"Don't tell me you miss me. Tell me you're on your way to see me. Actions speak louder than words. – Brigitte
Chapter 10
"Longing"
Ring
Ring
"Can somebody please get that!" Xiefa said already irritated by the sound of ringing phones.
"Li Corporation offices, one moment please." Her secretary answered the phone and quickly put the call on hold while answering another line.
Ring
"Li Corporation offices, one moment please."
She stood up from her desk and closed the door. Phones were ringing off the hook since Syaoran's injury came on the news this morning. Having a fight with Sakura moments after didn't help her foul mood at all. She went to her desk again and started analyzing the documents her assistant had left her on how the rest of the projects where doing. It seemed the number of contracts had increased about 17% in the last couple of weeks. No doubt their work on the Kahi tournament and World Cup had something to do with it. Before she could pass to the second page, she heard her door open and close. As she looked up, she found her mother walking towards her desk. Her livid face demanded Xiefa's undivided attention as she reached her and locked her arms on her desk in front of her.
"I want you to get him out of the hotel. Convince him to come home!"
"Mother..." she put the papers down. Her mother had never been an easy person to deal with. Much less when she had just walked in hysterically demanding for her brother to be taken to their house instead of the hotel. "The doctors still haven't said anything yet. We should wait."
Yelan stared at her daughter. "I just talked to the doctor. They will be giving him two months to recover."
Xiefa stared at her mother, "Are you sure about this?"
Yelan raised a brow to her own daughter, "What kind of question is that to ask your mother Xiefa... Get him out of the hotel!" she demanded.
Xiefa stared at her mother but didn't dare say anything else. Obviously the situation aggravated her mother's temperament, as it usually did whenever it came to her dearest brother, but since she had heard the news herself she had tried to stay away from this. She didn't want to be involved in any of this. It wasn't that she wasn't concern for her brother but right now there were so many things at stake in the company and even her father had left the office the moment he found out about the incident.
And then off course there was Sakura. The moment she heard the news she thought she could trust her friend to do the right thing and yet she had decided to take that stupid plane after all.
Xiefa sighed. 'I'm screwed!' she thought knowing she truly didn't have a way out of this one. Getting Syaoran out of the hotel… That meant having to talk to him first about their mother's wishes which would probably lead to an argument between what their mother wanted and what he as a player wanted. Not to mention having to convince him about staying at home, which she was absolutely certain he wouldn't agree to. She could imagine the argument already in her head. She rubbed her temple with her fingers as she started to feel the traces of a headache building itself in her head.
Suddenly, at the corner of her desk she saw her cell phone being illuminated by an incoming call. She saw the ID Caller and couldn't believe her eyes. 'I'm saved!' She picked up the call, "Aren't you supposed to be on a plane by now?"
"Where is he?" she heard from the other side of the line.
Xiefa smirked as Yelan looked at her curiously, "I didn't know my brother's injury was more important than your boyfriend's trip to Japan. I'll make a note on that..."
"Before you make the note, tell me where he is."
Xiefa knowingly smiled, "China's Central Hospital, Room 5023. And Sakura…?"
"Yes?"
"Make him come home." Xiefa said while looking at her mother. She didn't receive an answer from her before realizing she had hung up but she knew she would do it. "Problem solved mother."
The second she heard her daughter's words Yelan calmed down and sat on the sit in front of Xiefa's desk. "I thought Sakura was leaving for Japan today."
"I guess there was a change of plan…" she said while thinking that perhaps the change had been due to something else but time would tell. For now, her deed had been done.
~ o ~
She reached the hospital, quickly took the elevator and pressed the number for his floor. When the doors opened, it didn't take her long to know where he was. Reporters were everywhere around the front desk waiting on news of him. She had heard from the news at the airport that he was heavily guarded but been heavily guarded wasn't working on her favor now.
She stared at the group of reporters waiting outside and tried to think of a plan for getting inside his hallway without grabbing too much attention to herself but luck wasn't on her side. Finding no other way, she went to the front desk and announced herself as Xian's right hand who needed to immediately get in there before getting fired by her boss. Some reporters looked at her after hearing her while a couple of nurses looked at her but didn't believe her. Luckily for her one of them recognized her from the TV and confirmed who she was.
"Come with me, quickly." The nurse said.
She followed the nurse into another hallway which ran parallel to the one Syaoran was staying at. They walked around the hospital for several minutes till the nurse opened a door with her ID card and allowed her in quickly before the rest of the reporters could get in.
"At the end, turn left and you will find the door for his hallway."
Sakura nodded. "Thank you." She said before following her directions. As the nurse had explained, she found the door at the end of the hallway and opened it. She looked at various room doors and followed the numbers till she finally found his agent outside of the room waiting with several other people. She kept looking around and found Xian in a corner. Although on the outside his calmed collected face let others know the type of business man he was, she could see the change of relief in his eyes as soon as their eyes met. He kept staring at her but only nodded his approval.
She sighed before walking towards his door.
"He doesn't want to see anyone." Choi said to her.
"It's fine." She told him before entering and closing the door after. She walked a few steps till she saw him on the hospital bed. He was looking out the window with his right leg up in a holder that kept it in place and stabilized. At the sound of her heals on the floor, he turned his head and saw her. The moment she saw his face she knew he was broken. His puffy eyes were a clear indication that he had been crying since the incident. He probably hadn't been able to think of anything more than the tournament.
