Yao placed the plate of dumplings he had made on the kitchen counter and leaned against it, clutching the right side of his lower abdomen. A sharp pain wrecked through his body, and Yao covered his mouth with his other hand, letting out a muffled grunt.

Yao had been feeling this pain and discomfort two days ago, but it had gotten unbearable the day before. But the good news was that the pain was not constant – sometimes, there was a dull throbbing in the area, and most of the time, it was a sharp pain.

Yao knew he should probably seek medical help, but he couldn't afford to be incapacitated. He had a lot of meetings to attend and quite a number of diplomatic visits to make.

Yao hadn't been aware that he had shut his eyes. He opened them, composed himself, and picked up the plate of dumplings. He brought them out to the dining hall, where Hong Kong was waiting for him.

Hong Kong looked up when Yao entered the dining hall. He offered Yao a smile, but got a grimace from Yao in return. What was up with Yao?

When Hong Kong peered closely at Yao, he noticed a sheen of sweat covering Yao's brow.

"Teacher, like, are you alright?" inquired Hong Kong.

"Huh?" Yao glanced at Hong Kong. "I'm fine, aru."

"You look… uncomfortable," observed Hong Kong. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Yao assured Hong Kong. "I'm fine." He ruffled Hong Kong's hair affectionately to convince him that everything was alright.

Hong Kong frowned. Yao obviously wasn't alright. "Well, do you need any help bringing the food out?"

"I… ah, everything's out already, aru," said Yao. "But if you could bring the rice out, that would be great."

"Okay." Hong Kong moved to get out of his chair, but his hand accidentally knocked his mp3 player off the table. He quickly moved to catch it as it fell, but in the process, his elbow bumped Yao's stomach. "Oops, I'm sorry…" But when Hong Kong turned around to face Yao, it was clear that Yao was not okay.

There was no mistaking the quiet whimper that escaped Yao's lips. Yao exhaled loudly, his hand gripping the side of his abdomen, and he sunk painfully into a chair.

Hong Kong quickly straightened himself up and stooped down beside Yao. He placed his hand gently on Yao's lap. "I didn't even like, bump you that hard, and yet… Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Yao wheezed. He was still holding on to the side of his abdomen. "You just caught me by surprise, aru."

"No-"

Hong Kong was cut off by Arthur's entrance. "Good evening, my lovelies! It's snowing and I'm cold, but I'm ready to fill my empty stomach with food!"

Somehow, Yao felt nauseated at the mention of food. Which was ironic, because a whole lot of food was laid out on the dining table before him. "I… I can't…" Yao's hand flew to cover his mouth and he ran off. His right hand was still clutching onto his side.

Arthur was at a loss. He stood at the doorway looking like a forlorn little puppy. "All I said that I was ready to have dinner… What was so revolting about that?"

Hong Kong sighed. He got to his feet. "Teacher's unwell. I can tell," he said. "He just doesn't want to admit it."

"Oh?" Arthur's expression turned serious. He quickly closed the door behind him. He didn't want to let too much cold air in if Yao was sick. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Hong Kong shrugged. "Earlier on, I bumped my elbow against Teacher's stomach, and he kinda doubled over in pain. It wasn't even that hard…"

"Hm." Arthur looked towards the direction Yao had disappeared to. Wordlessly, he took off in that direction, and Hong Kong trailed behind him.

Arthur and Hong Kong found Yao in the bathroom, bent over the toilet bowl and vomiting.

Arthur got down on his knees and placed his left arm around Yao's shoulder. With his other hand, he began rubbing Yao's back comfortingly.

When Yao had stopped heaving into the toiled bowl, he turned and smiled weakly at Arthur. "Looks like I don't have the stomach for dinner tonight, aru…"

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Hong Kong. "You're sick!"

"Love, Hong Kong's right – you don't look well," Arthur pointed out. "Why don't I take you to the hospital?"

"No!" gasped Yao, whipping his head around to stare at Arthur. "I can't… I can't… I have a lot of things to do…"

"What things?" Hong Kong asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yao shut his eyes. "Meetings… visits…"

"I'm sure your boss will understand," said Arthur soothingly. "Come on – I'll take you to the hospital."

"But…" Yao looked at Arthur, and then at Hong Kong. He looked unsure.

