RIN

"Dr. Blanche wanted me to inform you that Mr. Hirogori is out of surgery and is doing well as of now. As he mentioned before, we"d like him to stay overnight to ensure his condition is stable." She explained.

Hearing that Alec had made it out of surgery safely sent a wave of relief through Tobias and Mimi. It was a shame however that his injuries were so serious…

Tobias closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. Mimi watched his shoulders visibly begin to relax.

He inhaled deeply, releasing the breath in a long sigh. "Can we see him?"

"Yes, however, I"m afraid visiting hours are almost over so you will have to be a little quick. If you want to visit again tomorrow the times are around 10 am to 8 pm." The nurse replied.

"Thank you." Tobias nodded his head in understanding.

The nurse smiled. "He is currently resting in the PACU, which is the post-anesthesia care unit. When entering, please speak quietly and respect the other patients" privacy."

Tobias and Mimi nodded in understanding before they followed the nurse down the hall, their fingers wrapped tightly around the others. When they arrived in front of the PACU, the nurse guided them inside toward a bed.

Alec was sedated, sleeping deeply in the hospital bed. He looked so pale, so still, so vulnerable-looking. It had been the first time Mimi saw her brother look so…lifeless.

He looked like a corpse. Like Emily during her funeral.

At the same time, Tobias had been asking the nurse questions. Because Alec was unconscious, there wasn"t much he could ask. When all was said, the nurse excused herself, not before reminding them that they had a few minutes left.

Mimi was being unusually quiet, Tobias realized. Still keeping his fingers intertwined with hers, his brow wrinkled slightly and he called out in a gentle tone, "Mimi? You okay?"

Mimi nodded, her eyes a little dazed. "Just tired."

Tobias frowned. As much as he wanted to offer her to go home and rest, he couldn"t bring himself to let her go. He needed her with him right now.

It was the first time he"d needed anyone - longer than he could remember.

Unknowingly, his low voice deepened just a bit, "Do you want to stay at my place for the night?"

Mimi stared at Alec"s figure on the bed before she sounded a soft hum in agreement.

"Can I be alone with him for a second?" She asked, looking up into the man"s deep gaze.

Tobias cast his gaze down on her and smiled.

"I"ll be waiting outside." He rubbed her head.

Mimi smiled back before she stared at Alec. The room was silent. There were stands for intravenous drips and monitors. At the door, set on a table were dispensers for rubber gloves, hand sanitizer, and soap.

Mimi lets her hand fall to the cotton sheets. There was a faint lavender perfume. She closed her eyes, matching her breaths to the beeping of the machines that surrounded the bed. Opening her eyes once more, she looked at Alec"s pale face.

"For once you didn"t leave this time, big brother." She smiled.

Her hand reached for the pale fingertips resting beside the bed. He was still warm.

Mimi"s head lowered even further. Her voice was as tiny as a mosquito"s as she said, "Thank you…"

…

After leaving the room, Mimi walked into the waiting room and her eyes landed on the handsome tall figure leaning against the wall. As soon as she entered in, his head raised, eyes locking with hers. Then, he walked over and grabbed her hand.

"Ready?"

Mimi looked up at the man and nodded with a smile. Tightening his hold on her hand, the two left the hospital.

As Tobias"s car was wrecked in the accident, they called a driver. When they arrived in front of his door, he put in his pin code before letting her inside. The entire time, neither said a word.

Tobias cleared his throat and finally said, "Do mind you watching something while I take a shower? "

Mimi blinked. Looking at his disordered appearance, she could understand his train of thought.

"Go ahead," She chuckled. Walking over to the living room, she plopped herself down on the sofa.

Tobias"s eyes followed her movements before he inhaled deeply and walked to the bathroom. While Tobias took his shower, Mimi looked out at the wide, city view. Lowering her gaze, she stares at her hands.

She was nervous. Never had she expected there"d be a day she"d tell Tobias the truth. To be honest, she never really looked far into their relationship.

Who would have thought they"ve come this far.

After Tobias finished his shower, he quickly dressed in appropriate clothing before walking into the living room. When he didn"t see the girl, he suddenly felt a sense of panic well up within him.

Shifting his gaze around the room, he noticed the girl standing on the balcony, her small back faced to him. With his gaze on her, Tobias stepped onto the balcony.

Hearing the sound of the footsteps behind her, Mimi"s eyes never withdrew from the city view. She leaned forward, arms resting against the railing.

Lights glittered everywhere, like stars dropping to the earth. Big and small buildings collided, lighting up the entire area.

It was a breathtaking, marvelous almost frightening view. While Mimi enjoyed the scenery, the man beside her was staring intently at her.

For some reason, he felt more nervous than usual.

While Mimi didn"t accept his feelings, she was open to his attempt to pursue her. Suddenly feeling pressured, Tobias felt the back of his ears grow warm.

"Enjoying the view?" The girl"s voice carried a teasing tone.

"Very," Tobias responded quickly. His voice was soft, sounding a little huskier than it should have been.

