imPROMPTu

Friendship

AN: This is the last in a series of prompts which I have written alongside Dr-Cokebottles JVH624 Meggyhashope monicacantwrite Daphnecs8 lindaisfangirling evfabricando Zazounette86  I have enjoyed it immensely, thank you for letting me join the fun! 😘
Also, please bear with me if there are any inaccuracies in this story, I am not a medical expert 😉
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Four people sat outside the operating theatres of the best hospital in Shanghai. They said nothing but anxiety was written all over their faces. One of them, especially, was pale and drawn, as he held his head in his hands.

Xiaozi sat down timidly by his side. "Daoming Si, are you alright?" He looked up at her wearily, his attempt to smile failing miserably. "Xiaozi, shouldn't you be asking yourself the same question?"

Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she looked at him. No, she was not alright. She had never been alright after that horrible day when she had cradled her husband in her arms as he collapsed to the ground. After a panicky ride to the hospital, and several consultations with the best specialists the hospital had to offer, the diagnosis was grim.

Lei was suffering from advanced renal failure.

Doctors had given him six months to live, if he could not find a suitable kidney donor. Dialysis could no longer work as his condition was too far advanced.

A frantic hunt for a donor began, starting with Lei's family members, but none of them came close. Even Si, Meizuo, Ximen and Xiaozi were no match for him.

But then there was Shancai. It turned out that she was a perfect match. Only she could give Lei a kidney to save his life.

When the doctors broke the news to the newly-wed Daoming couple, all the colour had drained from Si's face. He felt like he was going to faint. His wife was the only one who could save his best friend. Was the universe mocking him?? Shancai remained calm, however, and she quietly asked the doctors the necessary questions if she were willing to go through the procedure. She was given 24 hours to think about it and if she refused, Lei would have to be put on the waiting list for an anonymous donor. The waiting could take months, or even years, something which he didn't have.

Back at home, Si ranted and wept internally, angry with the world for having put him in such a situation. What if something happened to Shancai during the surgery? This was a major operation and she was risking her life just as much she was trying to save Lei's. After all they had been through, was she to be taken away from him, yet again? He turned to her.

"I've made up my mind, I won't let you do it."

"The decision is not yours to make, Ah Si, it's mine."

He looked at her helplessly. "So you're really going to go through with it?"

Her eyes softened as she looked at him, placing both her hands around his waist.

"Ah Si," she whispered into his chest, "it's the right thing to do. He's your best friend, and I know that you would do it in a heartbeat if it were my friend. Besides, he has been a good friend to me too."

Si pulled her tightly against him, as if he was never willing to let her go. "Also," she murmured further, "don't think you're getting rid of me so easily, remember we have our whole lives ahead of us, and many more hotpots to eat together."

He pulled away slightly and smiled at her through glistening eyes. How he loved this precious woman, with her big heart. He used to chastise her for putting her friends above herself, but he came to realise that was one of the reasons he fell in love with her. And now she was about to make one of the biggest sacrifices that a friend could make, for his best friend. The one that he had grown up with, the one whom he had stolen the Spider-Man toy from, the one that in return had almost stolen his girl, the one that had saved his life from a knife-wielding attacker, the one that drove him crazy, and drove him back down to earth. The one who had challenged him to go after that which he cherished the most.

He could not imagine life without his wife, or without his best friend. But for now, he would just have to trust her, trust the doctors, and trust the powers that be that everything would turn out for the best.

So he just looked Shancai straight in the eye and cupped her face with both his hands.

"Love, I know that you are making the right decision, and I will support you every step of the way. I love you so much for what you are doing." His eyes started to tear and he quickly brushed them away.

Shancai leaned up, her soft lips meeting his in a gentle kiss. He crushed her closer to him, unwilling to release her, holding her near to him, in that very moment which was their own little bubble, their moment to cherish.

Now he sat outside the operating theatres, Shancai was in one, while Lei was in the other. The minutes seemed like hours and he felt like screaming, if only to give him some relief from the terrible anxiety gnawing in the pit of his stomach. Ximen and Meizuo were also silent, unlike their normal chatty selves. Xiaozi too sat there, with eyes red from crying.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doctors appeared from behind the operating room doors. "The surgeries went well," the lead doctor pronounced. "Mr Huaze and Mrs Daoming are in stable condition, you may see them after an hour."

Unknowingly, grateful tears began to roll down Si's cheeks as he thanked the doctors. Xiaozi was a sobbing mess and she finally calmed down enough to offer her thanks as well.

Shancai awoke around an hour later to find someone holding her hand and rubbing it gently.

"Ah Si," she smiled at him. "See, you had nothing to worry about, I'm still alive," she said to him, her voice barely a whisper.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, careful not to jostle her, and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You're finally awake," he told her. "And I'm not letting you do this, ever again!"

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," she told him weakly, but pointedly. "I only have one kidney left which I need for myself."

Si laughed as he buried his face in her neck, the first time he had laughed in weeks.

Two years later...

It was the night of the International Classical Music Awards, held in Milan, Italy. Lei was going to receive the Special Achievement Award. Post-recovery from his kidney transplant, he had been immensely successful in his music career, and finally he would be getting the recognition he deserved.

However, as he stood on the podium, accepting his award, he only had eyes for the well-dressed couple seated in the front row which were his special guests for the night. And as he gave his acceptance speech, he raised his award towards them. "To Shancai, for giving me a new life, I cannot even begin to thank you for your great sacrifice so that I can stand up here today, to create and perform beautiful music for all of you. And to my best friend, her husband, Daoming Si, thank you for allowing her to do this for me. This award is no Spider-Man, but it's for you, the best friend and the best superhero a man could have."

There was not a dry eye in the audience as Lei descended the stage to embrace Si and Shancai, pressing the award into Si's hand. Shancai's blood ran through his veins now and as the saying goes, blood runs thicker than water, just like their friendship.