Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
He was all that, but he was utterly silly!
Why must he assume thing?
Why didn’t he come in a moment earlier when I warned Kevin to take his hand off me?
Why didn’t he linger just a step behind to see I yanked my arm back and glared angrily at Kevin
No, he had to come into the room in the worst timing possible and caught us in such a pose. God knew what his smart yet silly head must assume!
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[Hong Kong – Thursday – 5th day - Grantham Hospital – Main Cafeteria – Dinner]
[Flora]
“Why are you so worked up?” Ada chuckled “I think it’s good that Gallen saw you and Kevin hand in hand like that!”
“What good would it be?” I was still mad “That Kevin! I swear I’ll chop his arm off the next time he dares to touch me!”
“Woa, so violent, Flora?” Ada widened her eyes “Not like you!”
“What’s up!” Kevin approached our table, nursing his bandaged elbow in his other hand. Annie trailed behind him, holding both his and her trays.
“Hold it there!” Ada hold up her hand to stop the two. They looked at her inquiringly
“This table is infected” Ada said gravely “You two, for your own safety, must sit as far away as possible. Over there!” She pointed at an empty table at the far end.
“Infected?” Annie raised her brow
“Yeah!” Ada nodded “New virus!”
“What virus?” Kevin tilted his head
“Gallenism!” Ada claimed solemnly. Annie busted out laughing, while Kevin looked crest-fallen. I bit my lips and stared unbelievingly at Ada. This girl was too much!
“We have a party already?” Nick said cheerfully the moment he spotted us… “What’s with all the laughter?” He turned to me “And why Flora blushes to the root of her hair?”
“Nothing, Dr. Cheung!” I touched my face nervously “It’s just a bit hot in here!”
“Getting hotter!” Ada announced.
“Hi everyone!” Gallen was approaching us with his usual free gait. He settled down the chair next between Nick and Ada. That made him immediately facing me.
“Flora!” His glance was arrested on my blushing face, and his voice rang a vibrant note of care and concern “Are you okay? You look like you’re running a fever!”
“I.. I..” I stammered “I…”
“She…” Ada opened her mouth. I clenched my teeth and stomped my heel down her foot…
“Ouch!” Ada uttered a cry and eyed me innocently
I returned her with the murderous don’t-you-dare look.
Gallen shifted his glance from one of us to the other, mystified. “Am I missing something?”
“You will know in due course, Dai Gor!” Annie nodded smilingly at her brother.
“Anyway, everyone” Nick clapped his hands “Tomorrow we’ll have only half a day. I wonder if any of you would care in joining me for something fun at my summer house?”
“Summer house?” Ada’s eyes brightened “Your summer house? With the yacht?”
“And the new jet skies, Ada!” Gallen confirmed
“Anything you like, people!” Nick said with a touch of arrogance.
“Count us in!” Ada cried excitedly “What should we bring?”
“Not three suitcases!” Kevin interjected, and earned a playful punch in his stomach.
“When will we start from here, Nick Gor?” Annie asked
“How about right after the morning shift?” Kevin worked furiously on his famous Palm Pilot, even though the little device was now on the table instead of on his left arm – the one with the strained elbow. “We could reach your place a little later than 1, still time for lunch! We could even have lunch on your yacht, Dr. Cheng!”
Nick squint his eyes and said with admiration “That’s so professional! Thank you, Kevin!”
“My pleasure!” Kevin said with his nose in the air “What?”
His face felt as the others let out peals of laughter. He didn’t detect the mocking air in Ada’s advisor’s remark.
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[Ada’s apartment – Thursday – 5th day – Late night]
[Flora]
“Jerry” didn’t go on line that night, and I went to bed feeling like missing something. I pulled the thin blanket up to my neck, and gazed at the little stars Ada had fixed on her ceiling. They were glowing softly…
* * * * * * * *
“Eileen!” He brushed the strand of stray hair on her forehead, and pulled her gently into his arms.
