"So, things have gotten so serious that you're considering calling your ex-girlfriend? Pamela, get this, the chief here has made enough sacrifices."
Pamela made a face, saying: "If it weren't for Professor Victor helping me take leave, I'd probably be in the hospital practicing injections."
Shiller couldn't help but laugh, never expecting Gordon to be so desperate as to recruit Pamela.
Gordon was truly at his wit's end if he was resorting to recruiting Catwoman as a nurse. He surely must've been scratched plenty these past few days.
For an old-fashioned detective like him, reaching out to young ladies to offer them job opportunities could be seen as shady. Gordon was uncomfortable with this, but he had no choice.
To quickly change the embarrassing subject, Gordon kicked his heel with the toe of his other shoe and briskly headed towards the door. After he opened it he turned back and said, "I won't interrupt your conversation. I'll take my leave first. The patients and the nurse will arrive tomorrow. Thank you, Professor Shiller."
Shiller lowered his gaze and shook his head with a smile. His attention then fell on Pamela. It was then that he noticed her eyes had turned a bewitching jade green.
"As you can see, accepting The Green's power has given me a pair of demon's eyes." Pamela leaned against the back of her chair, crossed her hands on her lap, and said with her eyelids lowered
"I suggested to Victor that you should come to see me. Not only to chat, but also to express my gratitude. If not for you accepting The Green's power, those terrifying broccoli would not have returned to their original size and I might still be freezing in the snow and ice of Moscow." He told her.
"It's nothing." Pamela casually brushed it off. Turning her head, she further said, "I also dislike broccoli, especially when it grows as tall as a building... Professor, am I sick? Do I need medication?"
This straightforward question stumped Shiller momentarily, but he quickly responded, "Did Victor suggest you come here for treatment? My God, don't listen to him. You're far from being mentally ill!"
Upon hearing this, Pamela's arms noticeably relaxed although her expression remained unchanged. Shiller further reassured, "Victor mentioned that your spirit has been low lately and you seem to lack energy. I just wanted to confirm whether this is a side effect of your deal with The Green?"
"It has nothing to do with that. Our deal was quite fair. I became its spokesperson, maintaining the stability of the plant kingdom in exchange for the power to control plants." Pamela lightly shook her head.
After finishing, Pamela gestured towards the dwarf pine next to Shiller. Instantly, the previously trimmed thin branches became dense and leafy again, transforming into a beautifully shaped abundance of life.
"This is truly amazing, Miss. And by that, I not only mean your abilities, but also your aesthetics. I spent half an hour on pruning here yesterday, but all I managed to do was make this poor tree look closer to death."
"Trees have their own minds, they know the state best for their growth. That is exactly what humans perceive as vitality."
Pamela gave a simple explanation, then moved on to address Shiller's previous question, "It's just an old habit of mine. Roughly every two months, I'd feel really listless, as if I can't muster the strength for anything. I've been like this since childhood, it has nothing to do with The Green's power."
"Does drinking coffee or tea help?" inquired Shiller.
"It's not tiredness I feel, I am wide awake. But I don't feel like doing anything. And being idle at home doesn't make me feel better, instead, it makes me feel worse." Replied Pamela, with a slight furrow of her brow
"I thought it was depression, and I went to the hospital to do those tests, but the test results fluctuated a lot. No abnormalities were detected in the pathological examination either." Pamela seemed somewhat helpless.
Shiller gently tapped his fingertips on the tabletop, pondered for a moment, then asked, "Did you have any checks during your childhood?"
Pamela slightly widened her eyes, as if she had never heard this question before. She considered it for a moment and then replied, "No, not at all. I certainly didn't have the time to get checks when I was young."
"This could possibly be the lingering effects of childhood depression." deduced Shiller. "As you age and your environment has changed, your childhood depression healed itself naturally. During your early years, you endured long-term emotional slumps which now make up a part of your life."
Shiller dragged his words in resignation, sighed and then added, "Even if you were to start taking anti-depressants now, it would be completely futile. The depression you think you have is only an illusion, a lingering shadow of your childhood, rather than an actual physiological disorder."
He subsequently looked into her green eyes and said, "If you feel worried, we can set you up with another questionnaire or a brainwave scan. But honestly, I believe the chance this issue could be treated with medication is minimal. If you do feel unwell though, I could prescribe some placebos."
"No need, at least for now when I'm lying in bed, I can chat with the plants." Pamela shook her head lightly. "These green little fellows are the best sedatives for me."
"I heard you and Selina became friends? She's a very cheerful girl. I think you could talk to her more often. Besides, she has a lovely daughter. You two could tell her stories together. Being with a child is conducive to alleviating inner tensions…"
Just as he was saying this, there was a frantic knock at the door. Frowning slightly, Shiller called back. "Come in."
Mrs. Miller walked in with a serious expression on her face, "Chief Gordon just called. There's been a murder at the Wayne Hospital. The victim is a physician. Mr. Wayne hopes you can go there now."
"But I am currently…"
Pamela immediately interjected, "That should do for my case. Professor, you can attend to your work."
Pretending not to see the reluctance in Shiller's eyes, Pamela quickly moved to the door, nodded at Mrs. Miller, and left.
Shiller sighed heavily and then asked hopefully, "You told him that I was busy, didn't you?"
"On the contrary," Mrs. Miller shook her head, "I said you were practically going moldy from inactivity, hanging around the hospital with nothing to do all day."
"Professor, what you do every day is like running back and forth between the ward and the clinic with the wrong supplies- scissors from the ward to the clinic, pens from the clinic to the ward. You work harder than a locomotive!"
Shiller covered his forehead, before he could come up with an excuse, Mrs. Miller had already reached the door. As she closed it, she said, "You can't hide from your students like they are enemies for eternity. Regardless of whatever wrongdoing they've committed, you are bound to meet again."
With the door closed, Shiller looked at the tabletop and sighed deeply, "I never thought there'd be a day when I was so unwilling to see Batman... I must be a real joker. Oh no, the Joker would only feel sympathy for Batman."