Page 10 of Dr. Damaged Protector

"We've not seen ourselves in a while, so at least pretend we like each other," he advised, then turned his attention to me. "Welcome back, Luke."

"Greg," I nodded in response.

He took his seat next to me, his eyes trained on Helena. She had a sour mouth and didn't mind attacking any of us.

"Alright then. The peacekeeper has spoken." Helena curtseyed before taking her seat.

It was quiet. Typically, a family reunion like this would entail that we'd share how our lives had been lately. But none of us said a word. I knew how their lives had been, though. Making sure to keep tabs on each of my siblings from a distance was the perfect way to maintain dominance.

Tabitha, a gynecologist, just opened up two more hospitals for some orphanages. I don't know why she had been keeping tabs with Mom. Gregory was also a surgeon. He stayed under the radar and ran a smallhospital. I had heard that he also involved his hands in real estate. Helena had been working on her PhD. Out of all of us, she had been the one the most committed to education.

The sound of the front door opening drew our attention. Each of us assumed that Father had returned. Isaac showed his face. He was technically the youngest but an only child of his mother – living proof of our father’s infidelity.

Roughly six feet, he possessed eyes that one could say resembled a playful dog's.

"Ah…the playboy is here," Helena announced. "If Father summoned you, then it might mean this is actually a serious matter."

"I thought the same thing," he replied in a soft voice. "Good evening, Tabitha, Greg, Helena…sir."

"Lucas," I reminded him. "I keep telling you not to call me that."

"Can you blame him?" Tabitha asked. "You resemble the old man down to the minute details."

"Even keeps tabs on us like the old man, too," Helena added. "Maybe you've joined Tabitha to suck up to the parents."

"I will not be spoken to like that by either of you," I warned. "And do not test my threat."

They both glared daggers at me before looking away, pulling out their phones and clicking away. Isaac took his seat, avoiding eye contact with the rest of us.

"Every time," Gregory grumbled. "Are you sure all of us are even siblings."

"At least one of us didn't have to deal with the rest of us while growing up," Tabitha quipped.

"That has to be the most inclusive, non-inclusive thing I've ever heard you say about me, big sis," Isaac said in a sarcastic tone.

"You're welcome," she grinned at him.

Gregory was right; none of us were that interested in each other. I just wanted the upper hand. Tabitha and Helena ran their own circus. Isaac felt like an outcast being forced into a flock. Gregory just wanted peace.

As for me…I still envied average families.

"What has everyone been up to lately?" I asked.

The rest of them turned to look at me.

"Any recent achievements?" I continued, "I'm still your older brother, and I want to be sure that my siblings are doing okay."

They stared at me with suspicion before exchanging glances with themselves. Even Gregory didn't seem too eager about my proposal.

"I've been doing well," said Isaac, the first to speak. "My mother and I are still not talking to each other though. But we aren't hostile. Business has been good, too."

"That's good," I complimented, then stared at the rest of my siblings.

Gregory sighed, "The hospital has been doing okay. I think it's time I finally expand."

"I'll be attending a conference in Zurich," Tabitha announced. "They wanted me to speak about my success."

"Same thing here, but academics, I'm supposed to inspire some college kids planning on taking medicine seriously," Helena added. "But not Zurich. Just Maryland."

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