23. Stay with me.

Rachael was sitting with Tay in the ward, both approaching the nurse. "What do you need him for?" Rachael asks, her voice full of concern.

"The patient who needs surgery has woken up and won't let anyone touch him unless he's seen Tyler. That's the name he's been calling since he woke up. The surgery must start in 18 minutes," the nurse explains urgently.

Rachael sighs deeply, "G-d help us."

"I've administered the medicine that should have woken him up by now, but there's no reaction," the doctor says, his frustration evident.

Tanner's doctor barges into the ward. "If the medicine isn't working, can't you try anything else? All of you here... can't you think of anything?" He moves quickly to Tyler's bed. "Hey, Tyler?! Tyler, you need to save Tanner's life. You're the only hope now. Please wake up and help us save his life... you must be hearing this."

But Tyler doesn't react. The doctor shakes him slightly, trying again. "Tyler... Tanner is awake and wants to see you. Don't you want to see him?"

"Tan... Tanner..." Tyler struggles to open his eyes, his voice weak as he mumbles Tanner's name.

Suddenly, he sits up with a quick move, getting out of bed. His hand starts to bleed because the needle he had is removed by force when he stand.

"Tanner... I need to see him. I need to talk to him..." Tyler keeps repeating the words as they rush him toward Tanner's room.

The moment Tyler enters the room, he runs to Tanner. "Hey, you... you have to be okay, do you hear me? I don't know what you'll do, but make sure you're okay. I'm waiting for you, keep that in mind... I love you, and I'll always love you, Tanner, regardless of my stupid actions..."

The doctor had told Tyler there wasn't much time, so Tyler doesn't say much. These are the only words that come out of his mouth.

Tanner slightly moves his hand and holds Tyler's. "Stay... here with... me. Don't... leave me here... alone..." he says weakly.

"I won't leave you alone. I would never do that..." Tyler replies firmly, his voice full of emotion.

After hearing Tyler's words, Tanner passes out again.

"What happened to him again? Is he okay? Tanner?!" Tyler asks, his panic rising.

"He's okay. Just stay here, but on the other side while we begin the surgery," the doctor reassures him.

Allowing Tyler to stay knowing that ignoring patients's like Tanner wishes sometimes have grave consequences.

The team directs Tyler to sit at the far side of the room as the surgery begins.

○●

The minutes stretch on to hours as Tyler sits there, his mind swirling with worry.

"Just when is this going to end?" he thinks. "I've been sitting here for over four hours now, and they're still busy surrounding him."

He hopes, though his thoughts are fraught with tension.

"I hope you're okay. I know you're okay. You will be okay. Please stay fine for me. I want to show you that there's someone on this planet who treasures you, that there's someone you can trust, someone you can call your own. I want to dedicate myself to you so you can do with me whatever you want. We didn't come this far just to end here."

His love for Tanner is overwhelming, and he can't seem to shake the feeling.

"My love for you happened like magic. I didn't even know I was falling for you until I had already fallen so deep. I never thought I could be this crazy in love with another man, but it happened. And now it's out of my control."

He struggles with his emotions, feeling the weight of everything.

"I don't regret a thing though. I love how you make me feel, and I want to keep this feeling forever. I don't care what anyone else thinks about our love. All I care about is that you'll be fine, and we can keep what we have. I won't listen to any negative words. No one gets to say what we get to be—it's just you and me."

The doctor's voice suddenly cuts through his thoughts. "It's completed successfully!" The doctor smiles as the nurses cheer with relief.

Tyler jumps to his feet, overwhelmed with emotion. He rushes toward the medical staff, but a nurse stops him gently.

"You can't go near just yet. We'll let you know when you can see him. Please, just sit back for now."

Tyler hesitates but obeys, returning to his seat, though he can hardly contain his anxiety.

"Hey buddy, it's great news, isn't it?" the doctor asks, coming over to where Tyler is seated, the nurses still cleaning around the operating table.

"Yes, indeed. Thank you so much, Doctor Henry," Tyler replies, feeling the weight of his relief.

The doctor chuckles. "We should thank you more. If you hadn't woken up when you did, we might be talking about a different outcome. He wouldn't let us touch him."

Tyler feels guilty. "I can't believe I did something so stupid, passing out at a moment like this. Why can't I just do the right thing when it counts?"

Doctor Henry smiles reassuringly. "What are you talking about? You didn't sleep—you passed out."

Tyler shakes his head. "Whatever, I shouldn't have let myself do that."

"You didn't want it to happen. It got you off guard. Maybe you were too worried or tired. Stop blaming yourself. Everything is better now, and it will be good. Okay?" the doctor says, his kindness shining through.

Tyler nods, feeling comforted by the doctor's words. "Okay, thanks... you're really a nice person, Doctor Henry."

"You flutter me," the doctor replies with a laugh.

"When can I go see him?" Tyler asks, his mind still focused on Tanner.

"He really needs a very quiet and peaceful environment for now. He'll be taken to the ICU, and only the nurse can be in that room. When the time comes, we'll make sure you can see him. Please bear with the situation for now."

"Okay," Tyler responds, his patience beginning to wane.

"Come on... we'll deliver the good news to your family together," the doctor says, putting a hand across Tyler's shoulder as they head toward the door.

The moment the door opens, the sound of fast-paced beeps from the ECG machine—indicating Tanner's heart rate—makes Tyler freeze.

His heart skips a beat, and he forgets to breathe for a moment.

The nurses are startled, and the doctor rushes back inside, with Tyler following closely behind.

But when they reach near the bed, the beeps slow down, returning to normal.

Tyler's breath finally escapes, his chest tight with tension. He hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath.

Man... do you seriously want to kill me? Tyler thinks, staring at Tanner's peaceful form. If you were awake right now, I'd scold you for scaring me like this.