Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
Fictional: Mr. Lo, Mrs. Lo, Dr. Wu...
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[Hong Kong International Airport - Arrival Hall - Emergency Exit - 9:40 pm]
[Flora]
His face… heart-throbbingly beautiful! A lock of hair hung haphazardly down on his tall forehead, its dark color accentuated his now porcelain pale skin. His eyes closed shut, the long eyelashes rested so still, shadowing part of his cheeks. His lips, though drained of color, were still charmingly full and distinctive, and the cleft under his chin was as adorable as ever.
Each and every feature rendered him a stunning look of those ancient European princes.
Fatally beautiful…
…yet lifeless!
Somebody had made way for me to get by his side… All I remembered was clinging at his stretcher, and gazed at his face.
He’d been lifted and placed on his stomach, his head tilted to the side and cheek against the horrid whiteness of the sheet. It looked just like he was enjoying his nap, peacefully. “Don’t sleep, Gallen!” I whispered, my voice inaudible “Please … please wake up, don’t scare me, Gallen… Don’t scare me…” my whole body trembled out of control “You’re going to be just fine… just fine!”
“Give way, please!” The EMS workers pushed the stretcher forward. Somebody pulled me back just enough for me to see the crimson pad of the sheet covering Gallen’s back. I stared in horror…
“The co-pilot was shot!” I heard somebody said, the voice swirled around me, didn’t quite register into the numbness of my mind… “in the neck, and thrown out of the cockpit… the doctor was just trying to help, and they shot him, too”
The voice swirled round in my head. It accelerated, gained speed, exploded…
And darkness befell me!
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[Queen Mary Hospital - 11:30 pm]
Annie stood not too far from a hospital bench with her head resting against the wall and her arms hugging herself. A few steps away sat Kevin, with his arms attentively around Flora.
Annie turned away and blinked. A tingling sensation found its way to the corner of her eyes once again. Annie hugged herself tighter, and swallowed the lump in her throat. Above her head the light to the emergency room was still on.
“Flora,” Kevin voice concerned “How do you feel?”
Annie bit her lips, and despite her will of being strong, her tear began to fell down, silently, one after the other.
“Annie?” Ada tapped her shoulder “Want some coffee? Oh… Annie!”
Ada drew the sobbing girl into her arms, patting her back “Your brother’s going to be okay, don’t cry!”
Annie sobs became a little more audible, and for the first time, it caught Kevin’s attention. Flora lifted her head off Kevin’s shoulder and pushed him gently …
But the moment Kevin’s hand touch Annie’s shoulder, the girl grudgingly shook it away…
“Annie, what’s going on?” Kevin was baffled
“I’m okay, Kevin!” Annie sniffed, wiped her eyes and took a deep breath “Go take care of Flora Jie, I know how to take care of myself!”
“I…” Kevin was rather taken aback “I…”
“I’m really okay…” repeated Annie in thickened voice “It’s just …” self-pitiful tear caught her amid her sentence, rolling down her cheek once more
“Annie…” Kevin pursed his lips “Don’t be childish! Flora needs me, I meant… us! Her boyfriend is in there!”
“Kevin!” Annie found herself at the verge of her endurance “The person inside this room isn’t only Flora’s boyfriend! He’s also my brother!”
Ada wanted to Annie another encouraging pat, but the girl slipped off her hand and slumbered down on the floor “He’s my brother, Kevin!” She bawled in tear the way a child being unfairly treated “and I’m so scared too! Not only Flora Jie is suffering…”
Kevin covered his face. Flora had passed out at the airport, and since then Kevin had been too busy concerning about her, that he totally forgot about everything and everybody else, Annie included. How could he? Kevin bit on his hand, and slowly he lowered himself to gather the sobbing girl into his arms
“I’d appreciate you lending me a shoulder…” Annie wiped her eyes with one hand and with the other she pushed him slightly away “But I don’t want to force anyone!”
...
Ada shook her head. Consciously, she retreated and left the couple to themselves. Ada went and sat where Kevin had been, and cast a weary glance at her best friend. Flora sat still; her face was so pale…
“Don’t mind Annie, Flora!” Ada squeezed her friend’s hands… They were exceptionally cold “She’s a child still!”
“I know, I don’t mind her… I understand, Ada, because I’m very scared!” Flora whispered, her lower lip quivered “Tell me he’ll be okay!”
“He will, Flora!” Ada nodded firmly “You have to believe in Gallen! He won’t give up!”
“It’s been 2 hours, Ada!” Flora closed her eyes, her voice tremor “Two hours… how come they’ve not done?”