"Where does it hurt?"

It was then Arthur noticed that the Chinese man was grasping the right side of his lower abdomen. "Let me see." Arthur gently pried Yao's fingers away from his abdomen and lifted Yao's shirt to get a better look at the area. But Yao's stomach was unblemished. There were no signs of obvious injury.

Then, realisation dawned upon Arthur. "I think it may be his appendix."

"Huh?" Hong Kong looked at Arthur questioningly.

"I think it's appendicitis," said Arthur.

"Isn't it like, dangerous?" asked Hong Kong in fear.

"Sometimes," replied Arthur. "If not treated. Okay," he turned to Yao. "I'm taking you to the hospital now." Arthur was contemplating calling an ambulance, but with the weather conditions, it would be faster if he brought Yao to the hospital himself.

"I…" Yao sighed and gave up protesting. Who was he kidding? He needed medical attention. Yao started to stand up, but Arthur gathered him into his arms, bridal-style. "Hey! I can walk, aru!"

Arthur ignored Yao. "It is going to be difficult getting to the hospital because of the snow," Arthur told Hong Kong as they quickly made their way out of Yao's house. "But we'll get there. I want you to stay in the back seat with Yao – make sure he doesn't pass out."

Hong Kong nodded. He locked the house door behind him and got into the back of Arthur's car where Arthur had put Yao. After Hong Kong has closed the door, he brushed the snow that had fallen on himself and Yao off, and shifted Yao so that Yao was leaning on him. "Alright there, Teacher?"

Yao could only nod noiselessly.

Arthur got into the driver's seat and revved up his engine.

"Are you sure you can drive in all this snow?" asked Hong Kong worriedly as he looked out of the window.

"We have no choice!" said Arthur. He looked behind and reversed out of the driveway. There were no cars on the road, so there was no traffic impeding their way to the hospital. "An ambulance would take far too long in this weather!"

Yao rested his head on Hong Kong's shoulder. He stared out of the window, and was pleased at how beautiful the snow looked outside. It comforted him. It almost made him forget about the pain in his abdomen. Almost.

Yao wasn't aware that he was starting to drift off. Hong Kong slapped him lightly on the cheek. "Don't fall asleep!"

"Huh?"

"Don't fall asleep! If you do, you might not wake again!"

Yao wanted to mention that they were nations and were hardier than simply falling asleep and never waking up. But he could not be bothered then. Instead, Yao hummed.

"Okay, okay… Like, talk to me," ordered Hong Kong.

"Huh?"

"Talk to me," Hong Kong repeated. "Tell me all the random things you usually say to me."

"Mm… I thought you said that was annoying, aru…"

"If that will keep you awake, then I don't care!"

Yao inhaled, and began speaking. He spoke mainly of Chinese history and how the various wars panned out. He was in the middle of retelling the Battle of Chibi when Yao felt Arthur's car jolt to a stop.

"We're here," announced Arthur.

Yao was taken to the Emergency Room, where a doctor examined him and confirmed that it was indeed appendicitis. They would have to remove his appendix soon. But in the meantime, while waiting for an operating theatre to free up, the doctor drew some blood from Yao for a blood test to detect the level of leukocytes in his blood in case his appendix had already ruptured and there was an infection.

Yao was lying in one of the Emergency Room beds while waiting. Arthur was sitting by his side, holding his hand comfortingly.

"Arthur," whispered Yao. His voice was shaking.

"Hm?"

"I'm scared, aru."

"Don't be," murmured Arthur. "The doctor will remove your appendix and everything will be okay. I'll be here when you wake."

"What if I don't?" Yao knew it was silly to think that he wouldn't come out from this surgery in one piece. After all, he had been through worse during war. But war was one thing – he could fight, he was in control of himself. This… this was out of his control. Yao was terrified when he wasn't in control.

Arthur smiled at him and pushed some of the hair that had fallen into Yao's face back. "Yao, it's just a simple procedure. A lot of people have gotten their appendices removed and lived."

Yao didn't say anything in reply to that. He sniffed and looked away from the Englishman.

"Don't worry, okay?" Arthur leaned forward and planted a kiss on Yao's forehead.

Just then, the doctor approached Arthur and Yao.

