'Cause they took your loved ones
But returned them in exchange for you
But would you have it any other way?
Would you have it any other way?
You could have it any other way
Bright's POV
"Win! Win! Please talk to me!"
"Win, please! Tell me where you are!"
"Win," Bright shouted, his voice cracking, as he walked towards the company car Man brought with him to pick him up. "Please, babe, don't give up. Please tell me where you are."
Bright pulled on the car door but it wasn't unlocked then continue to repeatedly pulled on it. He heard the beep and saw Man opened it as he was holding the key fob. As he slid in the front passenger's seat, he heard the words he wanted and dreaded to hear.
"Bright, I love you."
All the hairs in his body stood up as he felt the shiver ran down through his body. He froze for a second and felt that he couldn't breathe.
"Win!" he shouted inside the car as Man started the engine.
He knew that he was slowly losing Win every second he didn't know where to look for him. He felt Man grabbed his shoulder as a sign of support as he backed the car out of the parking lot of the precinct.
"Bright, where is he?" Man asked and he could hear the worry in his voice. Bright stopped trying to talk to Win on the phone and faced him.
"I have no idea," Bright said. Then, an idea came to him. "Where's your phone?"
Man fished out his phone out of his pocket and quickly unlocked it and gave it to him. Bright took it and started to search the phone number of the chief human resources officer without cancelling Win's call.
"Babe, please, don't give up," Bright pleaded to the phone loudly. He didn't know if Win could hear him or not but he was hoping and praying he did. "I'm going to find you."
Putting his phone on loud speaker, Bright placed Man's phone to his ear and waited for the person to answer. "Come on, come on, come on," Bright muttered under his breath. His leg was bouncing up and down quickly.
"Hello?" the man asked when the call connected.
"Hey, send me Gigie's address on this number now!" Bright ordered harshly. "She works for HR so you know her."
"Y- yes, sir," the man replied nervously. Bright ended the call and waited for the message. He continued talking and encouraging Win through the call. He was just saying everything he thought could help as he felt powerful. Bright's heart was beating so fast and he could feel the tears threatening to fall down. A few seconds later, the other phone beeped and he saw that it was the address. Man didn't wait for Bright to give him the phone and snatched it on his hand. His best friend started inputting it to his GPS navigation app and then started driving fast.
"Win," he said as his voice started wavering, "We're on our way to get you, bunny. Please, wait for me. Please."
Still not putting the phone down, Bright looked at Man's phone and saw that they were seven minutes away from where Gigie's address was. Win didn't tell him that they were there but he had a feeling. Was it a longshot? Probably but Bright had no other guesses. He kept the phone on his ear as he tried to hear anything at all. Waiting for Win to say something, anything, for Bright to feel hopeful. After a few minutes, he heard some noise. It sounded muffled as if the person was outside the place Win was in. Then, he heard something like a door opening.
"Win? Win! No no no no no!"
"Who's there?!" Bright shouted. Someone found Win and the way the man shouted seemed like Win wasn't in a good state. "Who's there?!"
They were three minutes away from Gigie's house and he was hoping his guess was right because he couldn't take this anymore. Bright didn't even notice the tears had fallen down on his cheeks and down to his chin.
"Oh my god, Win, please wake up!"
"Can you hear me?!" Bright kept shouting hoping the man with Win would notice him. Then, he heard another noise but it was indistinguishable.
"Bright?" the man finally answered and Bright felt like he was going to go wild.
"Hello? Where are you?!" Bright asked quickly. He didn't bother to know who the man was but he seemed to know Win and from the way he reacted, he wasn't there to hurt him.
The man spouted out the address and he looked at Man and nodded in confirmation that they were indeed at Gigie's address. "Bright," the man on the phone said and Bright could hear him crying which made Bright feel even more anxious, "This is Khaotung, Win's best friend. Win is unconscious and I have rung the emergency hotline. An ambulance is on the way."
"We're almost there!" Bright exclaimed as Man took a sharp turn. "Is he...?"
"I can feel a pulse but I don't know how to identify if it's weak or not," Khaotung said, his voice shaking. "Please, hurry!"
Another minute or two, Man parked the car and saw another car parked in front. Bright didn't even wait for the car to be on parked properly as he jumped out of it. He ran towards the open door and his almost stopped on his tracks as he saw a man kneeling beside someone laid down on the ground. The man sitting down turned around and his tear-stricken face with some blood on him overwhelmed him.
"Bright," the man spoke and Bright realized that he was Khaotung. The devastated look on his face made Bright move towards them. As soon as he saw Win's bloodied body face. His knees gave up as he fell down on the ground. At that moment, he finally broke down.
"Win, baby," Bright said as he sobbed and held his man's hand. "I'm here, baby. You're going to be okay. I know you're going to be okay. Just hold on."
He held on to Win as if he was going to physically leave him. Bright was holding on to him as he looked at his face. This couldn't be the end, could it? No, he wouldn't accept that.
"Win," he continued talking to him as if he could hear him, "There are a lot more firsts we have to do. I want to show you the world. I want to stay in bed with you and binge watch that Lucifer show with you. I want to go to Maldives and relax by the beach with you. I want to hear you tell me all the random things you learned every day. I want to kiss you good night and then wake up and kiss you good morning."
Suddenly, he could hear the siren of an ambulance near them. "They're here, Bright," Khaotung whispered as he stood up and left. Bright didn't look away from Win as he tried to memorize every little details it hard.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Win," Bright whispered as his voice cracked. "Please, Win, please don't leave me."
Bright heard multiple footsteps coming near to them but he still didn't turn his gaze away. A hand grabbed him by his shoulder mildly. "Sir, please step away so we can check on him," a voice told him. Bright released his hold on Win's hand gently even if he didn't want to. He moved away and stood up shakily as he looked at the paramedics working on Win. He closed his eyes prayed to whoever was listening to save Win. He wasn't really a religious person but at the moment he was willing to ask for help from anyone.
