The tension in the hospital kept getting thicker as the days passed slowly. Although both Xu Mey and Jie were stable, both of them were not ready to wake up to face reality. Time was ticking very slowly for them.
The tension was so thick that one could cut it with a blade. Everyone was anxiously waiting for some news... Any news...
When a person is feeling restless, the days seem to feel like months. But for Xu Cheng and Zhu Chen, these days felt like years. The anxiety was vying down by each passing second. Both fathers wanted nothing more than seeing their children absolutely fine.
*One week later*
"Xiao Mey!" Xu Cheng walked in her private room to see Xu Mey sitting on her bed. Her face was bright and rosy but her eyes seemed to be upset over something.
"Dad, have you seen my phone? I can't find it." Xu Mey pouted adorably making Xu Cheng's tears to flow down. "Dad, what's wrong?" She got anxious seeing him cry like this. Xu Cheng shook his head and came up to her.
"How are you feeling?" Xu Mey frowned before hugging his waist tightly.
"Dad, stop crying. It doesn't suit a big man like yourself to cry like a kid. And dad, I'm absolutely fine. Why are you asking?" Her reaction made Xu Cheng feel something amiss but he didn't pay attention since he was over the moon to see her awake.
"It's fine as long as you are okay." He whispered before kissing the top of her head.
"Oh, dad! You didn't tell me, why am I in a hospital? You know I don't like hospitals. I just vomited a couple of times. It was no big deal." She was whining like a kid and Xu Cheng didn't know what she meant. "And give me my phone, I have to contact my Ah-Jie. He left early in the morning today. Didn't even give me a goodbye kiss. How unfair!" She crossed her arms before her chest with a sulky look on her face.
Her words were heard by Zhu Chen and He Susu who were entering the room. Xu Mey didn't saw them coming and kept tugging at her father's sleeve. "Okay, give me my phone. I need to talk to Ah-Jie. I had such a bad dream. I need to hear his voice."
"My dearest daughter, Jie... He is-," Xu Cheng's words were cut off by Zhu Chen.
"What was the dream about?" Hearing He Susu's voice, Xu Mey shifted her eyes to her and smiled.
Hesitating for a minute, she related her supposed 'dream', "I saw he brought me cheesecake and hugged me but suddenly, I couldn't hear anything as he pushed me to the ground. Then there was a car that hit Jie and he fell down in the pool of blood. I couldn't breathe as I saw him lying there lifelessly. It scared the hell out of me." She shuddered at the memory. "It was so vivid that for a moment, I thought it was real. Thank God! It was just a bad dream." She patted her own chest to calm down her heart.
Zhu Chen and He Susu shared a knowing look.
"Jie went on a business trip. We informed him that you are sick, he's coming soon. Don't worry about that. Now, go back to sleep. How will you nag at Jie if you will be this weak?" Zhu Chen coaxed Xu Mey like a child and she seemed convinced as she laid back down on her bed. "Good girl. Go to sleep. I'll ask Sis to make your favorite food for you."
Xu Mey smiled at him and closed her eyes in satisfaction. Xu Cheng gave Zhu Chen an inquiring look and he 'shushed' him for the time being. As they heard Xu Mey's steady breathing, all of them walked out to the corridor.
"Why did you lie to her?" Xu Cheng immediately voiced out his question.
Zhu Chen looked at He Susu and she sighed before explaining, "She seems to be suffering from DRC."
"Huh?" Xu Cheng obviously didn't understand her.
"It's called dream-reality confusion. Mostly found in the patients of Borderline Personality Disorder. People usually confuse their dreams for reality but Xu Mey seems to be confusing her reality for a dream." Xu Cheng was dumbstruck at He Susu's detailed explanation.
"But... She doesn't have Borderline Personality Disorder." He argued.
"No. But she has a history of extreme emotional reactions. Some people feel pain worse than a normal person and Xu Mey is one of those people because of her childhood traumas."
"What should we do now?" Xu Cheng felt defeated and helpless.
"I say, we should let her keep this delusion for now." Zhu Chen suggested in a calm voice.
"Why?"
"She saw the accident with her own eyes and it was a huge blow to her brain. Telling her about Jie's condition might worsen her psychological shock. I believe, none of us want that now, do we?" Xu Cheng had to nod along since he definitely didn't want to lose his daughter.
It seemed to be the most accurate approach for the time being. But not for the long run. They had to stabilize Xu Mey's condition before telling her everything.