You sigh deeply, pacing back and forth in the hallway of the hospital. Shancai's condition is only getting worse and there's not much anyone can do to help. All they can do is give her painkillers so that she doesn't feel the full effects of the soulmate bond.
The soulmate bond. There's no use standing here, waiting around while you're not allowed to see her. You might as well call Si to see how things are going on his end.
You click on his contact, the phone ringing as you settle down in a seat in the waiting room. It doesn't take long for him to answer.
"Y/n, I really can't talk right now." His breathing is shallow and his voice is shaky. "Lei fainted earlier and we're at the hospital."
"Wait, but Shancai is-" You pause, your mind reeling.
"Shancai is what?"
You suck in a breath. "What room is Lei in?"
"Uh.." He stalls for a moment. "..135, why?"
"I have an idea. I'll see you soon." You hang up before he can ask anymore questions. You know that you are running out of time.
You get up from your seat, heading to Shancai's room. You see a nurse standing outside the room and you approach her.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry but you're not-"
"I know I'm not allowed in there." You interrupt her. "But I think I may have some very important information."
Her eyebrows furrow and she leans closer. "What is it?"
"There's a patient here who was also just recently submitted for the same reason. I think they might be soulmates."
Her eyes widen. "How could you be sure?"
"I'm not, but we won't know until we try. I have a really strong feeling about this. Please." Desperation seeps through your tone.
She nibbles at her bottom lip for a bit before sighing. "Do you have a name and room number?"
You smile gratefully. "Huaze Lei, Room 135."
"I'll inform the doctor." She nods to you before heading inside the hospital room.
A few moments later, she comes back out. "The doctor still needs to stabilize the patient. But after that, he will prepare to transfer her."
"Thank you so much." You sigh, feeling a bit of relief.
"Of course." She grins.
You turn your eyes to the signs on the wall, deciding to make your way to Lei's room. After getting lost down the hallways more than once, you eventually make it to Room 135. Immediately, you spot Si leaning up against the wall, just outside the room.
As you approach him, he hears your footsteps and looks up.
"Hey." He says softly as he wraps his arms around you. "How did you get here so quickly?"
"I was already here." You say as you pull away from embrace. "Si, this might sound crazy but...I think Huaze Lei and Shancai are soulmates."
"W-what?" His eyebrows furrow. "Where did you get that idea from?"
"They both felt the effects of the soulmate bond at the same time. And Lei said his soulmate was short, right? Shancai is short."
"Y/n.." He sighs, looking at you warily.
"I know, it's not a lot of evidence. But it's better than nothing. Worst case scenario, nothing happens. But we won't know until we try. That's why I have a doctor transferring Shancai to this room right now."
"I just hope you're right about this." He mumbles under his breath, shaking his head.
"I hope so too."
______
After what feels like an eternity later, you see a gurney coming down the hallway. It's being brought by a doctor and the nurse you saw earlier. As they get closer, you can see that it is Shancai in the hospital bed.
The two of you move out of their way as they begin to move her into the room. You hold your breath as you hear the doctors and nurses conversing inside the hospital room. Si seems to sense your anxiety, grabbing your hand and gently stroking the back of it with his thumb. "Everything will be fine." He says softly.
A few minutes later, the doctor comes back out. "We overlapped their arms. Since they are both unconscious, they can't tell us how they are feeling. But if we see some changed in their vitals within the next hour, we will know the bond is working. Now all we can do is wait."
"Thank you so much."
"Now you two go rest for a bit. You look like you need it."
The two of you nod, bowing to the doctor as he renters the room. "C'mon, let's get something to eat." With your hand in his, Si drags you off to the cafeteria.
After getting a few snacks and drinks, the two of you sit at a small table.
"If they really are soulmates..." Si says thoughtfully. "..why did she run away from him?"
"I don't know." You shake your head. "Maybe she was just scared or maybe.." You trail off, not sure if you should voice what you're thinking.
"Maybe what?" Si raises a brow.
"Well, maybe she likes you. You did say that she was flirting with you the other night, right?"
He gives you a doubtful look. "But she knows that I already have a soulmate. So why put herself, and Lei, through all of that?"
"I guess we'll just have to ask her." You shrug.
The two of you can no longer resist your curiosity and worry after an hour has passed, so you head back to Room 135.
The same nurse you saw earlier is standing outside the room with a clipboard. She spots the two of you approaching and smiles.
"I have some good news! Huaze Lei is beginning to stabilize and Dong Shancai woke up a few minutes ago. Their bond is helping them heal."
You grin, your chest heaving with relief. "When can we see them?"
"Right now, if you would like. But I'm afraid only one person is allowed at a time."
You and Si look at one another. "Go." He encourages you.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, you can talk to her and figure out what happened. Lei isn't awake yet anyway."
You squeeze his hand tightly, as if to say thank you. Then you let go of him, walking through the doors on your own.
When you walk in, it takes a few seconds for your eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Then you take in the sight of Huaze Lei and Shancai laying on hospital beds that are pushed together, their arms overlapped. They are each hooked up to several machines to keep track of their vitals.
Your eyes are trailing over Huaze Lei's unconcious figure when you hear a faint voice. "Y/n?" Shancai says groggily.
You immediately approach her bedside, taking her hand into yours. "Hey, how are you feeling?"
"My head still hurts but I feel better than before." Her voice is raspy from being unconscious for so long.
"Shancai.." You pause, not sure if you should bring up the conversation so soon. But you need to know. "..why didn't you tell me about finding your soulmate?"
She sighs deeply, glancing at an unconscious Lei next to her before looking down. "I was scared."
"Si told me about what happened at the restaurant. Is that true? Do you have a crush on him?"
"Please don't hate me." She looks at you, her voice quiet. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to go this far."
You offer her a small smile, squeezing her hand tightly. "I could never hate you." You reassure her. "And there was no way you could've known that all of this would happen. I just want you to promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"Give Lei a chance. He's a sweet man with the biggest heart and he'll treat you the way you deserve to be treated."
She smiles warmly. "I'll do my best."
"I'm going to leave and let Si come visit Lei. Would you like me to call your parents for you?"
She nods. "I would appreciate that."
You leave the room, signaling to Si that he can go in. As he enters the room, you call Shancai's mother to tell her know what has happened. She panics at first, which is understandable, but you assure her that Shancai is fine. Still, she insists that she makes her way to the hospital immediately. You don't mind though, it just means you can go home and the two of them won't be left alone.
A few minutes later, Si emerges from the room. He talks to the nurse for a bit before approaching you.
"Ready to go?" You ask him.
"Yeah, the nurse said it should take him awhile to wake up because his body was under a lot of stress. I'll come visit him in the morning."
"Alright, I'll come with you before class."
He nods, grabbing your hand as the two of you begin to leave the hospital. "Also, can you stay over tonight? We didn't really get to heal today."
You're about to agree when you remember something fairly important. "Ugh, I forgot that I have to finish my assignment that's due in..." You check your phone to see the time. "..two hours?!"
Your eyes widen and you begin to panic. This assignment is worth a good portion of your grade.
"Hey, hey, listen to me." He says softly. interrupting your moment of alarm. "We'll swing by your house to grab your laptop and then head to my house. You'll have more than enough time, you'll be fine."
"Okay but we have to leave like right now." You begin to drag him towards the exit and he stumbles along with a roll of his eyes.