Dr. Yu Qing could hear the whispers as she passed.

"What's she doing with those?"

"Dr. Yu? No way!"

There was even one whispered "Holy shit."

Being the self-designated hospital hard ass had its perks but, if you broke the image for even a second, everyone noticed. Talked about it. Gossiped about it until it was blown out of proportion.

So what if she was trailing thirteen balloons behind her? Her brother had loved balloons since he was little kid. She had a lot to make up for so balloons were the only gift that would work.

Twelve of the balloons were bright and happy. Several were smiley faces. A few said things like 'Get Well Soon' and even 'I Love You'. The thirteenth Ballon was white with black lettering and simply said 'I'm Sorry'.

She just hoped he would forgive her.

She had royally fucked up.

It took some effort to get the balloons in to the elevator and more to get them out but her di-di was worth it.

As she entered, she noticed Nie Huaisang wasn't in the room which surprised her. He had been with A'Bin since he came into the hospital.

The next thing she noticed was her little brother was flushed. His eyes a little glassy looking. Did he have a fever?

She kept her smile in place enjoying how he lit up at the sight of the balloons. When he was three and she was nine, she had found him with his cheeks all puffed out and hopping off his little chair over and over.  When she asked him what he was doing, he told her he was going to grow up and be a balloon so he was practicing. The memory still made her smile. Even when things had been at their worst, she had always managed to have at least one balloon for his birthday.

She tied the floating mass at the foot of his bed. He looked at her and smiled. She was forgiven. She sighed in relief and if she wiped at her eyes, well, hospital air was dry.

His smile was huge as he lifted his arms, or tried to, so he could hug her. She grinned at him and kissed his forehead as she hugged him back. She was right. He was warm. Too warm.

"Where's your - hmm, I don't know what to call him. Where is Nie Huaisang?" There was none of the evasiveness she had shown earlier.

She nodded and smiled to everyone else in the room.

But she was watching Yu Bin. He looked tired.

"He went to shower and get clothes. He should be back soon though." Yu Bin was clearly pleased by the change in her attitude.

She moved so she was next to his hand. It hadn't gone down at all and the incision was an angry red. She released the velcro so she could look at his palm and was stunned to see the marks on his arm. It had been too tight with the recent swelling.

"How do you feel, Di-di?" she asked.

"Tired but I'll be fine soon." 

Yu Bin and his optimism.

"How long has your hand been swelling?" she looked him in the eye.

"Maybe lunch?" he had to think about it.

Now everyone else was paying attention.

"Why didn't you say something, Di-di?" her voice was soft.

"I thought... I don't know what I thought. Lan Xichen looked at it." He paused. "He said someone would come to clean it and ice it but no one came."

She looked at the board and laid it across his lap. He visibly relaxed.

"I'll be back. Keep your hand still, please." She gave him 'the look'.

He nodded and replied rather meekly. "Okay, JieJie."

Jiang Yanli met her at the door.

"What can we do to help?" Her gaze was calming somehow.

"Try to remind him not to move his arm. I'm going to call our appliances department. We have to rethink how we're doing this before his hand is an infected mess. There should also be a nurse here in the very near future to clean and ice his hand." Yu Qing wasn't happy and while her voice was neutral, her eyes were not.

"Appliances?" Yanli asked confused.

"Braces, supports, etcetera. Things that are applied to the body. I want to make a cradle for that arm. There is a piece that should work nicely. They use it as a base for several of the pieces they construct so they should have it..." She looked at Yanli and smiled. "Watch him for me, please."

"Not a problem." she smiled back.

A smile for Yu Bin and she left.

As soon as she left the room, the smile was gone. The guy who ran the Appliances department was a complete sleaze. He used his position to try and bully women into sleeping with him. Lan Xichen had two reports on him but both nurses had chosen to leave the hospital rather than deal with an inquiry.

She dialed his office.

"Appliances."

"This is Dr. Yu. I need an appliance. The base piece you use for braces. From above the elbow to a curled finger hand rest. Keep the ventilation holes if you can but it needs to be padded. I'll be there in two hours to pick it up. Is this possible?"
-----

Jiang Cheng was tired and worn out through and through. After filling out the arrest warrant for the missing gardner, he had picked up the few items Yanli asked for. The check out line was a mile long because people were being slow and stupid.

His patience was done.

Yu Qing had her back to him as he approached.

"-not going to dinner with you much less sleeping with you to get the brace I need for a patient, Hu Deming. It's not happening! How the hell did you get to be head of Appliances?" She was yelling in harsh tones that carried undertones of violence.

