Tying up some loose medical ends

The lobby's LED lights faded behind you as you took the stairs two at a time, the rhythmic thud of your boots echoing in the concrete stairwell. Lieutenant Mills’s plan for the militia, Amelia’s eagerness, the sheer weight of keeping everyone fed, safe, and moving forward...it all buzzed in your head like static.

It filled you with purpose like never before in your life, yeah, but damn if it wasn't heavy. Especially because one loose thread remained, one potential source of friction you couldn't afford: the Cruz family. They saved Kristen, brought crucial medical skills as well as that sweet ambulance, but they weren't claimed yet. Not bound by the marker's quiet hum of absolute loyalty. You realized that needed fixing. Tonight. Ideally, before the feast got started.

As you reached the fifth floor, you noticed that Apartment 5B’s door was slightly ajar, spilling a warmer, brighter light into the dim hall. First, you made sure to write down a few key words on the front door with your marker, as quietly as possible. You then waited a couple of heartbeats, and when you didn't hear anyone coming out, you knocked once, firmly.

"Come in!" Dr. Reyna Cruz’s voice, steady but tired.

You pushed the door open. The apartment wasn't much bigger than yours had been before the world as you knew it ended. Packed cardboard boxes formed makeshift walls, stacked high with some of the medical supplies scrounged from the ambulance and the disaster depot, like bandages, antibiotics, and suture kits spilling out, and so you realized that Foreman must have already transferred some of the medical supplies she was cataloging here while you were busy discussing the military recruitment situation with LT Mills. You smiled to yourself at the staff sergeant's continued efficiency as an administrator when it came to organizing their supplies and logistics and finally settled on what to do exactly to reward her later tonight.

Ahead, you saw Dr. Emma Cruz, the family matriarch, meticulously organizing vials on a rickety card table that served as their own de facto pharmacy, at least currently. Her movements were precise, but her face was drawn. Behind her, Dr. Jenna Cruz, the vet twin, was scrubbing instruments in a basin with surprising vigor, her sleeves rolled up. Dr. Mia Cruz, the dentist, perched on the arm of a lumpy sofa, flipping idly through a slightly water-damaged anatomy textbook. She looked up as you entered, a practiced, welcoming smile instantly gracing her features.

"Michael!" Mia chirped, closing the book with a soft thump. "Everything alright? Need something checked?"

Reyna paused her sorting, wiping her hands on her already stained scrubs. Jenna glanced over her shoulder, her expression unreadable. Emma straightened, her eyes sharp and assessing.

"Everything's fine," you said, stepping inside and closing the door softly behind you. The flickering bulb overhead cast jumpy shadows. "Just checking in on our newest members. Settling in okay? Found everything you need?"

"We're managing wonderfully, Michael," Emma answered smoothly, though her gaze lingered on your face. "The space is adequate, and the extra supplies, especially those from the pharmacy Zhang gathered today…well, they’re lifesavers. Quite literally. We can't thank you enough for taking us in."

You nodded slowly as you noticed that there was genuine gratitude there, but you could tell from her tone that it was partially mixed with the wariness of people used to being self-reliant, now dependent.

"Yeah," Jenna added, her voice dry as she held up a gleaming pair of forceps. "Beats trying to perform a spay on Fido by flashlight in the back of a moving van. Appreciate the upgrade in facilities, given the circumstances," she replied, chuckling at her own hint of sarcastic, dark humor.

Mia slid off the sofa arm, taking a step towards you. Her smile widened, becoming…warmer. More personal. "Seriously, Michael," she said, her voice dropping slightly, taking on a softer, almost intimate cadence. "We owe you. Big time. Is there anything…more…we can do for you tonight? Anything at all?" Her green eyes held yours, the invitation clear and deliberate.

You blinked rapidly for a long moment at her forwardness before you saw it: a barely perceptible tightening around Emma’s eyes. A subtle wince, quickly smoothed away. Beside the basin, Jenna let out a soft, almost imperceptible huff of amusement, shaking her head slightly as she turned back to her scrubbing. The dynamic clicked into place in your head. Mia’s approach apparently wasn’t new. It was her default setting, maybe even a survival tool honed somewhat before the dead rose. Her mother, Emma, disapproved, or at least worried. But her fraternal, yet still fairly alike-looking, twin sister, Jenna, found it predictably funny.

You were all but sure it was just your imagination, but the marker in your pocket felt suddenly warm and heavy. In the end though, this wasn't about Mia’s offer, tempting as the packaging might be. This was about securing your foundation. About making sure their brilliant, essential skills were irrevocably yours for the safety and increased prosperity of their group. And about removing too much potential doubt in your own authority, for the sake of stability.

