The rescue
Sky reached Andy’s office building inside 20 minutes. He stood outside and rang Andy’s number. There was no response. He continued dialing back every two minutes. The result was the same. No answer.
Growing a bit worried, he stepped inside. In comparison with Shanghai’s modern structures, this building looked antiquated. There were two lifts serving the eleven floors and nobody manned the security desk.
He went over to the lifts and punched the button. He waited a few moments and punched the button again. Still no luck. The lifts seemed to be stuck on the 8th and 9th floors.
After two minutes, when the lifts had not moved much, he decided to take the stairs. He remembered Andy worked on the third floor.
When he opened the door to the stairwell, he let out a cry.
Down, at the foot of the stairs, in a pool of blood, lay Andy. Spread on the floor and covered with his blood lay various items that had fallen out of Andy’s bag.
He called Andy’s name a few times but there was no response. Fearing the worst he held two fingers under Andy’s nostrils. He was breathing. Thank God!
It looked like Andy had been walking down the stairs, holding his bag, when he’d slipped and fallen. Since the injury was to the head, Sky knew he had to rush Andy to the hospital immediately. Calling for an ambulance was out of the question since the journey to the hospital would take longer. He decided to do it himself.
He took Andy’s scarf and wiped the wound on his head. He tied it around Andy’s head, tightly, like a tourniquet. That would slow the bleeding down. He checked for broken bones but didn’t find any.
Then he picked up the items of value and stuffed them into Andy’s bag. Slinging the bag onto one shoulder, he gently lifted Andy off the ground. Andy let out a yelp but he was still unconscious.
With difficulty he carried Andy outside. There was nobody to help him. Still no sign of a security personnel.
He was lucky to find a cab waiting right outside. He asked the driver to help them get in and then head for the nearest hospital.
As the cab sped off, Sky looked at Andy’s limp form. His head rested on Sky’s lap. He was very angry with himself. None of this would have happened if he hadn’t left Andy. He prayed to the Buddha and asked for his forgiveness. He begged for Andy’s life. He promised to take care of Andy forever. Tears found their way from his heart to his eyes.
###
Sky sat there in the waiting area, crying, worrying about Andy. After the preliminary examinations and X-rays were done, the doctor had called him inside and informed him that although Andy seemed to have no internal bleeding, the injuries to his head, especially since he was still unconscious, warranted that he be placed in the ICU under round-the-clock observation.
Sky didn’t know what else to do but sit and pray; pray that his baby would recover from this accident.
He was startled out of his thoughts when Andy’s cell started ringing. It was a call from Diano Baby. Baby? A girl? A real baby? A guy?
He decided to ignore it. He knew he’d have to call Andy’s mother at some point but he was too tense and tired to do it then.
###
Sky had waited up all night, hoping to see Andy, but the nurse didn’t allow him. Andy hadn’t regained his senses yet. So Sky decided to go ahead with his plan to pick up stuff from Andy’s flat. He wanted to take Andy back to Guilin as soon as the doctors okayed him for travel.
Sky had found the address inside Andy’s wallet and the keys in his bag. He wanted to avoid meeting Andy’s flatmate since it would complicate the situation. He was in no mood to talk to anybody or explain his actions, and so he waited until it was well after 10 a.m. before he set forth. That would ensure Andy’s flatmate had left for work and was out of the way. Sky located the house easily and used the key to let himself in.
He looked around until he located Andy’s room; he recognized Andy’s clothes. He opened the big bag he’d brought with him and packed some of Andy’s day clothes, underwear, socks and a pair of shoes. He also packed Andy’s laptop and most of his expensive accessories. Next, he packed Andy’s documents folder.
He’d mail a letter to the flatmate later, explaining why Andy had to move out urgently. He’d send some cash in the mail to cover for the inconvenience.
Andy’s phone rang again. It was Diano Baby. Sky let the call go through to voicemail and then dialed the voicemail number. There were four voicemails from Diano Baby alone. He’d called once to ask how the dinner was and how Sky was. On the next call, he’d asked whether Andy was back home. On the third call, he had expressed his worries about Andy not calling him back and that he missed Andy very much. The last call carried information of his flight. Diano Baby was arriving in Shanghai later that day. Just who was this guy? He spoke putonghua with a funny accent and the caller id was a strange number.
Sky wanted to meet Diano Baby to see what he wanted. But then, it was probably a waste of precious time. He needed all his energy and focus to take Andy back to Guilin.
He’d make arrangements for Andy to stay at his Mom’s place or at a nursing home until he was better. It was a practical solution and a compromise. It was risky for him to talk about Andy at home. His parents would never understand. He cursed himself for being a spineless person.
