Building a Safe Zone with My Harem In The Post-Apocalyptic World

Chapter 176: Elaine’s Clinic

Gideon knew Elaine was probably still at her clinic. She had even started staying there overnight, claiming that an emergency patient could arrive at any time during the night.

Of course, he knew the real reason. She was simply obsessed with her new clinic.

Compared to the small medical room she used to work in, this place was practically a dream come true for her.

It had proper equipment, separate examination rooms, storage space for medicine, and enough room to treat multiple patients at once.

Elaine loved the place so much that Gideon was fairly certain she would move her bed into the clinic if nobody stopped her.

By the time he and Freya arrived, only one patient remained.

The waiting area and examination area were separated by nothing more than a thick white curtain. It provided privacy well enough, but voices still carried through easily.

Gideon and Freya took a seat on one of the wooden benches while waiting for Elaine to finish, and it did not take long for him to recognize the voice coming from the other side.

"Yeah, it’s my arthritis getting worse, I guess."

It was Nelly.

The woman indeed looks older than she was supposed to. She was only around fifty years old, yet the harsh environment of the apocalypse had aged her far beyond that.

"I understand, ma’am. The problem is that your joints are swelling badly. Your arthritis is active right now." Elaine’s voice sounded worried. "I don’t think NSAIDs will solve the problem this time. We need corticosteroids."

A brief pause followed. "We unfortunately don’t have any."

"Then where can we find it?" another voice asked immediately. It was Eugene.

"I’ll do anything I can to help my mom."

Talking about Eugene, the man was currently serving his punishment by working at the defense tower and helping clear the accumulated snow around the territory without receiving payment for at least a month.

Aaron was responsible for supervising him while Percy had officially become a permanent member of the staff.

Gideon had initially disliked that decision.

Percy was still carrying the trauma of what happened to his family, and he thought the man needed more time to recover. However, Percy had insisted on working.

Like Delilah, he was a member of the Greenwardens, a loose faction of researchers dedicated to collecting and sharing information.

Unlike mercenary groups or territorial alliances such as Freebound, the Greenwardens did not have a headquarters or permanent territory. Most members only gathered a few times each year to exchange discoveries and research.

When urgent information needed to spread quickly, they usually coordinated with Ephraim Dove and their network instead.

Thinking about it now, Gideon was genuinely glad that both Percy and Delilah had ended up in his territory. Knowledge was becoming just as valuable as food and manpower.

"About that..." Elaine hesitated. "Even if I manage to get some, it will be very expensive. And honestly, it could take weeks before it arrives here. Your mother needs the medicine much sooner than that. If the inflammation keeps getting worse, it could permanently damage her joints."

The room fell silent.

"For now, I can give her ibuprofen for pain management," Elaine continued. "I’ll talk to Gideon and see if he can somehow provide prednisone."

"It’s okay. I think I can manage. I lived with this illness before without medicine. I’ll be fine."

"Mother..."

"You don’t need to ask the Chief for something like that," she interrupted softly. "My family already owes him too much."

Hearing those words left Gideon feeling conflicted. Part of him understood why people thought that way. Resources were scarce, and many residents still viewed every bit of help as a personal favor from him rather than something they deserved.

But another part of him disagreed completely. The well-being of the territory’s residents was the responsibility of its leader.

Back in his old world, plenty of countries provided public healthcare because keeping people healthy benefited everyone.

Letting citizens become disabled from treatable conditions simply made no sense.

After listening long enough, Gideon finally stood up and pulled the curtain aside.

"It’s okay," he said. "I’ll cover the treatment and medicine."

"B-but Chief!"

Both Nelly and Eugene looked startled.

"Don’t worry about it." Gideon gave them a thumbs-up. "Just pay for it through taxes later."

For a moment, the mother and son simply stared at him. Then they exchanged a glance before thanking him repeatedly.

Eugene still looked somewhat awkward around him, which was understandable after everything that had happened, but at least the resentment was gone.

Once they finally left, Elaine leaned back in her chair and crossed both her arms and legs.

