Fan Fiction |
by Gina
“Appreciate what you have right in front of your eyes.”
Nancy and Tavia’s words ran through Ron’s mind as he stood on the rooftop of the hospital and looked out at the Hong Kong skyline. He thought about Leila, who was resting on the 15th floor of the hospital. During the last week, Leila’s condition has worsened to the point that she needed round-the-clock care.
I’m so confused, Ron groaned inwardly as he leaned against the edge. Nancy is right. I should move on with my life, but how can I do that if I still can’t forget about her? But I can never forget about Nancy for as long as I live. Does that mean I can never move on? No, just because you learn to love someone else doesn’t mean you have to forget the past.
But how do I truly feel about Leila? I love her, but it’s not the same kind of love that I have for Nancy. Leila has done so much for me. How could I have rejected her? Ron grimaced when he remembered the devastated look on Leila’s face. What I said that day was true. I really don’t deserve her love. She was always there for me. Was I ever there for her? Ron knew that the answer was no. Well, what are you waiting for? Now’s the perfect chance for you to be by her side. Ron turned around and was about to go down to visit Leila when he saw his sifu walking towards him.
“I knew I would find you here,” Bobby greeted cheerfully, walking up to Ron.
“Sifu,” Ron greeted glumly, still a little angry at Bobby for keeping Leila’s sickness from him.
“I know, I know, you’re still angry at me, but you have to understand that under the doctor-patient confidentiality agreement, I can’t divulge information regarding any of my patients,” Bobby explained.
Ron nodded, knowing that his sifu was right. If he had been in the same position, he would’ve done the same thing. “Do you need me to prep for a surgery?”
“No, no, it’s not that,” Bobby said. “I came to talk to you about Leila. I’ve got good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?”
“Good news,” Ron answered without missing a beat.
“Here’s the good news,” Bobby began. “A woman heard about Leila’s condition and decided to donate her bone marrow, which it turns out, matches Leila’s blood type. Apparently, Leila had saved her life a few months ago when she was involved in a car accident and she wanted to do something for Leila in return. It’s quite moving.”
“That’s great,” Ron immediately brightened up. “But what’s the bad news?”
“Leila is refusing the transplant,” Bobby answered.
“What? Why?” Ron couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Leila refused to give me a reason. I was hoping you could convince her to accept the transplant,” Bobby explained. “You have to tell her that this transplant will save her life.”
Ron nodded. He knew what he had to do.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile,
I’m really going to miss the sunset, Leila thought as she sat by the window, watching the sky turn a beautiful blend of orange-violet. But maybe death would be better. I won’t have to suffer from this perpetual heartache anymore.
Leila was still facing the window when she heard footsteps enter her room. She turned her wheelchair around and saw Ron. They looked at each other for a moment, neither one saying anything.
“Ron, if you’re here to convince me to get the transplant, you can just save your breath,” Leila finally spoke up.
“I’m not here to convince you to do anything,” Ron said. “I just have one question for you.” He walked closer and kneeled in front of Leila so that they were face-to-face. “Will you go somewhere with me?”
Leila tilted her head to study Ron’s face, wondering where he was going to take her. “Okay,” she finally said. Anywhere’s better than staying at the hospital.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Half an hour later,
“Do you know where we are?” Ron turned to Leila after bringing the car to a halt.
Leila looked around and nodded. “This is where we took Nancy.” She smiled. “I can still remember the look on her face when she saw the beach for the first time. I’ve never seen anyone so happy.” She turned to Ron. “Why are we here?”
“This place has a lot of happy memories,” Ron answered simply, getting out of the car and walking over to the passenger side. He knew Leila would be too weak to walk by herself, so he picked her up as carefully as he could and started to carry her in his arms towards the shore.
“I didn’t know the Ron train provides this type of service,” Leila commented, laying her head on Ron’s shoulder.
“The Ron train provides this service to preferred customers,” Ron replied, smiling a little.
“I’m your only customer,” Leila reminded.
“That’s true.” Ron set Leila down on the sand and sat down beside her. They didn’t say anything for a moment as they watched the waves crashing against the shore.
“Leila, I’ve attended too many funerals,” Ron finally broke the silence. “I don’t want to have to attend yours.”
“Then I guess you won’t be able to give my eulogy,” Leila said. “I can always ask Tavia, but she’s not good with words.”
“Why are you refusing the transplant?” Ron finally asked the question that had been nagging on his mind.
Leila didn’t respond for a moment. “Because I’m not afraid of dying anymore.”
“You may not be afraid of dying, but I’m afraid of losing you,” Ron looked at the side of Leila’s face.
If Leila’s heart hadn’t been broken, she would’ve been moved by Ron’s words, but at this point, she had closed off her heart. She didn’t want to get hurt again. Ron knew his words weren’t working. He needed to try another tactic.
