Don't leave me
The factory workshop in the sweltering summer is like a giant, tireless steamer. The incessant roar of the machines assaults the eardrums, and the air is filled with the unique, sultry smell of metal, machine oil, and sweat.
The huge fans spun in vain, only blowing gusts of hot air. Workers, their work clothes soaked with sweat, moved between the assembly line and the equipment, each one like a wound-up precision component, operating silently and efficiently.
Qi Shuo was in charge of overhauling the hydraulic system of a large stamping press today. Due to its age, the machine's pressure had been unstable recently, posing a safety hazard.
He was dressed in dark blue overalls, wearing a safety helmet and protective goggles, kneeling on the side of the machine's inspection port, holding an Allen wrench and intently tightening a crucial valve bolt. Sweat trickled down his taut jawline, dripping onto the oil-stained metal parts, where it evaporated instantly.
The surrounding noise was loud, but he was already used to maintaining absolute focus in such an environment.
He filtered out most of the irrelevant noise, focusing only on the subtle feedback of his tools against metal and the almost imperceptible creaking of the hydraulic fluid flowing inside the machine. He needed to pinpoint the problem accurately and resolve it as quickly as possible, without disrupting the entire production line.
Just as he was about to complete the final tightening step and was about to get up to test the pressure—
"Bang! Crack—!"
A loud, unusually muffled sound, accompanied by a metallic tearing noise, came from above without warning. The sound was so loud that it briefly drowned out the roar of the workshop.
Qi Shuo's nerves tensed to the limit in an instant; it was the sound of a heavy object losing its support and its structure collapsing.
Almost at the same instant the sound rang out, relying on his almost instinctive crisis response honed over many years in dangerous environments, his body suddenly lunged to the side and rolled over like a cheetah.
However, the upper crossbeam of that old, heavy-duty stamping press broke and collapsed instantly due to metal fatigue of a key load-bearing component. The speed and extent of the fall far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine.
"Boom—"
A deafening roar, accompanied by the terrifying tremor of metal hitting the ground, swept through the entire workshop, instantly filling the air with smoke and oil mist.
"ah--"
"Master Qi!"
"Something's happened! Help!"
The surrounding workers were stunned by the sudden change, and then burst into terrified shouts and screams. Several people who were nearby instinctively covered their heads, squatted down, or backed away, coughing violently from the dust.
Qi Shuo fell not far from the machine's base. He avoided the most fatal, directly impacting main beam, but the flying metal fragments of all sizes, along with the thick hydraulic hoses that were torn apart and flung out at high speed, rained down on him like a storm.
"Thud—" A palm-sized, sharp-edged piece of cast iron slammed into the area below his left scapula, instantly tearing through his work clothes and embedding itself in his flesh. The excruciating pain caused his vision to go black.
Immediately afterwards, the broken oil pipe, like a heavy steel whip, carrying the residual enormous hydraulic pressure, lashed heavily against his left calf with a sickening cracking sound. The sound was drowned out by the echo of metal hitting the ground and the surrounding noise, but Qi Shuo clearly felt the excruciating pain and momentary powerlessness coming from his leg.
More debris and oil splattered down on him, hitting his body and helmet with dull thuds. Scalding hydraulic oil gushed from the broken pipe, soaking half of his body; the burning sting, mixed with the smell of blood and strong oil, assaulted his nostrils.
"Qi Shuo!" Workshop foreman Lao Li was the first to react and rush over. When he saw Qi Shuo lying on the ground, almost motionless, with half of his body covered in debris and oil, he was terrified. "Quick! Call 120! Call the factory doctor!"
Other workers reacted quickly, rushing over but hesitant to move him for fear of causing further injury. Some took off their clothes in vain to try and stop the bleeding, while others attempted to clear away the smaller fragments pressing on him. Chaos erupted in the workshop as the alarm bells blared piercingly.
