Awake

Chapter 3

"Are you sure your plan will work? That lady looks and sounds like she has access to people and money. Don't you think she will investigate further?"

"The thing about people in high positions is that they are afraid of scandals. If she is well aware that  you know she messed with the oxygen machine and there won't be any further investigation, she will think she got away with murder. She won't make a fuss and cause herself problems. She will pay you and walk away."

"I really hope you are right in your assessment of the situation because if this backfires..."

"Then what? Am I going to be your scapegoat? Don't even finish that statement because I will be the one going to the police with all this. I am trying to help you clean up the mess you created because of your love for money. You put money first over logic."

"Don't misunderstand, Dr. Xiao. I wasn't going to use you as a scapegoat. I was going to say that if this backfires, I don't know what that would do to the reputation of this hospital."

"Well, you should have thought about that when a mysterious woman asked you to sign a non-disclosure form. We are here now, so make the call. Enough time has passed for our story to be believable."

The director took out his phone and dialed a number, and waited for the call to be picked up. It rang for a long time before it was answered. As soon as the lady answered the call, the director explained all that they had planned to tell her.

He did well expressing his confusion on how all this could have happened. He also sympathized with her loss. He answered all her questions very well. If Zhan hadn't known these were all lies, he would have believed the story that was being told.

As the call continued, Zhan could tell that the director was in disbelief of whatever was being said to him.

Finally, the director couldn't keep calm anymore and blurted out the words." Crimate him?"

"Madam, the hospital can't authorize the cremation of a patient without proper procedures. Even if he is unknown, we need to get the proper authorization from the police and a death certificate as well."

She then said something, almost yelling through the phone.

"OK, ok, Madam. I will try my best to do as you instructed and only contact you when it's done."

She hung up the phone immediately after the conversation was done.

"What did she say? What's this about cremation?"

"Wow, Dr. Xiao, what's wrong with people? I don't think I can make sense of what that lady said. I really thought she cared about this man."

"What did she say?"

"In a nut shell, she wants us to get rid of his body as soon as possible. Cremate him, destroy the medical records, and I must fire all the staff members that were attending to him. She even goes as far as to say she will make all the trouble worth it."

"I told you. People with money are shameless because, unfortunately, in this world, they can just pay their way out of anything. So now what am I fired?"

"Don't even joke. Why would I do anything that a horrid person like her asks me to do. Let just move this man out of here and do as you suggest. I will take care of the rest."

The director made a call to the intensive care unit to ask them to prepare a bed for a patient who was being transferred from another hospital due to a lack of specialized care. And that they should call Dr Xiao to come receive the patient since he specialized in head trauma.

After everything was set up, the two men went their separate ways. Zhan made it very clear to the director that he didn't want to be involved in anything related to that lady or how the director solves the cremation, police authorization, and death certificate problems.

All he wanted to do was his work, and that is to see to it that this man recovers and goes back to sort out his life.

Zhan left the building so that after he received the call, he could enter back into the building the proper way. This gave him peace, to walk into the place he treasured proudly without sneaking in like a robber.

As soon as he was back inside, the nurses were lively as usual, ready to flirt with him and share the latest gossip. This to him felt relaxing and familiar. This is where he felt at peace.

Soon, a nurse approached him with a file. She ran through all the information about the "new" patient.

"Good evening, Dr. Xiao. You got here fast."

"Good evening, nurse Jiyi. Yes, I was already on the way since I am booked for night duty today."

"Oh, true. Here is the file for the patient the front desk informed you about. The patient sustained a work injury, which resulted in head trauma. He has already undergone surgery at a rural hospital, but they didn't have enough specialized equipment to see to his aftercare. So they transferred him here. All his vitals look good, and no complications arose during transportation."

"Thank you, let me change, and I will go see him as soon as I am done."

"He is in ward 76 bed no.3. His name is Mr Lang."

Zhan took the file and went to his office to put on his scrubs, coat, and name tag. No more lengthy unnecessary protocol.

He walked to the ward and found Mr Lang already nicely set up and comfortable. Hooked up to everything he needed. This is where this man needs to be so that he can be safe. Here, all patients are treated with utmost care and respect. Here, who you are doesn't matter. What matters is that you will be in the best care during your stay. This is Dr. Xiao's ward.

Zhan's mind was wondering again, trying to figure out what kind of family this man was from. His suspension turned into saddened for him. Regardless of how much money that lady spent for him, in the end, she was just willing to throw him away like he was nothing. Something just to be burnt and forgotten. Sad. Heartbreaking.

Zhan didn't have family and spent many years longing for one. He knew he wouldn't have one because he had a secret that not even any of his friends or colleagues knew about him. He is gay. He learned this about himself a long time ago and kept it a secret because he always thought this would destroy his reputation.

He loved being a doctor and didn't want to do anything that would take that away from him. His granma died the year he graduated, and he kept it away from her, too. He had been so careful about this that he had gone as far as not to even mention it in his journals. Just in case someone read it by accident.

He always used his profession as an excuse as to why he was still single at the age of 30. It always worked because everyone knew how busy doctors are. Especially surgeons.

Days went by as normal. Zhan's schedule went back to normal. His team at the hospital looked after all his patients when he was away. This relieved Zhan of unnecessary stress and burden that he would have been under if he still worked under the conditions the director set for him.

The man known as Mr Lang became the talk of the hospital, not for anything mysterious or suspicious but purely for his looks.

The nurses started referring to him as sleeping beauty. It would take a blind man not to see how handsome this man was. He has been in the hospital for almost 2 months now. Even though he was still in a coma, his features were anything but sleeping.

The nurses had to be scolded many times due to failing to behave professionally when they were attending to him. They quarreled back and forth about whose turn it was to look after him.

Zhan acknowledged a long time ago that this man was extremely good-looking, but that was where he ended his thoughts. He never mentioned it to anyone or even entertained the nurse's giggle and gossip.

The truth is that even though Zhan was gay, he has never actually fallen in love with a man or even dated anyone. He has been to his fair share of blind dates with women because of his granma, but after she passed away, he never went out with anyone.

He knew he was gay only because he found males attractive and he was more curious about them more than women. Other than that, he has never confirmed it sexually in any way. He was just too scared to dive into the unknown world of same sex sexual activities.

"Dr. Xiao,  Mr Lang is awake!"