Fan Fiction |
by Jenny Tran
One week later, Ted took Erin to the hospital to do a checkup with her eyes. The doctor wanted to make sure she was okay with the drops. After doing a quick examination, he told her she would be okay “No strange symptoms.” The doctor jotted down notes on his pad “Is your vision the same?”
“I’m still living in darkness, if that’s what you mean.” Erin said calmly.
He smiled “No need to be discouraged, Miss Yeung. With my experience, I have seen a few of my patience regain their vision up to 90% from smoke and fire incidences. You could very well be one of them.”
“I don’t want to give myself false hope.” Erin said hopelessly.
“Positive thinking can be good for you.” He smiled.
She shook her head “Not for me.”
“I guess my yapping cannot be that helpful.” He helped her off the chair and gave her a bag with the prescription inside “Here is the next set of drops. The itching should stop very soon.”
Erin nodded with a small smile “Thank you.”
“Did you get the doctor’s note in the last bag?” he asked.
She understood the meaning as her nodded “Yes, I did. Thank you.” Erin found her way outside and Ted was quickly by her side.
“How was it?” he asked.
“As good as it gets.” Erin nodded.
“Are you hungry?” Ted asked when they were outside the hospital grounds.
She smiled “I could eat a pig.”
He laughed heartily “Sure. Where do you want to go?”
“Hmm, how about Shun Kei?” Erin suggested.
“Um…Okay.” He wasn’t sure why she chose the busier part of town. The little deli was in a bad part of town where most gangsters dwelled and loitered. When they got out of the car, the two received dirty glares of obvious gangsters that checked them out carefully.
Erin noticed the pause in Ted’s step “Is something the matter?”
He moved her closer to him “Not if you call ten pairs of eyes dogging you normal.” He whispered.
“They won’t hurt us, we’re just here to eat.” Erin patted his hand. They stepped into the deli and were seated in the corner.
Ted couldn’t shake away the threatening glances he got “Maybe we should take this to go.”
Erin nodded “Okay.”
They quickly ordered and the food came out in a bag within 10 minutes. They walked outside and Ted made a double take on a person “Ah Bat?” he said more to himself.
Erin had her hand on the door “What is he doing here?”
Ted rushed around to Erin side “I don’t know, but the police has a warrant for his arrest. Let me follow him. Stay in the car, I’ll be back.” He gave her the car keys and quickly rushed away.
The group of five gangsters saw Ted run off while Erin stood by the car. One of the guys threw down his cigarette as he nodded to his group to get up. They approached Erin “Where are you from?”
She shifted her eyes away “No where.” She knew they were asking if she was from another gang.
“Shit, she’s blind.” One of the guys said as he waved a hand in front of her face.
“Got any dough?” the head asked.
Erin shook her head “No.” she was not scared, but knew here disadvantage was in her vision. She could easily take them out if she could see, but unfortunately she couldn’t.
“Yeah right, your boy drives a beamer.” The guy pointed out to Ted’s car.
“It’s not his.” Erin said calmly.
“Now you’re just fucking with us!” he threatened “Give me your wallet!”
Erin backed to the back of the car as her hands felt against the metal machinery “No.” she tripped over the curb and pulled herself up only to be pushed to the ground again “Help!” she yelled but it only made the guys laugh.
She pulled herself up and waved her hands frantically. She was standing a few feet from the car in the middle of the street but the gangsters were standing in her way. By the time she heard a car getting closer, it was too late, her legs were crushed beneath her as she fell to the ground in pain.
The guys were scared as they quickly ran away. The driver got out as he bent down next to Erin “Miss, are you okay?” her legs were bleeding and she was going into shock.
TK witnessed the whole thing from his run down apartment as he rushed downstairs to her rescue. He pushed the man away “Get away from her!!” he cried angrily “Erin! Are you okay?” he asked while she pointed to her legs. He quickly picked her up with his arms and took her to the nearest hospital.
Her arms wrapped around his neck as her head leaned against his shoulder “TK…it hurts.” She groaned.