Qi Shuo's consciousness swirled amidst excruciating pain and dizziness. He felt someone calling his name, felt his body being touched, and felt the almost tearing pain emanating from his left shoulder and left leg.
Warm liquid gushed from his shoulders, back, and legs, quickly soaking through his work clothes, sticky and cold. He tried to move his fingers, and the excruciating pain made him groan. His forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat, and his face turned ashen.
"Xiao Qi! Hang in there! The ambulance is coming soon!" Old Li's voice was choked with tears as he tightly gripped his cold hand.
The ambulance siren grew louder as it approached, piercing the sweltering air above the factory.
Meanwhile, at the law firm.
Tan Huaiyu was holding an important video conference with a client. Dressed in a sharp suit, he focused intently and clearly explained his legal opinions to the client on the other end of the screen. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting interplay of light and shadow on his sharply defined profile, making him appear professional and composed.
Suddenly, the screen of his phone, which was on the table, lit up silently and frantically. It was an unfamiliar landline number from the North City Industrial Zone.
Tan Huaiyu glanced at it, ignored it, assuming it was a sales pitch or a wrong number. He continued the meeting.
However, the number persisted and called again. Then, a third time.
His heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. An ominous premonition, without warning, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly gripped his heart. He remembered the area code of Qi Shuo's factory; it seemed to be this…
"Excuse me, Mr. Wang, I need to take this urgent call." Tan Huaiyu said quickly to the client, not even bothering to see the other party's reaction, and immediately grabbed his phone, answered the call, his voice still carrying a trace of the calmness he had when working, but his fingertips were already icy cold.
"Hello?"
"Is this Mr. Tan Huaiyu?" A strange, anxious male voice came from the other end of the phone, amidst a noisy and chaotic background.
"Yes, that's me. And who are you?"
"This is the emergency center of the Third People's Hospital of Beicheng! We just received an emergency call. Patient Qi Shuo suffered a serious workplace accident in the Xingguang Machinery Factory workshop in the Chengxi Industrial Zone. His condition is critical, and he is on his way to our hospital! Are you a family member of the patient? Please come to the hospital immediately!"
"boom--"
Tan Huaiyu's mind went completely blank for a moment. The phone slipped from his limp hand and fell to the smooth table with a loud "thud."
The person on the other end of the video conference was still asking questions in confusion, and his colleagues around him were also casting surprised glances, but he could neither see nor hear any of them.
The world seemed to lose all sound and color in an instant, leaving only the words "serious workplace accident," "critical situation," and Qi Shuo's name on the phone. Like a red-hot iron, it burned his heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Qi Shuo...work-related injury? Serious? Critical?
No... impossible...
He was fine when I left this morning. I even heated up some milk for him and reminded him not to forget lunch...
"Lawyer Tan? Lawyer Tan, what's wrong?" The assistant pushed open the door and was startled to see him looking pale as a ghost and swaying precariously.
Tan Huaiyu snapped back to reality, his pupils constricted, and an overwhelming panic instantly engulfed him.
He grabbed his phone and car keys, and without even having time to explain to his assistant, he rushed out of the office like a madman, shoving aside the people blocking his way and heading for the elevator.
"Qi Shuo..." He rushed into the elevator, his fingers trembling so much that he could barely press the floor button. He unconsciously and brokenly murmured the name. His vision blurred, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, each beat bringing a suffocating pain.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, he dashed towards the parking lot like an arrow. His hands trembled violently, and he couldn't get the car key into the lock several times. Finally, he started the car, floored the accelerator, and the car surged forward, merging into the traffic. Only one thought occupied his mind, frantically repeating it over and over:
Go to the hospital! Hurry! Qi Shuo! Wait for me! You must wait for me!
The scorching summer sun beat down on the earth, blurring everything outside the car window into flowing spots of light. Tan Huaiyu's hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.
He stared intently ahead, his lips pressed into a pale line, his amber eyes filled with unprecedented terror, panic, and a near-destructive, immense fear.
Accidents always happen unexpectedly.
