Gu Poison

   They arrive at LiMei’s apartment and Rui tries to wake up LiMei who is comfortably nestled in his warm embrace. He is reluctant to part with LiMei but he has to get to the hospital to treat Gunnar Hedwig’s mother. First, he needs to go to his villa and retrieve the Gu worm locked in his safe.

He tenderly kisses her forehead and brushes the long strands of hair that fell onto her face. Rui’s voice is filled with tenderness as he whispers in her ear. “Wake up Baby.” Feeling his warm breath tickle her neck she wrinkles her nose. Rui’s thin lips curl up into an arc gazing at LiMei’s cute expression as her small hand touches his face and she softly says, “Sleep.”

He decides to carry her to her apartment. Rui looks in her purse for keys and when he doesn’t see them he recalls she put an extra set under the flower pot in front of her door. He instructs Hak Byung-Soo to go ahead and open the door.

   He hugs her up the steps. When they enter her tiny apartment, Rui frowns, I forgot how small this place is. Looking at the screen in front of her bed she uses to separate her sleeping area, he has a faint smile. That night I was here and you were dressing behind the screen, I desperately wanted to peek at your body. He gazes down at her lovingly, now there is no beautiful part of you I haven’t seen and enjoyed.

   Rui lays LiMei on the bed then covers her with a blanket. This apartment is too cold and drafty. He looks for the thermostat and turns on the heat. Maybe I should take her to the villa, I don’t like leaving her here. No…She will be angry with me if I do.  He walks back over to the bed and LiMei is curled under the blanket. After tucking the blanket around her petite body he sits on the edge of the bed watching her sleep. Running his slender finger gently down her cheek his eyes contain dark possessiveness and obsession. Baby,you are so beautiful. I want to spoil you and always keep you by my side.

Lowering his head he kisses her pink lips then picks up her small hand. Kissing each of her delicate fingers he has the urge to press her into his bones. Rui touches the delicate silver ring on her ring finger. Marry me LiMei…marry me.. have my babies and never leave me.

Rui suddenly has a solemn and gloomy expression thinking about LiMei’s cold attitude last night. Baby, I will do whatever it takes even if it means locking you away. So don’t think about escaping..you are mine only mine.

He waits to make sure the heater is working properly then walks to the door.  Glancing back he smiles when he hears LiMei  muttering, “Ruiii.” while hugging her pillow.

   He keeps the key instead of putting it back under the flower pot. He goes down the stairs. Little fool.. Cheng opens the back door of the Rolls Royce Phantom, and Rui says, “Go to the villa.”

    Gunnar Hedwig is getting impatient waiting for Rui to arrive at the hospital. Bai Chinyu arranged a  luxurious VIP room in the vacant Holistic Care Wing and his mother is sleeping peacefully; she has no idea why he is angry. She politely asks,“Mr. Hedwig, can I bring you a cup of tea? There is also a resting room if you are tired from your trip.” If Dr. Qiao doesn’t get here soon, I will lose it completely! I have been managing all the affairs of the hospital for a week dealing with one problem after another. He did give me a bonus but this man is on my last nerve. I don’t know who the hell he thinks he is!

   Gunnar Hedwig is pacing back and forth in front of his mother’s bed, “Call him again.”

   Bai Chinyu takes out her phone and the door opens. She breathes a sigh of relief, “Dr. Qiao.”

   Gunnar Hedwig growls, “Where have you been?’

   Rui calmly says, “Bai Chinyu, you can leave.” 

  She hurries to the door before he can change his mind. 

  Rui walks over to the bed, “Hedwig, you can’t rush this. Your mother has been poisoned for a very long time. I told you the medicine I gave her when I was in Paris would alleviate the symptoms and she would be comfortable. I went to a great deal of trouble to get the antidote. There is only one in this world. Do you want your impatience to destroy your mother’s recovery?”

   Gunnar Hedwig clenches his fist in his pocket. He sneers, “It better work if it doesn’t I won’t hesitate to grab your little sweetheart.”

   Rui’s eyes darken and rolling flames are at the bottom of his eyes, “Do you think you have the ability to threaten me? Do you think I actually trusted you to keep your end of the agreement? In the past month I have made the necessary arrangements, aligning myself with someone who has the means to completely expose your illegal activities. Chronus would be destroyed and you..well… once your true self was revealed,your legitimate businesses would be destroyed along with your Underworld Organization”. He lifts a swordlike eyebrow, “I acquired the antidote in good faith and I am definitely the only man who can save your mother. You would be foolish if you believed that once she is saved you can betray me.”

   “Alright..alright..you made your point. Now solve the poison.”

   “You need to leave.”

   “No. I want to see for myself that you give Mother the antidote.”

   “Unlike you when I give my word it means something. I don’t want to be distracted. Leave.”

  Rui steps over to the bed and checks Hannah Hedwig’s vital signs. The medicine worked well. He takes out his silver needles from his medicine bag and inserts one into her neck and then one by her clavicle. After a few moments he removes them, when he does Hannah Hedwig opens her eyes. She blinks a few times then looks at Rui, “Ahh…the handsome Chinese doctor.”

   He smiles, “Mrs. Hedwig. How do you feel?’

   Although Hannah Hedwig is over fifty years old she has a beautiful appearance. After she began taking the medicine her complexion improved and she no longer suffered any hair loss. She stretches her arms as she yawns, “The Chinese medicine worked wonderfully. This past month I felt better than I have in years.”

  “Well, I will be honest with you. I asked your son to leave the room because I don’t know if he would want you to have this information. But, I think you have a right to know. You were poisoned, which is why you have been sick intermittently through the years. If you left your husband for a period of time the symptoms would occur correct? When he died the symptoms worsened again and then became worse as time went on, am I right?

   She has an incredulous expression on her face, “Well yes.”

   “Your husband conspired with someone who was able to obtain Gu poison. I don’t know if you want to pursue this matter but I believe you should be aware. The antidote I am giving you is also a Gu worm but it will devour the one that has been living in your stomach. It then will die. You should be symptom free after a weeks rest.”

   Hannah Hedwig’s face turns pale, she gulps down her saliva, “That is insidious.”

  “Which is why I’m telling you. If they discover you are in good health they might attempt to poison you again.”

   Hannah Hedwig is a smart woman and is suspicious of his motives. Most people are afraid of her son and try to curry favor with him.“Why are you telling me? Particularly if my son won’t be happy about it?”

  “ Because I know that your son only listens to you. I went to a great deal of trouble to secure this antidote. I did it to protect someone I love very much not particularly because I wanted to save you. Now I am concerned once you are recovered he will have second thoughts. The person I love to him is merely a profitable commodity.”

   She laughs, “I think you could have left out the part, ‘I didn’t care about saving you’. I had the impression you were a benevolent man.”

  “No. I also look at profit and losses.”

  “I appreciate your honesty. I will keep Gunnar in check, you are saving my life and your warning is an eye opener.”

   She gazes at the handsome man’s profile as he reaches into his black bag.“You must love this woman very much.”

   “I do. Now let’s begin. I am going to feed you a bitter concoction that is unpaltable. You can not spit it out. You must eat the entire bowl. I suggest you close your eyes while I prepare the antidote.” He opens an intricately carved box,  a glass jar inside contains a frightening looking crimson red creature.