"Not fighting. Promise. Its elders talk."
Honey watched her expression, tensed. "I’m a big boy too."
"Honey!"
"Fine. Whatever it is, solve it. Will wait for you at dinner." She kissed his cheek, before running in the direction where Wang Shi left. For Dr. Jeff.
********
Dr. Jeff looked up in shock at Wang Shi. He scrambled to get onto his foot from the ground, his punched-out jaw pressed with one hand, the corner of the lips bleeding.
"My oath doesn’t allow to reveal my patient’s details. I’m sure you wouldn’t too."
Wang Shi balled up his fist to swing another punch.
"Shishi!" Suyin ran inside the camp where Wang Shi was questioning Jeff. She placed herself between him and Jeff. "I asked him to help . Is asking for help that bad that you are beating him?"
Wang Shi backed away from rage. "For the past three months, you are getting a fever every two weeks. Many tis, you are emotionally unstable. You wake up in the middle of the night, sweating. Have frequent headaches. Vomiting. Swelling in legs. The cognitive-behavioral treatnt and dicines that he is giving are clearly affecting you. This bastard should have stopped it long back."
"But it’s working too. Yous saw it just now." Suyin said, helping Jeff on his foot. "I wanted to be free from my past, that’s why I asked him to help. And the symptoms you said are not because of the dicines, I’m not taking any. But it’s Xanax."
Wang Shi glanced at Jeff. Jeff nodded. Now that he has Suyin’s permission, he was free to tell. He has to tell. "I’m treating her for five months. For the initial two months, she was doing great, but as the treatnt progressed and we went deeper, she started getting anxiety attacks during every session. It raised her heartbeat. To calm her down, I had to give small doses of Xanax. That’s why the side-effects."
"Then you should have stopped after the first attack."
"I asked him to continue." Suyin defended.
Aghast, "Suyin--" Wang Shi paused, "--Get out." it was for Jeff. "Make sure no one cos in. Otherwise, be ready to live in this forest forever."
Suyin blinked at Jeff.
Wang Shi took two hurried steps toward her. He cupped her face in his hands. "Why? Why hurt yourself so much? It wasn’t necessary."
"It was. I was tired of living in this shackle. I wanted to be free and complete." There was more on Suyin’s lips, but she didn’t say it.
"It’s one thing to free from the shackle, and another to torture yourself. You are free and complete."
"How can I when any hand that touches my body refreshes my mory of that night?"
There was a pause, and she knew he wanted to ask sothing, but thinking how. "Can I ask you sothing?"
"You don’t need permission."
"It’s rude."
"You can never be." She said.
He breathed, "Knowing you, I’m sure you will allow no other man in your life. And ? You have already drawn a line between us. So tell , for whom are you going all this trouble?"
Suyin looked away, fear, hesitation rippling on her face. "Can’t I do it for myself?"
"After six years?"
"Yes--AHH-"
He pinched her chin up. "Eyes on , love. Now tell . What exactly changed that you went for the therapy?"
Suyin had no answer to that. And the one she was giving, he wasn’t buying it.
"Silence," his lips quivered. "That’s all you have given in these seven months. I know I had promised never to cross the line and give you the ti you want--" she wiggled under his firm grip on her arm. He shook her. "--listen to . I was, and I’m still willing to wait and let you have as much ti as you want. But you know what? It’s useless if you are not ready to accept your feelings."
"I-"
"Oh, don’t you dare say you don’t have any feelings. I understand you more than you understand yourself. Or should I remind you how lost control just now and lted under my touch?" Suyin’s face paled. "You think I’m a fool and didn’t notice how you look at every ti. Or how you are fighting against your own feelings? Just tell , why? When there is so much love, why can’t you accept it and end this pain?"
Tears and silence. That’s all Suyin had to give him. She didn’t even have the guts to look into his eyes. Even when he was forced, she was just staring at hollow instead of his srizing eyes, lest her heart waver.
He waited...
But the answer never ca.
"Silence. So that’s all I deserve, right? Is this all Honey deserves?" Slowly he stepped back, his grip on her slipping. She felt empty, fear crawling. "Fine then. Guess this is the ending."
And he left...
He just left?
Leaving her alone in that tent, crying?
She fell to her knees. Tears in her heart beca tears in her eyes, unstoppable. And this ti, her friend, her partner, her human diary, her man, wasn’t there to hear her.
Standing outside the tent, Wang Shi heard her sobs. His fist clenching. Tears ca as if long last accumulated pain trickling.
"Why Suyin? Why are you doing this to yourself?"
********
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