She smiled and sighed, "Well, I heard something really funny today on TV."
He closed his eyes, "I said I didn't want to see anyone." He said in almost a whisper.
"Don't you want to know what it was?" she asked while walking towards him.
"Sakura-"
"I heard that doctors were talking about giving you two months out to recover. Can you believe that joke…? Do they honestly know who they're talking about?" she chuckled as she approached the bed. She put her purse in an armchair that was by the bed and sat next to him on the bed.
"I'm not in the mood for joking around Sakura. I mean it."
"Who said I was joking?"
"This was my dream. You know that." Not being able to hide his broken voice he once again fell silent. A tear fell from his eyes again as he whipped it with his hand and turned again to look outside the window.
She watched as he took a deep breath before turning his face away from her. It pained her to see him go through this as she had never seen him like this in her life. The sadness in his eyes was something she wasn't used to seeing. This was not him. This was not the Syaoran she knew. He was broken, yes… she could allow him to be broken but she wasn't about to let him pity himself for it. She caressed his cheek and made him turn his face to look at her again. "This is still your dream Syaoran. Nothing has changed."
He took her hand from his face, "Sakura-"
"No! You twisted your ankle… big deal. The tournament lasts a month or so and it starts in three weeks. Do you honestly think an ankle can rob you of your dream? I don't think so. I refuse to believe that. You can still make this tournament. It'll be hard, and it will probably feel worse before it gets better, but if it's this hard then it must be because it's worth it."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why are you here?"
She smirked, "Isn't it obvious, none of these idiots know how to put you in your place."
He shook his head. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in Japan?" He had heard about her little trip when he overheard his mother talking to his sister over the phone earlier.
She looked at him sternly. After their last conversation things hadn't ended okay between them. She knew he was still mad at her but regardless she needed him to recover. She needed to know that he would be fine. "Because you need to play in this tournament."
He narrowed his eyes at her, "because it might screw up your job?"
"Because you left me for it!" She sighed and looked away not wanting to see his reaction. After his silence she slowly looked at him and softly spoke again. "Our breakup wasn't easy for me Syaoran and I know it wasn't easy for you either. So at least you make the pain be worth it and play."
He shook his head and sighed understanding what she meant. He reached to caress her face but she slapped his hand away.
"I'm still with Jun." she carelessly said before casually continuing. "I bet victory will even taste better after this…" She smiled. "I'll be right back." She started to walk towards the door.
"Sakura!"
She turned and looked at him.
"Thanks."
She nodded. "I need to talk to your doctor to see when is the soonest he can release you. Then I'll talk to your coach to get you home."
He shook his head, "No! I should be with the team."
"You're in no condition to be with the team right now Syaoran. It won't do them any good to see you this way. Besides, your home is the perfect place for you to concentrate on your rehab."
"Sakura-"
She could hear the warning in his voice but decided not to mind. "I'll make the arrangements and be right back."
He watched her leave. As she shut the door after walking out, he sighed giving up. He still couldn't say no to her.
~ o ~
She walked out and looked at Choi. "Where's the doctor? I want to talk to him."
"He said he would be back after the results of the MRI are out. That was about an hour ago."
She nodded but still walked towards the hallway with the intention of finding him. After turning around for the third time, she finally found a man with a blue robe which she guessed could be the doctor.
"Doctor, I need to know the extent of Li's injury." She directly said to the doctor.
He looked at her curiously before saying, "I'm sorry miss but that's strictly confidential. Unless you are an authorized family member I can't give you such information."
"It's okay doctor. I authorize you to give her all the information she asks for." Xian said walking from behind the wall. It was obvious he had followed Sakura here.
The doctor nodded. "I'll go for his file right now and be back in a couple of minutes." He said while excusing himself.
Sakura turned halfway around to find Xian looking at her. He walked towards her so he could speak to her without letting others know of their conversation. "I want you to take care of Syaoran's recuperation."
She stared at Xian. "I'm not a doctor neither a trainer, I'm a project manager."
He stared at her back and sighed. He knew it would probably be difficult to ask this of her but he didn't see any other way around this. "I don't trust people easily Sakura. I'm sure my son got that from me as well. I'm not asking this as your boss but as a father. Take care of his recuperation. You are good following up with things and making sure everything is under control. I'm only asking you to do that. He trusts you more than he does these doctors."
She turned her face and sighed. "Even if he does, what difference will it make? He just needs a good trainer to get back up and running again."
Xian knowingly smiled. "I'm sure he'll need more than that. The doctors are giving him two months. I want him to be examined by our family doctor so he can confirm when is the earliest time he can get back into the field. As for the difference, I'll tell you. A couple of minutes ago he rejected the mere thought of going back home with us and yet for some reason I believe he won't refuse that suggestion any longer. Off course, I can always go back and ask him if my thoughts are right…"
She looked back at him and knew she had lost this battle.
"On Monday you said Suri was ready, make her handle the rest of the tournament unless she really needs your help. Before you say anything, I'm not getting you out of this tournament, only minimizing your workload so you may have time to oversee my son's recuperation." He smiled at her all-ready-to-protest face and added, "Other than that, I'm pretty sure your boss will understand." He chuckle turning around and walking away leaving no doubt for objections.
