Red Light

Can't

Yiling sat in the backseat and shook all the way to the station. He had seen Wen Chao out of the corner of his eye. There was no chance he wasn't going to get beaten. It didn't matter. He wouldn't let his friend die an unknown John Doe.

Yiling had protected him as much as he could. Helped him heal up when johns went over board. Took him to the hospital when Wen Chao fractured his cheek bone.

Lately, though,Wen Chao had been pissed at the kid and started giving him to sadists to punish him. Yiling hadn't seen him in days despite his efforts to find him. Hadn't seen him until he found him on the street, pulled by the screams.

Everyone just looked at him. Lying sprawled on the asphalt of the road. Dressed in tight, thin, cheap boxers and nothing else. He had knelt by his friend and checked for a pulse. A breath.  Anything. It was too late. He was gone.

Yiling knew the man had run away from an abusive home at sixteen only to fall into a world more abusive than he could have ever imagined.

He would have been twenty-one next month.

Lost in his own thoughts, he wasn't aware how close they were to the station. When he saw which one they were pulling in to, he began to hyperventilate.
~~~
Lan Wangji glanced in his rear view mirror. Yiling was frantically pushing his hair off his face and breathing fast. Way too fast.

Gasping for breath, Yiling was muttering something.

"Can't...can't... she...she... hurt them... NO!" The last word was a strangled cry. His breathing had became rasping,  heaving. Tears were running down his face.

The tires squealed the detective pulled the car over so fast. Leaping out, he tore open the back door. Yiling was in a full blown panic attack. He gave Lan Wangji one desperate look and passed out cold.
~~~
'What just happened?' Lan Wangji was stunned. He carefully laid Yiling down in the back seat before starting the engine and peeling out of the station parking lot.

He turned his phone on and hit a number.

"Lan Zhan! How are you, brother?" The voice was smiling, pleased.

"Are you at the hospital?"

"Yes. Are you okay?" The concern was clear.

"I'm fine. I'm on my way with a patient. It would be preferable if no one knew he was there."

"Bring him to our entrance. Is he bleeding?"

"No, XiChen-ge. He hyperventilated during a severe panic attack and passed out. I don't know if there is anything else wrong."

"Hmm. I'll be waiting ."

Lan Wangji hung up. Adjusting the rear view mirror, he glanced back. Yiling lay limp on the seat. He was beautiful. Strong eyebrows, delicate features, a well-shaped mouth - he could have been a model easily.

'What had driven him into prostitution?'

The thought wouldn't leave him alone.
~~~

Twenty minutes later, Lan Wangji pulled into the hospital funded by their family and run by his brother. As promised, Lan XiChen was waiting by his private entrance. Careful not to jostle Yiling too much, the concerned detective carried him into the building. Directly to the left was a small medical suite. To the right the elevator that led to Lan XiChen's penthouse.

Steering his brother to the left,  Lan XiChen helped to get the man settled on the exam table. Lan Zhan filled him in on the details while placing an oximeter on Yiling's finger. The doctor raised one finger silencing his brother for a moment as he checked the patient's pulse. Healthy enough though slightly under fed. His stress levels were out of control however. If Zhan- di was right and this man was a friend of the victim, it would explain a lot of it. Plus, if he was working as a prostitute,  that wouldn't help either. Violence ran rampant. Whether it was from the customers or the pimp didn't really matter. They were still just as abused at the end of the day.

"He needs to sleep. A vitamin injection wouldn't hurt either. What happened right before he started to hyperventilate?" Lan XiChen watched his younger brother concentrate, replaying the events in his mind.

"The police station. I pulled into the police station." The detective paused. "Perhaps he is afraid of - no." Another pause. "He said 'can't', 'she' and 'hurt them". I don't think it's Wen Chao or at least not solely Wen Chao he's afraid of. I have no ideas or leads on who 'she' could be though."

"If he stays here tonight, will it put him in greater danger with his pimp?" A glance at his brother's worried face as he prepared the vitamin shot.

"I don't think so. Not if I sneak him into the station in the morning. I can also say he faked a panic attack so I had to take him to the hospital. It's SOP anyway making it a believable excuse." Lan Zhan looked at his brother who nodded.

The doctor gave Yiling the injection somewhat surprised it didn't wake him at least slightly. A quick check again. The man was exhausted on multiple levels. Most likely, he would wake sometime tomorrow.

Crossing the room, the detective pulled a warmed blanket out and laid it gently on the sleeping Yiling while Lan XiChen wiped the tear tracks from the man's face.

"Will you stay with him?", doctor asked.

"Mn."

"The blue chair reclines. It'll be comfortable enough to get some sleep and still be near by when he wakes. There's more blankets in the warmer if you want one. Do you need anything else, brother?"

"No. Thank you, ge-ge."

"Then sleep well. If you need anything, just call." Lan XiChen smiled at his brother and quietly left the room.

With the overhead light off and just the softer wall sconces on, it didn't take long for Lan Zhan to fall asleep. It had been a long, sad day and he was exhausted.
~~~
When he woke, it was full daylight. A precise stretch that didn't have any of the usual sloppiness of morning. A glance at the bed jerked him to his feet. It was empty.

A quick scan of the medical suite showed it was indeed empty. Cursing himself, he ran out to look at the parking lot. Nothing. No Yiling.

Back in the suite, he slipped his jacket back on and put his hand in the pocket for his keys. A crunch of paper? He pulled out a scrap.

Written sloppily was a brief message.

His name was Mo Xuanyu.

~♡~♡~♡~

I have no medical knowledge so forgive any wild errors in that department.

Hope everyone is well and smiling today!

❤🍫🫖❤