Silent and lonely world (Dark clouds before sunny weather - Book 1)

Chapter 30

Wei Wuxian was very surprised when he felt a small hand trying to hold his big palm. He knew Mo Xuanyu was stressed out again but he would have not expected him to seek support and comfort on his own, he knew he himself would have not done that. But then again, they were not the same person, their experiences were different after all and also the way they had been influenced and shaped by them. He realized that he should not assume the boy felt everything he had had; they were similar yet different at the same time.

He took hold of the small trembling hand and squeezed it reassuringly as he was making his way towards the children's clinic. Wen Qing had written him this morning that she had managed to settle everything in a single afternoon. They have been expected today for the examination and the hospital staff already knew they were coming. It would be easier this way.

The nurse at the central admission office took a look at them and when Wei Wuxian told her who he was, she immediately opened a file in her computer and rose her eyebrow. Wei Wuxian knew what had surprised her, just like him half an hour before, Mo Xuanyu had no medical history and she could probably see only the information the school had available about him at best. It was not like they could contact the boy's aunt and uncle and start asking them this kind of questions.

The nurse quickly got a hold of herself and regained her professionalism, glancing at Mo Xuanyu with worried eyes while she directed them to where the examination would take place.

Wei Wuxian thanked her and went to where she had indicated. The doctor, a young male with a gentle enough demeanour and a kind smile, was already waiting for them in front of an opened door. He invited them inside and offered them a seat. All the while, Mo Xuanyu had never let go of Wei Wuxian's hand, although the space between their palms had long become a sweaty mess due to his nervousness.

The examination went as one would expect; a physical exam, then check for internal injuries and full scope X-Rays – that had been the only moment Mo Xuanyu had been asked to let go of the supporting hand, which he had taken with courage but when the X-Rays had been done, he grabbed Wei Wuxian's hand again as if his life depended on it.

After that, questions had been asked and Wei Wuxian had to gently prompt Mo Xuanyu to reply. It was only then that he realized the boy only ever talked to him and no one else. It was clear that he wold have to ask him for a reason later, however, he could already guess that it was because his aunt or uncle had told him he could only speak with teachers and he obeyed them to the letter.

The questions were mainly about the boy's injuries and the doctor asking him if anything hurt. Wei Wuxian knew from experience that the assessment of psychological damage would be done by a specialist at a different date. He was glad for that because he could tell that Mo Xuanyu was slowly getting more and more stressed, he was apparently nearing his limit. Wei Wuxian also did not want anything more than to already be done with this and not torture him anymore. Although necessary, the examination was far from pleasant or welcomed.

Finally, the doctor told them they were finished. He still took some time informing Wei Wuxian, as the current caretaker of the abused child, about all the care the boy would need and prescribed a few medications, mainly to speed up the healing of the bruises and child friendly painkillers. All the information about the examination and its results would be automatically added to the boy's medical folder and send to the authorities. The investigation could finally start.

Wei Wuxian thanked the doctor for everything and let Mo Xuanyu who was still clinging to his hand for dear life outside. He wanted to let the boy rest a bit but he opted not to do it so close to the hospital. So he led him to the car and helped him take a seat. The examination had taken quite a long time, several hours actually, and the boy seemed completely exhausted. He was now yawning nonstop, having a hard time to keep his eyes open. Still, he never complained and had obeyed all the directions of the doctor.

Wei Wuxian patted the boy's head and praised him: "Good job, A-Yu. You had been very brave and patient. What would you like to do now? I still have to go to a pharmacy to get your prescriptions but after that, we can do whatever you would like. Can you stay here and wait a bit until I come back?"

Mo Xuanyu nodded his head which was slumping forward due to his sleepiness, it was actually quite adorable. His eyes were closing despite his best effort at keeping them open. He yawned again, blinking a few times, but to no avail, his eyes closed before Wei Wuxian even finished saying: "I will not take long." Although his small charge was already sleeping, he still leaned forward and planted a small kiss to the boy's forehead, just as he would do to his own children.

Wei Wuxian closed the door of the car and hurried to the hospital's pharmacy to get Mo Xuanyu's medicine. He was extremely amazed at how calmly the boy had gone through the examination. He himself had to wince a few times seeing what was happening, and he was not the one being touched. The doctor had also praised Mo Xuanyu's courage and patience, apparently children often threw tantrums or had panic attacks in his care – not because of him personally of course, but because of the nature of the examination and because of what had happened to them.

Wei Wuxian himself felt exhausted and he wondered what they should do now. Mo Xuanyu would most probably not wake up for some time, he needed his rest. Then, when he would, depending on the time of the day it would be, they could still go to the park and visit the playground again. The doctor deemed Mo Xuanyu's injuries as non-threatening and told them he could do anything he wished as long as it would not cause him too much pain.

Wei Wuxian mused if he should tell anything to A-Yuan and A-Yi so they would be careful around Mo Xuanyu. Then again, perhaps he should not mention anything, the children had been getting along just fine until now and he did not want to destroy their blossoming friendship with making them overly concerned about their new friend.

He got the medicine and hurried back to the car. Although the possibility of Mo Xuanyu waking up this soon was small, he still did not want him to be alone, not at a time like this, and not ever.

He drove home with the sleeping boy still in the same position in which he had fallen into his exhausted slumber. He had only put a small pillow around his neck so he would not wake up with another ache. When they arrived home, he carried the child to A-Yuan's room and put him on the mattress; he supposed that there was a good reason why Lan Zhan had prepared one for the boy instead of letting him sleep on the bed. He could ask his husband later.

Then he sat down beside the makeshift bed and held Mo Xuanyu's hand, hoping it would be easier for him to wake up and know that someone was there with him. It did not take long and he felt his eyes closing as well. It could not hurt to have a short nap, he decided and laid down onto the floor with his head on the mattress, using it as a pillow. Soon, he was asleep too.