Phayu

Phayu just sat, expressionless, staring at his hands, stained red with Rain's blood. How much more did his Queen have to suffer before he would finally find rest? Phayu knew there were people around him. He saw them. He heard them. He could hear Rain's friends crying. He could hear the aching silence that emanated from the elders in his family. But he couldn't feel anything. There was a haze around him that kept him numb to all feelings at the point. His boy, his Rain, his love; he was battling for his life. Because he took a bullet that was meant for God knows who.

Phayu couldn't hide his smile, and he knew neither could his dad, when Rain broke Som's nose. But he was sure they were for different reasons. He knew his boy was amazing, but suddenly, he was hot. And Phayu couldn't wait to get him home and have his way with him. He had been afraid, no doubt. But he was relieved that Rain was able to stand his own. He also understood that his reason for his father's million dollar smile was the fact that Rain had called him dad. Phayu shook his head indulgently. Suddenly there was commotion, someone shouted, Rain threw himself at him, and a gunshot rang out.

At first Phayu almost didn't understand what was happening. He clutched Rain when he fell on top of him. It was only when he felt something wet on his hand that he realised that Rain had been shot. The guards were subduing Gun. Phayu felt a lethal fury go through him, and he was about to step ahead when Sky screamed out Rain's name. Phayu's anger abated enough for him to pick up his boy and rush out, knowing that his family would do the rest. Pai drove like a maniac, and Phayu could hear his Pa reaching out to the hospital, ensuring that the best trauma surgeons were on duty when Rain would arrive. The team would be led by his uncle, and even though he was not a trauma surgeon, he would remain inside to ensure no mistakes were made. Once they reached the hospital, Rain was rushed in, and after that, everything was blurry. There was a lot of movement as people rushed in and out of the operation theatre where they had wheeled in Rain. That was the last thing Phayu remembered before he slumped back in the waiting room chair just staring at his hands.

Phayu looked up like everyone else when Uncle Kit finally stepped out of the theatre. Pete rushed towards his elder brother in law. "Phi?" he asked. "We have taken the bullet out, but Rain has bled a lot. He needs urgent transfusion..," Kit stopped when Sky collapsed on the floor. "Sky!" Pai immediately held him close. "But Rain..," this time it was Sky who trailed off, staring at Kit. Kit nodded at him. "Rain what?" Vegas sounded mad with grief. "He has a very rare type of blood group. We don't have that in our bank. While we have sent word out, it will take time for it to come," Kit said. "We can put all the Theerpanayakul resources to work. Just tell us from where to get it Phi," Kinn said, sounding desperate. "I am trying. We have reached out to other hospitals and private blood banks. They will get back to us for sure," Kit said. "What is his blood group? We can ask the guards also to get tested in the meanwhile," Chan said. "RH negative," Kit said. "Then no need of testing. I have the same blood group," Chan said immediately. "Then how are you a bodyguard?" Porche asked in shock. "I will explain later. Let's take care of this first," Chan said, as he stepped up.

Phayu felt like he was hearing all this from inside a bubble. But when Chan was about to go with his uncle, he stepped up. "P'Chan," he said hoarsely. "Thank you, thank you so much." Phayu's voice was cracking. "He is a family member, and that's what I would do for anyone of you," Chan said, before he left with Kit. Phayu swayed. "Phayu, sit down lu," Porche helped him sit and he went back to staring at his hands. He just wanted to see Rain once. He would do anything for that. The silence that clouded over them was broken by the ringing of Rain's phone. "Who is P'Yihwa?" Ple whispered, holding the phone close to her as a talisman. "Our colleague," Phayu whispered. "Then maybe you should talk to her lu," Pete said. "I can't," he mouthed, before turning away and fixating back on his hands. Was this all his fault?

"Hello P'Yihwa. My name is Ple. I am Rain's sister. He..," her breath hitched. But she continued. "Rain was in an accident. He is currently in the hospital..," she trailed off, listening to the voice on the other side, and Phayu could also hear her telling them where Rain was. Movement continued. Chan and Kit came out. "We still need more," Kit said, brow furrowed, shaking his head. "We are calling people too," Kinn said. Kit nodded and looked towards Phayu. "Phayu, lu, it's better you wash your hands and freshen up a bit. I am sure Rain wouldn't want to see you like this," he said, worry clear in his voice. Phayu looked up, and then nodded, but didn't get up. Instead, Pete and Porche helped him up and took him to the washroom.

