"Those who knows when they can and cannot fight, are usually the winners in a battle." - Sun Tzu in his book "the art of war": about 500bc
Kim's brothers shared her young age and to a great extent, her happy go luck attitude which was easier for them to maintain with how very little responsibility they had between them compared to her.
And since the events of last night's performance, Kim had begun to realize that they understood her hardships and struggles better than they had been willing to admit.
Her dedicated and determined dad gave a very good idea of how she had gained so much success in lessons despite the hardship living a double life had placed upon her. He may have been somewhat strict about what she could and could not do, and clearly very afraid about letting the eldest child in the Possible family go out to such risky escapades from the house for extended periods of time so that entire evenings passed when the incomplete family sat sadly at the table feeling even lonelier than usual. Such evenings were awkward at best, for it seemed that when Kim left she took the witty banter that they usually shared along with her.
But say what they might about a busy man who often had his heroic daughter grounded for even seemingly minor mistakes like lying to go to a party, Kim saw no malice in the eccentric scientist she was overjoyed to call her dad.
He too like her, knew that sometimes to be kind you had to be cruel even to those you really loved as hard as that really was.
James would likely never realize a fraction of the useful things he had managed with his limited time, to teach Kim. Skills which had never proved to be anything but vital for the many life and death situations that Kim found herself engaged in. And even Kim herself would freely admit if asked, that without her father's timely and carefully chosen interventions that she would be dead many times over by now.
As important to the girl as only they and good friend Ron could ever be, their short curled brown hair and narrowed eyes were and would always remain a far cry from the much wider and more sparkly green eyes and long straight red hair of Kimberley Anne Possible.
Their inability to attain the same degree of precision and care that Kim exercised when she went on her missions did not really help them relate any better to an already fairly distant member of a family that could only ever pretend to be normal.
Kim was as close to them as her schedule and feelings for them permitted her, but deep down acknowledged that this was not how close to her immediate relatives a sister or a daughter was supposed to be.
Something she could not quite put her finger on, meant that as much as she hated admitting so that there could only ever be one person in her family she could say without exaggeration was both a friend and blood relative at the same time, as dangerously close to mutually exclusive as those two events would always be.
She meant a friend in the way fellow agent Ron was, in the way that she could confide even a fraction of the deep secrets she was forced to keep hidden despite the pain they caused with every passing day.
And being a one person army that more lives than she could ever care to count depended completely upon of course, she knew and kept more secrets than many would ever be able to find in their lifetime. And she was only a twelve year old girl not yet past her high school years.
But one such person in the family that Kim embraced any opportunity to make happy, was gifted this great trust and burden.
There was not one soul in the cold and untrustworthy world that Kim kept fewer secrets from, one whose knowledge and appreciation of Kimberly dwarfed that of even good friend Ronald Stoppable. Not one person in Kimberly's gleaming emerald eyes was more reliable or trustworthy than the beautiful surgeon who had gone through nine painful months to bring a selfless crime fighting cheerleader into being.
A special kind of doctor whose services sought to benefit everyone, not just the patients who happened to show up at her hospital with horrific injuries.
A lot of people had difficult jobs. Some would even say that their chosen job was so ridiculously hard that it rotted the senses in their head, while others claimed that they worked their fingers to the bone doing what they did and they desperately needed a break.
"Well it's not rocket science, so get on with it you lazy buggers. I'm not paying you to sit here complaining all day." the uncaring boss would reply to the fatigued employee, and the employee would have no choice but to admit that the jerk did have a point.
At least it wasn't rocket science, so that must have meant their life was somewhat bearable in comparison to those more unlucky.
For James however this saying designed to comfort meant nothing. "It is rocket science" he would proudly admit, as he briefly stared up from his computer screen to take a few seconds to rest his wearied eyes "And it is difficult. But that's why we need people like us in this world to handle all this difficult stuff too hard for other people. It might be hard, but when you see the good our research accomplishes, you'll see that it was well worth being a top student in school who worked extra hard."
"Well that's not comforting at all." sneered a fellow scientist at a nearby desk, who was not doing so well with his daily tasks as the optimistic James "You only say that to make yourself feel better about how difficult some of us have it."
Said scientist when he noticed that James had gone back to work and not heard his biting remark would sigh to himself "I don't know why I picked this Crapsack job in the first place." before smiling slightly "But at least it's not brain surgery. That would drive even me insane. I can't think of anyone who'd want to do that for a living. Gosh how tough and impossible to handle that would be."
