Fan Fiction |
by Jenny Tran
Later that night, Joanne waited for her brother in the mall. He was suppose to get his haircut and he wanted her to come with him. For what reason, she had no idea. She looked at the name of the salon that he gave her where she jotted down on a little note pad. ‘Starz Beauty’, it sounded corny to her.
She glanced at her watch a few times before getting restless, she didn’t like going to places by herself. She pulled out her cell phone and was about to call her brother when it rang abruptly. “Hello? Dai Lou ah! Where are you?”
“Im stuck in traffic, Jo. Why don’t you get your haircut first. I’ll meet you there.”
“Why do we have to go here? We have our own stylist.”
“This is a better place, trust me. There’s someone I want you to meet..” He wanted to resolve this misunderstanding between Freddie and his sister after learning from Linda that he was her brother. He wanted to tell his sister that it was Freddie who worked at the salon to prepare her.
“Hey, my phone is running out of batteries…” she heard it beep a few times during the conversation but simply ignored it. “Who is this person?” her phone answered with a few beeps before it died down. “Shoot!” she cursed to herself. She dropped the phone into her purse and walked to the nearest directory and found the salon. She followed the map and it led her to the place.
She peeked through the glass walls and slowly opened the door, all eyes immediately turned to the new guest. “Can I help you?” a feminine voice asked from behind the counter.
“I want to get a hair cut.” She said slowly.
“Isn’t your hair short enough?” a voice snickered at her. She looked up when she recognized that annoying voice. “Im over here!”
She eventually found him working on a customer’s hair, he was the second stylist to her right “What the hell are you doing here?!” she demanded.
“Its called work, you see? I cut people’s hair for a living. They give me money and I make them beautiful in return. You don’t have enough money for me to make you beautiful.” He said without missing a beat. The customer that he was working on laughed heartily.
She felt her face steaming as she glared at him “I wouldn’t let you touch my hair, it might fall out.” She retorted.
“Oh honey, if only I could…” he smiled when he noticed her face looked as red as a tomato.
“If it wasn’t for my brother, I wouldn’t be here!” she exclaimed heatedly.
“Your brother?” he asked with confusion. After a few seconds a slow smile came on his face “Remy? Oh yes, what a babe he is. If I wasn’t taken, I’d snatch him! Meow!” he made a cat sound that sent shivers up Joanne’s back.
“You stay away from him!” she said protectively.
“Well, I don’t think I can, you see, he and my sister are old high school buddies. They go back a long way and well, you know how old friends are like. They’re always hanging around each other. I find him at my mom’s house a lot more often these days, maybe I’ll just move home, that way I can see him almost every day. Soon, before you know it, we’ll be dating because he won’t be able to fight my charms. Then we’ll get married and YOU, she-boy will have to call me sister in law…or brother in law, whatever you prefer.” He said nonchalantly.
She was letting out deep breaths as she began to hyperventilate. She had asthma and he had no idea, he just struck a chord in her lungs as she grabbed her heart in pain. Feeling light headed as she fell to her knees grabbing the closest thing around her to hold her up. He was so busy working on the customer that he didn’t notice her on her knees. He looked up when he heard the receptionist make a comment. “Oh my God….”
“Yes, did someone call me?” he joked. He dropped the scissors and comb when he saw her breathing heavily, her face was bright red as she continued to clutch her heart. He moved quickly as he bend on his knees in front of her “Are you okay?” he was afraid to touch her, just in case she might topple over and die due to the fact that he was probably the cause of her asthma attack “Someone call the ambulance!!” he yelled when everyone began to gather around her “Stop staring!! Give her some room!!” he roared. He was frantic by the time he realized she was fainting. Her eyes rolled behind her head as her hand slowly slipped down her chest and fell to the floor. He didn’t want her to bang her head on the ground but he wasn’t quick enough to catch her head so he grabbed onto her arms instead.
She was completely unconscious as he continued to holding onto both arms not knowing what else to do until the ambulance arrived. “Support her neck!” someone cried. He moved to her side and quickly placed his right arm below her neck.
