Woof, woof, woof!
The person under the blanket frowned, rolled over, pushed away the little Shiba Inu pressing against her arm, and reached for the phone on the right.
Yesterday was Thursday. Tang Feiwan had worked the night shift. She didn’t leave the hospital until almost ten this morning. Then she spent her free time going to the vegetable market across from the North Gate of Shujiang University to buy groceries, then came home and cooked. She had thought she couldn’t keep eating convenience food, and that she should learn a few good dishes so that, later, when the chance came, she could let Lin Ye taste her cooking. So she had fumbled through recipes for a long time. After eating and washing the dishes, it was almost one in the afternoon by the time she collapsed into bed.
Now it was only four. Their high-speed train to Chucheng departed at 7:03.
“Just ten more minutes.” She said it to herself and to Tomato. Over the years, Tomato had developed a habit: whenever the alarm rang and Tang Feiwan didn’t respond, he would climb onto the bed and paw at her. He was known as her personal wake-up service.
Tang Feiwan covered her head and tried to sleep. Tomato refused and swatted at her.
“Stupid Tomato, do you want me to drop dead?” After struggling for two minutes, Tang Feiwan gave in, threw off the blanket, got up, and walked to the window. She opened the curtains. The lingering heat of an Indian summer still raged outside. Inside, the air conditioning kept the room comfortable. Squinting, Tang Feiwan waited a few seconds for her eyes to adjust, then turned to wash up.
In the bathroom, she stood under the shower. Not only did she have no extra flesh, but she clearly showed signs of strength training. There were abdominal lines at her waist, and the muscles of her arms were defined without being bulky. After rinsing off the foam, Tang Feiwan raised a hand and massaged her sore neck and shoulders from long hours of work. Then she wrapped herself in a towel, put on a sheet mask, and walked to the bedroom.
She was so tired that she dozed off during the fifteen minutes the mask needed. When the alarm rang, she reluctantly got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Before leaving, she did a simple skincare routine and put on everyday makeup. After all, today she was traveling with Lin Ye.
Tang Feiwan dropped Tomato off at the pet shop next to the traditional medicine clinic behind the back gate, a place she frequented. The little Shiba Inu blinked his wet eyes at her, full of reluctance.
Woof! Woof!
Tang Feiwan crouched down and stroked his head to comfort him. “I haven’t left yet.”
The shop owner smiled. “Every time you bring Tomato over during a shift, he needs a while to settle. Once the other dogs come for baths, he’ll have playmates and be fine.”
“Dog Tomato, look at you. The moment you see friends, you can forget me.” Tang Feiwan gently poked the little Shiba Inu’s shiny black nose, stood up, and said politely, “Thank you for taking him.”
The owner’s smile widened. “No trouble. Tomato is adorable. Besides, I’m not doing it for free.”
Tang Feiwan nodded. Seeing it was almost six, she said goodbye and took a taxi to the high-speed rail station.
Shujiang and Chucheng were nearly seven hundred kilometers apart. In the past, Lin Ye had taken a slow green train home, which took around eleven hours. With today’s transportation, the high-speed rail took less than three hours.
This time, the Second Affiliated Hospital’s team going to Chucheng for the skills competition was divided into a pre-hospital emergency group and an in-hospital critical care group. There were twelve members in total. A dedicated person handled food, lodging, and transportation. The train tickets had been bought in advance. They were told to gather at the ticket gate at six thirty. Because of traffic, Tang Feiwan arrived at the meeting point one minute early. She was bent over catching her breath when she looked up and saw Lin Ye, who was in charge of roll call, glance her way. Instantly, she straightened.
Everyone was present. The team leader reminded them, “We’re all in car three. Make sure you have your luggage and belongings.”
Tang Feiwan was in seat 12D in car three. She boarded, found her seat, and was about to catch up on sleep when she heard someone say, “Director Lin, your seat is over there.” She followed the direction of her colleague’s finger. Wasn’t it right next to her, 12F?
Who bought these tickets? Tang Feiwan thanked them from the bottom of her heart.
She sat up straight and watched Lin Ye approach, pulling a small suitcase. She rose and offered, “Let me help.”
Lin Ye declined. “No need. It’s very light.”
Tang Feiwan pressed her lips together and made room. Lin Ye placed her suitcase in the overhead rack and sat down beside her. Only then did Tang Feiwan return to her seat.
The train pulled away. Outside the window, the scenery gilded by the afterglow of sunset slowly receded. Lin Ye reached up and drew the curtain. She leaned against a neck pillow and closed her eyes, clearly not intending to chat with anyone. Tang Feiwan’s desire to make small talk faded completely.
Medical school had been demanding, but in their first three years together, they had still traveled to many places. Tang Feiwan remembered Lin Ye once saying she loved the scenery along train journeys. So on every trip, no matter the distance, they had chosen trains.
During the summer after senior year, they had set out from Shujiang to Jiuzhaigou in the southwest. The round trip was four thousand kilometers, also by train. The old green train rocked and swayed. Lin Ye leaned against her shoulder, watching the sunrise and sunset outside, watching the fine rain…
Now the high-speed train was fast and steady. The same person sat beside her, but her shoulder was empty.