“It’s so beautiful, Gallen!” She whispered, her voice drifted in the breeze “This world, and you! I don’t want to leave it… I don’t want to leave you…”
“You will not, Eileen!” He choked on his words. He wanted to hold her fragile figure tighter, yet so afraid of hurting her… She was as delicate as a butterfly… Her life was draining out of her as every trembling flutter of her wing.... every random erroneous beat of her heart.
“Promise me two things, Gallen!” Her voice was barely audible, but it echoed deafeningly in his numbed mind “Promise me you will remember me!”
“I promise!” He was all quivering inside
“But you will have to go on!” She looked up to him and smiled. “Promise me!”
He nodded at her smilingly. As gently as he could, Gallen wiped the tear off her face.
It wasn’t her tear!
* * * * * * *
“Flora, Flora…”
“Er… hmm?”
“My gosh! Are you okay?” Ada had sat up and switched on the bed lamp on her side.
I shielded my eyes from the light. Then my fingers touched my face, it was damned.
“I heard you sobbed, what happened?”
“No… nothing… just a dream…”
“Silly!” Ada cried unbelievingly “And I thought you were hurt or something. You and your silly dream almost gave me a heart attack!”
“Go back to sleep, Ada!” I soothed her “You’re being cranky!”
“Silly! Unbelievable!” Ada murmured incoherently in her throat as she drifted away into dreamland again.
I sat up and hugged myself tightly...
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[Cheung’s residence – Same night]
“Come on, Gallen!” Nick chinked his glass to his friend’s “You should open yourself to other possibilities. I know you love Eileen, but she’s gone and that’s the truth…”
“I know, I know!” Gallen twirled the glass between his fingers “You sound just like my Mom!”
“I take that as a compliment!” Nick said with a straight face. “What I want to say is, ‘Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.’"
“Who said that? Budha?”
“Yah!”
“Since when did you take an interest in Budhism, Nick?”
“Don’t try to stray off the topic, my friend!” Nick grunted lightly “You know what I mean!”
“I’m afraid I don’t!” Gallen pursed his lips obstinately
“Need I to spell it out?” Nick chuckled “When I came to the dinner table, the group were obviously talking about you!”
“What’s so strange about that?” Gallen feigned innocence “I’m in the group, too!”
“Who knows,” Nick grinned “You might as well be in someone’s heart!”
“I wish!” Gallen took a sip out of his glass, his gaze became faraway “I used to be, though!”
“Oh, come on!” Nick gave his friend a hard whack on the head “Told you to stop it!”
“You know, Nick!” Gallen spoke after a while, staring into the golden liquid “I’ve just stop by Eileen’s place tonight…”
“Oh” Nick was taken aback as he realized “Is it…?”
“Yes… Been five years!” Gallen emptied his glass…
* * * * * * * *
“Gallen! Is that you?” She asked softly without opening her eyes
“Yes, Eileen!” Gallen came and drew the chair very close to her face. He refused to see the awful tubes going in and our of her fragile body, he didn’t wish to acknowledge the dreadful fact that she was fighting gravely for life, yet failing.
So he sat there everyday, at the very end of her hospital bed, very close to her face… As white as the sheet around her, as tranquil as a marble statue! He cupped it gently in his hand, tracing her pale lower lip with his fingers.
Those lips, they used to curve up mischievously every time she found a new way to tease him… they used to give way of those little comments that annoyed and amused him at the same time … they used to touch his! So warm, so affectionate, they used to be!
Now they were so pale in her angelic face! He bit back the tear and lowered himself to touch his lips to hers, ever so tenderly. Her eyelids quivered, and fluttered open.
On her still marble face, those eyes were the only alive. They looked endearingly into his…
“Gallen,” Her whisper was softer than a breeze “Could you hold me?”
He nodded, brushed the strand of hair off her face, and cupped her face again…
“No, Gallen! I’d like you to really hold me!”
As gently and carefully amass the tubes as he could bring himself into doing, Gallen lifted her up and gathered her into his chest…
That was the last time he held her!
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