Man jogged towards him as he tried to get Bright's attention. As his best friend reached him, Man looked at Win and then back to Bright. "The police are here and they want to take our statements," he said. "Khaotung is already giving his right now."
Bright gave Win one last look, willing his man to be strong and trying to give him all the positive energy he could muster. He inhaled and then breathed out. "Okay," Bright replied to Man as he was guided outside. Bright saw that there was an ambulance and two police cars outside. There were four officers talking to Khaotung as Bright and Man walked towards them. When they reached where they were, the other officer saw them and greeted Bright.
"Hello, Mr. Chiva-aree," the officer greeted. Bright was a little shocked because the officer knew him. "I'm one of the officers who was there with you in the precinct for the car accident a while ago," he explained.
Bright nodded at this. He didn't feel like talking at the moment. Win was lying on the ground there inside the house and he was more concerned about that. The officer told him to tell him what he knew about what happened. As he was explaining to the officer about receiving the call, Bright saw that Win was being carried on a stretcher towards the ambulance.
"Can we do this later?" Bright suddenly asked the officer. "I want to go to the hospital with my boyfriend."
That was the first time he said that out loud. Win was his boyfriend no matter how Win told him that they were just dating at the moment. For Bright, there was no duration or time requirement on being a boyfriend or hell, even for marrying. Not that he wanted to ask Win to marry him already but now, he was hoping that he still could.
"Bright," he heard as he turned and saw Khaotung holding on to him. "I really want to go with Win but let's finish this."
Bright turned back to see the ambulance's doors closed. The internal struggle he was having was killing him but he nodded. "You're done with your statement, right?"
Khaotung nodded to him unsurely. "You should go now and follow Win to the hospital," Bright told him. "Somebody needs to be there."
"Okay," Khaotung replied as he fished his keys out of his pocket. "I'm also going to call his parents."
Bright didn't even think about that. Win's parents and brother needed to know what happened. He nodded at Khaotung and the man hurried to go to his car. Man was giving his statement to the other police officer and Bright continued giving his. After telling the officer everything he knew, Bright told him that he still didn't know why this could've happened.
"I didn't even know Gigie and Win knew each other," he told the officer. Speaking of, he hadn't even asked the most important question. "Where is she?"
"We checked inside and no one was in there," the officer replied. "We think she ran away on foot as we saw some bloodied footprints. She seemed to have covered her tracks by wearing shoes or something but we're pretty sure that she escaped on foot. The woman seems to know her way around stealthily."
"I didn't know what made her do this," Bright said quietly as he tried to think of something. He didn't know that he had a crazy killer in his company.
"From the victim's best friend's statement, he said that Mr. Metawin was supposed to meet him after work. As he was about to pick him up, Mr. Metawin told him that he was helping a co-worker, that would be Gigie, to her home as she was injured. The injuries' origin wasn't revealed. Fortunately, Mr. Metawin sent him his location so that was how he managed to find the victim."
It still didn't make sense to Bright why Gigie would try to kill Win. She seemed like a nice girl but he guessed that that was just a façade. "Please, catch her," Bright told the police sternly. "I want her to rot in jail for this."
"We'll do our best, sir," the officer told him nicely but Bright wasn't satisfied with the answer.
"My family has a lot of connections in high places, even in your department," Bright informed him, "If I need to pull some strings to make this a priority, I will."
As he said that, he thanked the officer and told him that they needed to leave and go to the hospital. Bright called out for Man and his best friend shook hands with the other police officer. Bright entered the car and waited for Man. As they left, Bright gave a last look at Gigie's house.
Justice will be served, Bright thought. I will make sure of it.
Man drove faster than normal and Bright hoped they didn't get caught by the police for speeding. If they did, Bright would use his family's connections. At times like this, he needed to whether he liked it or not. After ten minutes or so, they finally reached the hospital and Bright went down in front of it while his best friend went to find a parking space. He ran inside and asked the woman at the reception area for a patient who was just brought in and gave Win's full name. The woman gave him the waiting area location and told him that Win was in surgery.
He quickly made his way to the waiting area that she told him and he saw that Khaotung was there, sitting on one of the hospitals' waiting benches with his elbow propped up on his thighs and his head down. Bright walked towards him and noticed that he was talking on the phone. Khaotung noticed him and Bright gave him a timid wave. Khaotung's face was still wet from his tears and Bright felt his throat constricted from the fear of unknown and anxiety. He sat down a seat away from Khaotung and leaned his head back on the wall. Closing his eyes, he prayed to whoever was up there to save Win. He prayed that he would be strong enough to surpass this. Bright hoped - no, he knew - this wasn't the end of Win. His boyfriend was a fighter. Win had more to offer to the world and to everyone around him.
Bright had always thought of Win as a beacon of light. He seemed to lift everyone's spirits up however he could. His happiness, and sometimes his bliss, was infectious. Bright wished it was him instead of Win. He would exchange his life for the man's if that was a choice and the only other choice. He covered his already closed eyes with his arms as tears started to come out of his eyes again. He felt a hand touch his shoulder so he wiped his eyes and saw that it was Man. His best friend sat beside him and not speaking but Bright knew he was giving his support to him and to Win.
"Bright," he heard Khaotung call his name out which made him turn around to face him. "Win's parents are on the way."
Bright nodded at this. He had never met Win's parents and it was sad that his first meeting with them was with their son in the hospital fighting for his life. After Khaotung told him that, the three of them sat there in silence, waiting in dreadfulness. An hour and a half of waiting, Bright heard the echoed hurried footsteps coming towards them. He looked and saw two persons looking wrecked fast walking towards them. Bright instantly knew that they were Win's parents so he stood up trying to look as presentable as he could be in the situation. He still had blood all over him from holding Win. Khaotung went past him to and met Win's parents halfway.
"Uncle Chittapon, Auntie Prasong," Khaotung greeted them as they the woman hugged him. Win's mother cried loudly as they hugged. After a minute or two, Khaotung led them to the seats beside him. As they were face-to-face with him, Bright seemed to lost his voice and couldn't introduce himself. Win's parents were looking at him, probably wondering why he had blood all over him and why he was there.