She scoffed. What nerve! He was her boss! She watched his retreating figure through the white corridors of the hospital before turning around and finding the doctor walking towards her.
"Well, here it is. His MRI just came back. It's fortunate he doesn't have any ruptures so he won't need surgery but his injury is a level three ligament tear. So his recuperation time should be around six to eight weeks just to be sure."
She nodded. "When can he leave?"
"Well, since the MRI just came out, I'd say in about an hour or so. First we need to complete his documentation. Then, after that, he's free to go."
She nodded again. "Thank you."
"Now, if you'll excuse me I'll give the news to the rest of the authorized members."
She waited for the doctor to be out of the hallway before taking out her phone. "Xiefa, your brother is going home in about an hour and a half. Tell your mother to have one of the bottom bedrooms ready for him. No stairs until he is up and walking."
"Well, at least mother will be happy."
"Also, text me your family doctors' phone number. I need to speak with him."
"Will do." It was all Xiefa said before hanging up the phone.
~ o ~
After hours of waiting for Syaoran's release papers, they were now waiting on the nurses to get him on the wheelchair to head home. Reporters had been hard to deal with since they were all trying to get a piece of the latest news. They had all stayed in front of the hallway doors with their cameras and microphones ready waiting for that moment when Syaoran would be taken out.
Xian, been who he was, asked for a chopper to take his son home. He looked at Sakura while they waited for the doctors to get Syaoran ready for departure. "Did you talk to Ryu?"
She nodded. "He's waiting for us at the house."
He nodded and smiled at seeing his son getting out in the wheelchair. "Good. Right this way." He said making sure the nurse would follow him.
Sakura looked at Syaoran who in turn looked at her back. She could see the tiredness in his eyes along with something else she hadn't seen in a long time… Fear. She smiled at him hoping it would give him some sort of comfort.
"Now," the doctor started talking to her, "I have prescribed these painkillers for the first couple of days."
After hearing the word painkillers, she looked at the doctor. "He can't take just any painkillers. The only painkillers he'll be able to take are those approved by the soccer federation. I'll have his agent sent you the list of approved substances so you can prescribe him painkillers according to the rules."
The doctor looked at her a little surprised by her answer but nodded. "Very well. I'll wait for the list then."
"Thank you."
The nurse pushed Syaoran through as she followed Mr. Li to the roof where the chopper was waiting for them. Syaoran took the chance to ask Sakura, "Are you coming with us?"
She looked around at the various nurses who curiously looked at her before replying, "I'm right behind you." She motioned for the nurse behind him to continue pushing his wheelchair.
~ o ~
It was already afternoon. The team had finished practice a little bit earlier than usual, due to Syaoran's injury, and headed back to the hotel. Their coach gave them some free time to roam through the hotel and make themselves comfortable before having gym training in a couple of hours.
Although they all knew they should be concentrating on their training, none of them had their heads were they needed to have them. They were all worried about Syaoran's health. They had been expecting news from his recovery when practice was over but they received none. Which made them believe his injury was worst than what they'd have imagine.
"Eriol, have you received any news?" Mark asked him.
Eriol simply shook his head. "I tried texting my cousin but she hasn't answered yet."
Mark nodded. "Maybe Suri knows something." He said while taking out his phone.
"Suri?" Kyu curiously asked him. "Do you have her phone number?"
Mark nodded but seeing Kuy's curious face made him add, "I'm not going to say anything about her just to let you know… I'll only ask her about Li's injury." Mark took out his phone and dialed her number.
"What makes you think Suri knows more than his own sister?" Kyu asked him.
"Her boss is the one coordinating all of the tournament's arrangements. I'm sure she should know something by now. It's pretty strange we still haven't had any news on him." Mark said while waiting for her to answer and walking away from them.
"Guys, I just heard it on the news. It's official, the doctors are giving him two months out for recovery." Xiun approached them from the elevator doors. He had seen his friends in the lobby and overheard their conversation as he approached them.
Mark quickly ended the call and looked at Xiun.
"What? Are you sure?" Eriol asked.
Xiun nodded. "It's all over the news. It's a level three tear in his ankle. They are supposedly still waiting on the MRI but so far the doctors have already confirmed he will be out for two months."
Kyu turned his eyes from Xiun to look at Eriol. "Do you think coach will allow us to see him?"
Eriol shook his head. "I don't know."
"How about you, as his cousin?" Mark asked.
"I don't know Mark." Eriol answered. He was frustrated with the news. Losing Syaoran now could very much cost them the Cup, there was no doubt about that. Even all of them, as a team, knew that. He ran his hands through his hair and when he looked up he saw Xiefa walking inside the hotel main doors. Along with her, a group of three guys accompanied her. He saw her walking towards the elevator and didn't waste time as he walked towards her.
The guys all wondered what was going on with him but it was Kyu who answered their silent question. "That's his cousin."
"Ah." Mark nodded.
~ o ~
"Xiefa!" Eriol called as he quickly walked towards her.
Xiefa looked at her cousin and sighed. She knew perfectly well why he was walking towards her.
He waited for the elevator doors to open and walked inside with her. She pressed the floor were the entire team was staying so he guessed she was here to pick up Syaoran's things. He didn't want to raise any suspicion or grab too much attention to them so as soon as the doors closed he finally asked, "How's Syaoran? Is it true what their saying in the news? Is he going to be out for two months?"
