Chapter 50 Night Of Fear

This was Santichai's last week with KK before KK went to South Korea for a five-week Seminar. KK demands that he wants to have dinner with Santichai every night until he leaves for Korea. Santichai didn't reject KK's request because he knew that deep down in KK's heart, KK didn't have that much hope for the promises he and KK made. When Santichai arrived at KK's home, he prepared dinner and began to load the clothes in the washing machine. While waiting for the washer to stop, he started to do his homework. His homework was done before the washing machine stopped. He knows he's not good at anything, but numbers are what he's very good at. He is also happy that KK gave him the chance he could only dream of. Since meeting KK, his dream has become a reality little by little. A lot of times, he still felt that everything that was happening to him was still so unreal; sometimes he even bit his arm to make sure he was living in reality and not in a dream.

Santichai was getting dressed after taking a shower when his phone rang. He looked at the number, it wasn't from someone he knew, so he ignored it. When his phone rang again, he was in the living room reading a blog about suicide prevention.

Santichai glanced at the phone, it was KK, and quickly picked it up, "Hello."

KK said, "Sorry, I'm not going to be home tonight."

Santichai simply replied, "Mmm."

KK said, "The doctor who should be staying tonight is sick. I'll be back tomorrow at noon."

Santichai asked, "Have you eaten?"

KK said guiltily, "I have not. When I hang up with you, I will call the cafeteria to order food." He smiled.

Santichai said, "I'll bring dinner to you, and we can have dinner together."

KK chuckled, "Okay, drive carefully."

Santichai packed the dinner he cooked into the lunch box and put it in his backpack. He rushed out the door, drove his moped down the street in the direction of HappyCare Clinic. As he merged into the main road, he realized there was a traffic jam. He looked down at his watch, it was already eight o'clock, and with such traffic, it would be nine or even ten o'clock before he got to HappyCare. He reached into his pocket and called KK, but as traffic moved slowly, ambulance sirens blared behind the jammed cars and motorcycles. Everyone slowly moved aside to make room for the ambulance.

Sitting in the office, KK looked at his watch on the computer screen and found that it was past eight o'clock. He knew that it would take less than twenty-five minutes to drive from his house to HappyCare Clinic, so he decided to walk out of the office and go to the main lobby to wait for Santichai. During the night shift, many patients were already asleep, and only a few nursing staff were on duty in the clinic. As he approached the front desk, a nurse rushed at him.

The nurse said worriedly, "Doctor Suwannarat."

KK walked towards the frightened nurse and asked, "What's wrong?"

The nurse said, "I was going to call you, Doctor Lin is on line two. She wants to speak with you."

KK walked to the desk and picked up Sarah's call. He said, "Sarah, what's wrong?"

Sarah said, "Pi K, can you come and help us, we're short on staff tonight."

KK asked, "What's going on?"

Sarah said, "There have been multiple crashes tonight, and so far, fifteen people need urgent care or quick surgery. Could you help me tonight?"

KK can hear the distress of the people on the background. He said, "Wait a minute. He got the nurse's attention. "Go wake up Doctor Lou."

After about four minutes of waiting, Doctor Lou stretched out his arms and yawned, then walked towards the front desk. He said, "Hey, what's wrong?"

KK said, "Tonight you will be the only one here."

Doctor Lou asked, "Why?"

KK said, "I have to go to the main hospital to help with emergency surgery."

Doctor Lou yawned, "Well, I guess there is no sleep for me."

The nurse looked at Doctor Lou and said, "You can still rest, if there is something urgent, I will come to get you right away."

Doctor Lou looked at KK and said, "There are only six people tonight, I should be fine. I told you many times, don't sign a contract with that hospital, if you have their license, they will force you to go work."

KK said, "It can't be help, I'm a shareholder."

Doctor Lou looked at KK, "I'd better get a big bonus, otherwise I won't be mister nice guy."

KK unmuted the line and said, "Sarah, I'll be there in ten minutes."

Sarah said, "Okay." She hung up the phone.

KK turned to the nurse and said, "If Santichai comes, tell him to go home."

Santichai was still stuck in traffic when several people came towards him. The man supports the woman.

The man said, "The hospital is just a few blocks away. Honey, can you walk?"

The woman gasped, "I can try. God, I really don't want to have my baby on the street."

