imPROMPTu

Alive

A/N: This is a work of fiction, and while inspired by current world events, the places and incidents mentioned in this story are used in a fictitious manner.
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It had been a long 9 weeks. The longest 9 weeks that Shancai had had to endure. When the city of Wuhan was placed on lockdown, and it was announced to the rest of China and the world, she recalled the fear that had gripped her heart. Daoming Si had flown there on business two days ago, and he was not due back until the following week. This meant that he could not come home to Shanghai, as nobody was allowed in or out of the city.

She had FaceTimed him frantically when the news broke, and although his mind was clouded by a shroud of uncertainty, he had tried his best to calm his nervous wife down.

Daoming laboratories had been commissioned by the Chinese government to try and find out more about the mysterious disease that had spread communally in Wuhan and to see if a vaccine could be found to cure this strange disease. Ah Si had gone there himself to oversee this project as it was a matter of national interest. Unfortunately before they could investigate further, the disease had spread globally and the authorities had decided to close its borders to prevent it from further spreading. Now the city of 11 million people was a ghost town, and other major cities in China didn't fare much better.

Shancai and Ah Si could only be thankful that this was the age of technology and social media where they could call and see each other every day. Ah Si and his team were now fighting against time to find a cure or a vaccine for this terrible illness, and many of his team had also been infected by the disease as they worked at ground zero.

It haunted Shancai day and night that her beloved husband was at the epicentre of the disease, where people were dying by the hundreds every single day. She wished nothing more than having him home safe and sound, but besides praying and hoping for the best, there was absolutely nothing that she or anyone else could do.

A week or so into the quarantine, little Didi tugged at his mother's sleeve one night after dinner.

"Mama, when is Papa coming back? I miss him."

His little brown eyes filled with tears and Shancai tried hard to fight back tears of her own.

"Didi, your papa is a hero," she smiled bravely at him as she blinked away her own tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. "He's trying to find a cure to help those sick people."

"But will Papa get sick too? Will he come home? I want Papa!" The little boy burst into tears as Shancai tried her best to comfort him, this time not holding back her tears as she hugged her little boy close until he fell asleep, exhausted.

Days turned into weeks, and the numbers and statistics showed no signs of slowing down. Ah Si was visibly distraught one day when Shancai FaceTimed him, as he had lost one of his team members to the terrible disease. This had lowered the morale of the team considerably, as they couldn't even mourn the loss of their colleague; they simply did not have the luxury of time.

Little Didi got used to not having his papa around, but he spoke to Ah Si frequently and was assured that his papa was alive and well. Although sometimes at night, Shancai would peep at him sleeping and she could see that his cheeks were wet. Her heart wrung painfully for her little boy who had to grow up suddenly, whose childhood was marred by this tragic event.

However as the weeks passed, and the weather grew warmer, the numbers of those getting sick slowly began to fall. The government declared that those who were not Wuhan natives were allowed to return home to their hometowns, provided they had cleared all necessary health checks and further quarantined themselves for 2 weeks upon returning home.

Ah Si was beyond elated when they received the news. He called Shancai and broke the news to her, both of them crying tears of joy over the phone.

"Baby, I'm coming home," he sobbed. "I'm coming home to you and Didi. I'm so sorry that I had to be away for so long, I'm sorry..." his voice trailed away as he was consumed in his sobbing. All the emotions - happiness, relief, fear, grief, were rolled into one.

"Shhh, my love, don't cry. This is your home, and I will always be here waiting for you."
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On a warm day in March, a black car pulled up to the Daoming household. A tall man, visibly gaunt and with fine lines on his face that he didn't have before, emerged from the car and slowly walked up the driveway.

A petite lady who was watching from the window, suddenly ran out of the house and hurtled down the driveway, a little boy close behind on her heels.

His face lit up with joy the moment he saw them, and his little wife jumped straight into his waiting arms as he swung her round and round, before putting her down and encompassing his son in a big bear hug.  He then swept them both in his arms, all of them crying tears of joy and relief.

"I'm finally home, alive and well. I missed you all so, so much. I'm so sorry that I had to stay away so long," he whispered as he held them close to him.

"You're home now, and that's all that matters," Shancai smiled at him through her tears.

This was an ordeal that they, their country and the world had to persevere through. And through adversity, they had grown stronger. Arms around each other, they walked home, with the promise of better days ahead.
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A/N 2: These are indeed trying times we are living in, and none deserve the highest gratitude than those on the frontlines and health workers who are risking their lives everyday to battle this terrible disease. Watching the MV by G.E.M. brought tears to my eyes, where she has composed this beautiful song dedicated to all the "Angels", which include ordinary people who are doing their part to help. Together we will stand and overcome ❤️