How Bad Is It?
"Lengxin, I'm so sorry to interrupt you two, but Feihong's in the hospital!"
When she picked up, Wei Lina's hysteria immediately came through the speaker.
"What? Slow down, what happened?"
She turned and started speedwalking out, she could hear Xia Minghua's footsteps follow behind.
"How bad is it? Is she sick? Or did she get injured?"
Zhou Lengxin rapidly fired off a line of questions and Wei Lina did her best to follow.
"She was going on a date with Senior Jiang today. I'm not too sure about the details, but they got in a car accident. I can't get much out of the doctor— oh, they're letting us in now. We're at S City Imperial Hospital, room 203. Talk to you later!"
Wei Lina hung up the phone. It didn't sound too serious.
"What's wrong?"
By the time she calmed down, she was already standing outside.
"Um, my friend, she uh... she's in the hospital. I need to go."
"I'll take you. Where to?" Xia Minghua clicked his car keys.
"S City Imperial Hospital," the hospital was around a twenty-minute drive, but in this congestion, it would most likely take an hour.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Anytime."
They spent the car ride in utter silence.
Outside, it even began to rain, making her feel even more gloomy.
She watched as the water droplets blurred the lights of tall skyscrapers and advertisements that flashed all around them. People bustled along the streets with unintelligible words muffled by car horns and loud music.
She watched a group of high school girls pass by, giggling and talking in their uniforms.
The sky was grey like the cold concrete.
Somehow she felt even more melancholy.
After an hour, they arrived in front of S City Imperial Hospital. The white walls and white uniforms and white lights made her head hurt.
Xia Minghua had ended up following her inside, "You might want to take of the mask and cap, it'll make you look less suspicious."
"You don't have to—"
"It's fine, I can take you guys all back." He firmly cut her off, "Which room?"
The pair made their way up the elevator and then to a white door that led to a white room.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Zhou Lengxin found that her voice had been reduced to a whisper.
The girl on the bed turned her head slightly to reveal a red and swollen face.
Wei Lina sat by her bedside, "She's got a few broken ribs, a minor concussion, and few cuts and bruises here and there. It could've worse... they had to operate on Senior Jiang."
Liu Feihong's eyes turned misty at the mention of her injured boyfriend and then began to cry earnestly, prompting Wei Lina to console her.
Under Wei Lina's comfort, she fell back asleep from exhaustion.
"Senior Jiang is here as well? How bad is it?" Zhou Lengxin frowned. The voice the Lina used earlier did not sound optimistic.
Wei Lina bit her lip, "I don't know, but I think it's pretty bad. Her family is rushing over from the next city..." She turned her head to look at Feihong's sleeping figure, "The girl's a complete wreck, I'm worried."
"I'll talk to the doctor."
Xia Minghua has been so quiet that they nearly forget he was there.
"No need to trouble Senior, I'll do it myself. You two look after her."
Gone was her usual goofy and playful nature, replaced by a mature woman with bags underneath her eyes.
Zhou Lengxin felt sympathetic, "You should go home and get some rest, you need to take care of your body as well."
"I'm alright," Wei Lina insisted, "I got some sleep when Xiaoxiao came by earlier."
"Let me send you back."
Xia Minghua's low voice was firm with no room for negotiation.
"Okay." Wei Lina caved under his gaze.
Alone in the hospital room, Zhou Lengxin grasped Liu Feihong's unbandaged hand and rubbed some warmth back into it.
"You'll be okay."