Dr. Wei Wu Xian, YMC
I wake up and feel like I have been in a daze for a long time. I can feel my body hurting. It hurts to breathe. Slowly I open my eyes and as they adjust to the dim light I see that I have an IV in my arm. There seems to be some kind of surgical incision on my chest. Bullet wound! I recall the last time I was awake. Lan Zhan! Wen Ning! How are they? I want to use my other arm, the one without the IV to help myself get up, but I can't. Something is holding it down. It's someone's arm. I slowly turn my head to see the most beautiful face in the world - my Lan Zhan. He is sleeping next to me. His fingers threaded through mine. I heave a sigh of relief. He is safe. He is here with me. I am elated. If he is safe I can hopefully assume Wen Ning is safe too. Lan Zhan must have come with his boys to rescue us. I try to recall what little I remember from that day and all my elation from a moment ago leaves me.
I think back to Wen Chao telling me he had targeted people around me to get leverage on me. I recall knowing that I was after all the reason why Uncle Jiang was dead, why Wen Ning had been in danger, how my Lan Zhan had come close to being hit by Wen Zhu Li's bullet. I recall Wen Zhu Li's lunatic laugh, his hands on me. I can't breathe anymore. I can't see anything. It hurts. It hurts so much.
"Wei Ying," I hear Lan Zhan calling me urgently. "What's the matter? Did you dream of something? Come back to me, my love. Shhh.... I am here. Your Lan Zhan is here. Come back to your Lan Zhan, Wei Yiaa," he coos in his deep honey voice. I will myself to focus on that. I grip his fingers that are still laced through mine. After a huge effort, I am able to breathe, but I can't stop the tears and sobs. I feel unbearable pain in my chest, but I just can't help it.
I don't know after how long, I am finally able to calm down. I realize Lan Zhan has moved even closer. He is holding me, caressing me. I open my eyes to see those golden globes peering into mine, concern etched deep in his countenance. I want to bring him closer. I want to feel his lips on mine. I so wish I could, but I know that would be a terrible mistake. This time I don't give in to my wants. I put on a fake smile. "Xie xie, Captain Lan," I say and watch as the expressions of shock and hurt show instantly on his face. My heart feels like it's been ripped into pieces. But I cannot put him in danger anymore.
"Are you okay?" he asks softly and moves away from my bed. I release his hand and nod. "Thank you for taking care of me. I am sorry for all the inconvenience, Captain." I tell him sincerely.
"It's no inconvenience. It is what I should do," he replies. "Captain, how is Wen Ning? Were you able to rescue him?" I can't wait any longer and ask impatiently. "Yes, he is all well. They had only drugged him. He was kept under observation for a few hours and discharged," he explains and continues, "Dr. Wei, I owe you an apology. If I hadn't yelled at you that night, you would have informed me of the situation and all this would not have happened", he is remorseful and I am sad to see him that way.
"That's not true. I would not have told you anyway because I did not want to put you in danger. You have already done so much for me. I did not want to ask any more of you. Your yelling at me was for the right reason. I did not do my duties well. Please don't feel bad about any of it." It's the longest I have spoken in a while and I am out of breath. I pause and gulp. My hand moves to my chest and I wince as sudden movement causes me pain.
"Are you alright? Should I call a doctor?" he looks very worried. "Yes, please," I croak but try to smile again.
Dr. Song Lan from my team walks in with the resident surgeon. We all discuss the details of my surgery and the next steps. I want to get out of this place and start contributing to the mission as soon as possible. We decide that it will best for me to be discharged after 72 hours. They want to wean me off of IV and move to oral medication plus solid food before letting me go. They also want to have me learn the breathing therapy exercises. I am reluctant to put them through so much, but don't want to bother them, so I agree to all of it.
I thank Dr. Song Lan for managing things with our teams, "I am sorry for having dumped everything on you, Dr. Song. Thanks for everything you have done for our teams." I tell him sincerely.
