Fan Fiction |
by Jenny Tran
With a blink of an eye, three years had already passed. Jason was still unsuccessful in finding Liz. While Liz was fully settled in her three bedroom home. Trina was already two years old, it seemed like yesterday when Liz was in labor trying to bring the little baby into the world. Chris continued to pursue Liz, maybe even more than she had hoped for. She grew accustomed to his being there by her side every day after she came home from work. She was very fortunate for the hospital had a nursery room where the employees can bring in their kids so they wouldn’t have to hire a nanny.
Her little three year old was bundle of joy and such a handful because she was so hyper all the time. Of course, Liz would not trade her in for the world. Every smile and the incoherent words that she spat out was just simply adorable to Liz.
One day at work, Liz had quite a scare from the nursery department at the hospital. “Liz, it’s a call for you.” Joanne said as she waved to phone to Liz. She was the head receptionist at the pediatric department that Liz worked at.
“Thanks Joanne.” She smiled sincerely at the girl before answering the phone “Hello?”
“Liz…it’s Lily…I…I have some bad news…” the girl stuttered.
Liz had a sudden chill run up her spine as she imagined the worse. Lily was the nanny at the nursery room. “What’s wrong? Is it Trina?”
“I…yeah, well…one minute she was here!…and the next….I don’t know where she is! I’ve been looking for an hour…” the girl sounded almost hysterical.
Liz closed her eyes as her breathing quickened “Oh dear…Where did you last see her?”
“I…she was right by the doorway… I think.” The girl sounded more nervous by the second.
“I’ll be right there…” Liz dropped the phone in the receiver as she raced to the third floor, not bothering to take the stairway. “Trina!” she began crying out her little girl’s name before she even got out of the stairs. “Trina!” her voice cracking as she looked around at the other kids who looked at her innocently.
Liz ran down endless hallways looking for her dear little girl but it was almost useless, she was no where to be found. After half an hour she decided to call Chris, her last resort. “Chris…” she tried hard to control the tears that were ready to explode.
“Lizzie, what’s wrong? Is it Trina?” he quickly sensed her worries.
“I…” she was about to tell him that she lost her little girl when she looked up and found Trina holding hands with a familiar face. The face of someone she had longed to see since she left Hong Kong years ago. “Nevermind. She’s right here….I’ll call you later Chris.”
“Okay…” he sounded more relieved as they hung up.
“Chris? Well, you sure moved on with your life.” The sarcastic tone in her voice was music to Liz’s ears. Finally, she saw a familiar face.
Liz was still in shock as her friend practically raced down the hall to hug her. “Nancy… oh my gosh….what are you doing here?”
Nancy almost squeezed the life out of Liz as she returned the hug “Gosh, I missed you! I’m kidnapping your little girl of course.” She pulled away with a huge grin as she leaned down to little Trina “She’s just too cute!”
Suddenly Liz remembered her little girl as she too leaned down to face her daughter “Trina, what did mommy tell you about following strangers?” she scolded.
Nancy dropped her jaw in horror “I’m a stranger?!” she exclaimed with a hurt tone.
Liz gave her friend an exasperated look “You know what I mean.”
Her face relaxed as she wrinkled her nose “Well, I’m not a stranger still…Anyways, she’s just very friendly. And very smart too…she asked me so many questions about you before she followed me.” She sounded impressed with little Trina.
“She said she is mommy's friend…” Trina nodded innocently with her huge brown eyes.
Liz laughed as she shook her head “Well, if everyone claimed to be my friend, would you follow them?” she asked her little girl.
Trina looked from Nancy then to her mom “What is claimed?”
Nancy giggled at the little girl’s response “Stop using such high tech words on her, she’s only three!”
Liz picked up her girl with ease “Well, at least you should have told Lily that you were my friend, you scared her to death!”
“Sorry…she looked so busy and poor Trina was so bored.” She reached over and touched Trina’s round head with a smile.
Trina nodded with an exaggerated expression “Yes, it is boring.”
Liz rolled her eyes “Sweetie, everything is boring to you.” She glanced at her watch “How about lunch?”
Nancy nodded in agreement “Sure! We need to catch up anyways.”
“I want to eat steam buns…um…fried chicken…um…jello …oh no…ice cream…” Little Trina was making up her mind while the girls laughed at her cute innocence.
“You’re going to be so chubby if you eat all that.” Liz teased her girl as she pinched her already chubby cheeks.
“She takes after her mommy.” Nancy quipped and laughed at her own joke.
***********
The girls were in the middle of their lunch when Chris came into the hospital cafeteria to look for Liz. Nancy saw him at the corner of the room as he looked around “So…what’s this Chris guy like?” she asked but her eyes were still glued to the handsome man that just entered the room.