"Wow. So generous." There was obvious amusement in her voice.

"But the territory is going to run a deficit at this rate. And I don’t think you built this place purely out of kindness."

"It will be fine," Gideon replied with a chuckle. "Piggy is currently working on tax planning. While she’s at it, I can dump a few more territorial responsibilities onto her."

"God, I hate her, but poor Piggy."

"She’ll survive."

Gideon then turned toward Freya and gestured for her to come inside.

The examination room itself was fairly simple. There was a single examination bed positioned against the wall, along with a desk and several chairs for both doctor and patient.

A blood pressure monitor sat neatly on one side, while a thermometer and several other diagnostic tools occupied the shelves nearby.

It was not comparable to a modern hospital, but for the people living in the apocalypse, it was already more advanced than most clinics they had ever seen.

Both of them sat down on the chairs across from Elaine.

Freya was visibly uncomfortable. Her shoulders were stiff, her hands rested awkwardly on her lap, and she kept avoiding eye contact.

After all, they would have to tell Elaine about her relationship with Gideon sooner or later. Considering how close the doctor was to her mother, there was a very real chance this conversation would spiral in ways she did not want to imagine.

What Freya did not know was that Delilah already knew far more than she thought.

"Ah, I see. You two want to ask about the best timing and positions to maximize your chances of getting pregnant."

She paused for a second before adding, "Just so we’re clear, this isn’t a fertility clinic."

Freya’s entire face turned red. "H-how did you know?!"

Elaine looked at her as if the answer were obvious. "I think anyone with decent observation skills would know."

She pointed toward Gideon. "Freya, you normally come here with your mother whenever you’re sick, but this time you came with a perverted man who runs a harem inside his territory and is obsessed with getting women pregnant."

"Obsessed is a stretch," Gideon immediately defended himself. "I just want to show my love and build a big family."

"Yeah, that’s complete bullshit."

Elaine shook her head without the slightest hesitation. Freya buried her face in her hands while Gideon shrugged.

"Unfortunately, we don’t have the technology to check your ovarian reserve or properly analyze your hormone levels. So I can’t tell you whether there’s any underlying fertility issue."

She tapped her fingers against the table. "But I can at least give you some advice on timing."

Freya immediately straightened up. "Really?"

"Is your period regular?"

Freya nodded. "It usually starts around the fifteenth."

"That’s good." Elaine pulled a piece of paper closer and quickly scribbled a few numbers.

"Women have what’s called a fertile window. Based on what you told me, yours would likely fall somewhere around the twenty-sixth to twenty-eighth."

She slid the paper across the desk. "Your chances would generally be highest around that period."

Freya carefully looked down at the dates as if they contained the secrets of the universe.

Then Elaine smiled. "Or you can just keep having sex as often as you already do."

The smile on her face looked suspiciously sarcastic. Freya immediately looked away while Gideon stared at Elaine.

Honestly, he still could not tell whether Elaine acted this way because she was secretly jealous of the women in his harem or if being sarcastic was simply part of her personality.

By the time they left the clinic, he still had not figured it out.

Gideon shoved his hands into his pockets and shook his head. "Why is that woman always so sarcastic around me?"

Though, she had a point.

Freya let out a helpless sigh. "She’s actually like that when she’s comfortable around someone. Around patients she’s usually gentle, patient, and soft-spoken."

Gideon stared back toward the clinic. "I genuinely can’t imagine that."

Freya giggled despite herself. For a moment, the earlier worries about pregnancy seemed to ease.

Then Gideon glanced toward the construction area in the distance. "Anyway, I need to go check on the growing dome construction and then tell Piggy about health insurance. So what do you want to do?"

Freya’s face immediately turned red again.

"U-um..." She lowered her head until she could barely meet his eyes. "Can we have sex a bit before that? You know, I think if my womb is filled more with your semen, my chance of pregnancy will be higher?"

By the time she finished speaking, her ears were practically glowing red from embarrassment.

Gideon could not help laughing. "Alright, let’s just find a perfect place for that."