“Here!” Ada leaned closer “Lend you my shoulder!”
“Thanks,”
Flora kept her eyes closed and rested her head on her best friend’s shoulder. Ada stifled a sigh and looked up to see Kevin stood there all by himself…
“Where’s Annie?” asked Ada sharply “Are you a man, Kevin? Letting her go like that?”
“What else can I do then?” Kevin shrugged helplessly “I don’t understand you girls!”
“I don’t understand you, Kevin!” Ada retorted heatedly “If you don’t care for the girl, then why do you keep misleading her?”
“What did I do to mislead her?” Kevin asked incredulously “I’ve never said anything!”
“You don’t have to say!” Ada grunted “You don’t think I see the way you’ve been fluttered around her lately, Kevin! I don’t know if you did it purposely, or just playing!”
“I…” Kevin fidgeted with the keys in his hand “I’m treating her as a friend! I…”
“You what?” Ada snapped “Are you about to tell me you’re still in love with Flora?”
Kevin turned flaming red at Ada’s bluntness, and found himself lost for words “Ada!” Flora groaned without lifting her head “Do you know what you’re saying?”
“You should see his face now, Flora!” Ada smirked “He’s guilty as charged!”
“I’m not!” Kevin said feebly “I don’t know what gives you such idea!”
“Kevin dear!” Ada shook her head ruefully “As your friend, I just want to tell you to be fair to Annie! If you don’t like her, then be straight with her and stop giving her hope!”
“What did I do?” cried Kevin…
“Come on!” Ada was exasperated “Stop playing dumb! Who wanted to “talk” to Gallen the day Annie rushed out of his office crying?”
“Me, but so what?”
“Okay, who piggy-backed Annie all the way from Evergreen Park back to the hotel when she sprained her ankle?”
“Me, but…”
Ada held up an authoritative hand, and Kevin shut his mouth “Who drove Annie up to the whatever mountain to catch dawn? Who volunteered to be with her when she was scheduled for night shift last week? Who…”
“Fine,” Kevin groaned, with both hands covering his ears “You just want me to run and look after Annie, don’t you?”
“Not me wanting you!” Ada corrected him unceremoniously “It’s you who HAVE to!”
“You..”
“Please,” Flora let out a soft whimper “Kevin, just do what Ada says and save yourself!” She sighed and adjusted her head on Ada’s shoulder “Ada, please stop moving, you’re making me seasick!”
“Okay, okay, Flora! As you say!” Ada soothed her best friend… She looked up sharply at Kevin and the later reluctantly walked toward the elevator. As he passed by a conference room, Nick emerged with another man in green surgical gown… Kevin frowned, and retraced his step to catch up to Nick…
“Nick Gor, Doctor Wu, what have you got?”
The other two shook their head “The bullet is caught between lumbar 2 and 3… Removing it and you lose the movement of the lower body…”
“Leave it…” asked Kevin...
“It won’t make any different” said Dr. Wu “It’ll be really painful, and he would end up on the wheelchair anyway! I suggest taking the bullet away and follow up by some disc repair or replace therapy!”
“I think so too!” Nick sighed heavily “We just need his family’s signature… Where’s Annie?”
Ada pointed to Kevin, and Nick watched with a raised eyebrow as Kevin scurry off as quickly as he could manage…
“How severe is his injury?” Flora looked up wearily “Nick Gor, I deserve to know!”
“She’s right, Nick Gor!” added Ada “How is it?”
Nick rubbed his face, and proceeded to tell the girls what he had told Kevin. Flora’s face turned ghastly white…
“That’s impossible!” She clutched at Ada’s arm; her eyes terrified “He can’t be paralyzed! He couldn’t survive on the wheelchair Ada!”
“Flora, calm down!”
“No, you don’t understand!” Flora fluttered her hand wildly, her eyes tearful, her heart drummed deafeningly against her chest cavity, and her throat so dried “Surgery is his life! Gallen is a surgeon; he needs to be able to come in the operation room and work, Ada!”
“Flora Jie!” Annie cried, throwing herself at Flora “They said Dai Gor…”
“What’s happened to our son?" Came another cry.
“Mom, Dad!” Annie turned to the newcomers, “Mom!”
Burying her head in his mother’s chest, Annie sobbed her heart out…
Flora felt a sharp pain on her left chest. She winced and clutched at her shirt. Cold sweat broke out all over her body… Half consciously, she twitched her fingers…
They felt numb…
“Flora, Flora!”
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"Together, may they be!"