- During the 20 hours of waiting for Wei Na to wake up at the hospital -
The scent of cotton swabs soaked with alcohol, and sounds of hurried footsteps no longer bothered the young man who was guarding the girl in front of him. He had gotten used to the smell after breathing in it for long hours.
Bzzt Bzzt x 3 times
Bin Guan felt the numbness in his thighs spread as his phone vibrated for the nth time. 'It's probably mom or Bin Ruo. Sigh, I already sent them a message telling to not disturb me while I'm waiting for Wei Na to wake up.'
Once again, he pressed the power button on the side of his phone to silence the call. His phone screen flashed as another missed call notification popped up. His dry, irritated eyes returned its attention to the girl who was sleeping just like an angel.
His breathing was consistent with her as he subconsciously followed her inhaling and exhaling process. 'She's still breathing. She's still warm. She will be okay. Definitely.' The tears inside him stirred his dry eyes as heat waves of mist blurred his vision. Her heaving chest and warm palms against his cheeks were his emotional support. As long as he saw decent vital signs on the machines, his mind could stay far away from wailing.
He took multiple deep breaths, not daring to rest his tired eyes for even a split second. Every little sound that the machine made were warning signals for him to be extra cautious around her. There had been a few times where he had to press the emergency button for assistance because her heart rate dropped below the standard vital numbers.
The lower her heart rates dropped, the more frightened he became. He has attended family funerals before, but never had he ever felt this type of indescribable pain hammered in his chest. Every needle and tube that he saw attached to the girl's fragile body made it feel like something monstrous was eating him inside out.
When he witnessed Chen Mu and nurses surrounding Wei Na, but all he could've done was wait outside for their diagnosis, he swore that his heart had stopped beating every time. It felt like the world was silent, dark, and lonesome.
Until the moment Chen Mu told him that her condition has stabilized, his fingers were reluctantly glued to his palms, forming a tight fist. Seeing the windows blocked from the outside, his body no longer remembered how to inhale and exhale as the owner of this body went into a high panic mode.
The benches right outside of Wei Na's room were cold, with no hints of anyone ever using it. The itch in Bin Guan's legs turned numb as he paced back and forth looking like a lost child who lacked security.
Finally, the wait was over as nurses exited the room after Chen Mu walked out. "How is she now?" Bin Guan asked with a layer of shimmering sweat across his forehead. Chen Mu maintained the same straight expression as he did during the other body checkups, "Her vitals were the same as before. Her heart rate is inconsistent, so watch her and inform me whenever her heart rate drops below 60. Understand?"
Bin Guan nodded as he rushed back to the girl's side and continued holding her hands. He cleared his throat, emptying any negative energies and thoughts out of his mind, "My dear Wei Na, did you have enough sleep yet? Do you know that the longer you sleep, the more tired your body would feel? Everyone is worried about your health. You wouldn't want people whom you care dearly for to feel hurt right?"
He opened her hand and lightly placed his cheeks in her warm palm, "Wei Na, I'm very scared of losing you to the point where I'm still trembling from seeing your eyes shut tight. Every second that ticks by is like a time bomb to me."
"I'll be honest with you that I actually had my own personalized journal for planning the perfect proposal and wedding ideas. I questioned myself greatly when I think of our future and whether I could provide the best for you. Even though I am wealthy, I want to make sure that I am the one who could make you the happiest woman on earth. That's why I haven't exactly told you about my future plans before."
"But now... Wei Na, I don't care about all these hypothetical questions that were in my mind. I am determined to marry you whether you wake up or not. I won't look at anyone besides you. So, unless you want me to be a lonely grandpa holding onto your picture wherever I go, you better wake up."
"When I grow old, wrinkly and have a whole head full of gray hair, I want you to be next to me. I want to hold your hand just like right now, of course not in the same settings. I want to be an old grandpa holding my old wife's hand as we visit places of our first everything. Our first meeting, first hug, first time holding hands, first kiss, first confession, first a lot of stuff."
"There will be a lot of first times for us, and I believe that you won't give up this once in a lifetime opportunity with this handsome fellow here. I promise you that I'll cherish and love you wholeheartedly. Every space in my heart will be occupied by you, Shen Wei Na. I will pamper and spoil you even when you nag and scold me for throwing my worn socks all over the floor."
"I miss hearing your sweet, angry, frustrated, and many other voices. I miss the you who nag me continuously. I miss the you who would smile and look at me with your beautiful round eyes. I miss you. Every part of you. So please, open your eyes."
He glanced at her delicate face as his tears wet her fingers, triggering the movement of her fingers. As if the salted droplets had awakened her instincts, he could see her eyes moving underneath her eyelids and her eyelashes fluttering rapidly.
He pressed the emergency button once again, but this time with hopefulness on his face. He called her name, trying to wake her up. When Chen Mu arrived, Wei Na's eyelids slowly lifted upwards. Perhaps the lighting was too bright, she blinked multiple times before her eyes adapted to the environment.
"Guan...." her sore kitten voice was low but definitely real. "Thank goodness.." his legs lost its strength as he smiled and cried blissful tears.