passenger

The final chapter

Qiao Hao began to frantically search for Shi Dongdong.

The last time he was looking for him like this was when he was leaving the "courtyard". That time, he was lucky to find him quickly, but this time, the god of luck did not favor him.Shi Dongdong seemed to have really disappeared in this city, just like when he transferred to junior high school, there was no news at all.

When he went to Shi Chongshan's company, he always got the answer that Mr. Shi was abroad and the general manager was in charge of the company's affairs.When he called Chen Zhi, the voice on the other end was always voice, the number you dialed is not in the service area.

As for Shi Dongdong, his cell phone number is already empty.

For a whole month, Qiao Hao didn't go to work in the hospital.He used up all his official and annual vacations, and even went to the city where he and Shi Dongdong went to the concert together, but wandering in unfamiliar streets, without any sense of familiarity, as if the previous visits were just a trance dream.

When he got home again, Qiao Hao was so haggard that his family was surprised. A prisoner released after serving his sentence was no more than his appearance at this time.With a scumbag beard and the sour smell of a homeless man, he has lost a lot of weight, and even his eyes seem to have lost their vitality.

When Qiao Min saw him, he slapped him straight away.

"Do you think your parents raised you because they want to see you as immortal? If that person really dies, do you want to go to the funeral with him!"

"I just want to know how he is now..." Qiao Hao was dizzy from that slap, he never knew that Qiao Min had such great strength.

The hoarse voice of her younger brother made Qiao Min's furious emotions lose support. Her younger brother is almost thirty. He has never really been in a relationship. He has avoided countless arranged blind dates. He confessed to his family Personality, but he has kept silent about the missing Shi Dongdong for a long time... Qiao Min suddenly felt scared. As a doctor, his younger brother has always been clean and gentle. When has he been so sloppy and lethargic?

She didn't know if Shi Dongdong was gone, but the fear of losing her brother suddenly spread.

"Dongdong went to your place to look for you one day when Mom was in the hospital." Qiao Min took a deep breath. Even if she was going to hide some things for the rest of her life, she still couldn't escape when it was time to confess. "You were in Mom's ward that day. Take care of her, I will prepare lunch for Mom at your house."

Qiao Hao's eyes widened in a daze, Qiao Min's appearance seemed to be telling a long-lost secret, which made him nervous for no reason.

"He was panting when he came, as if he came running over. He didn't wear a hat, mask, or even socks, and his hospital gown was crumpled. He just asked me where you are," Qiao Min bit Lips pursed, it took some stubborn persistence to continue this "confession", "I told him that you were taking care of Mom in the hospital, and I also told him that Mom was hospitalized because of him."

Qiao Hao was speechless, the long-standing chaos had gradually become clear when Huo Yan said to him, "You may have misunderstood something", and at this moment, Qiao Min's words were about to make that clarity even more naked, That was the truth that he had been doubting all along, the sincerity that he almost abandoned indifferently because of his doubts.

He watched Qiao Min's lips open and close, and tried to calmly restore their conversation with him at that time, until he heard Qiao Min say, "He said he likes you, he said he knew what he should do, he said he always That's how it was done..."

"Okay, don't say any more!" Qiao Hao lowered his voice and stopped Qiao Min.He looked at Qiao Min in despair, his eyes were flushed red, and the tears that didn't flow from the eye sockets flowed down the nose tube, "Sister, I always thought you were on my side."

"I still am!" Qiao Min frowned tightly.

"Why can you be so cruel? He's already like that. At that time, he must have been so desperate to come to me like that!" Qiao Hao's heart trembled. He couldn't imagine that Shi Dongdong came looking for me without even wearing socks. Own scene, if he was at home, if all the things the man wanted to say were said to him...

"You shouldn't have told me this..." Qiao Hao leaned against the wall, he didn't know how he would face his sister and the parents who were with her in the future.

"Why should I tell you this?" Qiao Min seemed angrier than him, and raised his voice, "Because I would rather you hate me forever than see you like this! Why do you think Shi Dongdong will leave you? Because he loves you! Because he doesn’t want you to be sad because he will die! Because he wants you to live a good life! But you are completely disappointing him now! Don’t you understand? My parents and I are very selfish , we only want you to be well, Shi Dongdong is great, and he also hopes that you can be well! You are not for me and mom and dad, but for him, is that okay? Don't live like this anymore!"

Qiao Min is like a crazy woman, pulling up Qiao Hao by the wall and shouting, as if he once went out to play in the rain when he was a child, and after returning home, he had a high fever, and the neighbor's grandmother "called" him back like this Same.

"You... are all equally selfish." Qiao Hao rushed out the door, not wanting to stay with Qiao Min for another second.

After all, Qiao Hao was "called" back by Qiao Min, and he went back to work in the hospital.

Soon, the chief resident was promoted, and Qiao Hao almost became the busiest person in the hospital. He worked six 24-hour shifts every week, and his mobile phone kept ringing every day. Except for his own department of respiratory medicine, he almost He ran around in the emergency room and ICU, and he slept almost from the beginning to the end in the only rest time of the day.

