Taken

Chapter 9

Win tried to remain as calm as he could as he raced to Bright's condo. There was no way he could help him if he got in a car accident.

He'd called ahead to a friend of his father's who was the director of a hospital in the city. He hoped he could get Bright in as quickly and secretly as possible. Bright didn't want anyone to know he'd been struggling on and off with odd symptoms the past few months.

The guard, who'd become quite familiar with him by now, gave him an alarmed look as he rushed in, but Win waved him away. Bright had sounded in good enough condition to let him in, so he wouldn't need the guard's assistance tonight. At least, he hoped that was the case.

He pounded up the steps, skipping the elevators that never seemed to be where you needed them or fast enough in a crisis.

Win barely tapped on the door before Bright threw it open and pulled him inside.

"What is it?" Win demanded. "I thought we were going to the hospital. I actually expected to find you downstairs waiting for me. I have my car sitting in front of the entrance. If the guard didn't like me, I could get towed."

Bright started pacing, ignoring Win's rant, which made Win even more nervous than he'd been before. Bright liked to keep his cool and the only reason Win had seen him less than together was because he'd found Bright sick all those months ago, so Bright allowed himself to be a bit vulnerable around him.

"What if it's something serious?" he gasped.

"We won't know if we don't go," Win urged, starting to get impatient. He was scared too. "We have a family friend at the hospital I'm taking you to. No one will know anything you don't want them to."

"You can't promise that!"

Win raised his brows and Bright looked ashamed of raising his voice.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I know you're just trying to help."

"And I know you're just scared." Win said, coming close and putting his hands on Bright's shoulders to stop his agitated movements. He pulled him in for a quick hug. "Come here. Come on. Grab everything you need and let's get this over with. Worrying and avoiding isn't going to make it go away."

Bright sighed and nodded. "What about the bill?"

"We'll think about that after they run the tests, okay?"

We?

"Okay," Bright agreed, a bit more docile. He went to the kitchen drawer closest to the front door where his mother kept his important documents in a large Manila envelope in case of an emergency, tossed the contents and his wallet into a shoulder bag, and followed Win out of his condo.

He was unusually silent on the ride over so Win knew Bright was terrified. He wondered what had triggered the sudden urgent desire to finally know what was happening to him.

~

"Thank you so much for seeing us so late," Win greeted Dr. Saetom.

"Anything for you, kid.  Now, let's see what's going on with your friend here."

"You're in good hands," Win said, squeezing Bright's forearm before he was led away for some tests.

He sat in Dr. Saetom's office, too worried to even flip blindly through his phone. They were gone far longer than he expected them to be and Bright was pale when he returned, without the doctor.

"Do they have any idea yet?" Win asked, laying a supportive hand on Bright's shoulder.

Bright shook his head and tugged his sleeves down over his hands. "They don't want to make any guesses. They took all kinds of swabs and samples. They even scanned me; mri, ultrasound, x-ray. He said he wanted to be thorough."

Win nodded. "I told him some of your symptoms like the extreme pain and skin sensitivity. Did you have the pain again earlier? Is that why you called?"

Bright shook his head again, biting on his lower lip. "Something happened that I couldn't explain and...well I just don't want to leave my mom all alone. If this can be cured, then I need to start on it right now. If it can't..."

Win rubbed warm circles on Bright's back, then pulled him into a half hug. The doctor came in while they were embracing and cleared his throat, causing them to come apart self-consciously.

He settled in behind his desk and waved some papers around. "You seem to be perfectly healthy from the preliminary test results," Dr. Saetom began. "Some of the tests take a few weeks so you'll be hearing from me as I'm updated from the lab and we'll call you in for more if we find something. Okay?"

Bright could only nod, his mind a fog of worry. Win helped him to his feet, keeping his arm around his waist in case he wasn't steady. "If you can't reach P'Bright, don't hesitate to call me. We're usually together due to our schedules and either me or my manager will answer and just let her know when one of us can give you a call back. Thank you so much, Dr. Saetom," he said respectfully. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it, son. Take care of your friend there and drive safely. If you need to, spend a few moments in my office to collect yourselves. I'll be just down the hall."

Win lowered Bright back into his seat, the latter didn't even seem to notice.

"He's going to figure this out. He's got one of the best teams in Thailand." Bright didn't respond so Win took his face in his hands, holding on until Bright's eyes focused on his. "I'm going to drive you home, okay? And you need to rest if you insist on working tomorrow. Come on, on your feet."

Bright clung to him as they stood and Win felt his heart break for someone so strong seeming to need him so much right now. He cradled Bright in a close hug and stroked his muscular back.

"Everything's going to be okay, and if it isn't, I'll be beside you helping you figure it out, okay? I've seen you at your worst and your best. Nothing can scare me away."

Bright pressed his face into Win's shoulder. "Thank you so much for coming when I called and being a better friend than I could ever ask for. You didn't have to wait while I had my tests, you don't have to promise to help me if it turns out I'm sick. But thank you for saying it."

Win broke their embrace and guided Bright out of Dr. Saetom's office. "I'm not just saying it. Besides, I don't have anything else to do with my day when I'm not acting," he said, shrugging carelessly. Then he turned a sly grin in Bright's direction.

Bright punched him in the shoulder, smiling for the first time in hours.