My Sweet Superchef

Chapter 14

Wednesday, between 10:00 to 11:00 pm, Minh chatted me, saying that she and her boyfriend are already at the airport going back to France. She told me Lucien is getting better which is the best thing that I've ever heard since the first day of his accident. I told her that I also was in the airport for my early flight tomorrow for Hanoi. We wished each other a safe flight.

Thursday, at 7:00am. I arrived 30 minutes early at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. It was a different feeling compared to the first time I went there. The weather was colder now and I wasn't excited when I was at the Arrivals area especially when I already went out of the airport. No Lucien to pick me up. No Lucien to meet me at the exit to hug and kiss me. I was having mixed emotions. It was sad at the same time happy. Sad that he's not there for me. Happy that I'm going to see him and be with him after the accident.

The ride to the hotel was silent. Yeah of course because it was just me and the driver. He doesn't speak English and I don't speak his language either. I was just looking out the window, trees were just like shadows because it was foggy. It was just grey outside... just like my mood that day.

When I arrived at the hotel, his parents and friend Liam already went out for breakfast. The front desk clerk was nice enough to call them that I was already at the hotel. They went back for me and we all went out for breakfast. Breakfast was just coffee. (Actually I was already hungry because I had no dinner when I was at the airport in the Philippines.) His mom explained that we will visit Lucien at 12 noon. It was only like 8:30am. She said Lucien would be happy to see me. She explained to me the procedures that needs to be done before we can see him. She said his dad will go in first to bathe him (means wash/clean him), when he's finished, I can go in next. We need to wear hospital suit and plastic on shoes. He's in intensive care.

Cleaning took almost like 45 minutes. I was excited to see him. I got in the special room. Put on the green robe, wore plastic on my shoes and went in. Nobody to guide me which room he was in because his dad already went out hehe.. Yeah, I went past him. He was only on the second room, I was already on the fourth. Good thing the nurse saw me and pointed where Lucien was. He saw me earlier with Lucien's dad so he knew which patient I was looking for.

Then I saw him. He was lying in bed with a lot of apparatus attached to him and a monitor above his head. This time no more tube because they just removed it yesterday. I came in and greeted him by the door, "Hi babe..." My heart was broken into pieces. It was hard seeing him like that but of course I need to be strong and I didn't want him to see me crying. Then he responded in a small voice, "Hi babe...you are here." I went to his bedside, held his hand, squeezed it and replied, "Of course, my love because I wanted to see you. I wanna take care of you." He took my hand to his lips and kissed it. I asked, "Am I allowed to kiss you?" He smiled and said, "Of course baby, come here kiss me." Then I kissed him... and he wanted another kiss, so I kissed him again. He was talkative. He asked why I just came now. He said he thought I have already forgotten him. He said, he was sure I will go and see him and he's waiting but he can't see me everyday that he's waiting for me. Then he said, maybe I have forgotten about him and that I am never coming to see him.

He told me, "I'm so happy to see you babe. Thanks for coming." I kissed him and said, "I came here because I love you babe."

He touched my face and caressed it and looked at me lovingly with teary eyes, "I love you too baby."

I took his hand and kissed it. I think I was like an hour and 20 mins there. I knew his parents were waiting for me at the lobby. It was past lunch time. I didn't also wanna starve them waiting for me. So, I told Lucien that I needed to go because his parents were waiting for me outside.

I was still holding his hand and said, "Babe, we will just eat lunch and come back after, okay? Your parents are waiting for me at the lobby. Maybe they are hungry now."