"Uncle, Auntie," Khaotung spoke up, "this is Bright."
There was silence for a few seconds and Bright was sweating bad. He was scared of Win's parents for two reasons: this is their first time meeting him as Win's boyfriend and the situation to be meeting was probably the worst scenario.
"He's Win's boyfriend."
Bright felt his stomach dropped as Khaotung said those words. Bright tried to act quickly and tried to raise his hand for a handshake but saw that he had blood all over. So, he just placed both of his arms on his side and stood there frigidly.
"Hello," he managed to speak out.
"I didn't know Win had a... partner," Win's dad said. Bright dared to look at the man and saw that he had a neutral look on his face. Bright couldn't read his face and that made him feel frightened.
"Oh, hush," Win's mother replied. "I'm sure Win is going to introduce him to us sooner or later."
"It's nice to meet you two," Bright said as he bowed his head to them. "I wish it was in a better setting."
"Oh, come here," Win's mother said as he suddenly gave Bright a hug. Bright was shocked and stiff for a moment, not knowing how to respond. He gave in to it and hugged her back. The motherly hug he received almost made him tear up again.
"Tell me everything that happened," Win's father said as they separated. Khaotung asked them sit down and then told them everything. He asked Bright to jump in with his part in it. Win's mother, Auntie Prasong, started sobbing quietly as Uncle Chittapon gave her his handkerchief. He gave Khaotung and him a hard stare as he kept quiet the whole time. After they told them everything, Uncle Chittapon turned his stare directly to Bright.
"Bright, right?" he asked sternly. Bright nodded as he tried to act like he wasn't about to piss his pants. Oh, how he wished Win was here with him. He just knew his boyfriend would be trying to stifle his laughter because of him being scared of his dad.
"You're going to make her pay for this?" he asked. Bright didn't know if this was a trick question or not. Either way, he just answered the question honestly.
"Yes," he said, as he gritted his teeth from anger. "I can pull some strings if the police don't give their hundred percent in catching her."
Win's dad just stared at him for a few seconds and nodded. Bright released his breath that he didn't know he was holding.
He called Man and his best friend stood up and went to him. Bright instructed him to keep him and himself updated with the police station and the case. He whispered to Man that if he felt that they didn't do their best, he knew who to call. Man nodded, understanding the importance of the order. They couldn't let Gigie get away from what she did. Every second was crucial and she might be far from the city if they were too late.
It's been a few hours ever since the surgery and they've been waiting there for a long time. Bright tried not to think of what could happen or why it was taking so long. While waiting, Bright taught that everything was his fault. If he just let Win come with him to the station, or even at the crash site, this might not had happened. Win wouldn't have crossed paths with Gigie. It was all his fault.
"Bright!" Man shouted as he ran towards him. He had gone out of the hospital to get them food and he was recklessly holding the food as he hurried. When he reached them, he placed the food on the seats as he tried to catch his breath.
"What is it, Man?" Bright asked. Man finally caught his breath and stood up straight.
"They caught Gigie," he said and that seemed to catch everyone's attention. Khaotung and Win's parents went towards them as they listened to what Man was about to say.
"Guess who tipped them?" He started as his face was looking like he couldn't believe what happened.
"Who?" Bright asked trying to hurry the man. This was no time for suspense.
"Drake."
Bright's eyes widened at this. He didn't expect to hear that name at all. "How?" he asked.
Man looked at the others and said, "I think you need to go to the precinct for that."
"You didn't ask?!" Bright shouted and it made Man flinch. Khaotung patted his shoulder and he remembered that this wasn't Man's fault.
"I did but I just thought you'd want to go to the police station right away and see Gigie," Man explained himself.
"I'm sorry," Bright said remorsefully. Man just shrugged with a smile. His best friend understood his agitation.
"I don't know the whole story but they said he called the police and said that Gigie came to him bloodied and injured," Man told them. "Drake was freaked out because she was acting unhinged so he called the police."
"Bright," Win's father spoke after Man's explanation. "Go. We'll call you if there's any progress here."
Bright somehow felt that Win's father was warming up to him so even with his hesitation to be far from Win at the moment, he nodded as answer. He needed to see Gigie and make sure that she would regret what she'd done to Win. So, he turned and walked with Man to go to the precinct where Gigie was being held. As they drove there, his anger seemed to rise up as he thought about Gigie stabbing Win. He needed to know what's her motive and what was her end game. Even he barely had any conversation with the woman. He just knew her in passing. A greeting from her here and there when they crossed paths. The one time in the bar when he almost made a mistake with her. The last one was today when she was waiting for him by his car. He didn't even know anything about her at all.
Bright knew he would make sure that Gigie would rot in jail for what she had done. If Win didn't make it... Bright shook his head trying not to think of the worst scenario. He needed to believe Win was going to make it through. Hope was a powerful yet dangerous thing to have but he needed it. It was the only thing keeping him from lashing out and from losing himself. His hope and Win were his anchors right now, keeping him stable.
When they got to the police station, Bright took a deep breath and put his serious face on. He wasn't going to show any sign of weakness to the police nor to Gigie. As he entered the station brashly, Bright seemed to get most of the people's attention. He went to straight to the reception area and told the lady stationed there his full name.
As soon as she heard his surname, her eyes widened. Bright's family, as well-known as they were, had connections everywhere. They were smart about using them though. His parents told him and Frank that they should only use it when they really needed to. If not, it would look like they were just using their influence. They had to give the air of friendliness and make the people their connected to that they were useful and needed. Bright never understood why they needed the connections since they had nothing dirty about them or their businesses, he made sure before accepting Watflix, but he guessed wealthy people just had them.