Memories slithered toward her heart like little snakes. Tang Feiwan’s throat tightened, her chest aching. She raised a hand and rapped her forehead to shake off the spiraling thoughts. Later, perhaps because she was too tired, she drifted in and out of sleep. When she opened her eyes again, it was almost nine thirty. She could feel the train slowing. Clearly they were about to reach Chucheng. By then, the window curtain had been opened, and she could see scattered houses in the distance giving off faint light. Tang Feiwan twisted her hands together. After a long internal struggle, she asked, “Director Lin, you’re staying at home tonight, right?”
Unexpectedly, Lin Ye didn’t answer. But Tang Feiwan noticed her expression seemed not only cold, but touched with a hint of sorrow.
Why? Did something happen back then? Tang Feiwan wondered, not daring to ask again.
When the high-speed train arrived, she silently followed the group out of the station and onto the small shuttle bus to the hotel. Just when Tang Feiwan thought Lin Ye would choose to take a taxi home, Lin Ye counted heads and actually boarded the bus last.
The team leader asked, “Xiao Lin, everyone’s here, right?”
“Yes.” Lin Ye nodded and sat in the single seat at the very front of the bus. They were one behind the other.
As the bus turned out of the station and onto the main road, the team leader settled in and announced, “There are twelve of us, exactly six men and six women, so we’ve booked six twin rooms. No problem, right?”
The colleagues answered in unison. “No problem.”
Only Tang Feiwan and Lin Ye stayed silent.
“Pair up freely. When we get to the hotel, just register directly. You can rest early.”
A colleague from critical care team three laughed. “Okay, Director Zhang.”
Another senior doctor said, “No problem. We’ll pair up right now.”
“Old Zhang, I’m with you.”
“Sure.”
“Sister Chen, us two.”
“Okay. I even brought face masks. We can use them together tonight.”
Everyone began chattering. Lin Ye and Tang Feiwan still said nothing.
“Xiao Lin, what about you?” Director Zhang asked, seeing Lin Ye had been silent the whole time.
The doctor surnamed Chen answered for her. “Director Lin will definitely share with Dr. Tang from her own group.”
Tang Feiwan stared blankly. She hadn’t said a word, yet she had been assigned to share a room with Lin Ye. She isn’t going home? Why didn’t she refuse? Or is it that with so many colleagues here, she couldn’t find a reason to refuse? Tang Feiwan actually wasn’t eager to share a room with Lin Ye at this moment. She feared making Lin Ye uncomfortable, and feared she might do something stupid and upset her again. So from the moment she knew they would share a room, Tang Feiwan’s heart leapt into her throat and wouldn’t come down.
The bus arrived at the hotel after ten. They got off and went to the lobby to register and get their key cards. Tang Feiwan silently followed behind Lin Ye. Only when the door was opened and the card inserted, and Lin Ye walked into the bathroom, did she relax a little.
What should I do? How should I act? It was their first time sharing a room after eight years, though not a bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Tang Feiwan felt her thoughts churn and turn, every bit a bride-to-be.
By comparison, Lin Ye appeared much calmer. She first disinfected the bathroom, then opened her suitcase near the entrance to get her things. Before Tang Feiwan even saw her, she had already showered and tidied up. Carrying her own bedding set, she walked to the other bed.
Lin Ye was a Virgo. Her mysophobia wasn’t severe, but when traveling, she still preferred using her own sheets.
While Lin Ye made the bed, Tang Feiwan hugged her pajamas and slipped into the bathroom for a quick wash. After cleaning up and packing her change of clothes, she poked her head out to check. Seeing Lin Ye lying on her side with her back to the bathroom, she finally dared to come out. There was none of the imagined awkwardness. They coexisted peacefully and didn’t interfere with each other. Tang Feiwan thought she should be able to sleep especially soundly tonight, without dreams.
Outside the window, the bright moon hung high. Though she was in her hometown, Lin Ye couldn’t sleep. She gazed at the boundless night, her lashes trembling, her features etched with sorrow. She didn’t know how long it took before she finally drifted off, only to be plagued by nightmares.
“Dr. Lin, quick. The deputy director of the Provincial People’s Hospital emergency department is on the phone. Your mother is dying.”
“Doctor, I’m on my way. It’ll only be twenty minutes. Can you hold on? Please. Please.”
Lin Ye’s mind was in chaos. Countless words swirled around her, and she was overwhelmed by crushing despair.
The scene shifted. Before her, a place of absolute darkness was suddenly lit by a white beam. In the center of the light lay a resuscitation bed. On the bed lay her mother, eyes closed, still.
Lin Ye watched helplessly as the cardiac monitor beside the bed went still. The doctors and nurses shook their heads and walked away. She begged over and over, even starting chest compressions herself, but nothing helped.
“Mom…” At two in the morning, Lin Ye screamed with all her might, her voice raw with grief, and woke from the nightmare in agony.
