[WARNING: Lengthy Author's Note ahead before Chapter]

 

Hey guys! Long time no see!

I wrote as much as I could for you!

Think of this as my "I'm-sorry-for-not-updating-but-blame-my-school-and-its-homework" gift~

I also started reading more "professional" fanfics (maybe I'll post them later. . .) and using thesaurus.com for more help. I even read a couple "how to write" things on the Internet.
I'm trying to improve my writing, so comment what you think~

Thank you!

 

Anyway, "Master's Sun" was the death of me (I nearly sobbed when it ended, I'm not kidding), and then the Drama World was like, "Let's kill me with another fantastic drama, 'Heirs'!"

*sobs in a corner, trying to do homework but ends up watching "Heirs" and MAMA*

 

Speaking of MAMA:

 

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March 17^th, 2013

Tao's Current Age: 18

 

11:00 am

Kris burst through the hospital entrance doors and fled down hallways, brushing past doctors, nurses, patients, and the occasional visitor, searching for his friends or Tao.

Tao.

With a flash of strength, he hurled himself up a flight of stairs.

2nd floor. . .

3rd floor. . .

4th floor. . .

The blonde whirled around the 4th floor, scanning the occupants rapidly for any familiar hairstyle or face.

"Excuse me?"

Kris turned to face the smiling nurse. "Yes?"

"Are you looking for someone?" she asked.

He nodded frantically. "Huang Zitao. Chinese-Korean, mental-mute?"

She nodded and briskly walked to the nurse's counter, expertly typing on the computer.

"Huang Zitao, room 115," she read aloud. "Moved to Emergency Care at 10:50 am. . ."

Kris bit back a gasp. "Where can I find Emergency Care?"

She looked up at him and sadly shook her head. "EC is the off-limits 5th floor of the hospital. The waiting room for EC patients is near the elevator. Down that hallway," she directed.

He nodded. "Thank you." Then he ran.

 

11:05 am

The panda-boy shivered a bit on his bed, but his eyes did not open.

The attendant overlooking Tao frowned, and scanned the screens connected to Tao. She noticed a drastic change, and called out, "Doctor? His brainwave activity is increasing, but he's not waking up."

The doctor peeked his bald head through the mint-green curtains surrounding Tao's area. "Are you sure he's not dreaming?"

She worriedly shook her head. "Too high to be REM. I think he's internally struggling."

He glanced at the monitors, especially the green line skyrocketing upwards, and nodded. "Go call the others. I'll watch over him."

 

11:10 am

Kris found Luhan sitting on one of the benches next to Xiumin in the waiting room. "How is his condition?" Kris asked.

Luhan lowered his head. "Fainted into unconciousness. L. Joe is in fatal paralysis."

"Why?" he questioned, taking a seat beside Luhan.

"People investigated the water. It was laced with a toxin that caused your muscles to tense up," Xiumin whispered. "In the black market, it's known as Chemical P, and Tao was about to drink some, but L. Joe drank it first."

Kris gaped. "Who would want to hurt him?"

Xiumin shrugged. "Maybe a family member? There's probably a reason he lives alone, right?"

Luhan nodded. "That could be it. . ."

"That doesn't seem like the logical answer. . ." Kris shook his head. "If Tao's family wanted to see Tao, they would have left China to Korea. Also, paralyzing a family member seems a bit extreme. Ignoring is one thing, but hurting is another."

"Then who else?" Luhan countered. "It's not like Go Eun is jealous, right?" he asked, facing the other blonde. "Right?!"

Kris styed silent for a moment. "Let me make a call."

Luhan and Xiumin frowned. "Oh. Mai. Gosh."

Kris sheepishly turned away, pulling out his phone.

Luhan leaned back on his chair, tsking aloud. "Sad. . ."

 

***

 

"Hello?"

"Well, well. I didn't expect a call from you," a snide voice answered.

"Did you poison Tao?" Kris asked quietly.

Go Eun smiled, unseen through the phone. "Nope," she said.

"Are you sure?" she asked again.

"Nope. Why? Is he hurt?" Go Eun almost gagged at her own fake-sweetness, but quickly stopped herself.

"Yeah. He fainted. His friend, L. Joe, got paralyzed."