“I know.” He said running out of breath “I’m taking you to the hospital.” He entered the old run down hospital as he called for a doctor “What the hell are you looking at?? Call a doctor!!!” he yelled rudely at a nurse standing around looking at them with wondering eyes. He found a wheelchair as he placed her on it with care “You’ll be okay, Erin. Don’t worry.” He coaxed. She nodded in tears while the nursed pushed her into the emergency room.
Ted was given the runaround by the person but by the time he caught the guy, he realized it was not Ah Bat at all. It was a guy that looked very similar to him. He returned to the car and his eyes began to dart around for Erin. He ran up to his car and looked inside, she was not there. He stepped closer and noticed his feet had hit something. It was his keys.
He bent down and gripped the keys in his hands “Erin.” He whispered her name while cold chills ran down his spine. He stood up and looked around for the group of gangsters but they were gone. His heart began to race as he rushed up to the first person he saw “Auntie, did you see a blind girl right over there?”
The woman shook her head “I just walked by.”
He let her go as he turned to the car again, this time he saw some red blood on the ground behind his car. Ted sprinted over as he touched the blood, it was still warm. Was it Erin’s? He wondered to himself. Where could she have gone to? He wasn’t about to give up as he ran around the blocks looking for her.
An hour later, TK was able to visit her in her room. She was asleep and both of her legs were wrapped up in a cast. His eyes moved over her legs. What if she becomes crippled? He took the broken chair next to her shared room, his hand smoothed her bangs aside. She stirred at his touch “TK?” she asked, her eyes wandered.
“I’m here.” He quickly took her reached out hand “I won’t leave you.”
She nodded while tears spilled out “They…they said…I can’t walk.” She said between gulps “I’m crippled and blind!” she cried openly while TK quickly pulled her into his chest while her body convulsed with each sob.
“Shhh…” he hushed “Its okay, Erin. We’ll work through this. You’ll be okay…don’t worry, you’ll walk again. I guarantee it. You’re a strong person, there’s nothing you can’t overcome. I’ll help you get through this.” He promised.
Suddenly she pushed him away “Oh my God! Uncle Chuck…they’ll be so worried. I’ll become a nuisance again.” She moaned “And Shelly…she’s getting married, I can’t have her crying over my problems! No…they can’t find out.” She grabbed his arm and gripped it tightly “TK…please you have to help me.”
“Do what?” he asked.
“Take me away from here. I don’t want anyone to know. Not until I get better.” Erin began wiping her tears quickly.
“What if you don’t?” he asked carefully.
Erin paused “Then…I won’t come back.”
“You would follow me?” TK smiled at the thought.
“I don’t want to bother you….” She said guiltily.
“You don’t!” he insisted “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to have company. No one likes me and I’m being followed like a hound. If you go with me, I’ll make sure we’ll be safe.”
Erin smiled between tears “I believe you. Thank you so much.” She said earnestly.
TK took her hands in his “Thank YOU. I don’t have to live a lonely life for the rest of my days.”
“Let’s get out of here. Ted might trace us down. He came here with me.” Erin warned.
TK nodded as he picked her up with ease and left the hospital grounds through the back way, where an alley led back to his apartment “I live on the third floor.” He said after catching his breath “I have to piggy-back you.”
She nodded as he placed her on the stairwell that stunk like pee. He turned his back and she wrapped an arm around his neck as he carried her all the way up the stairs. They walked through the narrow hallway and into his even smaller apartment. It looked like a hideout for killers in the movies. He placed her on a chair with ease and gave her a cup of water “Thank you.” She said politely.
He smiled “Don’t be so polite with me. I don’t know what else to offer you. I guess it’s good that you can’t see where I’m living.”
“I don’t care where we live. I just want to be away.” She said sadly.
He nodded understandingly “Tomorrow, I’ll look for a better place to stay. I don’t want you to have to pretend that you can’t smell the pee in the hallway.”