"They gave him six to eight weeks but father wants Ryu to check him as well. His MRI just came back and thankfully he doesn't need surgery."
"So, he'll be out for the entire tournament?" He asked.
She looked at him and understood his concern. Most likely his entire team was also worried with the news. "Your team is not just Syaoran, Eriol."
He looked at her. "A team is a team when we are all together no matter the circumstances. When one of us is hurt, we all hurt as well."
She nodded and smiled. Out of all of her cousins, Eriol had always been the most analytical. "Then I will say this, hold your team together for him. There is a slight chance he may be able to play."
He quickly looked at her.
"But, Eriol, when I say slight it means really slight chance. So I wouldn't be going around your team spreading the news. It might all be false hope if he's not able to do it."
He nodded.
"He's already out of the hospital and Ryu is waiting to inspect him at home. After that, he'll start rehab over there. Father is already taking care of that and Sakura will oversee his recuperation."
"Sakura?" he looked at her. "Do you think that's wise?"
She smiled at her cousin and heard the beep of the elevator signaling they had reached their floor. "Oh, trust me, it's more than wise to do so." She said before walking out with her three companions who had in fact walked out to pick up Syaoran's stuff as Eriol had predicted.
Eriol kept watching his cousin walking away and kept thinking about her last comment. After the cabin, things had not ended well between Syaoran and Sakura. He knew that. Then again, Xiefa had always been a mastermind when it came to vision. Something she had, without a doubt, inherited from her father.
~ o ~
The trip to his house took about twenty minutes in the chopper. He was grateful that his father thought about the chopper instead of having to go through all of the reporters to get into a car and drive home. In his emotional state, dealing with reporters while getting out of the hospital was not something he thought he could do.
He could see the huge patio of his parent's house from the chopper quickly approaching. A memory of him playing as a kid with the ball in this green field made his injury worst to bear. A tear escaped his eyes and he quickly closed them to avoid any more from spilling. It was one of the reasons why he was so adamant to going back to this house. Since he was a child and discovered the game of soccer, his dream was winning that cup. Now that dream had been shattered. He felt Sakura's hand as she placed it on top of his and tightened it. He looked at her and sighed.
It was early afternoon as they waited for the chopper to finally reach the ground. He stepped out in his crutches and walked all the way to the house where his mother and the rest of his sisters were waiting for him. He also saw Ryu, their family doctor, waiting with them.
"Darling!" His mother said before giving him a hug. "I asked Wei to make you your favorite dish."
He shook his head. "Thanks but I'm not hungry."
His mother took his face in her hands. "You should eat something. You haven't had anything since this morning."
He still shook his head.
His mother didn't press the matter anymore and just nodded before looking at Sakura. "I've prepared his room downstairs as you suggested."
He looked back at Sakura nodding and didn't know what to think. First she was leaving with her fiancé, now she was at his side taking care of him. He wanted to think about what this meant yet right now wasn't the time. "I just want to lie down."
His mother nodded. "Very well. Feimei, can you take your brother to his room?"
Feimei nodded and walked slowly making sure Syaoran was following her. Ryu followed right next to him asking him some questions about how it happened.
Yelan waited for them to round the corner and looked at Sakura. "What did the doctor say?"
She sighed. "They're giving him six to eight weeks of recovery."
"That's a long time." Yelan said.
Sakura looked at Xian. "We need to find a good trainer and a physician."
"Do you think he'll be able to play?" he asked her.
"I don't know. It all depends on what Ryu say but I don't think it should take him eight weeks to recover."
Xian nodded.
"What about Choi? He'll be here tonight. Perhaps we can ask him to recommend someone." Yelan said to her husband.
He nodded and looked at Sakura. "Whatever you think it's necessary Sakura, just do it."
She nodded before walking towards the room as well. She watched as the doctor started coming out of it and took the chance to talk to him in the hallway.
"What do you think?"
"Well, I have bad news and good news as well. The bad news is I spoke to him and inspected the injury. It's indeed a level three tear. It's beginning to swell more now and probably by the end of the night it will start getting black. I asked Feimei to get an ice bag so he can ice it now. We should try to control the swelling as much as possible so the more he ice it the better. Twenty minutes every hour or two should do it. That should at least help with the swelling."
She nodded. "And the good?"
"It's possible to get him back running in about six weeks or so. It could even take less because of the condition he's in right now. It all depends on how he feels throughout his recovery. For now, the first couple of days are crucial. The less swollen his ankle gets, the faster he'll be able to start walking again."
"Is there any other way of speeding his recovery?" she asked him.
He nodded. "You could try to massage his ankle right before icing it to keep the liquid flowing out. But it all depends on how he feels about it. If it hurts too much I don't recommend it."
She nodded.
He was about to leave her but looked at her before doing so. "I know this Cup is really important for him Ms. Kinomoto, but what's most important is that he recovers the right way. If he doesn't feel good, we shouldn't push him."
She stared at the doctor. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Good. After all, I'm sure this isn't the end of his career."
She nodded and smile. "Thank you doctor."
"Anytime. I'll go speak to Xian now."
She nodded and watched him leave before entering Syaoran's temporary room.
"What did he say?" he quickly asked.
She smiled at him from the door. "That you'll be fine."
