Sitting in the small waiting room of the only hospital in town, you felt your hands shake from the fear of all the possible diseases associated to what had just happened to you. You were still shaking when you felt a set of large and rough hand on yours.

 

“Don’t worry Peiyun, just calm down okay?” You nodded at Yixing’s father; he was a kind man that you could always depend on. He was like a second father, not just because he was your future father-in-law but because of the fact that he had watched you grow up and had developed a protective nature towards you. It helped that he and your father became great friends from living by one another as well.

 

 “Fan Pei Yun?” You heard the nurse call your name, it was finally your turn. You made your way to the doctor’s room and winced at the pain you felt from gulping.

 

“Where is that you are feeling unwell today?” You were about to answer the doctor in front of you but Yixing’s father had spoken up for you instead.

 

“She coughed up blood just now and is in pain.” He then pointed at your sleeve so that the doctor can see the amount of blood produced through your coughing fit.

 

“Oh my, Peiyun, I need your father to leave this room for now. I’ll be getting the nurse and we’ll give you a detailed check up right away.” The fear in your heart grew as Yixing’s father left the room, never in your life will you forget the fear that occupied your entire body the moment the nurse walked in and slammed the door shut. The next thing you knew, you were seated on the hospital bed with a bright light aimed at the back of your throat. The nurse then proceeded to take samples of your saliva and blood.

 

“Your throat is inflamed Peiyun, I’ll need to take an X-Ray to confirm my diagnosis. Follow the nurse out to the next room alright?” You nodded and slipped off the bed, following the nurse to a dark room.

 

“Put this vest on, then go and stand in the middle of that machine. Make sure to keep your mouth closed and tongue flat the entire time.” You did as you were told and stood in the middle of a machine; the nurse left the room and closed the door. A beep was heard and the machine began to spin around your head. The moment the machine stopped the nurse came back into the room.

 

“The doctor will have a look at your results, for now you can wait at the front.” You took the vest off and handed it to the nurse before walking out. Your father, mother and Yixing’s mother had arrived at the hospital and were sitting at the front with Yixing’s father. All four of them stood up the moment they saw you leave the room.

 

“Peiyun!” Your mother wrapped her arms around you and patted your back, she was so worried.

 

“Sweetie, are you okay? What did the doctor say?” You were about to speak when Yixing’s mother handed you a piece of paper and pen. She smiled softly at you and you smiled back while taking the items in her hand.

 

“We still have to wait for the results.” You wrote quickly and showed it to the four adults.

 

“Alright, come sit here sweetie.” You sat down on the seat in between your parents and waited.

 

After twenty minutes the doctor and the nurse who was helping you earlier came out of their room with grim facial expressions.

 

“Peiyun, would you like me to tell you the results first and discuss it with you before telling your parents or would you like for me to tell it to all of you now?” You clicked the pen and wrote quickly to answer the doctor’s questions.

 

“In front of everybody here with me is fine.” The doctor nodded his head in acknowledgement.

 

“Alright then, would the five of you please come into my office?” The five of you followed the doctor and sat down.

 

“I want you guys to prepare your heart for the news. Your daughter has a rare form of cancer called laryngeal cancer, it is usually diagnosed in males over the age of fifty but she is a special case. There is a small tumors located in her larynx which is the cause of her sore throat and the coughing up of blood. I suggest surgery as soon as possible. It is the fastest and most effective way to remove the cancer. You may choose to take up other treatments if you’re afraid of the surgery but as a doctor I have to warn you that those have never resulted in a full recovery before.” You paled as you heard the words that left the doctor’s mouth, cancer?

 

“What is the success rate of surgery?” Your eyes widened at how calm your father looked compared to everybody else in the room.

 

“As of right now, the percentage of success in the world is seventy percent but she is the third person to ever have this type of cancer in our hospital. We only have one doctor capable of removing a tumor of such size and with this difficulty.”