Arthur stood up to greet the doctor.

The doctor was holding a piece of paper. "Looks like an operating theatre is free now," he told them. "They're just disinfecting and preparing it, so we are ready for you."

Yao glanced at Arthur.

The doctor continued. "Well, based on your blood test results, there is a bit of white blood cells in it, indicating that your appendix may have ruptured. But the level of white blood cells is small, so I don't think it has been very long since it ruptured. It's going to be a bit more complicated, but we'll manage."

Yao felt his heart sink at the doctor's words. Did that mean that the likelihood of him dying during the surgery was higher?

Meanwhile, Arthur nodded grimly. In all honesty, he dreaded hearing those words from the doctor. But what could he do? If Yao's appendix had ruptured, it had ruptured.

"Ready?" the doctor looked at Yao.

Yao bit his lower lip and his eyes shone in determination. "Yes." He subsequently gave Arthur's hand a small squeeze, and he shifted his gaze to rest on Arthur. "I love you."

Arthur smiled at Yao. "I love you too," he replied. He brought Yao's hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "I'll be here when you come out of surgery."

It was at that moment the nurses on duty unlocked Yao's bed and began wheeling him out of the Emergency Room. Arthur let go of Yao's hand when it was no longer within his reach.

Hong Kong returned at that moment. He was holding a packed sandwich for Arthur. "Oh? Are they like, operating now?"

Arthur nodded. "Yeah. He'll be alright."

"Good thing you knew it was appendicitis, huh?"

Arthur chuckled. "No, it was just a hunch. Turns out my hunch was correct, so…" he shrugged.

"Anyway, this is for you." Hong Kong handed the sandwich to Arthur. "They didn't have many choices left in the cafeteria."

"That's okay," replied Arthur. "I hadn't realised how hungry I am!"

When Yao came to, he was aware that he was shivering. Which was weird, because he could see a rather thick blanket draped over his body.

Immediately, a nurse's face appeared within his blurry vision. "Hello!" she greeted him with a wide smile. "Can you hear me?"

The Asian man tried to talk, but realised that he couldn't. For one, his throat was too dry. For another, his lips didn't seem to be obeying him. So, Yao nodded weakly.

"Good," the nurse nodded, seemingly satisfied. "You're in the Recovery Room, where we house patients recovering from anaesthetic after major surgery," she explained.

That was all well and good, but Yao couldn't understand why he felt so cold and wouldn't stop trembling.

The nurse then noticed that Yao was shivering. "Oh, you poor thing! You're shaking!" she exclaimed. "It's the after-effects of anaesthesia," she said. "We've tried to keep you as warm as possible during the surgery, but sometimes that doesn't work when the patient is recovering from the anaesthesia. But don't worry, you'll warm up as soon as your body rids itself of the anaesthesia."

Yao looked at the nurse blearily.

"Well, I'll leave you for a moment to fully get back your bearings and all that," the nurse cheerfully said before she walked away.

So Yao was left to himself, alone with his thoughts. He stared at the ceiling. Briefly, he wondered what time it was and how long he'd spent in the operating theatre.

True to the nurse's word, slowly and with time, Yao's vision cleared up and his shivering gradually got less. He even managed to turn his head and look around at the few nurses in the Recovery Room busy tending to other patients who had also just woken up from anaesthesia.

After a while of Yao staring at the ceiling, eventually, the same nurse returned to observe Yao. "Well, it looks like you're coping well with anaesthesia recovery – you look better than some of the patients who had woken up earlier than you," she chirped happily. "You're good to leave!"

"Thanks," Yao managed to rasp.

The nurse blinked in surprise. She didn't expect Yao to be so coherent yet. Nevertheless, she grinned at him. "Not a problem!" she replied. "My colleagues will wheel you to your ward."

Shortly after, two male nurses brought Yao up to his ward.

When Yao's bed was pushed out of the Recovery Room, Arthur was leaning on the wall and waiting in the hallway. As soon as he caught sight of the nurses manoeuvring Yao's bed out, he adjusted his pose and stood up straight. Whilst Yao was pushed past Arthur, he peered at Yao and beamed down at Yao. He began walking along with the nurses who were escorting Yao to his room. "Alright there, love?"