The fragile fortress called "happiness," which had just been built, was now facing its most severe and brutal impact.
The car practically drifted into the hospital's emergency room entrance, the sharp screech of brakes cutting through the air. Tan Huaiyu didn't even wait for it to come to a complete stop before pushing open the car door and jumping out, stumbling a few steps and nearly falling. He then turned and sprinted towards the entrance of the emergency building.
"Qi Shuo! Where is Qi Shuo?!" He rushed into the brightly lit emergency room, filled with the smell of disinfectant and a tense atmosphere. His voice was hoarse and broken, and his eyes scanned every direction in a panic, like a trapped beast that had lost its cub.
The surrounding noise of people, the sound of bed rollers being pushed, and the alarms of instruments, mixed with the smell of disinfectant and blood, assaulted his nerves, which were already stretched to the limit.
"Where is Qi Shuo? He was just brought in; he was injured at the machinery factory!" He rushed to the triage desk, gripping the cold surface tightly with both hands. His fingertips dug deep into his palms, leaving white crescent-shaped marks.
His face was frighteningly pale, his hair was soaked with sweat and stuck messily to his forehead, and his amber eyes were bloodshot, filled with fear and desperate urgency.
The nurse was startled by his appearance and quickly checked the computer: "Qi Shuo? Sent from Xingguang Machinery Factory? He's in the emergency room! Family members, please go to the waiting area over there..."
Before the words were even finished, Tan Huaiyu had already dashed towards the direction the nurse was pointing, like a shadow. The corridor outside the emergency room was dimly lit and the air was heavy.
Several workers, some squatting and some standing, wearing overalls stained with oil, all wore expressions of anxiety and worry, still shaken. They were Qi Shuo's coworkers and workshop foreman Lao Li.
Seeing Tan Huaiyu rush over, Old Li quickly stood up, his face filled with guilt and anxiety: "Mr. Tan, you're here! Xiao Qi, he..."
"How is he?!" Tan Huaiyu grabbed Old Li's arm with such force that he almost crushed the bones, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "Where is he injured? How serious is it?!"
"His left shoulder and back were hit, very deep, and he bled a lot... His left leg seems to be broken too, from being sucked by the oil pipe... When he was brought in, he was already a little dazed, and he had bled a lot..." Old Li stammered, his eyes red-rimmed, "It's all my fault, I didn't keep a close eye on that old machine... The doctor said he's being resuscitated, he's lost too much blood, and he might have internal injuries..."
Every word was like a knife chilled to the bone, piercing deeply into Tan Huaiyu's heart.
Exposed bone in left shoulder and back? Left leg fracture? Excessive blood loss? Internal injury? Emergency treatment needed?
His vision blurred, his ears rang, and he almost lost his balance. The fingers gripping Old Li's arm loosened weakly. He slid slowly to the floor against the cold wall, his body trembling uncontrollably. Bloody words churned and exploded in his mind, forming images he couldn't imagine and refused to imagine.
Qi Shuo... covered in blood, his bones broken, lying on the cold resuscitation table, his consciousness blurred...
No...no...
He suddenly raised his head and looked at the tightly closed emergency room door, a symbol of the boundary between life and death.
The red "Rescue in Progress" indicator light, like a cold and indifferent eye, detachedly observes the human tragedies and comedies outside the door.
The blinding red light reflected in Tan Huaiyu's empty pupils, as if it were burning away the last bit of his reason.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely, each second feeling like an eternity.
Tan Huaiyu huddled in the corner, clutching her head tightly with both hands, her fingernails digging deep into her scalp, trying to use the pain to fight against the overwhelming fear and suffocation.
He couldn't hear the hushed conversations of his coworkers around him, nor the faint cries in the distance. The only thing left in his world was his own frantic heartbeat and the unknown, possibly cruel, verdict behind that door.
Qi Shuo...
He silently screamed in his heart again and again, his lips trembling, but no sound came out.