He narrowed his eyes at her, "I don't need to know that. I want to know the approximate time of recovery. How long do I need to be out for?"
She went into his bathroom and started searching the cabinet while saying, "That's only up to you. He said it depends on how you feel throughout your recovery."
He knew she was hiding something from him but didn't say anything.
She walked out of the bathroom and looked at him. "You need to eat something." She softly said to him.
He shook his head. "I'm not hungry right now. I don't even think I can stomach it even if I wanted to." He answered.
Feimei entered the room with an ice bag in her hand. "Here you go Sakura." She handed the ice bag to her and looked at Syaoran. "Is there anything else you need? Wei can make you a sandwich if you don't want to eat something heavy."
He shook his head again. "I'm fine, thanks."
Feimei nodded before leaving the room. Sakura placed the ice bag in his ankle. The cold feeling made him grimace a little but he got used to it after the first minute or so. She walked around his bed to sit right next to him. He hugged her and tried to hide his tears burying his face in her stomach. "I don't understand why this had to happen now. I keep thinking about it and I still can't see it."
She rubbed his hair. "It just did Syaoran. There's not much you can do about it now. Every day you spend looking back trying to analyze why it happened is a day you lose to recover. You can't afford losing days at this point."
He raised his face to look at her, "Can you stay with me tonight?"
She knew she shouldn't have but couldn't find how to leave. She nodded. "Ryu thinks that because of your physical condition at this point you could be up and running in six weeks give or take a few days. More give than take but it's definitely doable."
"Six weeks is too much." He took a deep breath. Six weeks meant missing the tournament if his team didn't reach semifinals.
"It all depends on how you feel." She softly said.
He nodded and closed his eyes.
After a couple of minutes, she felt him fall asleep never letting go of her. She kept rubbing his head. 'You'll get through this. I know you will.' she thought before reclining her head against the headboard and taking a nap as well.
~ o ~
Ring
"Li Corporations, how can I help you?" Suri quickly answered her phone.
"Suri, it's me Jun. Is Sakura there? She's not answering her phone."
She relaxed before answering, "Oh! Sorry Jun. She's out with Mr. Li. Do you want me to let her know you called?" she asked.
"Please do. Tell her I landed in Japan and to please give me a call once she gets in."
She could sense the anger behind his words but nonetheless answered with a simple, "Okay. Will do," before hanging the phone. She was a little jumpy every time her phone rang. After finding out a couple of hours ago that her boss used to date Mr. Womanizer she felt a little anxious. She regrettably closed her eyes not believing her luck. Her boss! Out of all women in China and Japan, her boss used to date Li who she had openly called a player in front of her not too long ago.
Oh what misfortune! Oh what bad luck! How could she face her boss now after calling him a player? Well, technically she didn't know they had gone out in the past but… When was this? She was certain she had never schedule dinner with Li's son ever since she started working. And I mean, how long did they go out for? Sakura had clearly said they were done as if they had a serious relationship in the past.
Ring
"Li Corporation offices, how can I help you?" she quickly answered again.
"Hey beautiful! How are you?"
She sighed and smile. "I have been better I assure you. Are you done with practice already?"
"Yep. Did something happen?"
"Well, I'm sure you have heard about Li." She waited a couple of seconds for him to say something in return but at the lack of words she said, "The phones have been ringing off the hook today. It's been a little crazy."
"Well, I was actually wondering if you had lunch already?"
"I haven't but I thought you couldn't get out of the hotel."
"I can't. But you can come if you want and have lunch with me here. I mean, I haven't had lunch either and well… I know we're not seriously official yet but you know I had a really good time the other day."
She smiled while listening to him. "Really? And what makes you think I can go too far to have lunch? My lunch break is just an hour, you know…"
"Well, but weren't you just promoted? I'm sure managerial staff can take more than just one hour for lunch."
She silently laughed and sarcastically asked, "So, are you expecting me to abuse my privileges just to go have lunch with you?"
"I promise you I'll make this 'abuse', as you call it, well worth it."
She chuckled. "In that case, I'll put it in my calendar and head out. But, it better be worth it Mr. Yue."
"Scouts honor!"
She laughed. "Please don't ever say that again." She heard him chuckled on the other side of the line.
"I'll wait for you inside the restaurant then."
She looked at her phone, after hearing him hang up, and smiled. Once again her day had brightened with just talking to him on the phone. She wrote pretty quickly on her calendar that she would be stepping out to have lunch. That way, when Sakura reached the office she could at least know where she was. Then quickly grabbed her purse and walked towards the elevator.
~ o ~
She had decided to stay the night at the Li's since they were all waiting for Choi to arrive and she wanted to be present when he did. Her clothes were already set in the usual room she stayed at when she had been living with them the first time she arrived in China. She brushed her hair after getting out of her shower and quickly put on a casual blue dress to have dinner with the family. After making sure she was presentable for dinner, she walked out and headed downstairs.
As she was walking through the hallway of Syaoran's temporary room she saw his door open and stop. Out came Syaoran walking in crutches. She was a little happy to see him getting out of bed but then feared a little because of what his doctor had said about the swelling. She approached him and smiled once she saw him notice her.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" she asked him.
"Can I answer that in another moment?" he asked.
She nodded at him and sighed before going a little serious again. "We need to talk."