 

“And who may I ask is that doctor?”

 

“Me.” You looked at the doctor in front of you and saw a smile of reassurance on his face. “If you choose to do the surgery I’ll be sure to give my all to help your daughter. This isn’t something that you have to decide right away so I’ll give you some time to think it over. When you make your decision come and find me here, I do recommend that you guys think fast, the tumor will continue to grow through time.”

 

“No need to wait, we’ll do it.” You stared at your father in admiration and for a single second you believed that everything will be okay.

 

Over the next three days, your father had been going back and forth from work to the hospital to discuss both the cost and the details of your surgery; due to the fact that you were a minor they were able to bump you up on the patient list. Your surgery is a week from now. You were sitting in your room and doing the last of your summer homework prep before college starts when you felt an itch in your throat. You started to cough and like the last time, you were unable to stop. Tears welled up in your eyes as you coughed, gasping for air as you fell over. The pain was excruciating, you had trouble breathing due to the coughing as well as the pain. It hurt so much to breathe, you began to develop a fear towards breathing. You were still coughing when your mother came sprinting into your room, a cloth in one hand and a cup of warm water in the other.

 

“Peiyun!” This has occurred quite frequently over the past three days but this was the first time where you actually lost the ability to stand, you didn’t want to get up.

 

Your mother wet the cloth in her hand and dabbed your lips to allow the water to enter your mouth and down your throat. She continued to do this until your coughing slowed down. When you were well enough to breathe without wincing, you took the cup from her hand and drank the contents slowly.

 

“Thank You” Your voice came out dry and hoarse.

 

“Don’t speak Peiyun, don’t strain your throat.” You could see the tears and sadness in your mother's eyes as she spoke; you nodded your head and grabbed a pen and notebook from your desk.

 

“I’m sorry, don’t cry mom. I’ll be okay once we do the surgery. Don’t worry.” You smiled your best smile and looked up to your crying mother. She excused herself from your room and headed to her own room, shutting the door lightly so you can’t hear her light sobs. You felt a suffocating pain in your heart and took a seat in front of your desk; your eyes looked at the picture to your left right away.

 

“Yixing... What am I going to do?” You grabbed the picture frame and stared at his smiling face with your lips pressing gently on his cheeks, he had taken this picture without you knowing after asking you for a kiss that day. You suddenly missed him more than you had ever before and cried softly. Although you told your mother not to worry, you yourself were scared to death.

 

The day of the surgery finally came and you were lying in the hospital bed waiting for the doctors to push you into the operating room. Four of the five people that you cared most in your life surrounded you. You told Yixing’s parents not to tell Yixing anything and they promised they wouldn’t. For all you guys know, you might be okay by the time he calls three weeks from now.

 

“Alright, we’re ready to take her in now.” Your heart started to race and the grip you had on your parents' hands tightened. They kept their hands on yours as they pushed you to the operating room, only to let go when it was time for them to leave.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.” Against the wishes of your parents you decided to speak up before the doors slammed shut. The nurse placed an oxygen mask over your face and told you to count to ten in your head. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...6....7..... Your eyes closed before you even reached ten. The opposing feelings of fear and peacefulness enveloped you, bringing you into darkness and dreamland.

 

You were awoken by the tears of your mother. You opened your eyes in the hospital room you were in before they pushed you into the operating room, looking at your surroundings in confusion. You were about to ask your mother why she was crying when a sharp pain shot up your throat.

 

“She’s awake!” Yixing’s mother helped your mother up from her seat as they walked towards you. The looks in their eyes were enough to tell you that the surgery wasn’t successful. Your eyes scanned theirs and a sense of guilt wallowed in your heart. I have always been the source of their happiness, what do I do now that they’re in tears because of me? Yixing, what am I supposed to do?

 

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Alright! So that's it for the flashbacks and background story to what happened to Peiyun. I'm sorry if that was in anyway dull for you! The real story will begin in the next chapter XD