Tears welled up unexpectedly and surged forth, burning hot as they streamed down his cold cheeks, dripping onto the back of his hand, where they quickly turned icy cold again. He remembered that Qi Shuo had glanced back at him before leaving that morning, his eyes calm.
She recalled Qi Shuo's steady heartbeat and warm body as they slept in each other's arms last night. She remembered decorating their new home together, choosing the sofa together, and lying together on that spacious bed...
If... if that door opens, bringing him the news he can't bear the most...
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he extinguished it.
He dared not think, could not think. He could only pray, with all his might, to all the gods he knew and did not know.
I don't know how much time had passed—maybe only a few minutes, maybe an hour. Suddenly, the door to the emergency room opened.
A doctor wearing a green surgical gown and a mask came out and glanced down the corridor.
Tan Huaiyu sprang up as if electrocuted, almost falling to the doctor's feet. Her legs were weak, and she was only able to stay upright by sheer willpower: "Doctor! Doctor! How is Qi Shuo?! How is he?!"
The doctor glanced at him, his eyes showing professional weariness and a hint of seriousness: "A family member of patient Qi Shuo?"
"I am! I am his...lover!" Tan Huaiyu blurted out, his voice hoarse and almost cracking, his eyes fixed on the doctor, not daring to miss any subtle expression.
"The patient has a severe open wound on the left shoulder and back, with significant muscle and soft tissue damage and substantial blood loss. We have already performed debridement, suturing, and blood transfusion. There is also a comminuted fracture of the left tibia and fibula, with a risk of vascular and nerve damage, requiring immediate surgical fixation."
The patient's blood pressure has stabilized, but they are not yet out of danger and need to be transferred to the ICU for close monitoring to prevent infection and complications. Additionally, a head CT scan showed a mild concussion, requiring further observation.
The doctor spoke rapidly, each medical term like a hammer blow to Tan Huaiyu's heart. Open wound, comminuted fracture, vascular and nerve injury, critical period, ICU…
"He...he'll be alright, won't he?" Tan Huaiyu heard himself ask in a trembling, almost pleading voice.
"We will do our best to treat him." The doctor did not give a definite answer, but said in a businesslike manner, "The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning. The patient needs to rest now. The family can go and complete the formalities first. Later, when the patient's condition is more stable, he will be transferred to the ICU, at which time you can look at him through the glass."
After saying that, the doctor turned and went back inside. The door closed again, shutting out that suffocating unknown once more.
Tan Huaiyu stood there blankly, the doctor's words echoing in his mind.
“Mr. Tan, go and complete the formalities first. Master Qi is a lucky man, he will be fine!” Old Li patted his shoulder with red eyes, trying to comfort him, but his voice was also choked with sobs.
Tan Huaiyu nodded mechanically, turned around, and followed the nurse to complete the procedures like a puppet. Filling out forms, paying fees, signing... his hands trembled so much he could barely hold the pen, and every name he wrote was crooked and messy.
My mind was a mess, with only Qi Shuo's pale face and blood-covered appearance flashing through my mind.
After completing the formalities, he returned to the family waiting area outside the ICU. It was quieter and more oppressive than the emergency room.
The stark white lights, the overwhelming smell of disinfectant, the cold chairs, and the faces of family members who were either numb, crying, or sitting blankly.
Tan Huaiyu found a corner to sit down, hugging himself tightly as if he were very cold.
His body was still trembling uncontrollably. He stared intently at the heavy, soundproof door of the ICU, as if trying to pierce through it with his gaze and see the person inside.
Qi Shuo, you have to hold on.
Please, you must hold on.
We promised to get through the winter together.
Winter has long passed, and we've spent spring and summer together.
So this time, you must pull through too.
You can't leave me.
Absolutely not.
Tears streamed down his face again, falling silently onto his tightly clenched, cold fingers.
The summer night outside the window was still sweltering. But in the corridor outside the ICU, it felt as if winter had arrived early, chilling to the bone.
The long night has only just begun.
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