Medical Attention
"Luo Wanting?" Shi Ailin questioned.
He groaned, shifting in her arms. His breathing was harsh and ragged, low and deep in his throat.
"Should I call an ambulance?" She asked.
He shook his head. "N-no," he responded hoarsely.
Crap. Shi Ailin was afraid he'd say no. Some part of her knew that if she sent him to the hospital, it would attract too much unwanted attention, but she wasn't sure who's attention he'd be avoiding.
She didn't want just to leave him here. "Do you think you can stand? I'm going to take you to my home."
Luo Wanting, painfully, hoisted himself to stand up. Shi Ailin then caught him, placing his arm around her shoulders, supporting his back.
He groaned as they began to walk slowly. Shi Ailin glanced around the neighbourhood, thankful that there weren't any people idling around at night. "Don't worry. We're almost there," she told him.
They walked one more block before she was relieved to see her house. She hauled him up over her shoulder as she felt him slip. They continued to walk down the street, up to her porch, towards her home. Shi Ailin fumbled with her keys until she opened her door, flicking the lights on as they walked in.
Shi Ailin ignored the sudden consciousness of her messy house. She then guided him up the stairs, which was very troubling since he could barely walk. But after some time, she helped him take each step towards her bedroom, the only room in the house that was neat and organized.
He then toppled over her bed sheets on his back. His breathing had gone short and shallow, and Shi Ailin felt lost and confused. She paced back and forth in her bedroom, not knowing what to do. She didn't want to touch him any more than she did, afraid that she would accidentally do more damage than good.
She whipped out her phone. "I'm going to call your brother," she said. As she was about to dial the number, she felt him grab her wrist. She paused.
He then spoke, low and guttural, "Dr…Dr. Su Xiang."
"Dr. Su Xiang?" Shi Ailin questioned. Who was that? She then went to check Luo Wanting's pockets, hoping to find his phone, but she only saw his wallet. She searched through it, flipping through business cards to find a doctor's number.
She quickly called the number, and a woman picked up. "Hello?"
"Hello! This is Shi Ailin. I am calling on behalf of Luo Wanting. He's hurt, and I don't know what to do."
"All right," replied the doctor. "Stay with him. I will be there as soon as possible to help if you don't mind sharing your current location."
Shi Ailin then sent her address and the doctor guided her over the phone to check Luo Wanting's condition. Shi Ailin went to check his body, not understanding where the blood came from. She then lifted his shirt, finding multiple cuts and slits. "Oh god," she said and gasped, dropping her phone.
She then grabbed one of her shirts to put pressure near his ribcage to stop the bleeding. She trembled, pressing one of her hands to his forehead to check his temperature. To her, he seemed to be normal, which was good, but she still felt panicked.
Within fifteen minutes, she heard a knock on her front door. She then ran down the stairs, urging the doctors who arrived at her door to come straight to her room.
A handsome man and woman immediately swept in, wearing normal clothes except for the stethoscopes around their necks and the medical carry-on's they held. They quickly set up in her bedroom, working together with precision and heavy experience.
"Miss Shi," said Dr. Su Xiang, "If you feel comfortable, you can step outside. My husband and I will take care of him, we promise."
"I believe you," Shi Ailin said. "But I want to stay. Tell me if you need anything."
Dr. Su Xiang then instructed her to get some cloths and water as they worked on him, removing his shirt. They stood on opposite sides of him, observing and tending to him. They brought everything with them as if they had done this many times before.
The male doctor had a tattoo peeking from his back; the tip of it was bright orange, near his neck.
What kind of doctors were they? They were calm and discreet, and they didn't ask her why she didn't send him to a hospital. It was as if they understood why she didn't make that choice.
Luo Wanting groaned in pain as they quickly and skillfully patched him up. Shi Ailin continued to run back and forth, doing as they asked until she was beginning to feel tired.
A couple of hours went by until the male doctor stirred her awake as she unknowingly dozed off in the armchair of her room. He smiled at her gently; his voice was soft and melodious, "Hello Miss Shi. I am doctor Xun Zichen. I'm sorry for waking you, but I wanted to inform you that Mr. Luo will be fine, but he needs to recover for the next couple of weeks."
Shi Ailin stood up as he guided her to the bed to see him. "He's resting now. Fortunately, most of the blood on his body wasn't his. He still suffered a many traumatic blows, particularly in the lower abdomen; it's most likely that some people had pummeled him during a fight. He will bruise in a lot of areas, and his face has already begun to swell. He suffered some stab wounds, particularly in the lower rib cage, but they are not deep. He doesn't need strict medical attention, but you need to find someone to monitor him just in case he develops a fever. We checked his body everywhere because the amount of blood on his body was startling and confusing, but we check him thrice."
He then proceeded to give her some medicine and instructions about how to take care of him. "He should be fine," he continued, "but contact us if there are any sudden complications."
"Thank you, Dr. Xun and Dr. Su," Shi Ailin replied.
They smiled at her and left, leaving her alone with a man she thought she knew.
There were so many questions she wanted to ask him. What happened? How did he find her? Is he in danger? What do people want from him?
She approached the bed carefully. He was shirtless, but the bruises and stitches over his body were brutal. She inhaled a sharp breath. The pale moonlight made his ash-blonde hair look silver. She swept his hair aside, feeling his warm skin.
Her eyes were barely kept open. She decided to take care of Luo Wanting overnight, and she will deal with everything else in the morning.
She pulled the armchair next to the bed. She bundled up, sitting up in her chair to watch Luo Wanting just in case he stirs overnight. Then the next day, she'll get her answers.