Mandarin

Present Time

Tao’s POV

Mei Lien had started to go hectic and I was kicked out her room by the nurses.

I stand outside the door watching them bustle over her quickly that I hardly see what they are doing to her with needles and vials of mysterious liquids.

I hold my breathe as I watch I’m pushed away from the door as they push her out of the room in the rolling bed.

“What’s happening?” I ask panicked.

1 of the nurses stop and look at me shocked that I’m standing here… Wonder if she’s an EXO fan.

“Tao-oppa… Miss. Kim Wang Mei Lien is being moved to the intensive care unit. It seems that her system is crashing.”

I put a hand to my mouth as I slip down to one of the chairs and I feel a hand on my shoulder.

I look up too see Ba Kim looking at me with sad eyes, “Tao… All we have to do is pray for my daughter’s health and hope for the best.”

“Mei Lien is a strong woman she’ll be fine.”

Ba Kim nods his head, “My daughter is strong so she’ll make it through all of this.”

I nod my head as I look at my phone as it goes off I answer it, “Yes.”

“Tao are you at the hospital is Mei Lien alright?”

I feel tears fall even more, “No, they just moved her to the intensive care unit.”

Before I can say more I hear Kris say, “We’re coming to the hospital stay where you are.”

I mumble as I hang up, “I don’t plan on leaving until I know she’s okay.”

I’m sitting in a waiting room with Ba Kim when all of EXO come charging over to my crumpled form.

“Ahh Mr. Kim, how is she?”

Ba Kim looks up at them, “She’s still in surgery… They don’t know what happened but her stomach started to bleed and they needed to go in and fix it. I don’t know how I’m going to pay for all of this. Mei Lien… I may have to let her go soon. I only have enough money to cover her room expenses for about 6 months then I don’t know what to do.”

6 months… I have about 4 and a half months left to wake her up I believe. I look at my hand and touch it. It’s been 4 weeks since I was given this stupid mark hidden by a pair of gloves.

I feel someone grab my hand I look up too see Ba Kim smiling at me.

“Ba Kim… I want to be there for Mei Lien more… I want…”

“If you are asking that you could be with her romantically you have my permission what you need to worry about is her mother.”

I laugh as I nod my head, “True… Where is her mother?”

“She’s overseas again… I wish she wouldn’t travel so much always missing out on times that are most important… I’m going to pray for my daughter would you like to join me?”

I shake my head as I look at my hands, “I’m alright I want to be here when she comes out.”

He smiles down at me, “Alright. I’ll put her in your hands then Tao.”

I nod my head as he walks off and his warm hands are gone… I feel colder it must be a family trait that Mei Lien had inherited since I can remember just a single touch would calm me down.

The guys sit down even the managers are here. I look away from them and when I hear them ask me the first question I’m shocked.

Seunghwan-hyung asks, “Tao… are you in love with this girl?”

I feel my gut twist into a knot at the thought… Me in love with Mei Lien.. how could that be?

I look at him knowing I look like a confused puppy, “Mei Lien is my childhood friend. I don’t want her to  leave me again… So if that’s love then yes I love her.”

Everyone looks at me shocked and I hear something break too see Mama Wang.

“Ma Wang… I…”

She shakes her head and looks at me, “Don’t you dare talk to me,” she’s calm until she stomps up too me and shouts, “Do you have any idea how much you hurt my daughter? How she would wait for letters from you? How she would write a letter to you whenever she could? That she has notebooks filled with letters she didn’t have the courage to send? My daughter loved you since you were kids she just didn’t notice until she was old enough to date. Now you say you love her. Don’t you dare say that without truly meaning that Huang Zi Tao or else I will make it so you regret hurting my daughter’s heart.”

I nod my head and I know I’m about to have a heart attack when she calmly sits down in a chair and has the nurses clean up the potted plant she had just dropped moments ago.

This is going to be difficult to stay here with Ma Wang staring me down.

Kris sits by me and asks, “Why do you call her Ma Wang?”

I whisper to him,“Ba Kim and her kept their family names and tried to push it on all of us. It’s obvious that she wants to keep the name Wang… Though I have no idea why. Mei Lien wants both of her parents to recognize her wish is why she has both of their last names…”

“Why?”

I shrug, “Who knows.”

I lean back in my chair and notice a reporter and simply lean back more until I see Mei Lien’s doctor.

“Dr. Lee, is she alright now?”

He looks at the guys then me and Mama Wang, “Miss. Kim Wang is alright… What we are worried about is her heart.”

“What about her heart?” Mama Wang and I ask at the same time.