"You know," you said, your voice calm, cutting through the slightly awkward tension Mia had introduced, "there is one thing. But for it to make sense, you should probably first look back to the front door. There is some writing in there you may have missed."

The four women exchanged hesitant glances but soon stopped what they were doing and headed outside. There you read the words of the marker alongside them. It clearly said:

1. No guest in this building or accepted member of Michael's group may harm him.
2. If asked by Michael, anyone in the building must allow him to write down anything on their skin that he wants.

You waited to see the looks of acceptance pass through their faces as they internalized the marker's words as law, though their eyes were still tinged a little with confusion.

"Well, the first rule makes a lot of sense, naturally, but I am not sure what to make of the second one," Doctor Reyna, the Cruz matriarch's eldest daughter, finally said when she broke the silence.

"Nor I," her mother said, "but his home, his rules, I guess."

The twins just nodded at that, so you decided to get on with it now that they were all in agreement.

The twins just nodded at that, so you decided to get on with it now that they were all in agreement. You slipped the marker from your cargo pants pocket, the familiar cool weight a grounding presence against the sudden dryness in your throat. "Okay," you began, forcing calm into your voice, aiming for reassuring authority. "Standing order number two. To help identify you as part of my group, under my protection if anyone else shows up out here…I need to mark you. Just something simple, on the skin. Think of it like…a membership tattoo, minus the needle and the commitment ceremony." You offered a small, tight smile. "It’s a surprise, but don't worry about that. So, close your eyes for me, just for a second. Won’t hurt a bit."

Confusion flickered across their faces again, a shared ripple of uncertainty. Mia tilted her head, curiosity warring with the ingrained obedience that seemed to be sparked by the door’s inscription. Reyna’s brow furrowed slightly, like a doctor assessing an unfamiliar procedure. Jenna just blinked, observing you. Emma’s lips pressed into a thin, unreadable line. But after a couple more seconds, the command held as they visibly, but just barely, shrugged. The expressions in their eyes, from Reyna’s sharp green, to Mia’s bright, Jenna’s watchful, and Emma’s weary, snapped shut almost simultaneously, like a practiced response to instruction overriding lingering doubt. They stood waiting, four women below the apartment's lights.

And so, you aimed for no more hesitation. You uncapped the marker and moved quickly and efficiently. First Reyna. Her right hand, held slightly out, palm down. The marker tip scratched briefly against the skin of her knuckles. M-I-C-H-A-E-L. Dark, blocky letters standing out starkly against the tan. Jenna next, her fingers somewhat calloused from veterinary work. Same spot. M-I-C-H-A-E-L. The ink sank in and he moved on. Mia’s hand felt softer. You felt the slight tremor in her fingers as you wrote. M-I-C-H-A-E-L. Finally, Emma. Her skin felt thinner, cooler. You wrote slower, deliberately. M-I-C-H-A-E-L.

Four claims. One name. The marker cap snapped back on, a small, definitive click in the quiet apartment.

"Done," you said, your voice level, betraying nothing of the churning beneath. "Open your eyes. And look at your hands."

The silence stretched, taut as a wire. Four heads dipped. Four pairs of eyes stared down at the backs of their own right hands. The shock wasn't loud, but it was like a sudden, silent vacuum that sucked the air from the corridor. Mia’s breath hitched, a tiny gasp catching in her throat. Reyna froze, her entire body rigid, the medical detachment shattering instantly. Jenna’s head jerked up, her eyes wide and searching yours, a flicker of primal fear quickly submerged beneath dawning comprehension. Emma simply stared, her face draining of color, before an expression of calm acceptance reignited in her features, leaving raw, naked understanding in its place.

You watched them carefully, always curious to see the effects of the strange marker up close as the people in question reacted to your claims of ownership. And this time, you were a bit more forward than usual with your approach, so you waited in silence to see if their minds would be able to connect the dots that you may own them now, yes, but only due to the fact you just wrote on them a few seconds ago...instead of treating it like the rest by implying that you have always owned them, but with the usual shock and embarrassment as they wondered how they had never noticed before.

And so, as you examined their features, you paid attention while Emma, the matriarch of her family of doctors, opened her mouth first to address the fact that you own her and all her daughters.

A/N: Thanks for all the recent reviews for those that have left comment amd for bearing with me as I handle the lingering loose ends of the story arc to set the stage for the next one soon. I appreciate the support.

Anyway, that's it for now but while I already have a plan for how exactly Emma and the rest will react, I would be curious to read your own guesses and see if you have any particular preferences for how to incorporate them more into the story going forward. I may just end up liking them enough to include them in some fashion later on.

Regardless, thanks reading. I hope you enjoyed and by all means, please leave a comment if you did.