Bright, having his identity kind of hidden from the public eye, was not known by most people but the people sitting in high places did. For example, the chief police officer. That was why he asked the lady to get him so Bright could talk to him and give him special privileges to face Gigie. The woman behind the desk seemed hesitant at first and it looked like she thought he was bluffing so Bright just took out his wallet and showed him his ID. Also, it wasn't as if he wasn't there a few hours ago for the car accident.
As soon as the lady saw his ID, she nodded and stood up to call his boss. Bright looked around and then at one of the police desks, he saw a familiar face. The man being interviewed there saw him too and they locked eyes. It was Drake.
He walked towards them and the police officer was startled when Bright grabbed a chair nearby and sat on their sides. He crossed his legs and waited for Drake to talk. The man seemed anxious and frightened with him at the moment. He saw that the police officer was one of the uniforms who went to the crime scene.
"Sir, I know you really want to know about the case-," the officer started saying to him but Bright wasn't having none of it.
"You know who I am, officer. You know if I wanted to sit in here to listen, I can," Bright said as he narrowed his eyes to Drake even more. The man looked like he was going to wet himself and Bright smirked inwardly. "We can do this the long way with me talking to your chief or you just let this happen now."
Bright turned to look at the officer and saw him visibly gulped. He nodded at him and then he started to continue interviewing Drake. Bright decided he wanted to control the interview instead.
"Can you start at the beginning?" Bright asked sharply. Drake looked scared and that was something he felt smug about. Not so cocky now are we, Drake? Bright thought to himself.
"As I've told the officer," Drake started, trying to sound condescending and confident but failing, "I had nothing to do with any of what Gigie planned. I was at home minding my own business when somebody knocked on the door. I opened it and saw Gigie standing on the other side of the door, bloodied and injured. Of course, I thought something bad happened to her so I let her in and asked her what's wrong. I even offered to bring her to the hospital but she refused."
Drake paused and brushed his hair back with his fingers. "All of a sudden, she just started talking about how I should've just done my job right and got Win," he said and this made Bright really angry. Drake raised his hands as if he felt Bright was going to physically deck him right then and there, "I honestly have no idea what she was saying! I asked her what she meant by that and she said that all I had to do was make Win come with me to a date but I failed. That's when I figured out that she was using me too."
"And how did it lead to you reporting her to the police, huh?" Bright asked. He needed to know if Drake was really a victim here too or not.
"I had a bad feeling when she kept talking shit about Win. So, I asked her why she was... you know. Why did she look like that?" Drake told them. "She just muttered to herself and I could barely hear any words but I did hear the words, stabbed, dead, and Win. So, I thought she had killed Win."
Bright gritted his teeth in anger. "And then?"
"I told her that she should clean herself up and led her to the bathroom. When I heard the shower was turned on, I dialed for the police," Drake told him. Bright nodded at this. He still wasn't sure if Drake was really a victim in this situation too. He heard his name being called out and he turned to see that the lady was standing there with the chief.
He stood up and left Drake and the officer without saying goodbye. Chief police officer Phakdi saw him and Bright saw the recognition on his face. The man whispered something to the lady and she nodded and went back to her desk. As he reached the chief, Man stood beside Bright in solidarity.
"Uncle Phakdi," Bright greeted with a serious face. They shook each other's hands and the man led them to his office. They all sat down and Bright thought he had to get to the point.
"I came here asking for a favour," Bright told Phakdi. The old man just nodded at him as if he was expecting what Bright just said.
"Does this favour have anything to do with the woman who was just brought in?" he asked. Bright nodded in confirmation.
"I need to talk to her," Bright said. "My boyfriend is in the hospital getting surgery and might even be in a critical condition because of what she did."
"Son, I don't think talking to her will help your situation," Phakdi replied.
"I don't care," Bright told him. "I want to know why she did it."
"We have tried interrogating her already," the old man told him. "All she says is that she was the one who was attacked and harassed."
"That's bullshit!" Bright exclaimed. Gigie had the nerve to lie when even Drake, the person she ran to, called the cops on her?
"Language, son," Phakdi reprimanded him. Bright felt a little guilty but he didn't have it in him to apologize. "We know she's lying. This isn't our first rodeo."
Bright stayed quiet, waiting for the old man to tell him that he could see her. Chief Phakdi stared at him for a long time and then he sighed and shook his head. "Fine," he told Bright. "But you only get half an hour."
Bright stood up quickly and took whatever he could get from the favour he just asked. The chief called in one of his officers and led Bright to where Gigie was being held. As he entered the room, Bright saw Gigie looking at him with a smile on her face. Her cuffs were linked to the table as she sat on one of the chairs inside. She was wearing loose clothes that looked like it came from the station's lost and found. The officer wanted to come in with him but Bright said no. They had cameras in the room anyway so they would see and hear everything.
The officer closed the door leaving him and Gigie inside. Bright clenched his fist, trying to stop himself from being violent. He never was a violent person nor had ever wanted to hit a woman in his life. That, right there though, was an exemption that he could take if he wanted to. Still, Bright had controlled himself because being there with her was already a huge favour. He might lose his connection to the station if he hit the woman sitting across him.
"Bright, you came!" Gigie exclaimed with a happy look on her face.
"Why, Gigie?" Bright asked through his gritted teeth. "Why would you do that to Win?"
Her face suddenly turned sour as he mentioned Win's name. "He isn't the right one for you, Bright," she said with a pissed off look on her face. "Win isn't worthy of being the love of your life."
Bright's anger was off the charts and he didn't know if he could hold himself back any longer. He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. As he exhaled, he looked at Gigie. "And who are you to know that?"
Gigie just smiled at him as if he hung the moon for her. "Everyone can see it! Win was just probably using you to get all the perks in the company," she said as if what she was spouting was facts. "I am not like him, Bright. I loved you the moment I saw you."
"Win is the one for me," Bright told her pointedly. "All I have for you is hate and anger. You fucking bitch. You think killing Win would make me want you?"
Suddenly, a smirk formed on her face. "So, he's dead?"