“Please don’t die.” He whispered softly. “Where the hell are they!!” he cried. When he looked up, he saw a stretcher being rolled into the shop as he moved aside and let the emergency guys take over.
They took her pulse and began wrapping stuff around her neck and body. An air mask was placed over her nose and mouth. He kneeled back as he watched them put her on the stretcher. “You want to ride with her?” one of the ER nurses said to him. He nodded, after all he was the only person that knew her there.
He sat in the back with her lying on the stretcher as the nurses checked her eyes and pulse “How is she?” he asked over the sound of the siren.
“She’s weak. You know what caused the asthma attack?” the nurse checked the pulse again.
“I….I don’t know…” he lied, ashamed of telling the truth. “She is going to live is she?” he asked weakly.
The nurse smiled “Your girlfriend will be just fine. I rarely see any cases where patients die of an asthma attack. Don’t worry.
“She’s not my girlfriend…” he trailed off when he noticed the nurse was no longer listening to him.
Within minutes they arrived at the emergency room as they rushed her through the swinging doors. “She’ll be fine.” The nurse reassured Freddie before disappearing down the corridor of the hospital.
After an hour of check up, the doctor came out side “Who’s the family of Joanne Hung?”
Freddie realized that her brother was probably worried sick about her, but he had no way of contacting him. “Her family doesn’t know about her yet.”
The nurse that drove with them back to the hospital spoke up “He’s her boyfriend.”
His face turned red as he slowly nodded, thinking it was for her own benefit, although he can imagine her waking up and killing him for the misunderstanding. “Well, that’s better than nothing. She has acute asthma, Im sure you know that.” Freddie nodded blankly. “She’s doing better now. But when someone has acute asthma, their blood level cannot go higher than 65 degrees. Miss Hung was at 89 degrees, so you could imagine her life was in danger. I advise you to be more careful and try not to get her mad.”
He snickered at the last remark “That’s ironic.” He said softly.
“Im sorry?” the doctor asked. Freddie quickly shook his head “Well, you can see her right now. Be careful, she just went through a lot of tests and scans. She’ll be too weak to talk.”
“Good.” He muttered under his breath as he followed the nurse to Joanne’s room. “Thank you.” He said to the nurse as she disappeared down the long hallway. He opened the door and noticed she was lying in the bed, the room was a pale white. It looked ghastly with sheets and walls, even her gurney was white. She looked peaceful lying on the bed, her eyes were closed. He didn’t know what else to say except “Sorry.” He whispered.
She fluttered her eyes at the sound of a voice, “Trying to finish me off?” she answered softly, too tired to yell.
“Yeah.” He teased “Im really sorry. I had no idea you had asthma.”
Her pale lips moved into a smile “Its okay. At least now you’re scared to make me mad. Cause if I die, Im coming back to haunt you for life.” It was the first time she joked with him.
He chuckled “I deserve that…”
“Oh come on, fight back.” She urged softly “I like the quarrels we have, it keeps life interesting. Don’t treat me anymore special.”
“Oh don’t worry, I won’t.” he assured her. She tried to laugh, but ended up coughing, he instantly got on his feet and poured her a glass of water from the ready filled pitcher by her bed. “Oh gosh, don’t hurt yourself now.” He handed it to her as she thankfully took it and gulped down the water.
“Does my brother know Im here?”
“No, I don’t have his number.”
“Oh gosh, he should be worried sick. He was suppose to meet me at the salon but he was stuck in traffic.” She looked around for her purse, she found it in the corner of room on the chair “Can you go in my purse an look for his number on my cell phone?”
“Already ordering me around? Well, do it as long as you can, cause once you get better, its back to battering.” He teased.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.” She said firmly.
Suddenly her door burst open “Ah mui!! Oh my gosh, are you okay? What happened, didn’t I tell you to bring your inhaler?” the stream of questions seemed to attack her as her brother ran to her side as he checked her for bruises.
