5 The man in my dream

"Ah~"

With her head throbbing even harder, she found her hands already on her head, massaging her forehead for ease.

"God..." She groans and she squeezes her eyes shut, taking in a deep breath she tries to get a hold of herself.

"Miss? Are you okay?" A faint voice brought Yi Hua back to Earth, bringing her hands away from her head she blinked her eyes open, an audible gasp escaped her lips, her body jerked up on the bed, "Auh!" She clutches her head, feeling dizzy and in pain at her sudden movement.

"Ma'am, please calm down." The same voice speaks, Yi Hua whimpers and looks up through her lashes, "Where... ? Who are you?" She shouts out loud, "Ma'am…this is the hospital and I am a nurse."

Yi Hua blinks her eyes, gulping as she looks around, "How did I end up here?" She mumbles to herself, everything out of her mind giving her a sense of peace before the storm, "Uh, ma'am…someone brought you here while you were unconscious."

Yi Hua gulps, "I fainted…right! I fainted again!" Yi Hua jumps as the realization hits her.

"Ma'am…calm down, you seem to have a low sugar level." The nurse speaks, walking to her side and slowly grabbing her hand, "What are y-you…doing?" Yi Hua asks, getting defensive, "Ma'am…the drip is empty so I will take this out."

Yi Hua blushes in embarrassment as her eyes greet her wired hand, closing her eyes shut she extends her hand forwards for the nurse to help her out of it, "Um…auh." She whimpers, pulling her hand to herself and caressing it.

"Do you feel better now?" The nurse asks again.

Yi Hua takes a deep breath and nods her head, "Umm, nurse?" She calls out, catching the nurse's attention.

"Does one hallucinate because of low sugar?" She asks, timidly.

The nurse chuckles, "No, Ma'am. It's not known…yet, for one to have hallucinations because of low sugar levels? It can only occur in rare medical cases and special confirmation...."

"In short, if you're sick in the head!" The nurse adds, with a polite smile that freaked out Yi Hua.

Yi Hua chuckles awkwardly and nods her head along with the nurse, she looks away and her laugh dries out, "Um, who brought me here?" Yi Hua questions, the nurse thinks to herself for a while, "Now that…I think of it I have no idea."

Yi Hua frowns, "Weird." She mumbles, getting lost in her thoughts.

"But, one thing for sure your bill is paid already." Yi Hua, widens her eyes, "Paid? Already?! Who?"

"Uh, yeah. If you feel better…you may go now. I still have to tend to the others." The nurse says, bowing her head and leaving Yi Hua all by herself, on the bed looking lost and astonished.

"What is going on? Why has my life turned out so weird lately?" She mumbles to herself, taking in a deep breath she throws the white duvet off of her body, she looks to her side, and finds a plastic bag.

She picks it up and examines to find her clothes inside, she looks at herself, "Ah, I need to change out of this white gown, hideous." She mumbles, showing off her distaste towards the hospital gown of low fashion.

She turns around, a sigh escaping her lips as her eyes roam across the ward, "Now, who would guide me to the changing room?" She bites her lips in annoyance, "On your own, Hua…on your own." She mumbles, dragging her feet across the hall searching for somewhere to change.

--------

"Taxi!" She shouted, raising her hand and waiting for a taxi to stop before her.

With time, it was hard for her to catch a bus, "I am so unlucky today." She mumbles, her eyes running across the street looking for a taxi, "Taxi!" She screams, her body lunging forward to stop the taxi.

The taxi comes to a halt, "You wanna die!" The driver yells, "Sorry, can you drop me here…on this address?" She says, showing her address to the driver, with a nod she gets in, buckling up she leans against the window, she closes her eyes, and massages her head as the taxi moves.

"Ma'am, your destination." The man speaks, Yi Hua stirs out of her sleep, "Ow, I fell asleep." She wipes her eyes and pays the driver before walking out of the taxi, "Thank you so much." She says, watching the taxi drive off.

"Grocery…" She mumbles, turning around on her feet, she makes her way to the mall again.

She walks in, "Oh…Ma'am, are you alright?" The cashier asks, Yi Hua eyes him and with a subtle nod she grabs a tray making her way through the aisle, she looks around trying to spot the same man who had caused her such a panic attack.

Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, she collects things she needs and makes her way to the cashier, "Is this all?" The cashier asks, Yi Hua nods her head while the cashier awkwardly clears his throat and scans her items.

"By the way…" Yi Hua speaks out of curiosity but the cashier drops the chip packet from his hand, this was the first time he ever heard her speak, "Yes?" He replies, with flushed cheeks.

"The guys…do you know anyone of them? I remember two of them holding onto me." Yi Hua inquires, the cashier blinks his eyes, "Uh, sorry but they were passersby maybe…I never saw any of them before nor do I remember them. I am sorry."

"Ah, it's okay. Thank you." She says, extending her hand and grabbing the plastic, "Oh, take this too." The boy hands her a can of juice, Yi Hua raises a brow while he gulps, "I thought you needed it."

"Ah, it's fine. But, I am not feeling like drinking." Yi Hua flashes a tight smile, she pays him, and turning around on her feet she walks out, leaving a flustered cashier behind. "Ah, it's so embarrassing! Why is she so heartless?"

He keeps exclaiming in embarrassment as he silently watches Yi Hua walk off.

Yi Hua makes her way towards her house, silent but with chaos in her mind. Everything bothers her, "First…just in dreams but now…why does it feel like they are memories?" Yi Hua groans, she kicks the rocks before her.

"It doesn't even look like mine! What the heck?!" She shouts, pushing her hair off of her face, she makes her way up the stairs, "I am going crazy…mommy…" She fakes out a cry, cupping her mouth with her free hand she makes her way upstairs.

Unlocking the door, she walks in, placing the plastic bag on the counter. She makes her way towards the couch, "I am going crazy…I am going crazy…I am going crazy!" She chants it continuously before dropping herself on the couch.

She cups her cheeks in her hands before weird crying sounds erupt from her, 'Stop it.'

She jerks herself up on her knees on the couch, she looks around, "God…I am really hearing things. Is it a ghost? Or am I really going crazy?" She says, panicking to herself, she runs out of the living room and inside her room in a frightened state.

She pulls the duvet off, wrapping it around herself as she lays down, chanting the mantra with her teary eyes, "God…please save me."

A shiver ran down her spine, "Ahh!!"

She wiggles around, the movements scaring her, "Who is t-there?!"

She closes her eyes shut, 'Hua…I mean no harm.' She heard the voice inside her head, "How…c-can you speak into my head, G-GHOST?!" Yi Hua stutters out her words, still trembling in fear.

'I can because…I am you and you are me. Hurting you means…I am hurting myself.' The voice speaks, Yi Hua stops moving, "What nonsense! Are you trying to make me see you so that you will kill me?!" Yi Hua shouts, all of a sudden.

"You are wrong! So wrong! Go …away!" She screams, wiggling her hands inside the sheets.

'Gu Chen…' Yi Hua frowns, the name so familiar yet new got her frozen.

"What?" She says, blinking her eyes.

'The man you bumped into… the man you dream of every night, Gu Chen.' The voice points out, Yi Hua widens her eyes in shock, no words coming out of her lips as she dazes out.

The answer she has been looking for, for so many years? Was she even looking for him, no?

Then why was he now before her, causing her all the stress and troubles? Who was he?

Her life seems to have turned upside down.