“Hey, Leila, do you remember junior year of high school?” Ron suddenly asked.
Leila tried to remember. Her pale face suddenly brightened up at the memory. “Yeah, I do remember…”
**Flashback**
“Leila, Leila, you gotta help me,” sixteen-year-old Ron ran up to his friend after school.
Leila turned around to face Ron. “Let me guess…there’s yet another girl chasing you and you want me to be your ‘girlfriend’ to get rid of her.”
Ron nodded frantically and looked behind him. “Here she comes,” he whispered, suddenly wrapping his arms around Leila’s shoulders. “Hi, Myolie. ‘Sup?”
“Ron! Do you want to go to the movies with me?” Myolie bounced up to them. Her face fell when she saw Leila. “Who’s this girl, Ron?”
“I’m not just any girl. I’m Ron’s girl,” Leila replied proudly, deciding to play along. Ron seriously needs her help.
“What? I’m Ron’s girl,” Myolie screeched. “Get your filthy hands off my man!”
“You must be delirious. Ron’s MY man,” Leila shot back. “Here, I’ll prove it to you.” She suddenly wrapped her arms around Ron’s neck, pulled him towards her, and kissed him passionately. After a few seconds, she pulled away from a very stunned Ron and turned to Myolie. “There! I’ve MADE him my man, so you can just back off.”
Myolie flashed Leila one final glare before stalking off. When she was finally out of sight, Ron and Leila looked at each other and gagged.
“Ugh, this is definitely the last time I’m helping you,” Leila doubled over as she tried to throw up.
“Was the kiss really necessary?” Ron tried to spit out any of Leila’s saliva that remained in his mouth.
“Well, I had to make it believable, right?” Leila felt sick to her stomach at having kissed her best friend. “I need some mouthwash.”
**End of Flashback**
“You’re the one who gave me my first kiss,” Ron remarked, smiling at the thought that memory.
There was no response from Leila. Ron looked over and saw her leaning against him with her eyes closed. “Leila?” Ron nudged her gently.
Again there was no response. “Leila,” Ron grasped her shoulders and gently shook her. “Leila. C’mon, don’t do this to me. It’s not funny.” Ron was seriously getting worried when Leila still didn’t wake up. Could she really be dead?
“No, you can’t be dead!” Ron cried desperately as he enveloped Leila’s lifeless body in his arms. “There’s still so much I never got to tell you,” Ron started sobbing into Leila’s shoulder. “Please don’t do this to me. I’ve already lost Nancy. I can’t lose you, too, Leila. Wake up!” Ron cried in vain as tears streamed down his face.
While Ron was holding Leila in his arms, he suddenly felt her stir. He watched as her eyes slowly flutter open. “Jeez, Ron, you’ve always been such a crybaby,” Leila whispered. “Pull yourself together, man.”
“Leila!” Ron touched her face to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. “I thought you were…”
“Dead? Oh, please. If I was going to die now, I would at least watch the sunset first,” Leila replied, resting her head on Ron’s chest as he tightened his arms around her. “So what was the point of remembering that horrible memory? Is it to remind me what a bad kisser you are so that I can forget about you?”
Ron shook his head. “That memory made me realize something,” he explained. “It made me realize that I can’t live without you. You’re right. Nancy will always be my love, but you are my life. That’s why you need to go through with the transplant. Because if you don’t, you will be ending two lives. Yours and mine.”
When Leila heard Ron’s heartfelt words, she felt her own heart start to melt. “Does that mean you’re willing to give us a chance?”
Ron nodded as he stroke Leila’s cheek with his thumb. “If you’re willing to settle for a self-absorbed and emotionally frail man like me.”
“You’re not just saying that to get me to do the transplant, right?” Leila needed to make sure Ron was genuine.
“Leila, I survived through Nancy’s death, but I don’t think I could survive through yours,” Ron admitted. “Besides, you’ve always been there to support me. Now it’s my turn to be there for you.”
Leila was finally convinced that Ron was being genuine. “Fine, I’ll agree to do the surgery. I wouldn’t want you to cry again. Even Jennifer cries less than you.”
Ron grinned. “Hey, you’re the one who insists on dating a crybaby.”
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Next Morning,
“I’ll be right here, Leila,” Ron said softly as the nurses scurried about to prep Leila for surgery.
Leila nodded slowly as the sleeping gas started to go into effect. Ron pulled down her mask and leaned in to kiss Leila softly on the lips. He knew he wasn’t supposed to do that, but he couldn’t help it. “I’ll always be here,” he whispered into her ear before she lost consciousness.
-----------------------------------------------------------
For some reason, this chapter was a very difficult chapter to write, so if it didn't live up to your expectations, I sincerely apologize. But at least I FINALLY got RL together. I think the next chapter will the ending of this fanfic. I know it's kinda abrupt, but i'm running out of ideas. Thanks for reading!!!