It stood to reason therefore that Dr Possible a surprisingly attractive woman with big blue eyes, should have gone insane with exhaustion long ago.
The previous two consolations about not having an occupation as mentally and emotionally draining as Rocket science, or brain surgery when the speaker was already unlucky enough to hold the title of rocket scientist meant nothing to the mother and housewife in a family of three.
No longer could she claim that there was always someone with a position worse than hers since the day she earned her final promotion in Middleton hospital, becoming one of a few very lucky and at the same time unlucky individuals in a large crowded metropolis to hold the title of "Neurosurgeon." or as many preferred to call them, the life givers.
Even the few rocket scientists that were quite easily counted using one's fingers, vastly outnumbered Dr Possible's elite team of brain surgeons equally skilled as her.
Dr Possible, real name Ann was a well spoken off figure who stood for everything a Possible was supposed to possess. Even when her daughter Kim's heroic feats had put her further and further into her home city's good graces, Ann's name was never completely forgotten.
The neurosurgeon could never wander even casually into her hospital without being accompanied by the thundering cheers of every patient who had gathered in the waiting room to see their favorite doctor grace the otherwise bland and detestable outhouse of a place with her awe inspiring presence. She would quietly sigh in anguish at the realization that today would be just as grim and saddening as the day before.
Kids jumped for joy and began to race around the room as strength that had since left their weary bodies renewed itself. Men who had long since bored themselves over reading the same magazines a dozen times by now happily looked up to enjoy for a brief moment, the sensation of having their love struck eyes glued to the oh-so pretty woman clad in that stylish white coat. For a few euphoric seconds the patient allowed himself to pretend that this was in fact his real wife and not the bossy one that kept putting him down with insult after insult when he would inevitably have to leave the hospital and return to his lonely abode.
He would murmur a prayer that it was Doctor Ann Possible he was seen by, and not some other cruddy second rate quack that didn't have the foggiest idea what they were doing to his fragile body that needed a real doctor's touch.
He would hammer his fist into his face to give himself a big painful bruise when some other patient jumped for joy and stuck their tongue out when they were the ones called to see Doctor Ann. Why did their stupid life matter, and not his?
Now that other selfish and lucky sod would probably never have to feel any pain again, while he would be stuck with this stupid illness forever and ever until he died from all the suffering he was forced to endure. Why Doctor Ann? Why did you take him and not me, he would sadly think to himself as he continued to stare through teary eyes at the monitor knowing that whichever Doctor he did eventually get to be checked by would not have Possible as their last name, or A as their first initial.
He may as well have stayed home and let this sickness kill him anyway. Life wasn't worth living, since he'd never find another woman as nice and honest as Dr Ann again.
"Go away you creep. Leave me alone. I'm fine." he would shout to the other doctor who had caught him about to leave the hospital after waiting a few tense minutes for the patient with no success. "Next time, don't bother calling me unless it's Doctor Ann you're going to put me with."
Sobbing loudly, the sick patient ran out of the building coughing loudly as he went while clutching his aching head.
Ann who had heard the entire scuffle from her operating room closed her eyes for a brief few seconds to regain composure before quickly moving onto the next seriously injured patient, a young boy who was had been weeping that he did not like the doctor until he briefly dared a glance upwards to see a kindly and angelic face that reminded him so much of the beautiful but dead mommy he would never see again.
She did feel bad for the poor stranger she had not been able to help, even if she never knew him personally. She knew him to be a good and humble law abiding citizen though, from the few words he and the other doctor exchanged.
The boy shivered slightly upon seeing Doctor Ann, but eventually managed to compose himself enough to ask what she was going to do to him.
"It's alright, don't cry. You're among friends here." Ann gently said, giving the shivering boy's small form a gently pat.
"Are you, Are you the doctor." the blonde boy asked, almost choking on each word he managed to force out.
"Yes. I'm here to help you feel better so you can go home happy and well again. Now please..."
"I don't, I don't like doctors." the boy cut her off mid sentence with a stutter in his shaking voice. He seemed close to tears. "I've seen a lot of doctors and what they do to other kids like me."
"What do you mean?" asked the doctor, her patient and gentle voice inviting confidence without demanding it.
The boy wished he didn't feel so weak. He wished that his legs and arms could carry him far away from here so that he could get far far away from this building full of those horrible people called "doctors". He had seen far too many of these so called doctors laughing crazily as they dismembered helpless little children smaller than himself with those gigantic things called chainsaws. The blood, the screaming, the evil laugh the doctor let out as the madman cut apart his victim on the spot.
There was that other doctor, that other one that everyone kept talking about.