"No need for apologies or thanks, Dr. Wei. It's all good. You have become a hero to our team with your bravery. It's impressive how you played a crucial role in bringing down the notorious drug network. Military and the local Government both have announced various awards for you," his words make me blush. "It's nothing. I only did my duty..." I whisper. He smiles kindly and both of them leave the room.
Lan Zhan has a soft smile on his face and it makes me so happy to see him like that. He comes closer and ruffles my hair. "I want to sit up. I am tired of lying down. Could you help me raise the bed?" I request him. He does that happily and sits on the chair next to the bed.
"Wei Ying, after they discharge you where will you go?" he asks me as if he is afraid of my answer. I take a moment to think and bask in the fact that he called me 'Wei Ying'. He called me 'Wei Ying' without me being in a panic attack or anything. I am very happy.
"I think I will return to the base for at least the next 6 weeks, Lan Zhan. We usually recommend patients to not travel by air for at least 6-8 weeks after lung surgery. I will try to work as best as I can during this time. By then if the mission wraps up, I will return to Beijing. If not, I will continue to serve here." He seems somewhat pleased to hear that. "That's good," he says with another of his devastatingly gorgeous smiles and once again, I smile in return.
Captain Lan Wang Ji, Yunnan
Wei Ying is getting discharged today. I have already discussed this with Major Nie and Dr. Song Lan. Wei Ying will be back in my room. He is advised to take things slowly, so for at least the next two weeks he will only work remotely and assist with paperwork and such. After two weeks we will reassess the situation depending on the status of his injuries. His surgical wound is healing well. It's his broken ribs that are of the utmost priority right now.
I drive the jeep over to YMC. After one final checkup, he signs his papers and we step out. He hasn't walked much since that fateful day, and he tires easily. When I ask him about getting a wheelchair he refuses. I rest his arm on mine and slowly assist him to the door. The door is only a few feet away, but he is already sweating. I move close to him and make him rest his weight on me. He closes his eyes and winces. It's a couple of minutes before we move again.
"Wait here for a moment", I tell him when we step out and get our bags in the back seat. I leave the back passenger door behind the driver open and come back to him. Very carefully, putting one hand behind his back, another under his knees I pick him up. "Lan Zhan, what are you doing?" he exclaims. "Don't move" I instruct him. Gently I place him inside and adjust his seatbelt and recline the seat so that it does not hurt him. "Are you comfortable?" I ask. He only nods and gulps. I take out my handkerchief, wipe the sweat on his face and hand him a bottle of water. "Xie xie," he mutters and takes a sip. As color returns to his pale complexion, I see him blushing just the way I like him to. "Ready? Tell me to pull over any time you want me to," I tell him and take the driver's seat. On our way, I am careful about not getting the vehicle in any potholes or sharp turns. I also avoid braking suddenly. I know the man sitting behind me is in pain and he will hide it as much as possible. After a little while, I see in my side mirror that he has closed his eyes. Hopefully, he will sleep through this ride.
When we reach the base, I park the jeep but leave the engine on. "Wait here," I tell him and step out. I get a golf cart and load the back with our bags. He opens his door and tries to get down on his own, but I see him wince. Immediately I go to his side, pick him up like before and place him on the seat of the golf cart. "Lan Zhan, don't... What will... they think?" he asks as if he is afraid. "I don't care and neither should you," I tell him seriously. Turning off the jeep engine and locking it, I give the keys to the person at the desk and get back to my Wei Ying. I drive him to our building repeat the same things as before - ask him to wait, put our stuff in our room and come back to get him. This time he has managed to get down on his own and is trying to walk by himself. "Wei Ying, wait. You should not be moving so fast by yourself," I try to yell at him, but he continues. After just a few steps I see him put his hand on his ribs and clench his teeth. "Wei Ying, please," this time I am stern. I rub his uninjured right arm for a bit and when I feel like the pain has passed, I have him rest his arm on me. Slowly, one small step at a time, we make it to our room and I lead him to his bed. "Stay here," I tell him and step out. I see one of my boys around and ask him to take care of the golf cart.