He looked at her and asked, "About what?"
She looked around before answering, "Not in here."
He nodded and went back into his room. She closed the door and saw him sit in his bed.
"Is it bad?" he asked.
She smiled at him and shook his head. "No. But there are a few things that are happening and I think you should know."
He nodded and waited for her to continue.
"First, Choi is coming to dine with us tonight. He's bringing your new physical therapist which will be taking care of your rehab in this house from tonight on."
"I will start tonight?"
"He will start your first therapy after dinner. Now, when he comes in he will tell us what other things he needs for your entire therapy to take place in here. So know that we're probably going to have a dinner mixed with a little business as well. Well… in this case, your rehab instead of business."
He nodded.
"Second, I spoke to your coach. He doesn't want you to communicate with any of your teammates until you feel better."
He nodded again. "Understandable."
"And third," she took a deep breath before continuing with the last one, "I will stay with you tonight but only to make sure that you ice your leg every hour for twenty minutes. Your father has already rented a movable fridge and has put in it enough ice bags perhaps for your entire rehab. So I will set a timer for each hour to make sure you ice your ankle right on time."
He stared at her before carefully asking, "So, you'll be waking me up each hour for an entire night?"
"Yes," was her simple answer. "Now, your father has already approved of getting anything that's needed in order to get you back up and running in no time."
He truly wanted to complain about this whole waking up each hour of the night to ice his ankle but he didn't. Sakura staying the night with him made it worth it. "Anything else?"
She shook her head. "Are you sure you want to come for dinner? I can have Wei bring yours here."
He shook his head and smirked. "I wouldn't miss having dinner with you on a dress if it's possible."
She felt her face almost getting red. She looked down at her dress before sarcastically sighing and shaking her head. "Really? You haven't changed a bit."
He smiled at her. "I can assure you I have."
Still shaking her head she got up from his bed. "Come on Romeo, I'm hungry." She said while getting up from his bed and opening the door for him.
He chuckled and got up as well. Taking his crutches from the side, where he had placed them before, he walked towards the door with them but stopped when he reached her side. "It really does look good on you."
"Shut up Syaoran and walk towards the dining room."
He chuckled but did as he was told.
~ o ~
Morning came quickly the next day. Her planned schedule had taken a toll on her as it was now around 8:00 in the morning and she was on her third cup of coffee and wondering how many more she would have to drink to at least make it till noon on her office. She woke up every hour during the night to make sure Syaoran would ice his ankle, just like she said she would, and it had been almost a nightmare to wake up this morning to go handle a couple of things in the office. It truly had been a tiring night.
She took her TV remote control and set the news on.
"The White and Black charity ball was held here in Japan last night Yuri and let me tell you it was an amazing success. More than 10 million dollars were raised to help the World Foundation of Abandoned Children. A lot of celebrities assisted the event. From movie stars like Tsukiro Mashite to political figures like Senator Eli and his son who has also expressed an interest in following his father's footsteps into a political career early this year."
Sakura watched the news from her office with her usual morning cup filled with hot coffee on hand. She had told Jun she would be there with him assisting this event a couple of days ago but at the last minute decided not to go. The moment she heard of Syaoran's injury she knew she wouldn't be able to go.
As she kept watching the TV she saw clips of the event which were presented on the news as part of the coverage they had been able to provide from the activity. Senator Eli's table was one of the clips presented. In their table, a young calmed and collected woman sat next to the senator's son applauding after hearing some announcements. Sakura watched as Jun laughed and applauded as well while whispering something to the lady which made her laugh in a provocative way. Her office door suddenly opened as she quickly turned the TV off.
"How's my brother?" Xiefa asked.
"Not even good morning… I see." Sakura said.
Xiefa heard her friend and shrugged.
"As tired and hurt as a normal injured player would be after finding out they're not going to be able to play for two months."
Xiefa looked at her friend and narrowed her eyes. She was definitely pissed off about something but decided not to indulge much in her attitude. "Father thinks you should have Suri travel to Japan to bring Yuki here."
She nodded. "I'll speak with her."
Xiefa kept staring at her trying to find something that would give away the reason for her sudden change in attitude but not finding anything she just said, "You did the right thing."
"You don't get to say what the right thing is Xiefa."
Xiefa walked up to her desk and put an envelope in front of her. Curiously, Sakura looked at her from her seat.
"It's the person you asked me to investigate." Xiefa said while slowly showing on her face a smirk like smile, one Sakura learned with time the meaning of. It clearly screamed that whatever was inside that folder she was certain she would not like.
"Oh… you're going to love this one." She sarcastically sang her last words before walking out of her office.
Sakura looked down at her desk and took the envelope in her hands. She opened it knowing there was absolutely no point in delaying the information. As she took the documents out, she quickly scanned the documents and sighed at the signature. The information was something she had long suspected but never acted upon it.
She sighed and looked back up to her closed door. The moment she had decided to stay instead of leaving with Jun she had left everything in his hands. His words that night had been true all along. Even after knowing how he felt about her past she still did whatever she wanted to. She had been careless, she had been selfish, and now she ended what little there was left of their relationship.
She rang Suri to her intercom. "Suri, please come into my office."
Seconds later Suri walked in with her iPad on hand. "Yes?"
