All I want for Christmas is You

Week One

Lan Zhan's first week was filled with getting acquainted with his colleagues, surgical suites, and the rules. New country, new hospital, and different techniques to keep or discard. It seemed like it was never-ending. Also, the constant whispering whenever he was around annoyed him and made him even more stony. People either steered clear of him or tried harder to get his attention.

Dr. Wei Ying was very busy with a strain of flu that was hitting the elementary schools hard. Many children were sick, passing the flu among themselves and their siblings. This, in turn, causes longer hours for the clinics to keep up with the demands of worried parents. Still, even with his limited time, Wei Ying checked on Lan Zhan and left small gifts of teas, energy drinks, fruit, and protein bars on Lan Zhan's desk. These are the things that doctors and nurses live on to make it through their long and harried days.

At first, Lan Zhan wanted to refuse these gifts but knew how rude that would be, and he heard how hard the pediatric clinics were working, so he didn't want to appear ungrateful. Without realizing it, he came to depend on these gifts and the notes that came with them. He eagerly looked forward more to the notes from Wei Ying than the food. 

It's now Saturday afternoon; the hospital is quiet for a change. The morning clinic is done, and Wei Ying is still in the office. He has decided to stay back and finish decorating the clinic's lobby since they had no time during the hectic week. He hums to himself as he sets the boxes out to begin his project, happy to finally do something fun.

Meanwhile, Lan Zhan, having refused Wei Ying to show him around, is now a little lost. Wei Ying opened his office door as Lan Zhan reached for his phone to call his uncle for directions. Wei Ying beams at seeing Lan Zhan and grabs his arm to pull him into his office. 

"Great, so glad to finally see you; help me decorate my office lobby. It will be fun," says Wei Ying.

"I-I cannot; I have -have surgeries scheduled later this afternoon." stutters Lan Zhan.

"No, you don't, I checked. You're free this afternoon. Please, Lan Zhan, stop being grouchy and help me. I'll even buy you dinner if you want when we're done." said Wei Ying.

Without him noticing or to his knowledge, Lan Zhan did have fun, but he would never admit it, even to himself. He even smiled; though tiny, it was still there. Wei Ying noticed but never mentioned it, afraid to break the mood.

When done, Lan Zhan finally asked what had been on his mind all afternoon. 

"Why?"

"Why what? Lan Zhan."

"Why the North Pole theme?"

Wei Ying laughs, "My staff picks a different theme every year. This year was my turn. I chose the North Pole, complete with Santa's mailbox so that my patients and children visiting the hospital could leave their wishes in letters to Santa. We will try to grant as many as possible and do our best. See the sign over the mailbox?"

Lan Zhan looks up and reads the sign over the mailbox. It said All I want for Christmas is ...

Wei Ying shyly looks at Lan Zhan. "Of course, it could be open for adults as well."

Lan Zhan looks at Wei Ying and says nothing, but his mind is anxious. He tells himself to "Leave before you can't. He had never met anyone so joyful, childlike, and full of life. He was like a moth to a flame, constantly wanting to go where he knew he would burn. Burn with a desire that is sneaking into him like a smoldering fire. His smile, his cute bunny teeth, his shiny silver eyes, and that tinkling laugh that belongs to him. All serve to draw him closer and closer, and he's scared. It's too soon; what if he's wrong again? Where will he flee to then? But if he was true to himself, he hadn't thought about his previous lover and broken heart, not once since he saw this man. Still, the feeling of failure and embarrassment is too strong to deny."

To break the heavy silence, Wei Ying says, "So how about dinner as promised?"

Lan Zhan shakes his head no and says, "I have an appointment with my uncle upstairs."

"Who's your uncle?" asked Wei Ying.

"Dr. Lan Qiren, the neurosurgeon here."

"What! Really? Well, I can trump that. CEO Dr. Jiang is my adopted uncle. He's raised me since I was around five years old." giggles Wei Ying.

Now it's Lan Zhan's turn to be shocked. Perhaps this explains his lack of professionalism and decorum. He says goodbye and leaves to see his uncle. Upon seeing his uncle, he promptly asked him what he knew about Dr Wei Ying.

Suspicious, he asked, "Why? What do you want to know?

"I just don't understand him. Why is he so different? Huffs Lan Zhan.

Lan Qiren explains that Dr Wei has a brilliant mind and graduated three years ahead of schedule in medical school. He is considered a genius. He constantly searches for new ways to treat his tiny patients. He said that while he admits he's an excellent doctor, his lack of professionalism annoys him, and he sometimes feels his behavior is not befitting that of a doctor.

"You're not starting to adore him like everyone else, nephew?" asked Lan Qiren.

"What? Me? No? Like I said, I'm just trying to understand him. said Lan Zhan

But secretly, he thinks, "He is adorable, isn't he?" He's being drawn closer and closer to the flame and is pretty sure he will end up burned.