From where Santichai was waiting, he could see the tall hospital building. He knew that after the hospital, it was a ten-minute drive to HappyCare Clinic. Santichai took out his mobile phone and was about to call KK when a woman suddenly stopped beside Santichai.

The woman said, "Oh heaven, my water just broke, it's bad..."

Santichai looked at her and said, "Pi, I'll take you to the hospital. My moped can easily maneuver around those cars in front of us."

The woman breathed in and out rapidly. She turned to her husband and said, "I have to go, the baby is coming soon, you slowly walk to the hospital."

The husband looked at Santichai and said, "Nong, thank you." He kissed his wife's forehead. "I will come as soon as possible."

Santichai put the backpack in front of him, slid the phone into the side pocket, and the woman in labor jumped behind him. Santichai shouted, "Please make way, this Pi is going to have a baby." The cars and mopeds in front moved slowly to let them pass. As they drove past the accident scene, a passenger car collided with other vehicles and three motorcycles, causing the traffic jam.

The woman in the back panted and said, "Nong, better hurry up."

Santichai quickly pushed his moped into the street, avoiding bystanders and heading straight for the emergency door.

The woman groaned in pain, "Nong, I don't think I can walk anymore."

Santichai rushed in and grabbed one of the nurses. He said, "Pi...pi.. that pi outside is having a baby."

One of the nurses looked at the woman standing outside, with her legs spread apart, unable to walk in. He quickly grabbed the wheelchair and said, "Nong, please move your moped, an ambulance is about to pulled up."

Santichai and the male nurse rushed outside. The male nurse pushed the woman into the hospital. Santichai moved his moped and went into the hospital to give the woman her bag, but the nurse had already pushed her to the delivery room. He didn't know the woman's name, so he had to wait in the lobby for her husband to show up.

KK went out to get some flesh air after the operation, picked up his mobile phone and dialed Santichai, the person who answered the phone was not Santichai, "Hello."

KK asked, "Who are you?"

The man said, "I'm Time. Who are you?"

KK can hear background noise. "I want to talk to the owner of this phone," he said.

Time said, "You can't, that nong is on his way to the hospital now, you can find him in the emergency room."

KK's heart sank. He rushed back inside to the emergency room. He hurried to the front desk and asked, "Linda, is there a person named Santichai Kittibun here in the ER or OR?"

Linda said, "Doctor Suwannarat, there are a lot of patients we don't even know their names. I'm not sure, but I can look it up for you."

KK asked, "How long will it take?"

Linda said, "I don't know."

A nurse called, "Linda, bring a bucket, this woman vomited."

Linda stood up and said, "I'll check as soon as possible." She grabbed her small trash can and rushed over to the nurse and the vomiting woman.

KK looked around the lobby. There were too many wounded people in the lobby, and he couldn't see Santichai among the people who were still sitting. This was the first time KK felt overwhelmed. His mind was blank, and all he could think of at the moment was Santichai. He suddenly felt like he wanted to cry, scream, and shout profanity at the world when a hand touched his right shoulder.

"Khun..."

This sentence seems to lift the pressure on KK's shoulders. He turned and saw Santichai standing in front of him. He hugged Santichai tightly in his arms and sighed deeply.

"Khun," said Santichai. "What are you doing here?"

KK took a deep breath and instead of answering Santichai's question, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Santichai broke free from KK's arms and said, "I sent a woman here because she was about to give birth to her baby, but I couldn't leave because she left her prepared bag here and I was waiting for her husband."

KK said calmly, "Do you know how worried I am when the person who answered the phone told me that you were on your way to the hospital?"

Santichai said, "I'm sorry."

A nurse shouted from the main entrance, "Doctor, this man has a deep wound and needs immediate surgery."

Santichai smiled and said, "I'll wait for you."

KK smiled and quickly followed the nurse into the operating room. Santichai walked back to the waiting room and sat down. After waiting for a full forty-five minutes, Time have finally arrived at the hospital. Time gave Santichai his cell phone, and Santichai gave Time his bag. A nurse took Time to the delivery center. Santichai sat patiently and waited for KK.

It was already two in the morning when KK came out of the operating room. He walked into the main lobby and found Santichai sleeping against the wall with his backpack on his lap. He walked over to Santichai and sat next to Santichai. He grabbed Santichai's head and placed it on his left shoulder. He grabbed the backpack, took out the food and started eating.