"I need you to help Yuki getting here before this weekend. He'll probably need some help bringing part of his equipment over here. I'll ask Xian for the company jet so you may be able to get there and back as quickly as possible."
Suri stared at her. "Are you sure Mr. Li is okay with me using the company jet for this?"
"It's fine. I'm sure he won't say no to this."
Suri nodded. She was about to walk out but decided to get this off her chest as quickly as possible. "I'm sorry for what I said about Li months ago."
"What did you say?" Sakura asked while searching for her ringing cell phone on her purse.
"You know… the whole Li been a player…"
Sakura found her phone and looked back at her. "It's okay. You probably were right. I need to take this." She quickly answered her phone.
Suri nodded and left.
"Mr. Ryu! How are you?"
"Good. I have a missed call from you on my phone. Is everything ok?"
"Yes. I just wanted to consult something with you. The hospital doctor wanted to give Syaoran some painkillers but I'm sure many of those painkillers probably have ingredients that are not allowed by the FIFA. Do you think it's better if he doesn't take anything at all? I mean, I'm not sure if taking painkillers will actually help him with his recovery. And I definitely do not trust those doctors either. I rather have the opinion of a doctor who is more close to the family."
"I see. Well, the painkillers are good for the first couple of days. That's when he will experience the more pain. So, if he needs the painkillers then I would advise him to take them for at least three to four days. After that, I advise him to start trying to take his rehab without the need for medicine. Also, like I said before, it truly depends on how he feels but if he can do the recovery without the painkillers then is better."
"If he were to need the painkillers, could you write him the prescription?"
"I can."
"Okay. Also, can you schedule a weekly visit for him? I want to have weekly reports on how his ankle is doing. That way if we need to make any changes in some areas we will be able to make the necessary adjustments as soon as possible."
"Will do."
"Thanks." She hung up the phone to immediately receive another call. "Coach, how are you?"
~ o~
He was looking sadly out the window. She admired how he looked when the sunlight brightened his serene but sad face. Yes, he was that good looking even when he was broken. She knocked on the frame of the door. He looked at the door and was surprised to see her there. "I thought you were not coming today."
She smiled. "What? And let you mope all day...? Never in your life." He sadly laughed at her comment but at least it was a laugh. "How are you feeling today?"
"I tried to stand up but couldn't." he tried to sound optimistic but she knew he was pissed because of it.
She chuckled. "Well, it's only the second day Syaoran." She put her purse down on his night table and took out a lotion she had bought on the way here.
"What's that?" he curiously asked.
"It's a lotion. What does it look like?" she sarcastically replied while opening the small cap.
"I know it's a lotion but what for?"
She smiled as she softly started to take his blanket out of his ankle's way. "I'm giving you a massage today."
He doubtfully stared at her. "I'm not sure that's a good idea Sakura..."
"Oh, don't be a baby about it." she said. She started to put the lotion on and softly rubbing it against his ankle. At first she felt him tense, probably because he was scared she could hurt it even more, but then he relaxed.
"You left a bit early today." Syaoran said.
She nodded. "I work for a living… in case you didn't notice."
He chuckled. "Ah!" he grimaced after feeling her hands starting to push deeper into his ankle.
She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Does it hurt too bad?"
"It hurts." He simply said.
She stared at him. "The doctor said massages would help to keep the swelling down but I shouldn't do them if they hurt you too much."
He nodded. "I can hold."
She nodded but this time she started rubbing the lotion in a circular motion a little softer than when she first did it. She felt him tense at the beginning but then he relaxed a little more after the first couple of minutes.
"After this, you'll ice it again." She said.
"Isn't this Choi's job?"
"What?" she curiously asked.
"What you're doing."
"If you don't like it, I can quickly get Choi here and he can handle everything from here on. Including the massage…" she added.
"No! I'm not complaining or anything. I was just asking." He quickly said.
She sighed but kept massaging his ankle. According to the instructions from the doctor, massaging his ankle fifteen minutes before icing it should help his recovery greatly. She was afraid of asking her next question but she needed to know. "What were you thinking?"
He curiously looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"When this happened… I heard from your coach how you got injured and he's asking himself how you couldn't see your teammate when this happened."
"You… working for my father even knowing how I felt about them."
"Me? Why should you? I already told you my decision had nothing to do with you." She softly continued her massage not believing what she had just heard.
"And now? Do you still feel the same?"
She looked at him.
"I love my parents Sakura, but I can't have them controlling my life. I couldn't then, and I still can't now. And you knew this before making that decision. So, even if you made it for your own benefit, like you say you did, you knew it would affect me in some way."
She sighed, "And what did you expect me to do? To pass up the opportunity because someday you would come back into my life and reclaim it? You left me!"
"Did I? I broke up with you, but I wasn't the one that left."
She sighed before cleaning his feet with a towel. She slowly put his leg back up on the holder and placed the blanket on top of it. "There, it's done. I'll tell Wei to bring you the ice bag."
He sadly sighed. Fighting with Sakura was something he didn't want to do. "Are you coming back?"
She hesitated at first but nodded. "Tonight. I want to meet up with your trainer and make sure everything is approved by Ryu before he starts your training in a couple of days."
He nodded a little more relaxed now after finding out that she would be coming back.
"If you need anything, let Wei know." she said.
He nodded and watched her leave. Looking at the door, he remembered her words on the hospital.
"I'm still with Jun."
