Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
“Why didn’t you tell us, Flora?” Kevin said ruefully “Aren’t we supposed to be best friends?”
“I just thought I would control my condition!” Flora looked away “I guess I’m just not that good!”
“It’s always better to share with us than to face it yourself, silly!” Ada wrapped a hand around the delicate frame of Flora’s shoulder “Unless you don’t see us as your worthy friends!”
“Now you are being silly!” Flora gave a quick glance sideway, then her frame stiffened
“What’s that, Flora?”
“Is… Is that you?” Flora’s whispering trembled in disbelief; she clutched at Ada’s hand “Is that him, Ada?”
“It’s him!” Ada whispered back, in equal disbelieving tone
“What are you doing here, Gall?” Nick frowned and quickened his step to take over the wheelchair from the nurse
“I overheard the nurse said Flora got a heart attack last night…” Gallen explained with great difficulty, the effect of the anesthetics still lingered, making his head woozy
“Who’s that nurse?” Nick flared up “I’ll ask them to fire her! She’s not supposed to let you up and moving around like this… Your wound…”
“Please, Nick” Gallen reached up to catch Nick’s hand and pulled the later back. The simple movement obviously disturbed the fresh wound as Gallen’s face contoured despite his will.
Nick stopped at once as he saw the painful wince… “Easy, Gall!”
“Don’t get mad at her,” Gallen said pleadingly “I practically begged her to help me!”
“You should know better than running around like this!” Nick was still mad…
“Flora…” Gallen looked up, his eyes sought for Flora, who still stayed petrified on her hospital bed… “I’m so sorry!”
That sweetness in his eyes sent an electrical current through her body, bringing it back to life. She blinked, her lips quivered, but no word came
“I’m so sorry,” he repeated “I must have scared you so much last night, Flora!”
She blinked again, “You wake up!” a crystal tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled happily “You wake up, Gallen!” Hesitantly, she raised her hand to touch his face, so afraid everything was only a dream “You’re back!”
“I’m back!” He smiled back sweetly, reaching for her hand. His long fingers caressed hers gently “Your hands are still cold, Flora!”
She cupped his face, smiled again through the mist of tear “It’s your fault! You have to warm them up for me!”
“Hmm, let’s see…” Gently, he took both of her hands and clapped them in his “Better?”
She nodded, and he hurried to wipe her tear “Don’t cry, don’t excite yourself, Flora!”
She caught his hand, clutching at it, cherishing the fact that he was here, right in front of her…
“I so want to hug you!” She wrote with her finger on his palm
“I so want to kiss you!” He wrote back, drowning her in his gaze…
They would have stayed like that for eternity, if it wasn’t for Nick, who insisted on ushering Gallen back to his ward. “You guys could always talk later when you’re better!” grunted the worried doctor.
And so Nick ushered Gallen back and made sure the later stay put on his bed before Nick seriously delivered another lecture on how to tender to the critical wound. Gallen nodded along obediently, but his mind was obviously on something else
“What is that, Gall?” Nick stood at the end of the bed, hands on his hips
“Huh?”
“Don’t think I’m dumb! I know you’ve not paid any attention in the last 15 minutes!”
“How bad is it?” came the sudden question, which obviously threw Nick off his guard
“What?”
“I want to know!” insisted Gallen
“Well… with proper therapy…” Nick hesitated
“Just tell me the truth” Gallen cut his colleague-cum-buddy short “I’ll be paralyzed?”
“I wouldn’t say that…” Nick struggled for words “You know, Gall, it’s still very early to say…”
“Nick,” Gallen shut his eyes, “We’re both professional, there’s no need to beat around the bush with me!”
“Well…” Nick sighed, strolled out of the ward and came back moments later with a large envelope on his hand “Here!”
Gallen’s face went as white as a sheet as he looked at his own X-ray films.
“Things sure look a bit ugly now” Nick hastened to interfere “but you have to keep your hope up! You know as well as I am how important self-encouragement is!”
“Thanks!” Gallen slowly let go of the films and tightened his lips “If you don’t mind, Nick… I want to be alone for a while!”
“Gallen!” Nick sighed
“Please!”
“Okay!” Nick suppressed the next sigh that was about to escape “Try not to think about it too much! Everything is going to be all right!”
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[A few minutes later]
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“Dai Gor!” Annie rushed like a wind into the room “You’re back!”
