Our Good-byes, Promises, and My Surgery

Bold is Italian

I wake up, stretch, and look around for my camera to realize that I gave it to Yixing. I look at the time to see I have an hour before I need to check in for my surgery today.

I look away from my phone since I took a few pictures with it yesterday and Yixing was in a few of them.

“If I looked at them before my surgery would be alright, just for I can see his face again? Ahh… No! This is stupid I sound like some creepy stalker. Yet he did say that he wanted to see me again… Right? It wasn’t just my imagination?”

I hear my uncle walk into my room, “it wasn’t your imagination, ___.”

“Ahh! Uncle what have I told you about knocking then you won’t scare me?”

He chuckles, “What have I told you about talking out loud?”

“Sorry uncle,” I look down dejected.

“You know he’s leaving today you can say good bye to him. Give him one more kiss.”

“Ya, uncle… Wait how would you know that?”

“Oh I ran out of the house and caught up to him explaining who I was. We spoke for a while and he said even though yesterday was fun he’d like to see you before he got on the plane.”

I nod my head and race into my closet to find a cute white dress. I slip on a black vest over my shoulders.

I lift my hand up, “uncle can I borrow the motorbike?”

He chuckles as he hands me the keys and watches as I race out of the house and onto the bike.

I take short cuts to make it to the airport. I hope I guess right.

I run inside and see a familiar face look back as he enters the boarding area.

I race past random people and when I’m close enough I should his name, but he doesn’t look back.

I didn’t think he would answer when I should his nickname that he told me his friends call him, “Lay!”

He looks back to see me and I watch from a far his mouth form my name, but I couldn’t hear it so I can’t be for sure.

He looks at the person helping with boarding and she nods.

He races over to me and I smile at him.

“____ what are you doing here?”

I hold back my tears and fears, “I wanted to see you off. I mean it’ll be a year before I see you again.”

He nod s his head as he reaches over and wipes away the tears that escape from my eyes, “I guess so. You know I find this odd since I only know you from yesterday, but I think I have fallen in love with you.”

I try to hold back the rest of my tears but it doesn’t work.

How can I lie to him?

How can I not tell him that I may not see him in a year?

How can I tell him that this may just be the last time I’ll ever see him again?

“Did I scare you by saying that?”

I shake my head, “No, it’s just shocking. I never thought anyone could love me besides my family. I had pushed people away for so long to find out that someone like you is there for me. I know I’ll always remember this.”

He leans over and kisses my forehead, “I’m glad because I want you to remember at your best so you won’t forget my face. Can I get one more picture with you before I board my plane?”

I smile at him as I nod my head, “I’d like that.”

He pulls out his phone and gets it ready to take the pictures, “smile.”

I smile as he clicks the pictures button. I look at it to see that it doesn’t’ show that I’m sick. I look healthy like him.

I’m sorry Zhang Yixing that I’m not going to tell you that I may leave you after today.

I smile up at him as I get a little dizzy and fall down to my knees.

I chuckle to myself as I mumble, “I pushed myself to much. I shouldn’t have did that, but I had to see you off.”

I hear him shout my name and I look up at him as he kneels down in front of me, “___ are you alright?”

I nod my head, “Yeah, I just pushed myself to much. I’m sorry to worry you.”

He nods his head s he jokes, “You better be sorry.”

I pull off my necklace that my mother gave me when I moved to Venice for treatment, “here. I want you to hold onto this so you won’t forget me. I believe you told me you can be forgetful.”

He nods as he slips off a ring and slips it on my ring finger, “I’m saying I’m engaging, but it’s to show other guys that you belong to someone. So ___ will you be my girlfriend?”

I nod and smile, “of course I will be.”

“Good,” he leans over and kisses me on the lips, “I’ll see you in a year.”

I nod my head as I watch him leave.

“Zhang Yixing you better not forget to see me in a year or else you’ll regret it.”

“same goes to you,” he says as he boards the plane.

I smile as I watch him leave. I touch my wrist to check my heart rate.

Why does my chest hurt so much? Is it because I feel like my heart is broken?

I shake my head as I straighten myself out, “Alright. I think now I can head to the hospital.”

I drive to the hospital well watching the road, but I keep looking over at my ring finger.

I meet up with my doctor and he sees my finger, “Ahh who’s the lucky guy?”

“I’m not engaged he put it there so no one knows I’m with someone. He promised to see me a year from now. In my hometown where the two fo us are from.”

“Ahh, now you have another reason to make it through the surgery.”

I nod my head as a nurse takes me from the doctors office to what will be my room.

She hands me a hospital gown, “___ please change.”

I nod my head, but still ask, “Can I keep my ring on?”

She looks down at the ring and nods her head, “I think so since it’ll give you the strength that you’ll need since you asked.”

I take off my shirt and she notices that I don’t’ have my necklace on, “___ where is your necklace?”

“I gave it to him, Zhang Yixing, my boyfriend before he left. He gave me his ring in return.”

“That’s romantic,” she says as she turns to leave, “you better change I’ll be back in five minutes to get you prepped for surgery.”

I nod my head as I watch her leave.

I touch the ring and pull my hand dot my chest, “I’m sorry Yixing for not telling you, but I’ll see you in a year. So please give me the strength to make it through this.”

I dress in the hospital gown and lay on the bed with my hand above my head.

The nurse giggles at she enters the room, “___ are you ready?”

I shake my head and I realize that I never remembered her name, “what’s your name?”

“My name is Lisa Macbeth.”

“That’s a nice name,” I say as I lay down and shut my eyes not wanting to deal wiuth the prepping at the moment.

No One’s POV

As they prep you and pull you into the operation room.

“You’ll need to count down from ten,” your doctor tells you.

You nod your head and start to count backwards. As you close your eyes.

The operation was going flawlessly until something must have gone wrong because you started to enter cardiac arrest.

Your POV

I hear the machines start to set off sirens almost off. I know there’s nothing I can do but think of reasons to stay alive.

I can’t think about my family instead the only person in my mind is Zhang Yixing. I have to survive so I can see him in a year. I have to survive not just for him, but for myself. I have to survive this.

I feel the weight of his ring on my hand. I want to reach over, pull my hand to my chest, and feel what I did in the room when I was waiting for the prepping.

I think I feel the same way, Zhang Yixing. I think I’ve fallen in love with you.

I’ll see you in a year no matter what kind of hell I have to go through.