“Her heart is weak at the moment it’s not that there’s something wrong with it that we can find it’s just very weak for no apparent reason. Mrs. Wang your daughter’s a very healthy for a girl her age it seems she took good care of herself with how her body is now it makes no sense to us. We’re trying to get a few other opinions since we are stuck… We don’t know much else to do, but pray.”

Mama Wang breaks down crying and I go over to her to wrap my arms around me and she pushes me away.

“My baby is here because of you. You had to call her name. You had too see her again. This is all your fault.”

I look at her trying to hold in my tears as I nod, “Your right it is my fault. I should have protected her all these years. I had called her name thinking she had stopped on the sidewalk when really she was in the road causing her to get hit by a car. All this time all your daughter’s unhappiness was on me, but there were times where I wasn’t too blame.”

I may regret saying this but I have to I have to help this family.

I pull out a letter that Mei Lien had sent me.

“Mama Wang please read this… What Mei Lien had written.”

I hand her the letter where Mei Lien was complaining about her mother and how even though she was only 18 years old, but she was still strong and stubborn. In The letter Mei Lien had talked about how Mama Wang lost her temper and struck her and how hurt she was. How when she told Ba Kim he didn't’ do anything cause he didn’t believe that happened.

“She wrote this?”

I nod my head, “Yes, she wrote this complaining about how she was being treated in a lot of letters a few pages long. So I’m not the only 1 too blame for your daughter’s unhappiness. Mei Lien, had a lot of issues with friends and school that she wouldn’t talk about at home. ”

“Can… Can I see them?”

I shake my head, “No, there were things in them that I know she doesn't want you to know.”

She looks hurt but she still nods her head, “My daughter deserves privacy I guess… Then why show me this 1?”

I point at the bottom and she laughs at her daughter’s little note.

“That is so Mei Lien too put something like that at a bottom of a private letter. Thank you, Tao.”

I nod and smile at her slightly, “I’m sorry Tao for what I said earlier… I realize now that I was wrong too say that too you. I realize that you are a great and loyal man now… I’d love to marry my daughter off to a man like you,” she rests her head on my chest basically telling me she’s tired.

I sigh when she falls asleep and I look up at a nurse, “Is there somewhere I can place her?”

The nurse nods her head and leads me to Mei Lien’s room which has 2 beds in it and points to the empty bed.

I set Mama Wang down on the bed and tuck her in.

I look up too see Ba Kim looking at me smiling, “You’ve grown up so much from what I remember. You’ve grown into a kind and caring man. Though you are still a big cry baby of a panda.”

I look at him and sigh, “I’ll never get rid of that nickname will I?”

He shakes his head, “No…Tao if you ever want to be with my daughter I’ll say yes… It’s just so much for the family that she’d need to do.”

I give a him a look, “What do you mean?”

“Tao you know we are a wealthy family and she has too either take over her mother’s rising company or mine. I know that Mei Lien has her own plans for her life which I believe she can still follow.”

“So what she’s a little princess locked up in a cage with limited options how much freedom does she get? I will tell you this Mei Lien will know what she wants to do with her life when she wakes up and it will be before college entrance exams. If she wakes up before than and still passes you will have to free her. You have how many other children and you chose Mei Lien I can see why since none of them have come too see their sister. There’s an issue here. ”

I turn around and almost stomp out of the room until I see Dr. Lee come out again.

“Is something the matter?” I ask him.

He shakes his head, “No, it’s just you being by the patients side helps her health and right now that’s all a little faith in that will help so if you will please let’s get you suited up so you can see her.”

They don’t even ask which I’m okay with since I wanted too see Mei Lien, the beautiful butterfly that has yet too dry her wings and fly.

When I’m dressed up in all the hospital garb and sanitized they let me into Mei Lien’s small cut off from the real world cube.

I smile as I walk up to her bed side and take her hand, “Mei Lien don’t you dare leave me. We made a promise that you still need to fulfil. So please wake up and do so. Please Mei Lien… please wake up. I need you. Your family needs you.”

I hear her whisper, “I’m sorry.”

I freeze and lean forward, “What?”

She doesn’t move or make a sound again and i hold her hand praying that she won't crash again.

Still my prayers are not answered. I’m pushed outside Mei Lin's new boxed cage as the doctors swarm around her.

I look down at my hands too see underneath the garb the bracelet that Mei Lien had given me as a kid that I wear often.

Dr. Lee looks at me, “She’s fine now, but I’d say goodnight and head back to your dorm.”

I nod my head as I walk inside and take her hand in my own. As I stare at her hand afraid to look at her face I get this idea that maybe my lucky bracelet can bring her luck and soon she can wake up.

I kiss her hand then her forehead as I whisper, “Mei Lien, please wake up… I need you.”

Hi it's alwaysdreaming I'm sorry it's been so long. Fighting!