Yao smiled weakly at Arthur. Had Arthur been waiting for him at the hospital all this while?

They finally reached Yao's ward on the fourth floor of the hospital. After the nurses had locked Yao's bed in place and made sure he was comfortable, they told Arthur to feel free to ring them if Yao was uncomfortable or if anything was wrong. Then, with a wave at Yao, the nurses left Arthur and Yao alone.

"You were in there for three hours," Arthur told Yao, placing a hand on Yao's head. "I was a bit worried – I thought that there were complications," Arthur admitted sheepishly. "But the doctor talked to me earlier after the operation, and told me that everything went fine despite your appendix having ruptured. He'll prescribe you some antibiotics to ward off the minor infection."

Yao's smile had not left his face. He brought his hand up shakily to lightly touch Arthur's.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Water," whispered Yao hoarsely.

"Right…" Arthur poured some water from the filled jug on Yao's bedside table into a cup that the hospital had supplied. After that, he helped Yao to slowly move his head upright so that he could drink the liquid.

Yao clutched the cup Arthur gave him and sipped the drink tentatively. When he was sure he was capable of drinking without throwing up, Yao gulped down the entire cup.

"Hey, hey!" Arthur chided. "Slowly! It's not going to run away from you!"

As soon as Yao was done, he passed the cup back to Arthur, licked his lips and softly laid his head back down on the pillow. "Thanks," he said. His voice sounded a lot clearer now. "I'm sorry I ruined our dinner plans, aru."

From the bedside table where Arthur was putting back the cup, he turned behind to stare at Yao incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous, Yao. And please don't apologise for anything – you're not in the wrong. No one is."

Yao pressed his lips together. "Still."

Arthur took a seat in a chair by Yao's bed. "By the way, I sent Hong Kong to let your boss know you're here, so he shouldn't expect you to go back to work or anything for the next week or so."

"Oh god," Yao sighed, clapping his right hand on his forehead. "I am so going to get it from him when I get out of here…"

Arthur smirked at Yao. "Then run away with me. Let's run away to a place where neither of our bosses can find us. And it will be just the two of us with nothing to interrupt us, forever…"

Yao laughed. But it proved too much for the stitches from the surgery to bear. As an unexpected pain shot through the stitched up incision on his abdomen, Yao gasped and gripped the bedsheets in his hand. "Shit, must remember not to laugh so suddenly, aru," he muttered. "Arthur, as romantic as that sounds, I don't think we could pull it off."

The Englishman grinned. "I know. I was kidding. It worked, didn't it?"

"The joke?"

"Sort of. I mean, making you laugh. I haven't seen you laugh in a while."

"Oh. Well, excuse me – I was in pain, aru."

Arthur leaned back in his chair. "It's okay – I'm not blaming anyone."

"What time is it, incidentally?"

Arthur glanced at his wrist watch. "Slightly after three in the morning. Are you tired?"

"No," Yao replied. He frowned. "Surprisingly, I'm not."

"Well, you've spent the better part of four hours conked out," Arthur smirked.

Arthur took Yao's hand in his. "Well, are YOU tired, aru?" Yao asked. "You've had a full day, and when you came over, you took me to the hospital…"

Arthur shook his head. "I'm alright," he smiled gently at Yao. "Don't worry about me."

With some minor effort, Yao pulled Arthur's hand to his cheek and rubbed his cheek softly against Arthur's hand. "Thanks. Thanks for everything, aru."

Arthur looked affectionately at the Chinese man. "I love you," he simply said.

A/N – I am aware that it would be more dramatic (and nicer?) if Yao came out of anaesthesia with Arthur present and fawning over him in his ward or something. I observe that this happens in many fics taking place in a hospital with surgery. But I don't think it is realistic. When I had an operation done on me, I recovered from the anaesthesia in a Recovery Room (or Post-Anaesthesia Care Unit) with many nurses bustling around, and not a familiar face was in sight. I think this happens when you're conscious before they administer the anaesthetic (I'm not sure about cases whereby you're unconscious before surgery such as in instances of accidents). Later on, I found out that the reason that all hospitals do that is because there can be complications when coming out of anaesthesia, and the hospital wants you to come out of anaesthesia with trained nurses around so that they can monitor that just in case something bad happens.