"He's in Emergency Care, right?" she questioned slyly.

"Yeah. Why? Going to try again?"

Go Eun chuckled. "Don't you trust me?"

". . ."

She laughed again, and said cheerfully, "I'm hanging up!"

"Just stay away from T-" the phone blared.

Go Eun snapped her phone shut. cutting off the message, and frowned.

The wrong person drank it? Shoot. Gotta try again tonight. . .

Then she put on her coat and grabbed her handbag, strutting out of the room.

 

11:20 am

The monitor beeped, increasing in volume and frequency. The nurse Tao's forehead, causing him to groan and tilt his head.

"Doctor, he's sweating, and he's in his sleep," she commented.

The doctor nodded and dug in the side cabinet, pulling a certain item out.

"We're going to try to force him awake, then. CLEAR!" he accounced loudly.

And he pounded the electric metal on Tao's chest.

 

11:30 am

"Huang Zitao's family?" a brown-haired nurse politely asked, scanning the almost-empty emergency waiting room.

Kris immediately stood up. "His family is currently in China. I'm Wu Yifan, Zitao's oldest friend."

She slowly nodded his small face. "I. . . see. . . Well, I guess you could fill out the paperwork, if you know him well enough." Then the petite woman handed him a meager stack of paper and walked out, the click-clack of her short heels echoing off of the walls.

He sat down at his seat and started to fill in the first page.

"Name. . . 'Huang Zitao'. . . Birthday. . . birthday. . . shoot. . ." Kris mumbled.

"May 2nd, 1993," Xiumin chirped in.

Kris gave a weak smile. "Thanks. I kinda forgot, since its been a while," he said.

Xiumin frowned. "Yeah. 'A while'. . ." he murmured.

The blonde sighed. "Look, I'm sorry that I left him and all, but I was like, 6! I couldn't disobey my parents!"

The other raised his hands in mock-surrender. "I didn't say nothing. . ."

He shot Xiumin a dirty look and continued to scribble information down on the sheet, with the occasional help of a chubby-cheeked Korean.

 

11:30 am

The green line on the monitor shook hesitantly, showing the response of the brain to the electrical shocks emitted throughout the body. Then finally, it slowed to a slumber-like frequency.

The nurse beside the panda-boy on the bed nervously looked up. "You didn't hurt his brain, right doctor? He was having some kind of mental trauma, and when you shocked him-" she started, Tao's arm.

"He'll be fine, Kim," he replied. "Either his brain was confused at why his body shut down and was trying to wake it back up, or he had a terrible mental nightmare while he's unconscious. I think it's the first one, because according to his record, he has no psychological problems. Just get food and a hospital gown ready for him when he wakes up. Since now he's concious, he'll wake up in a few hours."

She nodded. "Yes, doctor."

 

12:00 pm

Kris strode up to the nurse's counter. "I have finished the form," he said.

She glanced at the clock. "It took 40 minutes?"

He shrugged. "I had to make some calls to family members," Kris lied, thanking Xiumin in his mind for helping him.

She nodded. "Mr. Huang has been stabilized, so he will be transported to Room 327. You can wait outside the room if you wish."

Kris thanked her and rushed to Luhan & Xiumin. "Tao's fine now. He's being moved to 327. Let's go."

 

Kris, Luhan, & Xiumin waited outside of the empty Room 327, when they heard the sound of footsteps and squeaky wheels coming closer.

They looked up, and saw the pale face of Tao, his hair disheveled messily, and eyes closed, laying on the rolling bed while covered in a blanket. Two nurses in white uniforms and headbands were pushing him in their direction.

Kris stood up first, followed by Xiumin then Luhan, and he made a move to stop the women.

"Is he okay?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

She nodded. "Zitao's mind has returned to normal. For now, you cannot enter his room until he wakes up and is aware of his surroundings. Please wait outside."

Then they lighted directed him back and pushed his senseless friend into the room.

Kris was standing on the other side of the hallway, but he'd never heard a door close so coldly before.

He shivered.

 

12:30 pm

Tao's eyes fluttered open, and all he saw was a white ceiling. The memories of L. Joe convulsing on the ground and being hauled out flashed through his mind.

Scared, he sat up, but lay back down because his chest jolted with pain.