“Oh, he’s a good friend. He helped me tremendously after I stepped foot of the airplane.” Nancy smiled as she recalled their situation.
“Sounds like a good guy…..better than Jason.”
“Who’s Jason?” Trina asked, not missing a beat. She was curious and was always asking about her daddy since she knew all the other girls and boys had fathers.
“No one sweetie. Eat your soup.” Liz coaxed before giving her friend the evil eye.
“Oh my gosh, he’s coming over!” Nancy gushed as the handsome guy came over smiling broadly at her.
“Who?” Liz looked at her friend strangely as she looked up to find Chris smiling at her. “Chris.”
Liz didn’t see the disappointed look on Nancy’s face when she realized the handsome guy was Chris. “Hi…” she said weakly.
“Hi, you are…” he put out a hand to her.
“Oh, where are my manners. Chris this is my best friend Nancy.” Liz introduced them.
“It’s nice to meet you.” He nodded politely.
Nancy smiled “Likewise.”
“I’m Trina!” the little girl interrupted the adult conversation.
Chris laughed heartily as he took a seat next to Trina “Really? Are you sure it’s not Tubby? Look at your stomache…” he poked at her belly while she blew up in giggles.
“No…no! stop…” Trina giggled comfortably as he teased her.
Nancy looked at them in envy, this time Liz seemed to notice. “Chris can you watch Trina tonight? I want to talk to Nancy.”
Chris looked up unexpectedly “Um…sure…” he looked at the girls as they exchanged knowing glances.
************
That night Nancy came over to Liz’s home for the first time “Wow, this place is so beautiful!” she gushed.
Liz smiled proudly “I know.” She didn’t know how to start the next subject but she knew it had to be asked “How is he?”
Nancy shrugged as she slumped into the comfortable couch “Don’t know…” she said hesitantly.
“Why?” Liz was curious as she took a seat next to her friend.
“I quit six months after you left…he..” she didn’t know if she should tell her friend “He is looking for you.”
Liz turned away “Really?”
“So are you and Chris…”
“No!” Liz answered hastily “I mean…we’re just friends. I don’t want to get involved with anyone since I have Trina…” she knew he was interested yet she wasn’t willing to start a relationship with a child on her side.
“I’m sure he doesn’t mind.” Nancy said slowly.
“I know he doesn’t, but I do.” Liz shook her head with a sheepish smile “If things were different, then maybe I would consider, but it’s not.” Suddenly her expression turned curious “You think he’s cute don’t you?” she remembered her friend gushing over him earlier.
“I…no! of course not!” Nancy’s face was already deceiving her as it turned a crimson red.
“Don’t lie!” Liz giggled as she pointed to her red faced friend “You have a crush!”
Nancy bit her bottom lip “Stop it…we’re not in high school anymore.”
Liz shook her head as she tried to control her giggles “I’ve never seen you like that since you had that mad crush on Johnny Lam in senior year.”
“That was ages ago…I’ve mature now.” She said defiantly.
Liz nodded with a controlled grin “Yeah, you matured to tomato face instead of blushing.”
“Hey, be serious now. We’re not talking about me…we’re talking about you. So you really going to stay here?”
Liz’s smile faded slowly “I don’t know. I like the peace and quiet but I worry that poor Trina will grow restless. Plus she’s always asking where her daddy is.”
“What did you tell her?”
Liz shrugged guiltily “Nothing yet.” Nancy’s eyes bulged out in shock and Liz quickly added “Well, I told her that he worked far away and that he’ll come visit her when he has time.”
Nancy shook her head sadly “It’s not fair Liz and you know it. He has the right to see his daughter.”
Liz nodded “I know, but I’m not ready to see him.” Her eyes brimmed with warm tears as she looked up at her friend “Am I doing the right thing?” a small tear snuck out of her eye as it flowed down her cheek.
Nancy sighed a she reached over to her friend and hugged her “I don’t know, honey. You really have to get over him. You still love him that’s why you hate him still. If you moved on with your life, then it would not be a problem for him to see his little girl. Plus I know he wants to see you.”
Liz nodded between gulps, she knew her friend was right “I just can’t forget him. I still need more time.”
Her friend pulled away as she looked at Liz with earnest eyes “Well, at least you have me now.”
“You’re staying here?” Liz asked in surprise.
Nancy smiled “Not for you…” she teased.
Liz giggled through her tears “You got a bad crush!” she shook her head “He’s a great guy.”
“If he’s such a great guy, why do you say it so sadly?” Nancy wondered out loud.
“Because I don’t like him in that way. I know he means well but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” She let out a sigh.
Nancy smiled sneakily “Do you mind if take your used stuff?”
Liz laughed as she nodded “Help yourself sweetie, but don’t call him used. He is brand new and still shining.”
Nancy laughed “For a minute there I thought we were talking about a toy!”