Paint Me Blue

XIX. The Other Blue Temptation

When Yin and War arrived at the hospital, the hallway outside the female ward was a flurry of activity. Yellow tape cordoned off the ward, and uniformed officers stood in place to keep onlookers at bay. Inside the ward, the scene was grim.

The bed that once belonged to the other female patient was now tainted with blood, crimson stains soaking through the pristine white sheets. The metallic tang of it hung heavily in the air, mixed with the sterile smell of antiseptics.

Investigators in gloves and protective booties combed the area, their low murmurs adding to the cacophony. A few forensic photographers were snapping images of the bed and the surrounding area, their flashes stark against the fluorescent lighting.

Yin pushed through the small crowd of officers and medical personnel at the entrance.

"What happened here?" he demanded, his voice sharp and urgent.

Officer Go, a stout man with a stern face and a clipboard tucked under his arm, approached, nodding curtly.

"Captain Wong," he greeted. "It's your girl, Gao Siri. She just... snapped."

"Snapped?" Yin repeated, his tone edged with disbelief.

Go glanced at his notes before continuing grimly, "She attacked the other patient and used the spike of her IV line to stab the girl in her sleep. Multiple times."

Yin's jaw tightened, his fingers curling into fists by his sides.

"How bad?"

"The other girl sustained multiple puncture wounds to the chest," Officer Go explained, his expression heavy. "She lost a lot of blood before we could stabilize her. She's in the ICU now, fighting for her life as we speak."

The weight of those words hung in the air like a physical blow. Yin's mind reeled, flashes of the calm but jittery girl in the ward from the file coming to his mind. How had it escalated to this?

Beside him, War's expression was inscrutable, but there was a shadow in his eyes, a subtle dimming of the usual sharp focus. For a brief moment, Yin thought War glanced at him, a flicker of what looked like condemnation crossing his face. Was this War silently blaming him for stalling at his place, for not being here earlier?

Yin turned fully toward him, his throat tightening with a defensive retort he hadn't even formulated yet. But when his gaze settled on War, the other man was already moving, slipping on a pair of gloves with practiced efficiency.

War said nothing as he approached the bloodied bed, crouching slightly to get a better view of the stains and the positioning of the IV spike that had been left discarded on the floor. His focus was unwavering, methodical, as if he'd shut out everything else in the room.

Yin exhaled slowly, forcing himself to rein in the knot of emotions churning inside him. This wasn't the time to let doubt or guilt cloud his judgment.

"Where's Gao Siri now?" Yin finally asked, his voice steadying as he turned back to Officer Go.

"She's been subdued by the guards, but it wasn't easy," Officer Go replied, scratching the back of his head. "She's in custody with one of your people. Well, two. Officer Karen Richards and that Bonz guy, I believe. They're in the next private room with a doctor and a nurse treating her wounds."

Yin's brows furrowed. "She was hurt?"

"Oh, God, yes," Officer Go exclaimed, his tone exasperated. "That girl seriously needs help. When the nurses tried to assist her, she started banging her head against the wall. Honestly, Captain, I don't think you're going to get any meaningful testimony from her in this state."