Fan Fiction |
by Gina
“Yeah?” Gillian looked up from the magazine she was reading. Both she and Leila were taking a break from their shift by relaxing in the park. It was late afternoon as they sat on a bench, facing the playground.
“Do you like being a paramedic?” Leila looked at Gillian.
Gillian grinned. “You wouldn’t believe it, but I only became a paramedic because my boyfriend is one. Edison kept talking about how great it is, saving people and making a difference. And you know what? He’s right.” She took out a cigarette and lit it.
“Gill, that’s a really nasty habit,” Leila held her nose to avoid inhaling the smoke. “I thought you were going to quit.”
“I’m trying,” Gillian replied, exhaling slowly, a wisp of smoke escaping out of her mouth. “Oh man, that was good.”
“There are kids here, Gill,” Leila snatched the cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it. She pointed to the children playing in front of them.
“That was my only one!” Gillian protested, folding her arms in anger. “You’re just like Ed. He does that every time I smoke in front of him.”
“Hey, we wouldn’t do that if we didn’t care about you,” Leila said. “Those things are going to kill you. I mean, don’t you care about your life?” Leila had a newfound respect for life after meeting Nancy.
Gillian noticed the look on Leila’s face. “How is Nancy doing?”
“I don’t know,” Leila admitted. “I haven’t seen her since we told her about her condition. Ron said we needed to give her some time to rest. He’s probably going to go over to her place today.”
“To get her to change her mind?” Gillian asked.
Leila nodded. “Most likely, yeah. I hope he succeeds.” She really meant that. She didn’t want to lose a friend and she definitely didn’t want to see Ron so upset, even if it means sacrificing her own happiness. Just then, Leila and Gillian could hear static coming from the walkie-talkie that was lying on the bench between them.
“Code blue…King’s Boulevard…calling all units,” the walkie-talkie crackled. “Bus accident…20 wounded and counting.”
“C’mon,” Gillian said as she got up. “Back to work.”
Leila and Gillian rushed back to the ambulance, getting ready once again to face the fight against death.
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Later that evening,
“You should’ve seen you face, Raymond,” Michelle grinned as she and Raymond walked back to her apartment after spending an entire day at Ocean Park. “I’ve never seen anyone so scared in my entire life.”
“I never thought there would be anything scarier than running into a burning building, but that roller coaster totally proved me wrong,” Raymond admitted sheepishly. “I can’t believe you weren’t scared when you got on that ride. I almost had a heart attack.”
“That’s because Tavia and I used to dare each other to go on every ride in the park. If we chickened out, we had to play a prank on one of the police academy instructors. I always chose the roller coasters instead of the pranks because I didn’t want to get in trouble,” Michelle explained, opening the door to her apartment. “Thanks for taking me home, Ray.” She turned around and kissed Raymond on the cheek. “You wanna come in for some coffee?”
“I can’t,” Raymond shook his head. “It’s my turn to cook dinner tonight. I’ll call you.” He gave her a final kiss and left.
When Raymond got home, he found the living room empty. “Tavia?”
There was no response. That’s weird, Raymond thought, Tavia’s usually home by now. He went to the girls’ bedroom to see if she was there. He found her sitting on the floor, drinking a bottle of beer. Two empty bottles lay next to her.
“Raymond! I didn’t hear you come in,” Tavia slurred as she tried to get up. She fell back with a groan and leaned against her bed.
“Are you drunk?” Raymond went over and sat next to her. He took the beer from her hand and drank.
“Hey, that’s mine!” Tavia snapped, reaching for the bottle. Raymond kept it out of her reach. “Can’t someone get drunk without being disturbed around here?”
“Why have you been drinking, Tavia?” Raymond asked seriously.
“It’s none of your business,” Tavia said sharply, deciding to give up. She sat back with a sigh. “I don’t know. I didn’t have anything to do so I started drinking.” She rubbed her forehead in frustration.
“This isn’t your first time,” Raymond looked at Tavia worriedly.
“Are you calling me an alcoholic?” Tavia narrowed her eyes at him.
“ARE you an alcoholic?”
Tavia didn’t say anything. She still felt very groggy from drinking so many beers. “I just feel so…alone. You have Michelle, Ron has Nancy, and Leila has Bosco, well sort of, but I don’t have anyone.”
“Is that why you’ve been drinking?” Raymond finished the beer and set it down on the floor.
Tavia started sobbing quietly. “I’m never going to find anyone, Ray. Nobody wants me.”
Raymond felt bad for his friend. He had spent so much time with Michelle that he had forgotten about Tavia. He put his arm around her shoulders. “You know what it is? You’re too aggressive. No one can get close to you because they’re too scared of you.”
Tavia sniffled and looked at Raymond. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“No, but this will,” Raymond replied. “I think it’s also because you’re too beautiful. Guys get weak in the knees when they see you. But once they get past your beauty, they will find a sweet and wonderful girl who’s funny and smart. My point is, there's no one good enough for you and that's the truth.” He took out a packet of tissues and handed one to her.
“Thanks, Ray,” Tavia said gratefully, taking the tissue and wiping away her tears.