An eyebrow rose on Mimi"s face. She swept her gaze to meet his eyes and laughed.

"I see." Pushing herself back, hands still on the railing, Mimi took in a deep breath.

There was stillness on both sides.

"Tobias…do you love me?"

Startled, Tobias stared tensely at the girl standing beside him; with her head lowered, he couldn"t read her expression at all.

"Yes." His voice was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with emotion as he spoke.

Mimi"s voice trembled as she asked, "Do you still…feel that you would love me if I wasn"t who I said I was?"

Tobias was silent for a moment. Carefully, he thought of his words while looking out at the city view.

"I can doubt a lot of things in this world, but the one thing that I am certain of is my love for you. There can never be a doubt about how much I love you. As long as it"s you, that will never change."

Mimi"s heart stopped. Everything seemed to stop. She took a deep breath and managed to calm down a little. She raised her gaze and stared at Tobias.

"I"m not good at understanding emotions. You know that. But I do know you"re the person who means the most to me." Mimi"s smile was bitter. "I will be really sad if you suddenly leave, you know. So promise me you won"t leave?"

A corner of Tobias"s lips lifted. "I promise."

"I come with a lot of baggage." Mimi raised an eyebrow.

"It"s all right," He murmured huskily, reaching out to softly hold her cheek. "I love you. All of you."

Mimi"s breath stilled for a moment. She closed her eyes tight and after a long moment of silence, she opened them.

"I"m a Hirogori."

Tobias was silent, his deep and narrow gaze was focused solely on the nervous girl before him.

Upon receiving a reaction like this, Mimi"s apprehension was clearly reflected in her eyes. She couldn"t read his expression at all!

She clenched her hands by her side, feeling her fingernails pierce into the skin of her palms.

Suddenly, her tightly clenched up hands were wrapped up by a warm hand that closed over hers. While one hand remained settled on his chest, Tobias lifted the other in front of his face, drawing her attention to their interlocked fingers.

He marveled at the tender, fair little hands wrapped around his as if mesmerized. Mimi could understand why. He was examining her hand to ensure she didn"t injure herself from her actions just now.

Against his slightly rough hands, hers looked smooth a soft. Mimi refocused her attention to his face when she saw him kiss her fingertips, one by one, slowly, reverently. Her eyes drifted up to meet his dark gaze.

Mimi flung her eyes open wide.

"Tobias…" She said his name with caution.

He hummed a low and deep sound, his lips still on her fingers.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Mhm," His expression was indifferent.

Mimi tried her hardest to hold back the twitching of her face.

"And?"

"I already know."

There was an unprecedented shock reflected on Mimi"s face. She widened her eyes as her face turned stiff. She gaped in silence as she lost her composure.

Only after a long time did she recover her voice. She tried her best to suppress her building anxiety, but she couldn"t hold back the tremor in her voice as she asked, "You…You know?"

Tobias nodded.

"When?" Mimi frowned.

"Three years ago." He looked very calm, even his tone revealed indifference.

Mimi gawked.

Three f.u.c.king years ago?! She was worried to tell him everything when he already knew for that long?

What"s more, he didn"t even seem to care!

Mimi opened her mouth but stopped herself from saying anything. She didn"t even bother to ask how he found out. There was only one nervous idiot who couldn"t keep his mouth shut.

"You"re not mad?" Mimi couldn"t help but ask.

Tobias"s expression softened a little, perhaps due to sensing Mimi"s uneasiness.

"Should I be?" He looked at her with a lascivious grin, not a trace of anger could be seen.

Mimi forcefully nodded. Tobias didn"t respond immediately. Her heart was beating furiously for his response.

After a few minutes, he lowered their intertwined fingers and smiled. "It"s late. Let"s go to sleep."

Mimi was dumbfounded. Was he not going to tell her whether he was mad or not?

Without having the chance to retort, Tobias was already walking her to his bedroom. She only recovered her senses when she found herself lying flat on his bed, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her back. Her face was pressed against his chest.

"Tobias are you really not mad?" She tried to raise her head, but his hand quickly lowered it.

"Not mad," Tobias said, his tone lazy.

"Why?" Mimi"s voice is soft and waxy. It sounds pitiful and helpless. "I lied to you for so long about who I was. I even asked Alec to lie to you for so long. I…I used you for my own advantage!"

He should hate her at this point!

Tobias lay still in the bed, his breathing growing slow and relaxed. Mimi thought he had fallen asleep when he suddenly said in a dark, low voice, "I love you. Whether you use me or don"t love me yet. I don"t care anymore. Now sleep."

Mimi was astonished. But she didn"t bother to argue. After the night he had she didn"t dare delay his chance to sleep. Hiding a smile in his chest, Mimi quietly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

_____

[1] Nurse liaisons establish patients" eligibility for care, communicating with families, and interacting with a wide range of staff members, from admissions coordinators to case managers to physicians. They work in acute care, long-term acute care, hospice, and rehabilitation environments.