Johan's world tilted. The voice on the other end, breathless and panicked, belonged to someone he didn't recognize. "...The curly boy...accident...hospital...Rajavej ..." The words ripped through Johan like shards of ice. He gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white.
The vibrant bouquet of flowers in the passenger seat suddenly felt like a cruel mockery. The bracelet, tucked safely in his pocket, now weighed a ton. The image of North's surprised, joyful face, the very image that had fueled his frantic return, shattered into a million pieces.
"What happened?" Johan's voice was dangerously low, barely a whisper, yet carried an undercurrent of steel that made Hill take a step back, his smile vanishing.
The voice on the phone stammered. "Motorbike...hit by a car...serious injuries...emergency room..."
Johan hung up without a word. The phone slipped from his grasp and clattered onto the pavement, unnoticed. He stared blankly ahead, his mind struggling to process the information. North. Hospital. Accident. Things he couldn't reconcile.
Hill, sensing the shift in Johan, placed a cautious hand on his shoulder. "Johan, what is it? What's wrong?"
Johan didn't respond. He moved like a man possessed, striding to the driver's side of his Jaguar. He didn't acknowledge Hill or Ester, their concerned faces fading into the background as his focus narrowed to a single point: Rajavej Chiang Mai Hospital.
He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white against the black leather. The car roared to life, tires spitting gravel as he peeled out of the parking lot, leaving Hill and Ester standing in stunned silence.
Inside the car, the air was thick with unspoken terror. He drove with a reckless abandon, ignoring speed limits and weaving through traffic. The flowers, once symbols of his love and longing, bounced around precariously, petals falling, their fragrance now suffocating.
He replayed the phone call in his mind, each word a fresh wound. He thought of North's laugh, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the gentle touch of his hand. He thought of the future they were building, the life he was so eager to share.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a split second, a wave of despair washing over him. He couldn't lose North. He wouldn't.
He arrived at the hospital in a blur, abandoning the car haphazardly in the emergency drop-off zone. He burst through the doors, his presence immediately commanding attention. He was a whirlwind of expensive suit and barely contained panic, his eyes searching the faces of the nurses and doctors.
"North...where is North?" he demanded, his voice hoarse.
A nurse, startled by his abrupt appearance, hesitated. "Name?"
"North Natchanan. He was in an accident. Motorbike."
The nurse consulted her computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "Patient...North...critical condition...surgery."
The words hit Johan like a physical blow. Surgery. Critical condition. The reality of the situation crashed down on him. He swayed slightly, grasping for something to hold onto.
"Where? Where is he?"
The nurse pointed down a long corridor. "Operating room six."
Johan didn't wait for further instructions. He sprinted down the corridor, his heart pounding in his chest. He reached the operating room, the red light above the door a stark reminder of the gravity of the situation.
He leaned against the wall, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He could hear the muffled sounds of the surgery behind the closed door. He closed his eyes, willing North to be strong, to fight, to come back to him.
He pulled the small box from his pocket, the bracelet cools against his palm. JN. Their initials, intertwined, a symbol of their connection. He clutched it tightly, whispering, "Please, North. Please come back. I need you."
He knew, standing there in the sterile hallway, surrounded by the cold, impersonal reality of the hospital, that all his wealth, all his power, meant nothing. All that mattered was North. And all he could do was wait. Wait and pray, hope against hope, that the man he loved would pull through. The secret surprise had turned into his worst nightmare come true.
Note : We are almost reaching to end of the stories now :)