198 All my faul

Hui took in mouthful of breaths to calm himself down and dialled the emergency services. He then opened the back door of the car to try and extract her via that route.

"Ahhhhhh," Jia Li grimaced in immense pain when he tried to pull her out from the back seat.

Her eyes were closed and her face looked unnaturally pale in the moonlight. Hui leaned in close and scooped her head gently in his hands. With utmost care, he placed one hand solidly at the base of her skull to support it. He slipped the other over her to find the lever which could release her seat belt. He was thankful for the fact that she had not received any visible cuts or bruises. Once she was free from the belt, he slowly started pulling her out of the car.

"Tanggggg, it hurts," she screamed in pain, suddenly.

She seemed disoriented as Hui carried her out of the car in his arms. He could hear her shallow breaths and painful hiccups. She hadn't opened her eyes yet and seemed to be stuck in some nightmare of her own. Hui felt completely helpless seeing her condition. His own heart was squeezing in pain now. He tried to revive her by gently shaking her, calling out her name.

"Ms. Lin…Ms. Lin…Ji…Jia Li, Jia Li, can you hear me?" his voice was getting desperate by the minute.

"Where is that damn ambulance," he thought savagely.

The road didn't sport much traffic at this hour. And he was reluctant to hail any passer-by's help, anyways. Cradling her head in his lap tenderly, he sat down next to the car.

"It hurts…Tang. Tell him to stop…" she murmured incoherently.

One of her hands was clutching her t-shirt above her heart, tightly.

"Are you hurt on your chest? Shoulder? Talk to me please," he tried to wake her up again.

But there was no response.

She continued moaning softly and her knuckles were turning white holding on to her chest. Ying Hui tried to pry her fingers away from there and check for injury. But she wouldn't let go. Thankfully, he heard sirens wailing in the distance. The ambulance had arrived.

They were taken to a nearby hospital for medical care. Hui called up Eric and apprised him of the happenings, on the way to the hospital. Eric assured him that he was going to leave for York right away, along with the requisite resources.

It had been more than twenty minutes since the doctor was in the room, examining Jia Li. Hui paced outside the room in trepidation. A part of him was aghast at his complete meltdown and loss of composure in the situation. But he wasn't willing to pay attention to that yet. His full concentration was on the shut door in front of him.

When he had held Jia Li in his arms, he felt for broken bones and bumps but hadn't found any. Yet, her voice had been full of extreme hurt. He was confused and didn't know what to make of it. It was all his fault. Had he not been in a hurry to rush back to his precious lab, this wouldn't have happened. What on earth would he do if something seriously went wrong with her because of him? And why the hell was the doctor taking so long in examining her? He needed a more efficient doctor, right now!

Finally, the tired looking doctor came out of the room.

Before Hui could frame the question, he said, "she has a mild concussion. It should wear off in the next twenty four hours. Till then, we will be keeping her under observation here."

"What about the injury on her chest?" Hui asked.

The doctor looked at him in confusion.

"The patient has suffered no other injury apart from the nasty bump on her head. We have sedated her. She is sleeping peacefully now," with that, the doctor walked away.

Hui was confused. He clearly remembered her clutching her heart in extreme pain. Was the doctor that incompetent? He was tempted to call him back but then decided against it. He opened the door to Jia Li's room. The room was in semi darkness but he could make out her features as she slept soundly under the effect of sedatives. He walked up to her, hesitation clear in his steps. But he had to be sure. He was worried and also curious. Pressing the call bell for the nurse, he waited.

As soon as she came in, he said, "the patient seems to be in discomfort and is clutching her chest on the right side, as if in pain. Can you please check?"

The nurse looked at the sleeping patient first and then at the man who seemed to be radiating authority and sincerity. She shrugged her shoulders and lifted the sheet which had been tucked around her.