I will always put you first (WangXian modern au)

6. "What should I do with you?"

Wei Wu Xian, Yunnan Medical Center

It's my first day back in this hospital after years. Little has changed inside. A lot has happened outside.

I am nervous. Some people here can bring on my anxiety. Captain Lan is beside me, and I am afraid of embarrassing myself in front of him again. That makes me more nervous.

But on our way here, he asked me out. On a date.

Him. Date. Me.

My insides are squirming with an unfamiliar but sweet sensation.

And if he still asked me out on a date after everything that happened last night, he must be willing to look past it, right? I sure hope so.

I compartmentalize those thoughts with some effort and focus on the task at hand. Soon, we are all working together to set things up, and after a couple of hours, I am happy with the way things look.

We start guiding patients in, and we see a case for surgery in the first few patients. I ask the nurses to get him ready for OR. I need to scrub. But before that, I stop to have a quick chat with Captain Lan. I know he needs to be back at the base. The patient's condition hints at some possible complications, which could keep me in the OR for hours. I say a quick goodbye and ask him to text me when he reaches there.

"Are you worried about me, Dr. Wei?" he asks, glancing down my very soul with his pale eyes.

I am. I am worried about you. I care for you. I don't know why. But I do. A lot, actually. I want to tell him. But I don't. I chicken out.

I stammer something which makes him smile. He tells me to take care of myself. And then he leans in and whispers close to my ears, "For me," sending goosebumps all over me.

I know I am a goner. For him.

I bolt away towards the OR.

The familiar scent of disinfectant clears my head as I scrub and get ready. And then the only thing I know is the patient on the table and us trying to heal him. As expected, it's hours before we can patch him and move him to ICU. But he will surely get better. The surgery went well. I am exhausted but content.

I see a couple of texts, both from Captain Lan. "Reached base at 1245 hours," the first one says. "TC. For me," the second one reads. I smile and send a reply, "U2. TC. For me." I am nervous about being this bold, but I hope he understands my heart.

Changing out of my scrubs, I walk out to our stations. The number of patients waiting has increased dramatically. My team is struggling to keep up. I join in and lend a hand. My junior, who assisted me in surgery, also joins in after a short break, improving the situation. I lose myself in my work.

It's evening, and the sky has turned darker when I look up. The team doing the second shift is here. I take a quick break to relieve most of my team members who had come early morning and ask them to head back to base. I decide to stay back along with a couple of my colleagues. I spot Jing Yi among the people heading out and call him.

"Officer, a couple of my colleagues and I from the morning shift are staying back. We are planning to put in one more shift. I just wanted to let you know." his expression is of concern.

"Don't worry. We will be fine. We will call if we need any kind of help." I assure him. He nods and leaves.

Wen Ning finds me a few minutes later and forces a cup of coffee into my hands. "Have you eaten anything, Xian-ge?" he enquires. "I did have breakfast." I smile. He rolls his eyes and exclaims, "But that was hours ago. What about lunch?" "I was in surgery" that's my lame excuse.