The chair scraped on the floor and fell on the ground as Bright quickly stood up with his fist ready to hit her. The guard opened the door and was almost ready to pull Bright out of the room. Bright managed to catch himself and tried to calm himself down.
"I didn't manage to finish him myself because I saw his phone on so I had to run," Gigie said as he stared at Bright nonchalantly. She still had that smug look on her face. "There's no more reason for us not to be together. I'm way better than him, Bright! I would not make you feel sad like he did when he had his sick leave."
Bright was really close to losing it again and he needed to get out soon. He composed himself and stared back at Gigie.
"I will not let you get away with this," Bright told her. "You will rot in jail and I will do my best to not let you get yourself be in a psychiatric ward instead."
The grin on Gigie's face started cracking. Bright could see her fuming now but she was trying to contain it. "You don't mean that, Bright," she said sweetly. "You like me! We made a deep connection in the bar, remember?"
Bright scoffed at that. "That was all in your head, you crazy bitch," he said and that definitely cracked the façade Gigie had. "And for the record, Win is still alive."
Bright started walking towards the door as Gigie started wailing like a banshee. She was pulling on her cuffs and trying to break free from it.
"You're going to regret this, Bright!" she shouted with a crazed look on her face. She kept shouting threats but Bright didn't really care. As he was almost out of the door, Gigie's tone changed again.
"Bright, my love, please," Gigie said like a sweet woman would. Bright looked at her and then went out of the room. As the officer closed the door, he could hear her muffled shouts.
He went back to the main hall of the station and he saw Man and Phakdi talking there. Bright went up to them and Man asked if he was done. He told him that he was and he was ready to go back to the hospital. He shook Phakdi's hand and thanked him for the favour. Phakdi said that it was not a big deal and to say hello to his parents. Also, he told Bright that he would be praying that his boyfriend would be fine. Bright gave him a tired smile and bid his goodbye.
As they walked to the car, Bright thought that Chief Phakdi really acted like an uncle to him. He was one of his dad's closest friends from school. Their family's friendship did run deep. They entered the car and Man drove away from the police station.
"So, what did she say?" Man asked while driving. Bright looked out of the window as he thought about what Gigie said. It made his blood boil just thinking about it.
"Only if you want to tell me," Man quickly added. Bright looked at his best friend and gave him a small smile.
"She was basically delusional," Bright told him. "She kept talking about how Win wasn't the right one for me and that she was."
This made Bright quiet as he said it out loud. "It's my fault, Man."
"What?" Man asked as he kept driving. "No. It's Gigie's fault and not yours. She's a crazy bitch. You have nothing to do with it."
Bright let out a sigh and felt so guilty for what happened to Win. "I'm the root of what happened, Man," he said softly. "Without me in his life, Win wouldn't have been in this situation."
"Bright, I love you, man, but you're really thinking like an idiot right now," Man told him. Always trust his best friend to be as honest as he could be. "If it wasn't Win you were into it and it was somebody else, Gigie would've still gone crazy on that person's ass."
"Then maybe I should stay away from Win," he said, sounding broken. "I seem to be a bad luck to him. I don't want him to get hurt because of me."
Out of nowhere, he felt Man slapping the back of his head. That made him feel a bit disoriented from his pity party to the shock of the hit. "What the fuck, Man?" he asked.
"I'm trying to snap you out of your stupidity," Man said with a smirk on his face. "Bright, buddy, I'm sure Win wouldn't blame you for what happened. So, stop blaming yourself or we will both kick your ass!"
This made the two of them laugh lightly. Bright's heart broke a little thinking about Win again. "I wish he was here to kick my ass," he told himself sadly.
Man patted his shoulder without taking off his eyes from the road ahead of them. "He'll be okay, Bright," he told him. Bright let out a shaky sigh and silently agreed with Man. They rode in silence until they reached the hospital again. Bright and Man walked to the waiting area again and saw that Khaotung and Win's parents were still sitting there. As soon as they saw him, they stood up and waited for him to reach them.
When they reached them, it was Win's father who spoke first. "So, what happened?" he asked.
Bright told them everything he learned. From Drake's side of the story and to talking to Gigie face-to-face. Win's mother started crying again just from hearing why Gigie did what she did. Bright felt super guilty feeling like this was all his fault.
"I'm sorry," Bright said as his voice cracked. He was on the verge of tears. They all looked at him probably wondering why he apologized. "I'm the reason she went crazy on Win. I'm so sorry."
He had his head bowed down and for some reason, he decided to kneel in front of Win's parents. "Please, forgive me," he said as tears started falling down on his face.
"Stand up, son," he heard Win's father say. He raised his head and look at him. As he stood up, Win's father put his hand on his shoulder. "This isn't any of your fault. I'm glad Win has somebody loving him."
He couldn't contain his stifled sobs and he let it out. Win's mother hugged him and patted his back like his real mother would. Bright was not the person to openly show emotions but with Win's life tittering on the line of the living and the dead, he couldn't care less anymore. Their sweet moment was suddenly stopped when they heard the doors to the surgery room opened. All of them looked at the doctor coming out as he took off the surgical mask he was wearing.
"Are you Win Metawin's family?" he asked and Win's mother confirmed it. Win's parents, Khaotung, Man, and Bright were all intently waiting for the doctor to tell them that Win was okay.
"The patient is in critical condition. We tried our best," he said and Bright's stomach just dropped to the floor. This was it. This was what Bright dreaded to hear. He felt himself froze and a panic attack was sure to come.
"We had to put him in a medically induced coma," the doctor said. "For now, he's stable but we have to watch him. He's not out of the woods yet."
Win's mother started sobbing and he saw Khaotung trying to hold on to her to not fall down to the ground. Bright didn't know how he was supposed to feel. Win was in a coma and he was stable. For now. He thought that beggars couldn't be choosers so he would take any win he could get. Man patted his back and he looked at his best friend. He had his eyebrow raised at Bright as if asking if he was okay. Bright didn't know he was holding his breath the whole time as he exhaled a shaky one. He nodded at Man as they talked without speaking. He heard Win's father talking to the doctor and asking questions and Bright tried to listen so that he would be privy to important things to know about Win's condition.