People still come to and leave the hospital every day. In the ICU, the parting between life and death is even worse than before. Many people are sent from the emergency room, because the accident has not had time to say goodbye, and they are separated from their loved ones forever.The wailing of the family members and the lifeless face of the deceased often make him feel overwhelmed for a long time. No matter how many times he experiences death, he will never get used to it.

Moreover, he can't help but think of Shi Dongdong.

Now, he no longer restrained himself from thinking about that person, although he had given up looking for him again.Qiao Min said that this is what that person wanted, that he lived well and died quietly.

Qiao Hao put all his energy into his work, as if he had become a life-saving tool, shuttling tirelessly in the hospital.Busyness is the best anesthetic, he tried to let himself accept that Shi Dongdong's thinking may be right, and he can forget it after a long time.

He didn't deliberately alienate his family, although he was so busy that they really didn't have many opportunities to get together.

After all, everyone needs to live alone in the world as an individual.In this sense, Shi Dongdong did nothing wrong.

On the day when he saw Chen Zhi in the hospital, Qiao Hao thought that he was so tired that he had hallucinations.

That person was still dressed in black, but the lines on his face were not as stiff as before. He became much gentler, and when he looked at Qiao Hao, there was a smile on his face.

"I ran to several places in the hospital to find you. Every time I went to the place that others said, I met you and just walked away. You are really busy." Chen Zhi shook his head and said.

"Where's Shi Dongdong?" Qiao Hao clenched his teeth tightly, his heart was already beating to his throat.

The smile on Chen Zhi's face faded slowly, but he looked at Qiao Hao calmly, and said, "He's gone."

In the corridor of the hospital, the bustling people seemed to stop for a moment. Qiao Hao felt that something in his body fell heavily on the ground, and the fragments splashed everywhere, but there was no sound.

"When did it happen?" He felt that he was still calm.

"Can you give me 10 minutes? I'll tell you well." Chen Zhi's voice was really calm, and he patted Qiao Hao's shoulder with his hand.

On the bench in the hospital garden, Qiao Hao was sitting, and Chen Zhi was standing opposite him.

Qiao Hao's mind went blank, and occasionally some strange thoughts flashed across, can he finish in 10 minutes?Is there really no such person in this world?

"July 26th, at nine eleven in the evening." Chen Zhi opened his mouth and gave the answer directly.

"Last week!?" Qiao Hao was shocked. In a trance, his mind flashed again, maybe last year?He breathed heavily, and instantly understood the mood of the family members every time he announced the death time of the patient.

That time is the eternal pain of relatives.

"Yes, last week," Chen Zhi's confession made Qiao Hao no time to be sad, and he began to state more, "Actually, before that, he was in a coma for more than 20 days, but that day, Mr. Shi brought him back, Because he signed an organ donation agreement before his death."

Qiao Hao's heart was deeply hurt again, not because of the damned organ donation agreement, but because of what Chen Zhi said "before he was alive".However, he couldn't speak, and he didn't know what to say, he didn't even want to hear Chen Zhi continue, but, that was the last of that person, how could he not listen?

"After being discharged from the hospital, he did go to the United States, where he underwent chemotherapy for half a year, and then underwent surgery to remove the brain tumor. The operation was performed three times before and after the operation, and the first two were completed as expected. He could no longer use it at that time. Painkillers, but the last time, the situation was very bad, the tumor in the brainstem ruptured during the resection... He was in a coma until the doctor finally announced that he would never wake up again." Chen Zhi said, even if he was calm, his voice Can not help but choked up.

Qiao Hao supported the edge of the bench with both hands. The weather was so gloomy that he suspected that he was just having a nightmare about Shi Dongdong.

He was still speechless, and he thought he was probably being haunted by a nightmare.

At this moment, Chen Zhi took out a large book from somewhere, and Qiao Hao discovered that he had been carrying a paper bag all along.

"He asked me to give it to you. In fact, Mr. Shi should give it to you, but Mr. Shi's mood is not right now. When he sees you, he will think of Dongdong."

The book was placed in Qiao Hao's hands. It was actually a picture book. Papers of different sizes and thicknesses were neatly bound together. It was only about one centimeter thick. English word - The last three minutes.

"Open it and take a look. He has been drawing for a long time, before the first operation, and during the most painful period of chemotherapy. He always said that he has achieved nothing in his life, and only these paintings can make him feel like he is dragged down by illness. Artist." Chen Zhi sighed inaudibly, his voice had returned to calm.

Qiao Hao opened the picture album. In the first picture, a little boy was sitting on the back seat of a bicycle, with a woman in front of him. The little boy poked his head out of her raincoat, with wet hair on his forehead; the second picture A boy was playing basketball on the playground. In the crowd of onlookers, another boy was on his feet, holding his schoolbag in both hands. There were deep strangulation marks where his hands touched the schoolbag, but the boy had a smile on his face. With anticipation and excitement... Qiao Hao immediately understood what the painting was about, and turned back. Two people sat side by side under the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Shi Dongdong drew it. At that time, he was deeply jealous because of this painting. The man painted so desperately, he thought he was just remembering the past between him and Huo Yan.