Back in our room, I see him close his eyes again. Thankfully he has not moved. "Wei Ying, are you in pain? What time do you need to take your pain medication?" I ask him gently. "I want to shower first. I can take the next dose in about an hour. I need to eat something before that." he says. "Alright let me go to the mess hall and bring some food. Stay here till then, please. I will help you shower. Please don't attempt anything on your own." I request him firmly. "I won't. I couldn't, even if I wanted to..." he says in a small voice. I caress his face and make him look at me.
When I see tears in his beautiful petal-shaped eyes, I am crushed. "Wei Ying, what is it? What is bothering you? Are your injuries hurting? Did the ride here hurt you?" I kneel in front of him and ask. "No... The ride was alright. The physical pain, I can manage. I feel bad to have you do these nanny duties again..." his voice quivers.
"Oh sweetheart, that is what is worrying you? Please don't even think about it. I love taking care of you. If only you will let me, I will take care of you for my entire life, even when you are completely healthy. So, please. You only focus on getting yourself recovered, alright? Once you have recovered fully and are healthy again, you can ask me out on a date, as payment for this nannying job. What say?" I say with a smirk, trying to tease him. This time though, it does not work. Tears run down his face more than before. "Hey hey, what happened, my heart? Please don't be like this. I can't bear to see your tears, my love... Please stop... For me..." I urge him with all my heart. "After all the mess that I have caused for you, you still want to go on a date with me?" he asks pouting. I can't help but laugh at that question. "What does he even mean? I would love to go on a date with him. Anytime. Heck, I would love to go on a honeymoon with this beautiful man." my mush brain is not able to stay quiet anymore. "Wei Yiaa, trust me, I will consider it my great fortune if you ask me out on a date," I tell him as I wipe his tears.
"Now try and give me a smile. I will get us some food, okay?" I tell him and place my pillow next to him so he can support himself better.
I get to the mess hall and quickly pack lunch for the both of us. When I get back, he opens his eyes slowly and calls for me, "Lan Zhan, you are back..." "Yes, now do you want to eat first or take that shower?" I ask. "Shower, please," he croaks. I gather his clothes and also mine. I place a plastic chair in the shower stall and start the shower. I want the water to heat up before he steps in. Stripping down to only my tee and boxers I come back for him. Then I help him out of his clothes, carry him to the shower stall and place him on the chair. I use the handheld to wet, wash and condition his hair. Then I wash the rest of his body, careful to avoid the area where it still has tapes for the surgical incision. When the soap and warm water touches his bruises and cuts, I watch him as he closes his eyes to let the pain pass. I try my best to be as gentle as possible and finish off quickly. Then I dry him and help him get dressed in a comfortable button-down shirt and pajama pants.
I hold his hand and help him back to the bed. Telling him that I will be right back I take a 5 min shower myself and change. Then I reheat our lunch and bring it to him. His medication must have worn off and he looks much worse than before. He tries to have some soup but gives up after just three sips. "Wei Ying, you won't be able to take medication if you don't eat. Let me feed you, baby..." I tell him and take his soup bowl in my hand. His tears flow again and I wipe them.
"Wei Ying, please don't cry. It hurts me to see you like this. Let me ask you something. You know your physical condition at this point. You need care. You have been like a caregiver yourself for years now. Why can't you let me do just a little bit for you? And it's just me, my Wei Ying. Your Lan Zhan. Would you rather have someone else take care of you instead of your one and only forever friend?" I reason with him. He shakes his head and wipes his face. "No, I never want anyone else... ever..." he says and from then on obediently lets me feed him. When he is done, I wet a tissue and wipe his face.
Then I give him his medicine, help him walk to the bathroom, and get him back in his bed. "Rest well... I will be right here. After some time, I will go speak with Major Nie and at dinner time I will catch up with my boys. I will bring our dinner here again and let's eat together. That way you don't have to get out for rest of the day, ok?" I inform him as I tuck him in and watch him close his eyes.
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