"Are you awake?"

A kind voice made him turn right to see a nurse he'd never seen before, but he trusted her immediately.

"Yes," he whispered. His throat felt parched and his body suddenly felt weak.

She gave him a warm smile. "I'm Nurse Kim. I've been taking care of you for a while. Would you like some water? Or some food?"

"Water, please," he answered, struggling to sit up.

Panic and protectiveness flared in Nurse Kim's eyes. "No, sweetie! Lay back down! You're too weak for this. Here, let me adjust the bed."

Tao heard the click of a button, then the whir of machinery as his bed folded into a lounge-chair position.

Nurse Kim held up a plastic cup of water. "Here," she said, and slowly helped Tao pour it into his mouth.

"Thank you," he said, a bit louder.

She smiled. "No worries! Now, unfortunately, because of protocol, I have to put you in his hospital gown. I don't think you can manage it by yourself, so are you okay with me helping you?"

Tao nodded, forgetting about a secret he tried so hard to hide.

She stood up and helped Tao pull off his shirt, and then his pants. Tao felt his cheeks warm up, but she seemed not to pay attention, as if she did this so many times it didn't even bother her anymore.

The nurse bent over a table to grab the gown, and turned back to Tao, but in her shock she dropped the green cloth on the floor.

"Tao!"

 

12:40 pm

Nurse Kim stood up after helping Tao into his robe. "You have visitors, Tao. 3, I believe. Would you like to see them?" she asked, but her face had a look of unease.

Tao nodded, curious to see who would visit him. Xiumin, maybe. But 3?

Then he frowned. Oh, no. Kr-

She opened the door, and a blonde giant burst in, standing right next to Tao

"Tao, are you alright?" he asked.

He shrugged the other off. "I'm fine, Yi-Kris," he corrected himself. Then he bent around him to see the other two visitors, and smiled.

"Xiumin!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out, and he happily embraced the other. Then he stared puzzledly at the last. "Luhan?"

He shyly waved hi. "Hey, Tao. Xiumin and I were hanging out, when he got the call. I remembered you from class, so I came with. Then Kris came," he said.

Tao smiled, to the shock of Xiumin. "Thanks, Luhan."

"You smile now? I thought you smiled at me, only because you missed me!" Then he turned to Kris. "What did you do to him yesterday or whatever? Because whatever you did. . ."

Kris took a step back, scared.

"THANK YOU!" Xiumin screamed, flinging himself onto Kris in a hug. "I'm been trying to get Tao to show emotion for forever! Thank you!"

"Sir?" the nurse tapped on Kris' shoulder. "Could you come with me in private, please?" she smiled.

He nodded and followed her out into the hallway. Then she closed the door, and the grin was replaced by a concerned frown.

"Sir? Do you know if Tao went 'paintballing' a few days ago?" she asked.

Kris shrugged, unsure of the question. "Not that I know."

She sighed. "Then do you know why he's covered with red, blue, and purple bruises and scars?"

He shook his head in disbelief. "B-bruises? From what?"

"He says it was from 'paintballing,' and that I shouldn't worry about it."

Kris stared at Room 327's door. "I'll talk to him."

 

1:00 pm

A white sports-car pulled up in front of a white building. The girl with flowing, brown hair sat in the driver's seat. She pulled her sunglasses off and stared mercilessly at the hospital.

Go Eun pulled out her mirror and touched up her make-up. Then she made an expression of misery.

"Oh, nurse!" she trembled. "I heard that Tao's hurt! What room is he in? Please, tell me!" she begged.

Then she smiled. "That was good. . . Maybe a few tears?" she commented, pulling out an eye-dropping, and putting some of the liquid into her eyes.

She blinked a couple of times, and felt a few tears run down her cheeks.

Go Eun evilly smiled. "Perfect."

She opened her car door, got out, and sauntered up to the entrance.

 

---

 

Yeah. . .

I don't know what goes on in the hospital. . .

Maybe it was drastic that the doctor pulled out the shocky-thingies and used them on Tao, but you know.

Whatevs.

This is a fanfic. (Unfortunately) it (probably) isn't real (yet).

Don't mock me. I have dreams too, you know. Especially dreams of meeeting IU and seeing Sukai.

Yeah. . .