“Im okay Dai Lou.”
“Who did this to you?!” he demanded.
Her eyes darted to Freddie and then back at her brother “The chemicals in the salon suffocated me so I couldn’t breath. Freddie took care of the situation. I think I fainted too.” She said.
Jeremy’s face fell “Im so sorry, if I didn’t make you meet me there, this wouldn’t have happened. Its all my fault.” He said apologetically.
“Gor, don’t blame yourself. Im still alive!” she said brightly. “I’ll be fine, asthma can’t harm me.” She said firmly.
“I suppose. But be careful next time. If you feel an attack coming, use your inhaler and get to fresh air.”
“Yes, doctor.” She teased.
“Well, you two stay and talk, my roommate is probably worried sick.” Freddie said.
“Okay. Thanks!” Joanne said happily.
"Thanks buddy." Jeremy patted him on the shoulder.
“Thank you.” Freddie lipped to Joanne as he gave her a wink and left the room.
She smiled to herself but her brother noticed it “What are you smiling about?” he glanced at the door “Oh, did I disturb you two?”
“No!” she said quickly.
“Sheesh, you don’t have to yell. I thought you were weak?” he laughed when she scowled at him “Anyways, there’s nothing going on with you two. He’s gay.”
“Yeah…I know.” She said almost sadly.
**********
Freddie pulled into his parking space as he jumped out of the car and rushed inside the house. He made it just in time to see Virginia coming out of the door “Where are you going so late?” he asked in a motherly tone.
“Looking for you! You got me worried sick, look at the time!” she pointed to her watch.
“Im sorry, it’s a long story.”
“Well, I can’t sleep now, so you might as well tell me.” She said while opening the door as she threw her keys on the coffee table. She sat down on the corner of the couch and put her legs on the couch comfortably.
“You remember that she-boy? I mean Joanne.” He corrected himself.
Virginia raised an eyebrow “Joanne? Wow, since when did you start calling her that?”
“Since I caused her to have an asthma attack.”
“You what?!” she shook her head unable to comprehend what he just said. He quickly explained what happened earlier. After he finished, Virginia gave a sad shake of the head “Wow, that’s scary. I guess words can do damage. You’re feeling quite guilty right now huh?” she asked.
He shrugged his shoulder “Maybe. Im just gonna have to be more careful with her now. Since it looks like I’ll be seeing her more often.”
“Are you two dating?!” Virginia asked.
He stood up and waved a hand in the air “Are you mental? Me date her? Oh gosh, no no dear, its true that gay people can turn straight, but over her? I really doubt that.” He said “You maybe.” He flicked and eyebrow up seductively.
She bursted with giggles “You’re joking right?” she asked.
He frowned “Why not? Do you think its not possible that you might be the answer to my homo sexuality change?”
She shook her head “Honey, if I was, we wouldn’t just be roommates.”
“True.” He nodded.
Suddenly she stopped smiling as she turned to him solemnly “How’s your mother doing?”
He sighed “She breaks down and cry whenever she thinks about my dad. Ga Jei and Michael don’t know what else to do with her. We can only comfort her so many times.”
“How about you?”
“Oh, I try to help, but I end up crying myself.”
She shook her head “No no, I don’t mean that, I mean how are you taking his death. I know you’ve been trying to get your life back to normal. How are you dealing with it?”
He smiled “You’re such a psychiatrist.” He slumped back on the couch “What else am I suppose to feel like? Sure Im sad that he’s gone, but life goes on.” She eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he was lying. As if reading his mind he assured her “I’ll be fine. Nothing can bring me down. You taught me that.” He smiled warmly.
She nodded “Okay, I’ll take your word for now, but if you ever need anyone to talk to…”
“I will make sure I go to you, okay?” he finished her sentence.
She smiled “That’s my boy!” she patted him on the head “Okay, sleepy time…”
“Night.” He stayed up for a while thinking about his father. Silent tears crept down his face as he returned to his room. He didn’t want to bother his friend. It was that same personality that he inherited from his father.