Capítulo 7: Arc II - By a Thread - Part 1
The press conference was a blur. Later, when he'd catch snippets of it online, he wouldn't remember having said half of it. The makeup had made him look slightly less haggard, but anyone watching must have realized that he was unwell. At least it had ended without a stitch, and he was now on his way to Korea. He had already planned on taking a vacation after the shoot in Thailand, but Chiyou had now managed to clear his schedule until mid-December. He hoped that by then, Yibo would be back on his feet.
He tried to eat on the plane, but his stomach was clenched so tight with anxiety that he only managed to drink some water. As for sleep, despite the very short night he had had, he was too alert to hope for its sweet release.
Fans were waiting for him at the airport this time. He had either been spotted at the Shanghai airport, or someone from the airline had leaked the information. It wouldn't have been the first time. Some fans had made signs with Yibo's name, asking Xiao Zhan to take care of him. They didn't cause a ruckus, and nobody tried to reach for him while his driver took him to the car, but he knew pictures would end up on the internet. In turn, more fans would show up at the hospital, making things difficult for him. The web had gone crazy for Yibo and him since The Untamed, analyzing their every move and wanting them to be a couple more than they themselves had wanted to at times. He knew he would have to be on his guard the whole time he was by Yibo's side. How he would manage to keep up appearances while falling apart, he didn't know. The thought alone exhausted him. At times like these, he wished he'd never made it big.
The car dropped him off at the entrance of the Asan Medical Centre. Contrary to his expectations, there were no fans. He quickly walked in and, using his limited Korean, managed to find his way to the ICU. The hallways were well-lit, creating a bright, sanitized white space. Nurses and doctors came and went without paying him much attention. When he reached the nurse station, he found it was staffed by a stern-looking woman in he late forties. She didn't smile at him.
"I'm sorry. Wang Yibo?" He managed.
The woman raised an eyebrow and gave him the once-over. He was reminded of the woman at the Nok Airfield. Had that really been yesterday?
The nurse asked him something and stared, waiting for an answer.
"I'm sorry?"
He took out one of his business cards and handed it to her. He pointed at the name on the card, then himself.
"Xiao Zhan… Here… See Wang Yibo?"
He felt utterly ridiculous. And by the way she looked at him, the nurse wasn't impressed either. She shook her head and gestured for him to go back where he'd come from. He sighed and looked around, hoping to catch sight of Auntie Wang. Wasn't there supposed to be a Chinese-speaking nurse? He was about to take his phone out to try and use a translation app when a second nurse, a petite woman in her mid-twenties, walked behind the counter and noticed him. She looked at her watch, then back at him.
"Are you Mister Xiao Zhan?" she asked in Mandarin.
He could have cried.
"Yes! Yes! That's me. I'm here to see Wang Yibo."
The nurse sighed audibly and rolled her eyes in the direction of her superior, who was still eyeing him suspiciously. She then took a clipboard and handed it to him. The older woman protested.
"Ignore her. This is the special visitor form. Mrs. Wang told me you should have family access, so write your name here, address here, and this part is just to say you agree to the hospital rules."
"Should I write the address of my hotel?" he asked.
She shrugged.
"Doesn't matter. Nobody will check."
He looked up at her in surprise. Unbothered, she grabbed another piece of paper from the desk and handed it to him.
"This is the Mandarin version of the rules. Pretty standard stuff. I don't suggest you bother reading them unless you're very bored."
She handed him her pen. He stared, shocked at her bluntness, but eventually grabbed the pen. Was this really the "lovely nurse" Mrs. Wang had mentioned? Maybe her Mandarin wasn't quite perfect, and that was why she sounded so coarse? He watched as she berated the other nurse in Korean. Definitely not a language issue, he decided. Suddenly, the older nurse stood up and walked away, leaving the younger one to stare at him.
"Come on, now. I'm sure you would rather see Mr. Wang than stand here, but I need you to fill out this form."
Xiao Zhan complied, slightly annoyed.
Once he was done, the nurse met him on the other side of the counter.
"I'm Jang Sunmi. You can call me "Zhang" if that's easier for you. I'm the nurse who's been assigned to Mr. Wang."
"Nice to…"
"I'm not done," she interrupted. "As a special visitor, you have no visiting restrictions. However, the medical staff has the last word. If Head nurse Lee —that's the angry woman who just left —a doctor or I tell you to leave, you leave. I can't stress this enough: we have the last word. Your access to Mr. Wang is a privilege, not a right. Do you understand?"
Xiao Zhan had at least thirty centimetres on her, and she had to crane her neck to look him in the eyes, yet he felt like this woman could and would easily hand him his ass, given the opportunity. And for some reason, she seemed to dislike him very much already. This wasn't a good start. He nodded.