That one was even worse. He heard that this evil doctor had a really evil assistant who could shoot fire from her hands.
His name, the boy never really caught but he didn't want to know.
"Doctors do bad things." sobbed the boy, still wishing he could just jump out of the hospital bed and make a dash for the exit "Doctors hurt people."
Ann silently cursed. She knew that this poor child had been let near far too many horror shows not meant for a minor of this age, and another Doctor she knew very well was at his ways again. He might have been as harmless as a pillow compared to the other criminals, but people sure did know him.
If his plan was to draw attention to himself instead of take over the world, he was certainly doing a great job of that. It wasn't this poor boy's fault that so many people feared the clinic now, and he certainly wasn't alone in this irrational fear.
"I know there are bad doctors out there who want to do bad things. I understand what you mean" replied Ann choosing her words very carefully. "But please, you have to trust me because all I want to do is help you get better. But I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong. Please. I don't want to see you hurt like this. It hurts my heart so badly."
"That's what a lot of bad doctors say" scoffed the boy sarcastically, regaining a touch of composure "They always try to trick the children into thinking they're good people and then they take them away from their parents and do all kinds of horrible things to them. I don't trust you one bit."
Ann realized she was never going to get anywhere with her patient this way. She changed the subject.
"You're a very brave boy for coming here to talk about your problems." she praised, "But I don't know your name. What is it? ".
For a lot of the other doctors, a name seemed a very superficial thing that remained well hidden to both them and their patients during any appointment.
Perhaps they never realized like her, that a person's name could determine the outcome of their lives and what kind of person they were. A name said more than a lot of people thought it did.
The boy seemed slightly relieved to hear this compliment. It was a long while since anyone had praised him for doing something right.
It had been a long time since anyone asked him for his name too. How he always dreamed for a chance at saying his name.
The few times he did though, people laughed at him.
But that compliment sounded so sincere, he couldn't resist the temptation of telling this at least somewhat nice looking lady his name.
"My name is Tyler." he shyly replied, praying to the heavens that his name would not be made fun of once again.
The reply he did get was far from what he could have hoped for "Oh Tyler. That's a beautiful name. So... Like Tyler from that that film, Fight Club?"
For the first time that day, the injured Tyler cracked a grin. It wasn't everyday that people recognized his name for what it was meant to represent. This doctor really seemed to get it.
"That's right... And what about you Doctor, what's your name?"
"My co workers call me Doctor Possible. But my friends call me Ann."
"Ann" Tyler murmured to himself. He had to admit, very few grown ups had been this outgoing with him and he detested that. How he hated having to address two very strict and detestable teachers in his school as Mr Copath, and Mr Eeless.
It took him a lot of snooping around to find that Mr Copath's real name was in fact Si, and mr Eeless's name was actually Murs.
And when he did call them that, they had him promptly sent to the bad boy room with no questions asked so that he got no food that day for the entire day.
"You mean, like the Ann who wrote that lovely book, that dairy I love reading. Like that girl who refused to change what she believed in, even when other selfish jerks wanted her dead over something so stupid." he said, praying that his words would not be taken for utter crap like a lot of the other grown ups did when he mentioned his favorite book.
"Yes." replied the young surgeon wistfully, seemingly glad to find someone who shared so many interests "I know the story. It happened during world war two didn't it."
She knew from his name, and how he spoke that Tyler was not someone easily frightened by mature concepts such as war and conflicts. Doctors and clinics yes, but she was fairly certain that if he liked that book as much as he sounded like he did, he could take such things as wars at least being glanced over lightly.
"That's the one." he confirmed almost as wistful "It was such a good book too."
They talked briefly, discussing how very few were prepared to stick up for their beliefs when others would long have yielded out of fear or other things.
"They're clearly not good heroes if they do that." Tyler and Doctor Ann both agreed "Since a good hero is one who laughs in the face of fear like Ann did in world war two". Ann felt a huge tinge of pity at saying that. She resisted the urge to tell Tyler about a certain very special daughter she was lucky enough to have the pleasure of bringing up and teaching. That would only make him feel jealous since it was obvious from how he was quick to confide in the first person he had the courage to trust, that he had never had a happy family like Kim had.
Not to mention as the first Tyler would have put it, you didn't talk about fight club, or in this case you didn't talk about team Possible. Her daughter's trust was on the line here.
It truly was striking how many similarities she and a random stranger just happened to share, despite how fearful he was of her at first sight.