Jiang Cheng saw red.

He quietly entered the room and dropped off the items for Yanli, scruffled A'Yuan's hair and nodded at his brother and Lan Wangji.

"Back in a moment." he had said before he left almost bumping into Yu Qing as she came in now apparently talking to the nurses station.

He smiled at her and was gone before she could return it.

He nodded to his men on guard and continued on his way. He opened his phone and placed a call to the hospital operator.
-----

Hu Deming was sitting at his desk smiling smugly. He was pretty sure he was going to be able to add Yu Qing to his 'tally' which tickled him pink. He'd been after her for a year.

"Time for my sweet reward!" he congratulated himself and looked at the piece she had asked for already lying on his desk. Within two hours he could have it padded and rigged to hang. No problem.

Hu Deming was a total asshole but he was damn good at what he did.

A knock on his door brought him out of his gloating.

"Enter." he called. He was surprised at his visitor.

A uniformed police officer who looked pissed as shit.

"Are you Hu Deming?" Jiang Cheng's tone left no doubt as to his mood.

"Y-yes. Why?" Hu Deming stuttered.

"That's what I thought." He pulled out his handcuffs. "I believe I just listened to you try to extort sexual favors out of Dr. Yu. That's illegal." Jiang Cheng headed for Hu Deming with a look that begged him to resist.

"Whoa! Wait a minute! I-I would never do that! See? This is the piece she wants. Already have it out and about to start on it!" Hu Deming's voice was two octaves higher than normal as he was backing across the room.

"Are you suggesting I misunderstood?" Jiang Cheng asked with poorly disguised disgust.

"Yes! Definitely!" Hu Deming was almost babbling.

Jiang Cheng stalked him across the room and was standing inches from him. The blood shot eyes from lack of sleep didn't help with his crazed look.

"If I hear even a whisper of a possible rumor you pulled this bullshit again with any woman but especially with Dr. Yu, I'll be back and have you in a cell so fast your fucking head will spin. Do. You. Understand. Me."

The words were growled.

Hu Deming was nodding so fast his head looked like a bobble head doll**.

"Say it." The two words were ground out.

"I-I won't s-sexually extort -"

Jiang Cheng interrupted him. "Or harass." He was staring the man in the eyes. There wasn't an inch of leeway.

"Or harass a-anyone." he managed to get out.

"Ever."

"E-ever." His voice was shaking.

"You have two hours from -" he glanced at his watch. "From now to deliver what she wanted. You will also apologize for your 'misunderstanding'. Got it?" Jiang Cheng was furious. This slimy bastard had been the last straw on his day.

"Yes. I g-got it." Hu Deming was fairly sure the cop was over the line but he was also fairly sure the cop was crazy. He wasn't willing to risk it.

"I-I'll be there. T-two hours." He gulped.

"I'm timing you." was the last thing Jiang Cheng said to him.

When the door closed, Hu Deming rushed for his desk.
------

Jiang Cheng returned to the room all smiles. ShiJie was already laying out a dinner for everyone. Apparently, A'Yuan had asked for fried chicken so everyone but the two recovering surgery patients were having fried chicken.

Wei Ying was arguing that it was cruelty to eat fried chicken in front of him and not share. The whole time he was arguing, Lan Wangji was feeding him the chicken and rice he was complaining about.

Yu Bin seemed to be happy with it as he sat eating with only an occasional hiss of pain as his sister cleaned his wound.

Nie Huaisang had returned while Jiang Cheng was gone and was looking concerned at the redness of the incision. He and Yu Qing were talking quite calmly about what needed to happen to keep the infection from getting worse.

Thing's were going smoothly as everyone talked and enjoyed a relaxing evening with each other.

If Jiang Cheng checked his watch frequently, no one seemed to notice.

It was five minutes shy of two hours when there was a knock at the door.

Dr. Yu opened the door and was surprised to see Hu Deming.
He was holding the requested brace before him like an offering.

He kept glancing over her shoulder. She turned her head and realized Hu Deming was looking at Jiang Cheng.

Jian Cheng was boring holes into the man with his stare.

"I-I'm really sorry about the m-misunderstanding earlier. Won't happen again. Ever." He handed her the brace, bobbed a quick bow and was almost running as he left.

She turned to look at Jiang Cheng with an eyebrow raised in question.

He smiled at her and shrugged slightly.

Looking him in the eyes, she smiled back.
-----
Jiang Cheng and Yu Qing style fluff. 😁😁😁

Bobble head dolls have the head on a spring so they bounce back and forth wildly.

Hugs Everyone!!

❤️🍫🫖❤️