Thelastthreeminutes, this is not a memory of the past he had with someone. All these paintings are the last picture that the person prepared for himself. clue.

"At the beginning, he just drew a line draft. After the second operation, he was in a much better condition, so he started to color. He drew, and Mr. Shi read a book by his bedside, or drank tea and read newspapers, and helped him from time to time. Pass the paint, they have already begun to live like a real father and son, but unfortunately...it's too short." Chen Zhi was still talking, he was not such a talkative person at all before.

And Qiao Hao was just flipping through those paintings mechanically. The more he flipped to the back, the more blank he felt in his mind, even though the colors of those paintings were bright and gorgeous—there were hospital gardens, lakeside lawns, and concerts. At the scene, there were long figures under the street lights, hands clasped in the auditorium of the South Orchestra, and warm smiles in the ward...

Qiao Hao had to quickly wipe away the tears with the back of his hand. If he didn't do this, the tears would fall on the drawing paper and damage the painting, and he was almost on every painting after that.

"Don't hate him," Chen Zhi squatted down, his eyes fell on the drawing paper on Qiao Hao's lap, "He didn't leave here to die alone, he has been working hard, he is so desperate He’s going through the surgery just because he wants to get better so that he can be with the person he likes instead of having that person guarding him.”

"Did he tell you that?" Qiao Hao finally spoke, his hand stopped in mid-air, and he couldn't turn over the last painting for a long time.

"He didn't tell me that, but that's what he did. Before the third operation, Mr. Shi tried to persuade him to give up, but he couldn't walk at that time. The tumor in the brain stem affected his balance, and he might fall He ended up being paralyzed and he said he couldn't come back like that, otherwise everything he was going through was meaningless."

"So he bet his life on that poor third surgery? Are you stupid..." Qiao Hao closed his eyes, and finally turned to the last page of the picture book.

The picture that came into view made him stunned. It was an unpainted painting—to be exact, almost all the colors were painted, except for one person in the painting. Obviously, that was because there was no painting. The one who is colored so that it becomes almost transparent is himself.He is like an illusory image, sitting in the same car with Qiao Hao. Qiao Hao is no stranger to that scene. The tree outside the car is a white magnolia in the community where his family lives. He is leaning to one side in the car and sleeping , and the colorless person was gently approaching his body, raised his head and kissed his lips.

"Before the last operation, he said that he would keep this painting. If the operation was successful, he would finish it and hand it over to you personally, because this is your assignment. If the operation is not successful, then the painting It’s also done.”

"So my passenger has become an angel, is that what you mean?" Qiao Hao gently stroked the transparent figure on the painting with his fingers, and that person painted himself a head of refreshing short hair, with strands of strands hanging down gently on his forehead forward.

So, is this the past, or the future?

The mobile phone in his pocket rang suddenly. There was a critically ill patient in the emergency room who needed multidisciplinary consultation. Qiao Hao stood up abruptly, holding the painting book tightly in his arms.

"I'm going to get busy..." He freed up a hand and wiped his eyes.

"Can you give me the album first?" Chen Zhi asked.

Qiao Hao took a step back subconsciously, making a defensive gesture. What he was holding was no longer just a picture book.

"Mr. Shi wants to publish it, and the royalties will be donated to charity. These paintings are Dongdong's painstaking efforts. Mr. Shi wants him to know that he is not a person who has accomplished nothing except donating his heart. It's just that these paintings, he originally I want to give it to you, so I came here to get your permission..."

Qiao Hao nodded blankly, and slowly sent out the painting in his arms.

When the painting book left his body and was handed over to Chen Zhi, Qiao Hao felt as if something had been stripped from his body, even though the painting was only held in his hands for a few minutes.

"I will return it to you soon." Chen Zhi solemnly promised.

It was two months after Qiao Hao got the painting book again.

In addition to the picture book, Chen Zhi also gave him the first draft of a picture book.Those large and small drawing papers were transferred into a not-too-thick album. I don’t know if it’s because of the paper, but it’s heavy.

"Do you still blame him?" Chen Zhi asked him.

Qiao Hao shook his head.

"Occasionally, go and see him..." Chen Zhi wrote the address of the cemetery on a small piece of paper and handed it to Qiao Hao.

Qiao Hao still shook his head.

Chen Zhi was puzzled and looked at him with a frown.

Qiao Hao sighed, "He made me wait so hard, how could I not make him wait too? You don't know how busy the chief resident is."

Chen Zhi was relieved, he patted the shoulder of the young man in white coat in front of him, his complexion was much better than the last time he saw him.

He remembered what Shi Dongdong said to him while he was painting while sitting on the hospital bed when he was in better health.

He said, "I used up my white paint so quickly, it's all because the man is a doctor."

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The author has something to say:

It took three years to write the final ending... I was wrong.

After finishing writing, I found that it seems that there must be a side story to be decent, such as Dongdong's last days, Qiao Hao's later days...

However, at any rate, I have finished writing the text, and this is no longer a trap.

In this way, I can open a new hole.

I don't know if anyone else will watch this ending.