Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)

Seconds stretched into hours and the overcast night sky was aglow with the radiance of the city’s bustling activity. But inside He Juan’s hospital room, it was pitch-black as if darkness itself had descended and filled every corner of the space. A dim ray of light spilled in through the gap of the curtain, falling right beside his feet where he sat on the chair beside the bed, his entire body immersed within the shadows – motionless still.

His gaze was fixed on the unconscious man in front of him, tracing over soft lines and curves of his features covered by the oxygen mask before falling to the bandages around his neck, then his pale wrist that was connected with IV drips and heartbeat monitor.

With the monotone beeps filling his ears, He Juan stared at the steady motion of Mu Yuze’s chest, almost obsessed, as though it was the only way he could confirm that the omega was still alive and breathing.

His buzzing mind kept repeating the apology he had heard from Doctor Tang earlier. For the sake of Mu Yuze’s dignity, he had wiped the omega’s body down in a hurry and dressed him in one of the spare hospital gowns before he pressed on the nurse button. He was certain that the nurse had gotten the shock of her life when she entered to find He Juan clutching the unconscious man in his arms, his eyes wild in fear and terror. She’d given him a few words and comfort and ran out to call Doctor Tang. And when the elderly doctor came, He Juan had haltingly described what had happened – such a pathetic and stuttering mess he was – but thank God the doctor had understood without He Juan going into the details.

However, his face had immediately turned grave, and the words he said had been echoing in He Juan’s mind ever since. Just like a curse.

"My deepest apologies, Mr. He. This is all our fault. We should have told you without any delay but because your condition has just shown signs of improving this morning, we one-sidedly decided to keep it for the sake of your recovery." The ’we’ he was talking about was none other than him and Jia Molei. Aside from the two of them who were the doctors in charge of He Juan, there was no third person who knew it.

What did he say again?

Mu Yuze’s gland was... rejecting him? Rejecting his pheromones because... He Juan had hurt him so badly?

He Juan was dazed, distraught and panicked. He almost could not digest what the doctor told him. His first reaction had been disbelief because how... how was it possible for Mu Yuze to reject him – his true mate, his other half that was created just for him? But reality had slapped him so hard that he had no choice but to face the truth. Because Mu Yuze had swallowed his essence that was thick with pheromones, his body had gone into shock and he had been unconscious ever since.

Doctor Tang could not even ascertain when he would wake up, because such a case where rejection happened between true mates was unheard of before...

"It is a kind of traumatic reaction," Doctor Tang had explained kindly – or sympathetically – upon seeing how aghast He Juan was by the news. "Just like how humans can suffer from PTSD[1] after a horrible accident, it can also occur to glands. However, this situation will not be permanent. We have planned a few treatments such as medication and therapy that may promote his recovery. Please rest assured, Mr. He, I will do everything to make sure that nothing will happen to the bond between the two of you." After saying this, hesitation crossed Doctor Tang’s face. "I am sure that I have emailed it to Mr. Mu, but why..."

He Juan could no longer hear the rest of the sentence. His mind was repeating the two words ’traumatic reaction’ again and again. His mate, his true mate, the love of his life... was traumatized by that one accident where he had lost control of himself. It was a fact he could not change no matter what. Even if he was not lucid, even if he was under the influence of drugs, even if everyone tried to tell him that it was not his fault... the fact remained unchanged. He had hurt his omega with his own hands, and now...

A burst of hot anger surged up his chest. He was furious at Doctor Tang and Jia Molei because why the hell didn’t they tell He Juan?! Shouldn’t that important news be told to the related party at once?! If... If he had known the condition of Mu Yuze’s gland beforehand, he would not have attempted to do something like that even if it killed him! But then, his logical mind reasoned that he was a patient who had just gotten out of the ICU this morning. As the doctors in charge, they had the authority to withhold some news from him if they thought that it would hinder his recovery. If something had gone wrong, He Juan entering the ICU ward for the second time was not completely impossible.

And then, he couldn’t help but get angry at Mu Yuze. He... He must have felt the pain, must have felt the discomfort early on. But why didn’t he say anything? Why must he be so foolish as to endure everything silently? But most of all, the one he was angriest with was none other than himself because... was he not the source of all of this mess?

How... they had been so happy being in each other’s arms a moment ago, so how did everything become like this in a blink of an eye?

A small part of him even entertained the thought of ’what ifs’ – what if Mu Yuze’s mate was not him? What if the one fated for Mu Yuze was not He Juan? Then... would the omega be safe from harm? Would he be healthy, cared for, cherished and loved just like how he deserved to be? Would he be treated better, even way better than He Juan could have ever done? However, just the mere thought of another person standing beside Mu Yuze, just the mere thought of another person claiming what was his was enough to cause him heart-wrenching pain.

No... he couldn’t. He could not let this person go. He swore to God, he just couldn’t. Anything but that. But what should he do so that Mu Yuze would not get hurt anymore in the future? He Juan sat by the bedside and pondered on this question for a long, long time...

From denial, anger, depression to calm acceptance, He Juan had gone through this rollercoaster of emotions within a short one and a half hours. It left him utterly drained afterward. If breathing had not been an unconscious act of the body, he might have stopped doing it long ago.

Due to this accident, the whole personnel in the Pheromones Department was finally alarmed. Even the nurse, who had shown Mu Yuze the way earlier, dropped by to apologize profusely.

He Juan forced a smile on his face and told her that it was not her fault. And when the nurse finally left after apologizing two more times, He Juan went back to staring at Mu Yuze, as though he would be able to see a miracle if he ceased to blink. He had no idea how long he stayed in that position until a knock on the door snapped him out of his reverie.

It was Su Xieren. Instead of the usual nurse, he had come to bring He Juan his dinner. "Da-ge, may I come in?" He asked, almost politely.

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[1] PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event.