Xu Zijin rolled her eyes and thought, "All right, it is tiring to argue with him."
Lying in the embrace of a pair of warm arms, she had a surprising sense of security. He carefully carried her with one arm around her shoulders and the other arm under her knees as if she was a frail priceless treasure. In a trance she had a feeling of being cherished.
Xu Zijin didn"t sleep well recently. Every night she lay in the bed staring blankly at the ceiling till dawn, although she couldn"t see a thing. Now she felt secure and protected in his arms. Gradually, she became drowsy. With her head against his shoulder, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Before she drifted out of consciousness, she thought, "Though this guy is a nuisance, he makes me feel at ease and I can have a good sleep in his arms. Well, I finally find the good in him."
Xu Zijin slept soundly and missed the chance to enjoy the roses in the garden. When she woke up, she found herself lying on the bed in the ward.
As a blind person, she lived in complete darkness. But as time went by, she became more sensitive to smells and sounds. She c.o.c.ked an ear and listened carefully, and from the patients" conversations outside she knew that it was already evening.
After a long sleep, Xu Zijin had a strong desire to urinate. She shouted out the names of the nurses and hoped that they would come in and help her but no one heard her shouting. Finally, she had to get out of the bed and grope her way to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, just as she walked out of the bathroom, a gust of wind howled. Many branches were broken off in wind and slapped violently at the window. Suddenly, the window got broken and shards of gla.s.s flew off in all directions. The cold air poured into the ward.
"Ah!" Xu Zijin gave a cry and fell to the floor, s.h.i.+vering with fear. Those bad memories that had been pushed down to the bottom of her heart for several months, cascaded through her mind.
"Fu Chen! Fu Chen!! Where are you?" she yelled.
Xu Zijin wanted to hide somewhere, but she was so afraid that she couldn"t even raise the energy for a step. What made her ashamed was that she could do nothing but call that male nurse"s name.
"Bang!"
The door was kicked open and a man rushed in.
"Zijin!" a voice full of anxiety rang in her ears.
The voice was so familiar that she recognized it at once. Her body began trembling with terror.
The next moment a pair of big hands pulled her close into a warm and familiar hug. She turned as pale as death and trembled more violently. "Fu... Fu Sinian?!"
The man froze and the next second, a harsh voice said, "Miss Xu, I"m Fu Chen."
She frowned with doubt and thought, "Is he really Fu Chen?"
The hospital staff came quickly. The window was broken and the floor was covered with splinters of gla.s.s. So Xu Zijin had to move to another ward.
She felt uneasy in unfamiliar surroundings. Although she tried her best to hide her nervousness, she couldn"t restrain herself anymore when Fu Chen was about to leave. She caught his arm and refused to let him go.
"Please don"t go..." Xu Zijin couldn"t stop trembling, as her voice was full of panic. "Don"t leave me alone."
She knew it was ridiculous to ask this male nurse, who was almost a complete stranger to her, for help. But after death of her parents and child, she had no one to turn to, no one to talk to. Now she had no home, no family and nothing. The only person she could turn to for help was Fu Chen who always treated her kindly.
Fu Chen turned around and looked down at her. She looked weak and fragile with her eyes wide open in horror, which needled his heart. He gently patted her on the back and said in a low voice, "Don"t be afraid. I just want to get some medicinal liquid from the nurses. You grazed your knees just now. The sc.r.a.pes should be treated in time."
Xu Zijin lowered her head, her long hair falling around her shoulders. The shadow masked her face. Her knuckles were white as she gripped a corner of his coat.
Fu Chen gave a helpless sigh, sat down beside her and reached out to press the call bell placed alongside the bed.
The nurse quickly came to the ward. She applied medicine on Xu Zijin"s knees and told Xu Zijin some dos and don"ts before she left the ward.
There were only two people left in the ward.
Fu Chen led her to the bed, helped her lie down and tucked her in. Then he pulled up a chair and sat down. "Close your eyes, and have a good sleep. I will always be there for you."
"Really? He will always be there for me..." she thought to herself.
She felt the familiar breath of Fu Chen. His harsh voice miraculously soothed her and gradually exorcized her feelings of panic and terror.
Xu Zijin finally regained her composure but by then she was no longer sleepy at all.