Present

Tao’s POV

It’s the second day that  Mei Lien has been in the hospital and I visit her again.

I sit walk into the room and sit down beside her bed. I touch her hand and smile sadly.

I smile when I see the panda pendant attached to her neck and slowly reach over and take it in my hand, “I can’t believe you kept this. A promise is a promise though. You always read me books but I never listened except to the story that you told me about the warrior and princess that your grandfather had once told you, a traditional forbidden love story.”

I sit there and talk to her about how my life has been lately and how I’ve missed her.

I name off all of the members and my other friends telling her every single detail leaving nothing out even if it was embarrassing to say or just would embarrass me.

Still she’s laying there silent as ever.

She doesn’t look just like a princess but an angel. Her hair shaped like a dark halo behind her head and her face peaceful as she sleeps. Truthfully I find that it’s beautiful as ever even though I see bandages all over her body.

I touch a cast that’s on her arm near me and start crying all over again.

I hear knocking at the door and I look up to see that’s its everyone.

I smile at them as they walk into the room and they smile back at me and nod as they walk in.

Everyone has been really supportive and they try to keep a normalcy for me even though I’m practically depressed most of the time.

“Ahh don’t be crying Tao it’s only been a day since it happened,” Kris says to cheer me up.

I shake my head, “If I just said hi to her or something maybe she would have been by me and not in the street.”

Kris sighs, “That’s the thing Tao that’s a maybe how would you know she wouldn’t have run from you and walked into the street or something. You never know what’s going to happen so that’s why you shouldn’t be sad about the past and look forward. You need to keep yourself together for when she opens her eyes you’ll be together and get to see her smile at you as her… panda.”

I laugh and look up at Kris, “Thank you for some reason you know how to make me feel better.” I nod and look at her, “You’re right I have to pull myself together for her, but also myself.”

I feel someone hit my back to see Xiumin standing behind me laughing, “Right so let’s eat then practice, alright?”

I look back at her as we leave.

I turn around and kiss her forehead, “Wake up soon, okay. I’ll visit you later princess.”

The last week of my life I’ve created a routine almost.

On days with practice, I skip school and practice with the guys, then I visit the hospital for a few hours just talking to  Mei Lien and at times her parents, at night I do whatever homework I missed for the day.

Today as I make my way to her room I pass the gift shop and see a giant teddy bear that looks a panda.

I walk inside and smile at the bear.

“Excuse me,” I walk to the cashier, “How much is the panda teddy bear?”

“Oh that,” the cashier runs over to the bear to see no price then calls her manager.

When an older gentleman walks into the room he asks why he was called down the cashier tells him.

“Oh that bear. Truthfully, it was bought years ago but no one came to pick it up so we’ve kept it on display. Why do you ask young man?”

“A friend of mine is in a coma and she loves pandas with all her heart. Even though she’s growing out of her kiddy years I have missed a lot of her life and I want to get her something to tell her that I remember our time together. Pandas are symbolic of our friendship.”

“Ahh.. How about this,” he tells me a price and I look at him a tad bit shocked at how low it was.

“Alright I’ll take it,” I answer and pull out my wallet.

“Is there anything else you would want?”

I shake my head and smile kindly to the manager and he simply nods his head and walks away.

I pay for the panda bear and carry it up to Mei Lien’s room.

I pull out a small marble bag that   Mei Lien had given to me when we were kids. After she left my grandmother gave me one of her rings and it has meant the world to me. I had promised myself to give it to  Mei Lien, but just incase.

I write a letter to her and smile as I write it.

As I finish the letter I fold it up so that it fits in the little pouch with the ring and tie the pouch to the panda’s neck with a piece of string.

I look at the time and realize that visiting hours are going to end soon.

I sigh and go to leave when I hear  Mei Lien mumble something.

I walk close to her to hear her whimper, “Tao don’t leave me.”

I put my hand to hers and smile, “I’d never leave you.”

“Good,” she doesn’t move after that, but I feel a small weak squeeze in my hand that’s holding her’s.

I look up and decide to call for her doctor.

“Oh there you are Dr. Lee,” I as I find  Mei Lien’s doctor.

“Ahh Tao-ssi how may I help you today?”

“Mei Lien, she spoke,” I say excited.

Dr. Lee nods his head and walks to Mei Lien’s room and checked her vitals and everything to see that they were back to what they were before she spoke.

“It might have been nothing, Tao-shi. There has been cases where coma patients have spoken in their sleep and still have slept for a few more weeks or months. Please don’t lose faith maybe she’ll wake up sooner than what I make it sound but I’m a doctor and I have to be realistic.”

I nod my head and look back at her, “I’ll never leave you for a long period of time, Mei Lien. I’ll be by your side whenever I can. I promise you.”

I fix some of her hair to show more of her face and smile and see why her hair was moved.

It was hiding a small bandage covering a cut probably.

I lean down and kiss it and smile slightly as I see a nice pink hue show on her cheeks.

I sigh and walk to the lobby to see Kris standing there waiting for me.

I sigh and walk over to him and he smiles, “So how did the visit go today?”

“Well she spoke but Dr. Lee said that can happen with coma patients and they’ll still be ‘asleep’ for a while longer.”

Kris smiles at me encouraging me to keep up what I’ve been doing like nothing has changed.

“You need to keep focus Tao. Look forward and see what you want and work towards it so if you want Mei Lien to wake up then figure a way to work towards that goal or just to make it seem faster than it really is.”

I nod my head understanding what Kris is saying to me.