"Good. Nice to meet you, Mr. Xiao. Follow me."
Without waiting for a response, she walked past him and through some doors. He followed.
"This is the trauma part of the ICU. Everyone here requires constant monitoring. Try not to get in our way."
Xiao Zhan noticed that the patients were all connected to various medical equipment, making the area noisy. The beds were separated by simple curtains, giving very little privacy. He averted his eyes respectfully.
"I was expecting him to have his own room," he mused.
"No time to deal with doors when there is an emergency. Most of the patients here are either in a coma or sedated; they wouldn't know the difference."
The callous way she spoke was jarring and was starting to upset Xiao Zhan.
"Is Mrs. Wang here?" He asked, hoping to calm himself.
"She's meeting with Doctor Park. She should be back soon."
As they neared the windows, she stopped in front of an empty bed.
"Mr. Wang is in the last cubicle on the right. As you know, he's still in critical condition. He's connected to many devices. No matter what happens, don't touch anything. You might have played a doctor on television, but this is reality."
Xiao Zhan flinched, his anger going up a notch. Was this woman under the illusion he was about to try and treat Yibo? Why was she so curt with him?
"Also, please refrain from touching him as much as possible, especially on the head. Hands are ok, but please wash yours before you do. But I'm sure you know that already."
Xiao Zhan nodded, fists clenched, lips pinched. He could feel his body grow warmer as blood flowed to his face. He took a deep breath. This wasn't the time or place to get upset and make a scene. She was only doing her job, he tried to reason, albeit insultingly. Nurse Jang, mistaking his behaviour for anxiety, cocked her head.
"This isn't a pretty sight, Mr. Xiao. Don't try to act tough. Let the staff know if you feel unwell. The last thing we need is for you to collapse atop the patient."
She opened her hand, inviting him to walk ahead. He closed his eyes. He had hoped to be alone with Yibo but realized that this couldn't be allowed due to his precarious condition. He took another deep breath, opened his eyes, and stepped in front of Yibo's cubicle.
Nothing could have prepared him for the sight.
Looking from the foot of the bed, the person lying down could have been just about anyone. His head was heavily bandaged, and the parts that weren't were covered by electrodes that monitored his brain activity. His face was obscured by the respirator which connected to the ventilator. His right arm lay at his side on the blanket, black and blue with bruises above the elbow and hooked to an IV below. His left arm was in a cast from the elbow to the hand. Wires came out of the neck of his gown, attached to an electrocardiogram. His left leg was elevated. Thin metal rods stuck out along the outside of his shin. His naked foot looked swollen. A stent came out from the side of the blanket and was attached to a bag that collected his urine.
Xiao Zhan felt faint. Suddenly, the sound of the machines was deafening, the chemical-laden air stuffy. Dizzy, he took a shaky breath. His vision blurred. He knew he was about to pass out. He looked left and right, searching for something to hold on to that wasn't Yibo's bed. He took a step towards the wall, hoping to catch himself on the window sill. He missed. Time slowed down. He felt his knees give.
Suddenly, someone hooked their arms under his armpits and broke his fall enough to prevent him from collapsing and injuring himself. He found himself sitting on the cold floor, legs outstretched.
"Mr. Xiao, are you still with me?" came Nurse Jang's voice next to his ear, making him realize that she was the one supporting him.
He tried to get up, but the world spun, and he fell back on the small woman who grunted.
"Mr. Xiao, don't try to get up. Can you bend your knees? Yes, like this. Now I want you to lean forward. Yes, you're doing great. I'm going to take my arms from under yours now, and I want you to put your head between your knees. Can you do that? I will support you from behind, ok? Ready?"
Xiao Zhan nodded weakly and did as he was told. He felt the woman's small and steady hands push against his upper back.
"Now, take your time. Slow breaths. That's it. You're doing a good job, Mr. Xiao. Keep it up."
Slowly, his heartbeat and his breath went back to their normal rhythms, and he stopped feeling as if his soul was about to exit his body. He still trembled a little bit, but he felt good enough to lift his head. He saw a tall male nurse standing at the foot of Yibo's bed, looking at him.
"Do you think you're ready to get up?" asked Nurse Jang from behind.
"Yes."
The woman said something to the other nurse, and he got closer. Together, they got him back to his feet and then helped him sit down on a chair by Yibo's bed. The man handed him a paper cup filled with water and watched Xiao Zhan drink with shaky hands. He then smiled at him and took the cup back. He exchanged a few words with Nurse Jang and then was on his way. The woman turned to Xiao Zhan.
"Welcome to the ICU," she said.
He could have sworn there was a smirk on her lips.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
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