Erin smiled “I was going to hold that in a little longer.” She joked and then remembered her condition “My life hasn’t been exactly the best…how could I expect better? I have learned to accept a lot of things.”
TK knelt down in front of her “You deserve much better than what God has given you. From here on out, I promise that I will give you the best and only the best. Because you have earned it.”
“I don’t need materialistic things. I need companionship, someone that honestly cares about me. Not people that constantly question my heart and mind. I’ve grown tired of the lifestyle. Nothing is real…” her eyes welled up “You are real, TK.”
“I just don’t want to disappoint you.”
“You can’t.” she insisted. Her smile grew as she asked “Can I call you Tay?”
“The only person that ever called me that was Ellie.” He said sadly. Seeing her smile fall, he quickly added “But I guess it’s fair that you call me that too, since you’re now the woman in my life.” He took a hold of her hand.
Erin pulled them away “I’m sorry…I’m just not ready.” She felt an awkward moment of silence “Please don’t be angry.”
“I’m not.” He replied quickly “I would never be angry with you. I’ll wait. Whenever you’re ready.”
She smiled thankfully “I hope I will be one day.”
He nodded in agreement “Okay Missy, it’s time for bed. Doctor’s orders.” He sighed with a laugh as he picked her up in his arms, which were growing weary “We have got to get you a wheelchair.”
She laughed “I thought you wanted to work out your arms.”
“I wouldn’t need to now.” He let her have his room while he stayed in the living room.
*****************
After half a day of looking, Ted gave up. He returned to Erin’s apartment to tell Mia. But there was not just Mia, Chuck was cooking, Shelly and Ryan were setting the table and Mia was on the phone with Ethan. Ted walked in looking weary and no one seemed to notice.
Mia said good night to Ethan as she looked up at Ted “You guys are home a little late. Another hour and we would have put in a missing person report.” She joked.
Ted’s face was pale and his eyes refused to look at them in the eye “Erin…” he couldn’t even bear to say it.
“Where is Erin?” Mia asked casually as she got up from the couch.
“I…” he felt his stomach knot up “I lost her.”
Mia arched her neck to him “What?” she shook her head with a nervous laugh “Did you just say you lost her?”
He nodded with his eyes glued to the ground, he couldn’t even look at her in the eye “I looked…but…” his head shook while a tear dropped to the ground.
“Dinner time!!” Shelly announced happily as she walked into the living room. The atmosphere was eerie “Wooh, I feel like I just walked into a funeral.” She laughed at her own joke “Hi Ted, where’s Ga Jei?”
When Ted didn’t answer, Mia turned to Shelly “Can you call Chuck and Ryan out here?” she asked calmly.
Shelly nodded as she fetched the other two. They walked out and Chuck’s heart nearly fell after seeing Ted’s pale face. Something had happened to Erin “What happened?” he was afraid to even ask.
Ted continued to look at the ground “We went to eat at Shun Kei—”
“The one where the gangsters hang out??” Ryan exclaimed in shock.
“Why would you take here there?” Shelly asked.
“She wanted to eat there after I picked her up from the eye check up. I figured, they wouldn’t try anything on us. We ended up ordering the food to go. When I got to the car, I saw someone that looked like Ah Bat. I gave Erin the keys to sit in the car and wait for my return.” He quickly covered his face in humiliation “I got the runaround from the guy that wasn’t even Ah Bat!!” he gritted his teeth angrily “By the time I returned to the car, she was nowhere. I don’t know what happened, I asked the passerby but no one paid any attention. How could I be so stupid!!!” he grunted.
Shelly was gulping back the tears while Ryan patted her on the shoulder “Its okay, we’ll find her.” He was sure of it.
Mia couldn’t believe it was happening “When is it going to stop?” she whispered.
Chuck shook his head at the two of them “I can’t believe you two. Giving up before we even started. Is that what this team teaches you?!”
Mia took in a deep breath “Fine…what do you suppose we do, lieutenant?” she said sarcastically.
He ignored her angered question as he turned to Ted “Tell me in detail again.” He ordered.