It was time to take the medicine at noon as usual. Looking out of the window at the dusky sky in the sauna day, Jiang Youyou had a strong feeling of tightness in the chest and she was in great need of fresh air. But when she opened the window and took a deep breath, a stench drifted in.
She was alone in the ward, accompanied by dead silence. She was like a fish on the bank, waiting to be drowned by the tides with her mouth open.
Why hadn"t he come yet? Usually, Bai Zhehan would come for quite a while at this time of the day, but why did she have to wait for such a long time? Bad weather. Bad mood.
Today Zeng Yuan was the nurse on duty, who had pretty Mongolian eyes hanging slightly and her laughing muscles on her cheeks were somewhat similar to Li Xiaolu"s. Her hair dyed in yellow was carefully hidden in her pink nurse cap. In a nightclub one certainly couldn"t recognize the pole dancing girl who would totally carry away people but once in the hospital she became an indifferent angel in white (a hospital nurse) thoroughly.
She pressed the call bell at the bedside, and Zeng Yuan came in. She might have just had her meal, and Jiang Youyou could guess that she had a set meal of sautéed lamb slices with scallion plus garlic cloves from her breath when she lowered her head to take Jiang"s temperature.
Jiang Youyou was going to vomit, for odor stimulus was much stronger than audio and visual stimuli
"Don"t move. I"m taking your temperature." Zeng Yuan"s voice was like ice-cream, sweet but cold.
"Would you please turn on the air conditioner for me? And, I also want to watch TV for a short while." Jiang Youyou tried to sit upright. She felt drowsy when lying in bed. If she continued to be sleepy, she was sure she wouldn"t be herself when Doctor Bai came later.
Zeng Yuan snorted softly through her dainty nostrils, thinking no one would hear that. Jiang Youyou stared at her eyeb.a.l.l.s, which were as clear as gla.s.s. Why were her eyes so beautiful? Jiang Youyou couldn"t help saying more, "What gorgeous eyes you have!"
Zeng Yuan cast a cold glance at her, took out the remote control of the air conditioner from the pocket and said, "I have been wearing cosmetic contact lenses."
An advertis.e.m.e.nt of Doublemint Gum was broadcast on TV. Jiang Youyou was eager to make a suggestion that this angelic nurse take one slice.
Since she made love with Bai Zhehan last time, the nurse unexpectedly took away the TV and air conditioner remote controls, telling her that it was the hospital rule and the nurse would come to turn on the TV and the conditioner for her if in need. In addition, she couldn"t wander about outside the hospital when she had nothing important to do.
Zeng Yuan took out her mobile phone to text a message. While waiting for a return, she looked around idly. Someone texted back and her eyes lit up. She watched out for the patient in bed and went over to lift her arm, shook the thermometer, then touched her forehead, "You have a slight fever. I"ll take some medicine for you later."
She was going out after saying this.
Jiang Youyou asked in a low voice, "Has Doctor Bai come at work today?"
Zeng Yuan looked back at her and said, "He won"t come. He is off today."
The temperature of the air conditioner was adjusted very low. Jiang Youyou wrapped herself in the quilt, feeling hot and cold alternatively, experiencing the sense of loss and longing, watching the ads on TV with her eyelids weakly closed. Fortunately, she could still recall the pa.s.sion on that day when making love. She slowly went asleep.
She dreamt a strange dream. There were dress shops everywhere, elegant skirts hung densely in the shops. She was dazzled at the choice and those plastic models were laughing at her. The ground was covered with white half-cut bodies, dazzlingly white.
She thought she had slept for a very long time, but her watch told her she slept for twenty minutes. Zeng Yuan had been in, and the medicine and the meal were on the table.
She opened the lunch-box and slowly ate her meal while watching TV. The door opened. It was he who came. She seldom saw him in leisure wear. He was so attractive with the turquoise polo s.h.i.+rt and slightly untidy hair.
He closed the door and sat beside Jiang Youyou, and his warm smell made her almost cry.
Bai Zhehan rubbed Jiang Youyou"s face and kissed her on her forehead. He put the medicine on his broad palm. Those bright red tablets slid into Jiang Youyou"s oesophagus with the water in the gla.s.s, and a burning sensation spread into her stomach.
He frowned and kissed her again, but he didn"t stick out his tongue. A gentleman wouldn"t stick out his tongue to stir in a girl"s mouth if he wouldn"t make love with her. He said gently, "Naughty girl! You didn"t take medicine before having meal."
She bowed her head ashamedly, "The weather is terrible today, and I don"t feel well, so I…"
Bai Zhehan raised a smile and said, "In such weather, there are many pollutants in the air. Today a cardiac and a lunger died. In fact, even healthy people will feel uncomfortable in such weather. Hmm, you know, the lack of light will easily make people feel depressed and moody. So today I take a day off and come specially to see you."
Jiang Youyou was deeply touched. How could he be so kind to her? He was a doctor but she was n.o.body. For her he wasn"t a bale of straw she was clutching at in a vast ocean, he was, instead, a round bulky floating wood. If she could hold him tight, she would be afraid of nothing.
Zeng Yuan forgot to knock at the door first when she came in with the syringe. She was dazed for a moment when seeing Bai Zhehan was feeding Jiang Youyou. And she finally retreated.
"I will give a lecture this afternoon, so I have to leave now. Take your medicine dutifully, then I"ll take you shopping for clothes after work tomorrow, and how do you like it?" Bai Zhehan gave Jiang Youyou a hug.
The arrangement of the trial in the afternoon was to have an intravenous injection. Zeng Yuan impatiently p.r.i.c.ked Jiang Youyou several times before finally finding her vein.
Jiang Youyou asked weakly, "What kind of medicine is this liquid?"
Zeng Yuan cast a glance at her and said, "It"s anti-allergic. Haven"t you said you didn"t feel well? It might be due to the new cold medicine that gave you an allergic reaction."
"Oh." Jiang Youyou nodded, watching her own blood flowing into the syringe and then being pushed back.
It was getting dark. Another lonely night for her. How were Auntie Fang Ruxiang and Li Le the blind doing recently? She wondered. Thinking that she could escape the hunt and sleep safely in a soft bed, Jiang Youyou closed her eyes to expect the coming of the tomorrow.
No one would know what was going to happen tomorrow. If she could get to know it, Jiang Youyou certainly wouldn"t be willing to wake up.