"For a few days, we're only going to allow family to be in the room. Two max," the doctor told Win's father.
"Um, excuse me, doctor," Bright said as he interloped on the conversation. "Can I be allowed in the room too?"
The doctor was about to speak when Win's father spoke first. "He will be allowed. He's my son's boyfriend," he told the doctor as if it was something non-negotiable. Bright felt so thankful that Win's father was acting like he was already part of their family. The doctor seemed to think it over and he nodded. "We're not really strict here about the family thing," he told the both of them. After a few more inquiries by Win's father, the doctor called the nurse to direct them to Win's room.
As they reached the room, Win's father decided that he and his wife were going in first. Bright agreed to that because that was the right thing anyway. Win was their son and they were the first people to see him and check on him. Bright and Khaotung would be the next ones after them.
The three of them waited outside for a while. After half an hour or so, Win's parents came out of the room. Win's mother was still wiping her tears as they went out.
"You two can go in now," Win's mother said. "But Khaotung, I think you have an extra key for Win's apartment, right?"
Khaotung nodded at that question. "Yes, Auntie. We have an extra key for each other's places just in case of emergencies," he replied.
"We would like to stay there for tonight because I don't think your uncle can drive back home tonight," she told him with a tired smile on his face.
"Oh, it's not with me right now," Khaotung said, regretfully. "But we can drive to my place and get it."
Bright thought that that was too much driving for tonight and Win's father looked tired already. "I think you should just get a hotel room tonight," he suggested. "Man can book you one right now."
"That seems like an unnecessary waste of money," Win's father replied.
"I'll pay for it, sir," Bright replied and kind of felt embarrassed at calling him, 'sir'.
"You don't have to do that," he told him but Bright wasn't going to take no as answer.
"It's all good. Man here will fix everything," he said as Man was already on the phone contacting a hotel he was sure.
"Thank you, Bright," Win's mother said. Bright smiled as a response to that.
"I also have to ask you guys for something," Bright said. Win's parents looked at him questioningly. "I really want to stay with Win tonight. If you would be okay with that-"
"You can, son," was all Win's father said. Win's mother smiled at him and nodded. "It would be nice for someone to stay with him. Thank you, Bright."
Bright felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. Win's father said that he was going to inform the nurses about him staying with their son for the night. Man finished his call and told Win's parents that he had everything set up. They said their goodbyes and Bright told Man to take good care of Win's parents. They hugged and Man whispered into his ears that he will take care of his in-laws. That made Bright blush and his face was red. He kicked Man on the sheen and his best friend acted hurt exaggeratedly. When they left, he and Khaotung entered Win's room.
As soon as he entered the quiet room, he heard the constant beeping of the heart rate machine. He felt like his feet were made of cement as it was hard to take a step towards Win. It's like his body and mind didn't want to see Win looking like that. After a few seconds, he finally reached the other side of the bed and looked at his boyfriend. Staring at Win's face, he felt like his heart was breaking. He didn't want to see Win in a situation like that ever again. His ears were focused on the heart rate machine as he pleaded to Win to stay strong.
Khaotung was talking to Win as if he was awake. Telling him to wake up soon and all the things they should be doing as best friends. Bright smiled at that. He was glad that Win was loved by people. He tried to not think about Khaotung kissing Win but who could blame him? His boyfriend was just really handsome and easy to love. Bright just stood there, holding on to Win's hand. He didn't know what to say or what to do. Khaotung looked at him after a few minutes of talking to Win.
"I'm going now," Khaotung told him. Bright nodded at him and Khaotung went on to say goodbye to Win, promising the man that he would be back tomorrow and he was expecting him to be awake so they could catch up as they planned that day. Then, he waved goodbye to him and Bright waved back. When Khaotung had left the room, Bright took the chair and positioned it beside the bed. He continued to hold on to Win's hand as he kept silent.
Bright kissed Win's knuckles as he sat there. He looked at Win's peaceful face and listened to the steady heartbeat he was hearing from the machine.
"I'm sorry, baby. Please, come back to me soon."
"Who the fuck are you?"
Bright was startled awake by the voice he heard. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep last night but it seemed that he had rested his head on the bed beside Win's body. The man standing by the door was looking at him as if he was something nasty. Bright didn't recognize who he was so he went on defensive mode.
"Who the fuck are you?" he asked back as he stood up. The look on the man's face turned murderous. It seemed like Bright had pissed him off. He checked the time on his phone and it was only 8:30 in the morning.
"I'm Win's brother," he said pointedly. "Now, who. The fuck. Are. You?"
Bright felt his stomach dropped. He just cussed Win's brother and from what he remembered from his date with Win that his older brother was very protective of him and that Bright might have a hard time getting on his good time. Now, with him acting like a dick to Win's older brother he just knew things weren't going to go smoothly at all.
"I- I'm sorry," Bright apologized. "I'm Bright. I'm Win's um-"
"You're his boyfriend," he said as he narrowed his eyes at him as he moved to go to the other side of Win's bed. "My mom and dad told me this morning when I went there to pick them up."
Bright didn't know the man's name because Win didn't mention it nor Win's brother was going to tell him. He watched as he settled himself on the other side, grabbing another chair to sit down on. When he finished getting comfortable and with a book on his hand, he looked at Bright with a raised eyebrow.
"You can leave now," he said and then his focus went back to the book he had just opened. Bright didn't want to leave Win and Win's older brother wouldn't scare him to leave. He respected Win's family but he wouldn't leave Win unless he really had to.
"I'm okay here," he replied, trying to keep his voice even.
"That wasn't a suggestion," Win's older brother said coldly.
"Good to know," Bright retorted as he sat back down on his seat, eyes trained on the other man across him.
Bright saw Win's older brother put his book face down as he kept staring back at him. "I don't want the one responsible for my brother's current predicament to be in the same room as him," he said harshly.