Warning he knew she had specifically said to keep him at bay. He hated the fact that she still couldn't talk about what happened between them but he needed to wait for her. 'At least she stayed.' He thought before sighing and closing his eyes.
~ o ~
After sleeping a couple of hours in her room, Sakura woke up, took a shower, and went downstairs to join the family for dinner. She had decided to stay over at the Li's until Syaoran was good enough to at least start walking. She walked towards the table were the family was already seated and waiting to start dinner. Looking around the dining room she noticed Syaoran wasn't on the table and turned towards Wei to ask, "Is Syaoran eating at his room?"
Wei shook his head and answered her. "The young master said he wasn't hungry."
She nodded before walking over to her sit. As soon as she sat, they started serving themselves the food. Xian was the first to greet the new trainer as he presented the rest of the family to him. Choi started the conversation mentioning the many players Tai had helped restore to complete health from injuries. It was almost as hearing an entire resume being read out loud in front of her. Yelan had been fascinated by the news. She kept talking and asking him questions about the ideas he may have to help with Syaoran's injury.
While the conversation appealed to Yelan, the same could not be said about Xian. He simply kept slowly eating while nodding from time to time but Sakura knew better. She smiled internally knowing he was far bored of it probably since the beginning of this whole dinner. But then again, he wanted his son back playing as well and for that he needed to know that he was in good hands. As for her, Sakura knew not to say much. She was attentive of the entire conversation while eating as quickly as possible in an unnoticeable way. The fact that Syaoran was skipping dinner once more worried her. She could understand him not wanting to eat last night but today was another day.
After a couple of minutes she was done and asked Wei to make a small bag with Syaoran's dinner. She walked out of the dining room and went towards Syaoran's room to checkup on him. Not knowing if he was awake, she slowly opened the door and sneaked her head a little to check if he was sleeping but what she found was completely the opposite of what she had thought. She found him out of his bed doing pushups in the side of it. She narrowed her eyes, walked towards him and kicked him not too hard but not too softly on the stomach.
"Ah!" He shrunk on the floor and grabbed his stomach where she had hit him.
"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Do you have to hit me like this? I'm sure there are better ways of greeting someone who's injured."
She smirked. "Someone who is injured should be in his bed resting if you ask me."
He looked at her and narrowed her eyes.
"Be careful. I brought you dinner. You don't want to go biting the hand that feeds you." she walked towards his night table at the other side of the bed and placed a bag.
"Are you having dinner with me?"
She shook her head, "I already ate. But," she quickly added, "I do bring two choices of movies we can watch so you don't get bored and start doing push-ups you're not allowed to do again." She started searching inside her bag until she got out the first movie and presented it to him. "Choice number one is watching the new Thor movie, which I would certainly not object to watch."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Thor?"
"Well, most guys like Marvel movies." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Out of all Marvel movies you decided on Thor?"
She rolled her eyes and ignored his question. "Or, we could watch the Bourne Trilogy just one movie per night. It's a guys' movie too."
He chuckled. "Isn't there anything with sports in it?"
She sighed. "As much as I know you want to watch sports it is at the bottom of allowed shows to watch in my list right now. So two choices, which one will it be?"
He starred at her and smirked. "I don't think I can stand that Thor guy. Doesn't he look feminine to you?"
"What? Feminine?" she asked.
"Bourne." he quickly said smiling at her.
She scoffed, shook her head, and rolled her eyes at him. "Fine." She opened the blu-ray case and put it on the component while turning his TV on. She walked around his bed and sat next to him. "You know, I actually thought you wanted to watch a Marvel movie instead of a action thriller movie."
He chuckled as he started looking inside the bag she had brought him. "What? And have you drooling all over my bed, I don't think so."
She scoffed at him again and chuckled. "Whatever."
"Mmm dumplings!"
She smirked. "I thought you'd like some."
"Veggie, my favorite."
She chuckled at his comment but didn't say anything else. She had to admit she felt a little awkward while sitting at his side. Usually when they used to watch movies in the past she would snuggle right next to him. Her arm would end up hugging him and she would feel his hand rubbing her back softly. He would occasionally kiss her temple if it was a romantic movie, or play with her feet when he thought the movie was too boring to watch to catch her attention.
But this time it was different. It had been a thought that had been with her since she went out to pick movies after work but she thought it would be gone by the time they would start watching them. She had decided to get them for him so he could take his mind off the tournament at least for a little bit but now a tensing feeling took over her body as she thought about it again.
"Does he mind if you do this?" he said halfway down his dumpling.
She knew perfectly well who he was referring to. "He does." She sighed and looked at him smiling as if nothing was wrong with her and said, "Let's just watch the movie."
He nodded and finished his food. The movie started playing in the screen but he turned towards her again. "You know, I don't mind if you want to snuggle."
She quickly looked at him, "Syaoran-"
He stared at her back and quickly said, "I mean it."
She sighed and looked back at the movie. "Let's just watch the movie."
He smirked but nonetheless turned to watch the movie as well.
Authors Note: Oh wow! It truly feels like it took me forever to finish this chapter. It's been a really stressful month full of long hours of hard work. New jobs always make you feel like that. So sorry for the long wait on this one. I'll try to update sooner for the next one. Thank you so much for all your reviews. Hope you like this one and let me know what you guys think.