“Don’t worry, Tavia,” Raymond patted her shoulder. “The person whom you’re meant to be with is going to come. He may be a little late, but he’ll come and you guys will ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after.”
“There’s no such thing as happily ever after, Ray,” Tavia scoffed, still slurring her words a little.
“Hey, I’m trying to make you feel better and this is what I get? No wonder you’re alone,” Raymond grinned and tried to avoid Tavia’s fist. “Now, c’mon, help me make dinner.”
Tavia managed a small smile and nodded. She felt a lot better after Raymond’s comforting words.
“Raymond?” Tavia said as she followed him into the kitchen.
“What?” Raymond began looking for a spatula.
“Thanks for being my friend,” Tavia said, tossing her empty beers into the trash.
Raymond smiled. “You’re welcome. I guess I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“I should’ve been there for you and I wasn’t,” Raymond explained. “If you ever need to talk to someone, I’m always here. Man, how sappy was that? I can’t believe that actually came out of my mouth.”
Tavia laughed and shook her head. “Save that sappiness for Michelle. I’m not at all moved by it.” But the truth was, she did feel grateful for Raymond and the friendship they shared.
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Meanwhile,
Wow, your boobs get larger when you’re pregnant, Nancy thought in amazement as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She lifted her shirt a little to reveal her stomach. It was already getting a little swollen. She touched her stomach, still unable to believe that a life was forming inside of her. She could barely get her own life together. Well, it’s too late now. Just then, she heard a knock on her door. She looked up, towards the direction of the door, knowing that there was only one person who would visit this late. She made her way to the door and opened it.
“Ron,” Nancy greeted as cheerfully as she could. She could tell that he hadn’t taken care of himself since she made her choice. He had bloodshot eyes and he hadn’t shaved in a while. He stood there, staring at her, wondering how she could be so happy.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” Nancy urged, pulling Ron in and closing the door. “You want something to drink? Are you hungry? I can whip something up.”
“Nancy,” Ron finally spoke up. He watched her as she walked into the kitchen.
Nancy ignored him. “You guys stuffed the fridge with too much food. I mean, I know I’m eating for two, but all that food can feed a family of five.”
“Nancy,” Ron tried again, following her into the kitchen.
“You want a Coke? There’s some apple juice, too. Oh, and orange juice. I love orange juice,” Nancy opened the refrigerator and began to rummage through it. She knew what Ron wanted to talk about, but she didn’t want to discuss it, not anymore. She didn’t look at him as she concentrated on looking for a can of soda.
“Nancy, I don’t want you to die,” Ron said softly, looking at the side of her face. Nancy stopped what she was doing and straightened up, but she still didn’t look at him.
“We all have to die, Ron,” Nancy replied, glancing at him. “My time just came sooner than usual.”
“But aren’t you scared?” Ron asked.
“I’m terrified,” Nancy said, closing the refrigerator and finally turning to him.
“Then get an abortion,” Ron said, walking up to Nancy and grasping her shoulders, his eyes pleading. “I know every life is important, but your life is the most important to me.”
“I can’t,” Nancy pulled away, her eyes filling up with tears. She turned away from Ron and walked out of the kitchen, into the living room. Ron followed her out, his heart aching.
Nancy sat down heavily on the sofa as a tear ran down her face. She turned to Ron, who was standing by the doorway. “Before I met you, I wasn’t afraid to die. Every night, when I was injecting heroin into my veins, I prayed that I would overdose so that my miserable life can end. My life was so messed up. I didn’t want to live anymore, but then I met you. You and this live growing inside of me gave a reason to live. Now I’m terrified of dying, but if I have to die so that my child can live, so be it.”
Ron shook his head sadly. He went over and sat next to Nancy. “You think you’re doing this child a favor, but you’re not. Do you really want your child to grow up without a mother? If you truly love your baby, you wouldn’t do that.”
Nancy looked away and sighed. “Ron, you will never be a mother, so you wouldn’t understand why I made this decision.”
“Then explain it to me,” Ron urged, taking her hand.
Nancy looked back at Ron and paused for a second, trying to find the words. “If I abort the baby, I know I will regret it for the rest of my life. It will haunt me forever, Ron. Yes, you’re right. My baby won’t have a mother, but at least he or she lives. That’s all that matters. I want my baby to have a chance at a life that will be better than mine. Now do you understand why I chose to have the baby?”
Ron nodded slowly, finally understanding. He knew there was no use trying to convince Nancy to change her mind. Her mind was made up. They sat silently for a few minutes, both overwhelmed with emotion.
“You know, it’s almost poetic,” Nancy spoke up, smiling a little. “My life ends the moment my baby’s life begins. It’s like something from a bad TVB series.” She turned to Ron and wiped away his tears with her sleeve. “Oh, Ron, I’m really sorry. Please don’t be sad for me. I’m happy that I met you. Thank you for being so good to me. No one has ever treated me as nicely as you and your friends have. At least I know I will die surrounded by people who care about me. I’m just grateful for that.”
When Ron heard those words, he felt his heart break. He began to gently stroke her hair. “I’m going to make sure the next 9 months will be the happiest days of your life,” Ron promised.
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Thanks for reading. Take care!!!