ZeeNuNew: Is it to Late?

Time is running out

Without letting go, Nunew whispered an answer to Nat's earlier question.

"a week"

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No one heard Nunew except Nat and just like Nunew, Nat's eyes started to tear up. A week wasn't much time and Nunew knew he had sat the time period high. At the rate the disease was developing, he had at most a week but more realistic it was only a couple of days. Doing the silent exchange between Nat and Nunew, the rest had fallen into a quite conversation and Max had walked to another room as his phone rang.

"Zee?" Max greeted the other through the phone. "Hi..." Zee said and then the line went silent. Max could feel something was wrong. Zee seldom called him, he prefers texting. "Nong Kayla... she... she... we..." Zee didn't finish before Max heard a female voice in the background. "What?" Max tried to get Zee to tell him, it sounded serious, and Max wanted to know. "We were in an accident... I was driving Nong Kayla home and..." Zee didn't finish as another voice called him. "I need to go; Kayla is asking for me... Maybe this time..." Zee said though the last bit was left unfinished as he cut the call short. Even though Max was angry at his best friend, he was also worried, and he immediately called P'aof to get what hospital Zee and Kayla were in. When he got the name, he walked back to the living room where he found Nat and Nunew crying while Net, James, Yim and Tutor tried comforting them. Nat looked up at Max and Max told them what Zee had said. Nunew looked up at the mention of Zee's name, he felt worried settle in his stomach. When they heard what Max was saying, all the members immediately agreed to drive to the hospital, although it was quite late in the evening. As they agreed to go, Max looked at Nunew but the look the younger male gave him was enough to stop him from preventing him to go with them.

As soon they reached to hospital, Nunew went to the counter to ask for Zee Pruk Panich. The receptionist pointed him in the right direction, and it was as if Nunew had found some hidden energy to keep him going. Nunew could tell he was close before he heard the voices. The vines in his lungs hadn't caused problems during the day much and it was only when he had looked at the photo of Zee and his work partner. But now they tightened their grip on his lungs and took his breath away. "Hey... take it easy, you are doing great and I'm sure we will be fine to work in no time." The voice was unmistakable, Nunew knew that voice in his sleep and the fondness it held hurt like a thousand knifes to the heart. Zee used to talk to him with that sweetness, he used to be by his side like he was with her, but now Zee barely had time for him and chose to keep her company over being with Nunew. Nunew wanted to go in, but his feet had stopped outside. Maybe he shouldn't go in, maybe he should just turn around. As he still stood and debated on going or not, the door opened and out came the one person that Nunew could never hate no matter what. 

"Cough... Cough" Nunew didn't even get to process that Zee was before him before his lungs decided that now he had gone long enough without slowly dying. Zee just stood there in shock, he hadn't counted on Nunew being there and before he could register anything, James and Nat came running down the hall towards them. Nunew fell to his knees and clutched his chest above his heart. Nat was by his side immediately as James supported Nunew to stand back up. As if on instinct Zee took a step forward but Nunew flinched back. "Cough... Do... cough... don't... cough" he rasped out between coughs. As a particular rough cough came, Nunew's hand instant covered his mouth, but the blood and flowers still came up. Nunew leaned on James fully as all his strength had left him. James struggled a bit under the awkward position and decided it was easier to just carry Nunew. When he scoped the younger male up, it didn't go unnoticed by both Nat and James that Zee had taken another step forward as if he protested the move James did. When Nunew was secured in James' arms, Nat stood back up and looked at Zee. "Papa Zee... It seems you are okay?" He asked as if Nunew didn't just cough blood and flowers. Zee stood there, he felt numb and was still in shock. None of them knew how long they stood there, but they got interrupted when Max came down the hall and Kayla came out the door. "OMG! Is he okay?" Kayla immediately asked when she saw a weak Nunew in James' arms. She was patched up, though it looked like minor injuries. Nunew, done with his coughing, slowly looked at Kayla. He has seen her in pictures but never meet her in person. He weakly wai'ed at her before he slumped back into James' chest. "Nice meeting you Phi." he whispered. Kayla barely heard him, but nodded and smacked Zee on his upper arm. "Hey!" she said, breaking Zee's shocked state. Kayla shifted her eyes back and forth between Zee and Nunew as if trying to get Zee to do something, but Zee didn't get it and as Nunew's breath slowed down, James decided that Nunew needed to rest. "Good to see you are okay Phi, we will take our leave now." As James turned around, Nat and Max stood left behind with Zee and Kayla.

"P'Max!" Kayla happily greeted Max. "Nong Kayla, good to see you again. Everything okay?" Max asked as Nat tugged at his arm. Max shifted his focus on Nat and nodded before Nat wai'ed at Kayla and left too. "Yeah, just minor scratched, my boyfriend is going to get pissed when I get home..." Kayla said, not noticing how Zee shifted when she mentioned her boyfriend. Internal Max was happy that they were okay and at some point, it was good to hear that Kayla still had her boyfriend. Max couldn't help wanting to get his best friend together with Nunew, it was what was for the best of them both, even though Zee couldn't see it at the moment. As Kayla excused herself because her phone rang, Zee and Max stood awkwardly and didn't really know what to say. Max didn't know what to say, he wanted Zee to understand the seriousness of Nunew's condition, but he also knew that he couldn't force Zee to understand or believe. However, it seemed that Zee slowly started to at least accept that there was something wrong. 

A bloody flower laid on the ground were Nunew had fell and Zee slowly picked it up. He studied the flower, a red gardenia covered in blood. It was beautiful even though it was covered in blood. While Zee was deep in thoughts, Max mumbled "Time is running out..." Zee shifted his gaze to Max and Max's expression seemed to hold more than pain.