How she would love to have continued the conversation by telling the lonely kid, that the third rule for Kim's missions was that if the opponent went limp or said they quit by raising their hands or tapping out that Kim had to end the fight and show them mercy. Or that the seventh and possibly most important rule was that Kim's missions could go on as long as was needed to bring the threat to a close, but never longer since Kim would then be expected to return home and report the outcome to the family whatever it was so they could see her safe and well.
But time was short and patients were waiting. And Tyler and Kim could never meet, since her new friend the patient would likely take better care when he left the hospital meaning it would be long before he had any reason to return.
"I feel better now. Thank you doct... I mean Ann."
"You're welcome Tyler. So would you like to tell me what's causing you so much pain now."
Tyler looked up and down the room to check they were still alone, before nervously beginning to describe the embarrassing series of incidents that had forced him to be compelled to come here.
He begged the surgeon not to reveal any of what he was telling her to anyone, and to say nothing of him or the conversation they had just had as he fervently apologized for his earlier behavior as well as insisting that he now loved the doctors.
This one at least, he was forced to admit. "I still hate the other doctors just as much. Especially that horrible one with that assistant."
"You have my daughter to thank for keeping him well away from this sacred place." Ann said to herself, as she placed a mask over her face and got to work, following Tyler's surprisingly well worded descriptions of where exactly it hurt.
Tyler was moved to another room soon after the operation was over.
The operation was finished and the pain seemed to be lessening, but somehow he felt like was going to cry again. Until this joyful day, he had loathed each and every doctor he had the rotten luck to set his eyes on and he would gladly have kept himself at arm's length from even laying eyes on that frightful looking hospital he now found himself in.
His worn out voice he had spent on the one conversation when an adult did not look down on his odd behaviors or consider him vulgar or disturbed in any way.
He could only silently look back at the beautiful red haired lady as two other doctor's came and placed him onto a trolley and pushed him into another room.
His one hope at ever seeing happiness again came from coming back here. But the only way to do that was to get himself seriously injured again.
And Tyler was selfless enough to realize that people who did that, put other patients needing such assistance at risk of a cruel and unneeded death.
But no one would listen or understand even if he could bring himself to protest, so he only silently wept in the new and unfamiliar ward the doctors left him in.
Time flew despite the many other patients rushed one by one into and out of her room, and time to leave work soon came.
It had not been a good day, Ann thought as she slowly trudged out of the hospital giving a brief good night to the few coworkers she was lucky enough to cross paths with at this late hour when most of the less senior staff had already left for home.
She too sought to prevent loss of life like her daughter Kim, just in a different way. While her daughter sought to minimize injury from accident or criminals outside this hospital, Ann stayed here to try and save those who had already sustained life threatening injuries that even Kim and her friends could not prevent.
Yet so many people these days missed the point of her and her team of other doctors stationed here. While her daughter was looked upon as the hero who saved the world time and time again, outside the hospital Ann was seen as little more than a lazy slacker who did little more than hide cowardly in a medicine cabinet while her much more able daughter did all the work and got jack done.
She was used to seeing patients wait long before coming for a check up, after that other doctor dragged her and her team's name through the mud with his selfish antics. Antics that hurt innocent and helpless citizens much more than he thought they did.
"Rule one, don't talk about team Possible." she found herself muttering quietly as she got into her car parked outside the building and slowly began to drive it off down the street. "Rule two, always follow rule one. Don't talk about team Possible. Rule three..."
The conversation she had just had with that nice and innocent child Tyler had made her very happy to see that not everyone was wasting away their time playing violent and unrealistic games which taught them nothing useful, or watching completely nonsensical cartoons which only made them grow to become very unsuccessful and confused grown ups unable to feel true happiness anymore.
But it had made her very traumatized too. And not just because another patient who was practically begging on his knees to see the one doctor he felt was not a scary doctor had run out of the hospital while she was busy trying to help another patient, and said patient who had dashed away from medical attention would probably find that nasty cough getting worse and worse.
It was difficult not to talk about Doctor Ann's favorite movie, without thinking of the harsh truth of how her daughter secretly held a degree of admiration and sympathy for that "assistant" with green skin and glowing hands.
And saddening, very saddening to realize that "Tyler" was only brought under control when the main character shot himself in the head.
It did feel good for a mom to see that her daughter trusted her enough to tell her so much about her second life which she was supposed to keep a low profile about. And at the same time, a very heavy burden which only made Ann feel even worse that she could do so very little even with all this information.
A super chapter that ended up being far longer than I expected. I don't really know what to say. Please do comment and review though. And once again thanks for reading.