Bright didn't have anything to reply to that. He blamed himself for what happened to Win and to hear it from someone else just aggravated the guilt he was feeling. Win's brother was right and he was the one responsible for Win being in that state. He kept his mouth shut because he couldn't say anything to what was just said. The door opened and Bright saw that Win's parents entering the room.
"You boys get along," Win's mother reprimanded as she looked at both of them. Bright just kept quiet and he saw Win's brother huffed in annoyance.
"He can leave now that we're here," he said, still staring at Bright with annoyance on his face.
"Toptap, be nice," Win's mother said as she patted Bright's shoulder as a greeting. Bright smiled back at her, silently thanking her for letting him stay here.
"But-"
"He has been helpful to us and to Win," Win's father chimed in.
"He's the reason why Win's in here," Toptap said like a petulant child.
"No," his father replied, "That would be the crazy lady who attacked him. End of discussion."
Toptap huffed again as he grabbed his book and seemed to read furiously. Bright felt really bad because it wasn't just him who thought that all the blame laid on him. There was another person who thought it too. Bright thought that he could ignore that train of thought of his but now that it was brought up by Toptap, Win's older brother's name, he just couldn't stop overthinking.
"Okay, let's eat," Win's mother announced behind him. They've brought food for them to eat and Bright thanked them. Toptap stayed cold to him the whole time and would occasionally give him nasty glances but Bright tried to ignore it. Win's brother had the right to be mad at him. Blame him. It was all justified and Bright would take all the lashings he would receive from him. He only cared for his brother and Bright definitely understood that.
Around lunch time, somebody knocked on the door and when Win's mother opened it, Bright peeked and saw that it was Win's co-workers at the door. Guy was the one talking to Win's mother and explaining who they were. There weren't any nurses around so she sneaked them in. They greeted Win's father and Toptap and Win's brother seemed to act nicer to them. Gun was already quietly crying at the back. Phuak and Gunsmile greeted Bright as they went near to the bedside. He greeted them back and scooted a little to give them space to stand beside the bed. Bright saw Guy talking to Win's father, probably asking what happened.
"Hey, man," Phuak said softly, talking to Win. "We're all here and we miss you already in the office."
"Yeah, Win," Gunsmile chimed in. "Phuak has no teammate so it won't be fair to beat his ass in our games without you."
They both laughed quietly. "Wake up soon, brother," Phuak said.
All of a sudden, they heard Gun burst into tears which startled them all. Win's mother, a little bit confused, tried to help him up as he had fallen on the ground. Bright saw Guy sighed and went to Gun. He didn't hear what he said to Gun but he did hear, "drama queen" somewhere in there. After a few minutes when they've all settled, Win's mother offered food to them.
"I'm just so happy that he has a lot of friends that care so much for him," Win's mother said.
"Our department is like a family in the office," Guy said. "Win's like our little brother."
When the nurse came in for Win's checkup, she saw that there were a lot of people in the room. She apologized to them and said that some people who weren't family needed to leave because they didn't allow a lot of visitors for the patient yet. Win's team said their goodbyes to them and Bright thanked them for visiting. Guy told him that Win was really like family to them and they would check-in again on him tomorrow. Bright got the man's number and said he would update him if they still didn't allow many visitors.
When they left, Bright was left in the room with Win's family again. They stayed silent there talking only when they needed to. Bright was still holding Win's hand which seemed to piss Toptap. The television was on because of Win's father watching the news. Win's mother was sat beside him as she brought out her crocheting materials. Toptap was reading his book and pretending Bright didn't exist.
After an hour or two, somebody knocked on the door again. When it opened, Man's head peeked out. "Bright, I need to talk to you," he said. Bright waved him to come in the room since there were no nurses around yet anyway.
"What's wrong?" Bright asked. He didn't anything else to go wrong anymore.
"Nothing," Man said as he looked around the room. "But you need to go back to the company."
"I don't want to leave Win," he said as he slightly tightened his hold on Win's hand.
"Just for a few hours, Bright," Man pleaded. "We're swamped today and there are some things you need to sign off on."
"Just bring them here," Bright insisted, not wanting to leave Win's side.
"Bright," Win's father said, "You should go. We don't want you to lose your job. We're here anyway to look after Win and you can come back after you're done."
"Oh, he's not going to lose any job," Man said and Bright gave him a stern look. Man grimaced.
"What does that mean?" Win's mother asked. Bright looked at them and even Toptap looked interested in the conversation.
"Um," Bright muttered, "I own the company."
Silence ensued in the room as Win's family seemed to take it in.
"You mean the company where Win and his co-workers work at?" Win's mother asked. Bright nodded without looking at anyone.
"So, it's all right for me to just stay here," Bright explained.
"You owning a company is all the more reason why you need to go," Toptap told him with a neutral look on his face. Bright didn't know if that was a nice thing or not coming from Toptap. Either way, he would take it as a positive.
"We'll call you if any changes happen, son," Win's father told him. Bright looked at Win and he struggled standing up to leave. They're right, though. Watflix needed him and he needed to be there even just for a few hours.
Bright kissed Win's hand and whispered, "I'll be back as soon as I can, baby."
He saw Toptap rolled his eyes when he said that but Bright ignored him. He would have to work hard to get Win's brother's approval. Bright stood up and said his goodbyes to them. Every step away from Win's room was like a stab in Bright's heart. Man wrapped his arm around Bright's shoulder as he moved him quickly. Bright was walking as slow as he could to delay his departure and obviously Man saw right through him.
For the rest of the day, Bright went to Watflix and did a lot of work. He had his mind thinking about Win every minute. Checking his phone every chance he could in case there was a text from Win's parents made him work a little bit longer than he wanted. He was distracted but who wouldn't be? Man didn't even reprimand him whenever he would just stare on his phone waiting for a message. His best friend was supportive and helped him get through the day.
