A Rose Amongst Thorns

Chapter Nine

"Something stupid. I was trying to explain things to him, and he walked away. I grabbed his arm a little too hard. I should've known better. If anyone should know he'd react, it's me. He's an abuse victim currently under treatment for multiple traumas. The last thing he needed was to be aggressively touched. I'm so sorry Rome. I didn't mean to hurt him."

"Well for someone who doesn't mean to hurt him, you're doing a damn good job so far. Since Arthit can't hear you right now, explain things to me. Help me understand what you're trying to do here. What are your intentions towards him? What do you want from him?"

"I'm not sure Rome. I just know I want to get to know him better."

"That's not an option for you, Kongpob. I just met your fiancé, remember? Are you trying to turn Arthit into your whore?"

"NO! I would never think of him that way. I know I have a fiancé, but I don't want one."

"Well, if you want Arthit, you need to clean up your house first. You can't have your cake and eat it too. To think so is simply selfish. So, what are you planning to do Kongpob?"

Before he could answer, Phana was walking towards them.

Kongpob stood up and hugged his friend.

"Phana, this is Rome. He's Arthit's best friend. Whatever you have to say about Arthit, you can tell him."

"When was the last time Arthit ate?"

Rome thought about it and slapped himself in the head. Kongpob looked at Rome confused.

"What?"

"Arthit hasn't eaten anything in a couple of days. I've been trying to get him to eat something, but it was next to nothing. He just kept saying he had no appetite."

Phana shook his head and sighed.

"That explains a lot. He fainted from hypoglycemia and exhaustion. His blood sugar level was well below the average, so he would've passed out sooner or later. The panic attack just exacerbated the loss of oxygen to his brain, which made his pass out sooner. He's also a little anemic. We're treating him with some glucose to get his blood sugar up, some fluids to replenish his energy and a mild sedative so he can get some rest. He's being moved to a patient room now, so give it about 15 minutes or so and you can go up and see him in Room 403."

"Thank you Dr. Kongthanin. I appreciate all you've done for Arthit." Rome shook his hand walked towards the elevators.

"Kong, I need to talk to you. Come with me."

Kongpob and Phana sat in Phana's office.

"What are you doing? Why were you with Arthit?"

"It's not what think Phana. Achara and I were at Arthit's shop picking out floral arrangements for the wedding."

"Of all the florists in Bangkok, you choose Arthit's? The fuck, Kong?"

"I didn't know it was his shop. Achara chose the place. She didn't know Arthit worked there either. We were both equally shocked when we saw him."

"How did she react? Was she upset?"

"No. Why would she be? After your mom busted me, I explained everything to her. She seemed fine with everything."

Phana leaned back on the couch and sighed before he put his hand on Kongpob's knee.

"My friend, you need to make a decision. Do you know what you're doing to Achara? When we had lunch the other day, she was in tears blaming herself for the problems you're having. She's doing her best to please you and you're doing your best to cheat on her. You're being a real asshole right now. Do you know that?"

"I know I'm an asshole. I can't do anything right these days. Achara is crying. Arthit is having panic attacks. I'm miserable. Everything is so fucked up Phana. I don't know what to do."

"Where is Achara anyway?"

"OH MY GOD! She was at the florist when we left. I wasn't even thinking about her. FUCK!"

Kongpob jumped up from the couch, took out his phone and placed a call.

"Achara? Honey, where are you?"

"I'm home Kong. How is Arthit? Is he okay? Are you okay?"

Kongpob really felt like a jerk. He ran off and left his fiancé, running after another man and here she was asking how Arthit was doing. Could he feel any smaller right now?

"He's okay. Turns out he had a panic attack and low blood sugar. Phana says he's going to be fine."

"Thank God. I was praying for him. Glad to hear he'll be fine. When are you coming home? I wasn't sure if I should start dinner or not."

"Achara, I am so sorry. Now that Arthit is out of the woods, I should be home soon. Don't wait for me to have dinner. I'll grab something on the way home. Since I'm at the hospital, I'll probably do some paperwork and then head home later."

"Okay. Love you Kong."

"Umm. I'll see you later Achara."

Kongpob ended the call and dropped back down on the couch.

Phana punched his friend in the arm.

"Ouch! The fuck Phana?!"

"Are you serious? Did you really just end that call by saying UMM? Your fiancé tells you she loves you and you just make a stupid sound? You are a fucking dipshit. I can't with you. My shift is over in 20 minutes. I'm going to change and head home."

"Phana..."

"Don't talk to me. You're an asshole. Let me know when my best friend Kong shows up. I don't know the bastard sitting next to me."

Phana left the room, leaving Kongpob sitting on the couch.

"What the hell am I going to do?"

A/N: The "bullet" is the condition of an emergent patient.