บท 9: Chapter 9: Visiting the Sick
"It seems I've wasted quite a bit of precious tea before," Maureen said with a light laugh, her tone somewhat self-deprecating.
"My father is half Cerisian. I only learned a bit from him when I was young," Jack explained, knowing that his current appearance didn't reveal much of his Cerisian heritage.
Surprisingly, Maureen didn't ask about the details of yesterday's incident or delve into Jack's background. Instead, they chatted like friends about their hobbies and interests, leaving Jack's prepared explanations unused.
Leaving the EAP counseling center, Jack was bewildered. How did he suddenly gain a psychologist friend and even invite her over to his place tomorrow? This psychologist felt quite mysterious.
Driving home, Jack thought about whether he should read some psychology books to boost his psychology skills. Entering the house, he saw Hannah playing on the console in front of the TV.
Seeing Jack come in, Hannah turned off the PlayStation, ran up, hugged his arm, and looked up at him without speaking, her big eyes filled with worry.
Jack patted her head and smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. Now, I might be even better than you. You've been a patrol officer for three years and never fired a shot."
Hannah made a face. "You still need to get through your rookie year first. I'll soon be a sergeant."
"Impressive. Has the FBI responded to your application yet?"
"Not yet. They said it might take a year," Hannah said, her face falling.
"Let's work hard together. I plan to re-enroll in community college in a few days to finish the remaining two years. They say having a bachelor's degree can get you close to a $100,000 annual salary."
"Oh, and later we need to go to the Huashang Supermarket in Chinatown to buy groceries. We'll have a guest tomorrow—the psychologist I met today."
"Hmph! I bet it's another pretty lady, right?"
"Ha, she's just average, far from as pretty as you."
In the evening, Jack and Hannah visited Tim Bradford at Central Hospital, where they met Dr. Gray.
Dr. Gray, who seemed to have a special memory for handsome men, immediately recognized Jack. Hearing that he was now an LAPD officer and a colleague of Tim, she warmly explained the surgery situation.
Tim's luck was ambiguous. He tried to block an escape route only to run into Selby and get shot immediately. Lucy, in an effort to rescue him, left cover, but fortunately, John and others arrived in time, forcing Selby to abandon the attack.
At Central Hospital, they found that the bullet had passed through his soft body armor but didn't tumble, lodging between his heart and lungs, missing all major blood vessels and critical areas. Aside from some blood loss, he was expected to be discharged in three days.
Entering the hospital room, they found Tim energetically arguing with a nurse. Hannah cheerfully took a selfie with him.
Tim, who looked more weathered than John, was actually not yet 40. Despite his stern and rigid demeanor, he was a warm-hearted guy. Jack felt that Tim's current haggard appearance was due more to his crumbling young family than the gunshot wound.
Anyone with a runaway addict wife would have a hard time. After bidding Tim goodbye, Jack resolved to help him whenever possible. Building good relationships with colleagues was crucial, especially in a job like policing that required teamwork.
Unlike Hannah's determination to join the FBI, Jack didn't have a clear goal yet. With his low skill levels on the system panel, he planned to develop within the LAPD for two years while completing his college degree.
Maureen's visit the next day was a surprise. She came with Zoe, revealing that they were close friends and college classmates. Seeing the two beautiful women chatting and laughing in the living room, Jack felt a bit overwhelmed. Thankfully, Hannah wasn't home today, or three women would have been quite the scene.
Lunch was a simple four dishes and a soup: oyster sauce kale, tomato scrambled eggs, stuffed peppers, broccoli in superior soup, and ham and mushroom thick soup, with the usual rice as the main dish.
Maureen, who liked Cerisian culture, was not as proficient with chopsticks as Zoe, who had eaten Jack's cooking for two years. However, Maureen highly praised Jack's cooking, proving that not all Americans preferred the overly sweet Americanized Chinese dishes like General Tso's Chicken.
"So, is our monthly appointment canceled?" Jack asked Zoe when they had a moment alone.
Zoe looked stunning today, whether it was due to her healing skills or Jack's care. She cupped Jack's face and gave him a gentle kiss.
"No, it's not canceled. The agreement continues. But since you broke it once, I get a turn too. It's only fair."
"Don't worry. Maureen is my best friend. I've talked to her about you before. After she met you yesterday, she called me. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence, like it was arranged by God."
After sending off the two beauties, Jack sat on the sofa, deep in thought. If Zoe said Maureen could be trusted, maybe he should consider talking to Maureen about his physical condition. He couldn't figure out if the adrenaline-fueled excitement was due to the original owner of the body, a hidden personality from his previous life, or even a side effect of the transmigration.
This problem needed solving. The LAPD was a dangerous job, and he didn't want to risk becoming a vigilante if Zoe wasn't around to calm him down. Maybe he could talk to Hannah? But the thought of Hannah made his head hurt. She often threw herself at him, leaving Jack unsure how to handle her advances. In his previous life, he had romantic experiences but always adhered to principles of not sleeping without feelings, not actively hurting others, and not two-timing.
Feeling he was close to being despised as a scumbag, Jack sighed and dismissed these worries. He opened the system in his mind, remembering he had a choice to make.
After killing Selby, he had gained 50 experience points. Adding the points from issuing traffic tickets and arresting a pair of lesbians, his experience bar had surpassed 100. He now had 6 experience points and 2 system coins.
Should he increase his mental strength or his physical strength first? After some hesitation, considering the learning skill bonuses from mental strength, he decided to go with mental strength and confirmed his choice.
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