After he finished work, Man gave him the keys to the company car and his best friend insisted that he needed it more while he waited to get his car fixed. Bright thanked him and Man just waved it off. "That's what a best friend is for," he said with a warm smile on his face. Bright hugged him tightly and he was so thankful that he had his best friend by his side.
"You and Win will get through this," Man whispered to him and they broke the hug. Bright could only hope so.
Bright went home to his place and took a shower. He also decided to pack some clothes because he planned to stay with Win every single day until his man wakes up. It was a little late when he got back to the hospital and saw that Win's family was still there. Win's father was slumped on his chair sleeping. Win's mother greeted him and fussed over him. She gave Bright food saying that she just knew that he would forget to eat. Bright thanked her and dug in.
"Do you plan to stay here every day?" Toptap asked out of nowhere. Bright grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth before replying.
"I do," he said.
"Do you think that will ease the guilt of what you've caused?" Toptap asked quietly but Bright could hear the harshness of the question.
"I know it won't," Bright replied quietly as he was reminded again of what he'd caused. "But I'm mainly here because I love your brother."
"If you love him, you need to leave him because he doesn't need crazy exes trying to kill him," Toptap told him.
"She's not my ex. She's nothing to me but an employee in my company."
Toptap shrugged at that. "Ex or not, a woman attacked him because of you," he stated.
"I know and I would never forgive myself for that," Bright told him.
"You might not but I'm sure Win will," Toptap said. Bright looked at him not knowing what his point was.
"If Win really loves you," he said as he closed his book and looked at Bright, "He's going to forgive you. He's a good person. The kindhearted one between the two of us. He trusts and loves easily. I'm the opposite and that's for a reason. I don't want my brother to be used or abused."
"I would never-," Bright tried saying but Toptap cut him off.
"I didn't say you used or abused him. You're here with him, blaming yourself for what happened. Rightfully so, too," he pointed out. "So, I know you love him. But if anything happens to Win, anything at all after this. I don't care who you are or what company you own. I will hunt you down."
Bright gulped at this. He nodded at Toptap understanding the protectiveness coming off of him. Although, Win's brother didn't need to worry about that. If something happened to Win after this, he would give himself up to him. He didn't need to hunt him down. On the other hand, though, getting the shovel talk from Toptap must mean that the man was warming up to him? Even if it's just a little bit? Progress was progress.
The next few days were the same and Bright was trying not to lose hope for Win. Khaotung and Win's other friends came by to visit him. Guy, Gun, Phuak, and Gunsmile came by again at one point but not at the same time. Their department was very busy too so they couldn't all up and leave at the same time to visit Win. Bright told them that he appreciated their visits and it was okay if they couldn't visit multiple times. The doctor said that he'd wake himself up soon but for Bright, soon wasn't soon enough. There seemed to be no progress with Win but he wasn't getting any worse too so Bright would consider that as a good thing. On the fourth day of Win being in a coma, Bright was alone in the room because Toptap and Win's parents went back home to get more clothes for their stay in the hotel where Bright situated them. He and Win's parents were becoming close, especially Win's father, and he wished Win would wake up already and see Bright being liked by his family. Well, there was Toptap who was still as cold as ever to him. Win's brother stopped being passive aggressive, though, so there was that.
Being alone with Win, he decided to talk to Win and tell him about things that happened in the past few days. Things from his friends' visits, things from the office and how the project was moving forward and how his team missed him so much, things that Bright thought about they should do as soon as Win woke up.
"Win, please, I miss you," Bright pleaded quietly to Win. "Your family misses you; your friends and your best friend miss you too. I can't wait to gaze into your beautiful eyes again. I can't wait to see the light in them while you laugh or tease me. I can't wait to see the intensity in your gaze when I tell you that I want you."
"Remember when you wanted me to sing to you?" Bright asked Win. "Let me sing to you right now. Maybe you'll want to wake up."
He cleared his throat as he readied himself to sing a song for Win. "I'm not going to sing a Scrubb song for you," he told Win, chuckling. He held on to Win's hand which was what he had been doing for the past few days and his other hand was brushing Win's face as he started to sing.
"You can reach me by railway, you can reach my by trailway
You can reach me on an airplane, you can reach me with your mind
You can reach me by caravan, cross the desert like an Arab man
I don't care how you get here, just get here if you can"
Bright smiled at Win as his eyes started to well up. When he blinked, a tear started rolling down on his face.
"You can reach me by sailboat, climb a tree and swing rope to rope
Take a sled and slide down the slope, into these arms of mine
You can jump on a speedy colt, cross the border in a blaze of hope
I don't care how you get here, just get here if you can"
Suddenly, Bright felt like Win moved his finger and he felt it moved while his hand was holding his. Bright froze and looked at Win's hand and then back to his face. "Win?" he asked shakily. "Did you just move your finger?"
Bright waited again if it was going to move. His heart was beating so fast and after a few seconds, he hurt the heart machine rate beat as fast as his heart. Bright's stomached dropped as he stood trying to form words to call the nurse. Then, Win started convulsing on the bed and this made Bright move.
He ran to press the emergency button and then to the door to open it. "Nurse! Doctor! Anyone! I need help!" Bright shouted feeling helpless. A nurse noticed him and ran towards their room. Bright went back to Win's side not knowing what to do.
"Win, Win, baby," Bright said his worry rising. This couldn't be happening. Suddenly, he heard multiple hurried footsteps getting louder as he was suddenly having a tunnel vision, focused on Win's face. The doctor who was now inside of the room was shouting orders but Bright couldn't hear anything. It was as if everything was muffled sounds.
Somebody pulled him gently away from Win and he fought at first. "Sir, we need you to step away so we can take care of him," a female voice told him. Bright looked at her and he nodded. Bright took his phone and dialed Win's father's number. Win was still convulsing on the bed and Bright felt like his whole world was about to stop.
Win, Bright thought to himself. Please be okay. Please baby.
And oh, poor Atlas, the world's a beast of a burden
You've been holding on a long time
And all this longing and the ships are left to rust
That's what the water gave us