Vegas

Vegas was torn. He had watched in fear as his son in everything but blood was wheeled into the operation theatre. He now watched in despair as his oldest was taken away by his husband and his brother in-law, looking like a living corpse himself. He knew very well that if something happened to Rain, he would lose his entire family. No one, especially not Phayu, would be able to get over something so monumental. He stared at the doors of the OT, willing it to open with some kind of news. Kit had gone back inside, promising to keep them abreast of any change from inside. They still needed the blood though, and he could hear Kinn, Kim, Chay and Macau calling anyone and everyone they knew. He knew he should be helping, but his hands were shaking too much to be of any use. All that he could focus on was the fact that his sunshine boy was not with him, and that too, just after he had called Vegas dad. "I want to hear it once again Rainy, you calling me dad," he whispered, looking down at his phone, a picture of his family open on it.

He looked up when he heard the sounds near the door. The guards were stopping some people from coming in, Chan on the forefront. After a couple of minutes, he came towards Vegas. "They are from the office where Venice and Rain work. They wish to know more about him. Can we let them in?" he asked. Vegas nodded and stood up as 4 or 5 people ran up. "I am Mhok, my partners Aroon and Pensri. This is Praew and Yihwa. Rain and Phayu work for us," the first man said. All of them, except Yihwa, seemed to be in their mid-30s. Vegas waiied. "I am Phayu's dad, and these are his family members," he said, waving his hand around. "How is Rain doing?" Yihwa asked, worry etched clearly on her face. "Not too great. He lost a lot of blood, and he has a rare group, so we are all trying to make arrangements for more to be delivered as soon as possible," Vegas said. "What group is it?" Pensri asked. "RH negative," Kinn said, as he came and stood behind his brother. "I am RH negative. I have recently been tested. You can do so again and use mine!" Pensri immediately said.

Everyone stared at her in shock before they all sprung into action. Khun immediately sent a message to Kit, and a nurse took Pensri away. Everything happened so fast, in such a flurry of motion, that Vegas stood there, feeling a little shellshocked. "Dad!" Phayu rushed up. "What is happening?" "Your boss is an RH negative," Kim said, as Vegas watched the door of the OT. "Who?" Phayu asked, sinking into the chair beside Vegas. "Someone called Khun Pensri," Vegas said, looking at his son. Phayu nodded. Soon, they watched as more bagged blood was wheeled into the OT. Vegas watched as Phayu thanked Pensri and added his own. "We are grateful, really," Vegas said, as Pensri sat with an orange juice. "It's perfectly fine Khun Vegas," she smiled.

"Others are also coming in," Aroon said. "What do you mean?" Phayu asked. "Well, because Pensri has this rare blood group, and she had some issues earlier, we connected with people with this blood group via social media. We have this group, so in case any one person needs, others can also pitch in. We can now add Rain to it, if he is willing to donate when he gets better. It's not active all the time, but it's truly helpful during emergencies," Aroon said. "That sounds good. When Rain wakes up, we can ask him. but knowing him, he will never say no," Pete said, a small smile on his face. "You are right. He is seriously the sweetest boy I know. Well-loved at work," Yihwa said, tears glistening in her eyes. "We are really grateful you all came. It will mean a lot to Rain too," Sky said, as he came forward and waiied. Suddenly Kit came back. Vegas watched as he said something to Kinn. Then Kinn caught his eye and gestured away. Vegas nodded.

Kit

"Are you sure Mark? Like a 100 percent sure? There is no margin of error?" Kit asked the lab technician. "I will not make a mistake like this Maw, especially as I can see what the little one means to you all" Mark said. "What made you suddenly do it?" Kit asked. "It's not usually standard operating procedure." "When I was testing for discrepancies, there were some common blood markers. It felt weird. It only happens when there is a deep-rooted connection. You know how my brain works Maw. I simply had to make sure!" Mark said. "And you found matches?" Kit asked, still reeling under the information he had. "Yes Maw. Sample A and Sample B are a familial match, and both of them have common markers with this one," Mark said. "Mark, please keep this a secret until I speak to the heads of the family," Kit said. "Maw, I think you know well enough that I will never break confidentiality. You can be rest assured," Mark said. Kit nodded and immediately went to talk to Kinn and Vegas.

"What is it Phi?" Kinn asked, as they were finally seated in Kit's office, knowing they would not be disturbed there. "When Chan and Pensri were being tested to give their blood to Rain, the lab technician, Mark, found some anomalies. Let me first tell you that Mark is someone I trust completely. He is very, very good at what he does, and the margin of error in what he found is likely to be negligible," Kit said, looking at Kinn and Vegas, as if trying to judge their reactions. "What happened Phi? Why this sudden preface to an anomaly found in the blood? Is it going to harm Rain in any way? The transfusion?" Vegas asked, worried. "No, it is not that kind of anomaly Vegas," Kit said. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what was about to come. "Chan and Pensri are related by blood, most likely a paternal bond, and Rain..," Kit trailed off. "Rain?" Kinn asked. "It's likely that Rain is related to them as well," Kit said, watching as extreme shock settled on the faces of his brothers in-law!