Chapter Text
Pleng!
It was 4 a.m. again when Wan startled awake, her heart beating fast. She needed to reverse time, needed to stop Pleng from leaving. It was always at this time that she felt Pleng's loss the most, as if she had just been lying next to her. Wan's eyes darted everywhere, her breathing fast.
But it was useless, as it had been for thirteen years.
Her room was dark, and her bed was cold, as it had been ever since Eak left.
Wan got up and went through her routine.
Crying.
Shower.
Pacing.
Breakfast.
Leaving early for work.
A text from Eak beeped on her phone just as she dashed down the stairs. She deleted it without reading it.
The black piano mocked her from its spot, always visible as she left her house. It had been over seven years since she had bought it, and it had never once been played. Its rightful owner never saw it. "And she might never see it", a treacherous voice whispered inside Wan, louder and louder every year that went by without any news from Pleng. She dusted an invisible speck of dust off it. Someday, the piano might not even work, and every last memory of Pleng would fade away, just as her marriage had, just as that old bra that had once been a gift was about to.
She left thirteen years ago, just last week, and Wan's life had never been right afterward.
At work, she went through the motions. The frenzy at the ER helped Wan stay focused, and everyone kept at bay. It was well known that aloof Doctor Wan didn’t like to mingle with the staff. Only Guy, her friendly partner from residency, kept insisting on pulling her out of her shell.
She was in the doctor’s lounge, having some coffee, as Guy’s call for help reached her. Some polytraumatized patient had just come in, and Guy needed some help taking care of his ward in the interim.
As Wan walked through the hall, though, she heard her name at the front desk.
“We have a Dr. Wanviva Pippanatakul. May I ask what you are calling about?”
“Nothing, I was just curious. I wanted to know if it was anyone I knew. But since the last names are different, I guess not. Thank you.”
Wan froze on the spot. She would recognize that voice in a million, even after so many years. Her breath caught in her throat, and she frantically looked for whoever had just spoken.
And there she was.
Pleng.