“Annie!” Gallen clutched to his sister’s hands, almost desperately “How’re Mom and Dad?”
“I’ve just called them to let them know you’re okay… They must be on their way!” Annie’s eyes wandered against her will. Gallen forced a smile as he touched his legs…
“These guys, they’ll be taking a vacation for a while… They should thank me, though!”
“Dai Gor!” Annie turned away as quick as she could, trying not to let her brother know she was crying
“Silly!” Gallen grabbed her arm “There’s nothing to cry about Annie! How’s Flora?”
“She’s doing great!” Annie sniffed and reassured her brother “She’ll be back to work this afternoon!”
“How’s she?” Gallen repeated the question, but Annie knew exactly what her brother wanted to know
“Not too good!” Annie shook her head “Nick Gor has contacted Dr. Johnson and Dr. Hsuan as you told him to… They’ll have a conference call as soon as Nick Gor finishes collecting the test results…”
“Would you arrange me in, too?”
“But you must take care of your injury first!”
“Why must I?” He blurted out “It won’t make any difference anyway!”
“Dai Gor!” Annie’s eyes tingled
“Sorry Sai Mui!” He struggled to stay calm “Sorry! Have I just scared you?”
“No,” Annie shook her head, and bit back her tear “You will be just fine, too, Dai Gor!”
“I know my case Annie!” Gallen patted her short silky hair “Don’t worry about me!”
“I don’t!” Annie shook her head “I know my brother won’t ever give up!”
“Thank you Annie!” He gave her another gentle pat on her hair “You’re a cool little sister!”
“Of course…” Annie smiled encouragingly “And you’re one cool big brother!”
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[HKU – Nick’s Office, One Week Later]
“Flora,” Nick pressed the speed-dial button “Gallen must have told you about the new therapeutic valve from UMDNJ?”
“Yes” Flora said “just last night, but not to any great detail…”
“Did you come see him today at all?” Nick asked with a frown as he redialed the direct phone extension to Gallen’s ward “Why doesn’t he pick up the phone? He knows we have the reference call today with Dr. Johnson, right?”
“I guess,” Flora said simply, her mind was still wandering…
“Let’s call up Dr. Johnson first,” Nick decided “That troublesome Gallen would join in whenever he has the chance.”
Flora nodded with not much feeling, or rather too complicating a mixture of feelings that she couldn’t quite sort out. She sat quietly on her chair across the table from Nick and listen to all the details that Dr. Johnson, her cardiologist from the state, had to give her. Nick interjected from time to time… They spent about half an hour like that, before a soft, low peeping sound was heard.
“Dr. Johnson, everyone, sorry I’m late!” Gallen said simply “Where are we?”
“Gall, how are you doing?” Dr. Johnson asked with vivid concern “It was a most unfortunate thing that had happened!”
“I’m doing fine, thank you,” Gallen seemed too anxious to brush that subject away “Have we walked Flora through the new idea of Dr. Hsuan’s valve?”
There was something in his voice that troubled Flora. She couldn’t really say what it was, but she felt it. Flora shook her head, maybe she was just being oversensitive like usual. Maybe it was just the fact that they were here in Nick’s office, discussing about her problem, which gave her quite an unstable state of mind…
“Yes, we have. Flora,” Dr. Johnson voice boomed over the three-way phone port “How do you feel about it? Would you want to give it a try?”
“I don’t know,” She replied after a pause “May I have a few days to think it through?”
“Take all the time you need” The distinguishing doctor sounded pleasant “But not too long, Flora!” he cracked “We can’t afford to lose critical time, right?”
“Dr. Johnson,” Gallen’s voice was soft, yet determinant “while Flora is taking time to decide, I’d like to have another protocol made and sent to me. Would you help me with that?”
“Gallen,” Nick quickly interjected “You’re not supposed to work at all for the time being!”
“I’ll just be scanning through the document!” Gallen sighed “Is it too much to ask for, Dr. Cheung?”
“Well, Nick was right, Gall!” Dr. Johnson chuckled “I’ll ask for another protocol to be sent to you, but you have to promise you won’t exercise yourself too much over it!”
“Sure,” said Gallen simply.
Leaving Nick’s office, Flora went straight home. Leaving her clothes unchanged, Flora dropped herself onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Million things went through her head, tangled into a confusing mass.
“Where is the first protocol of the valve that you brought back with you?” Nick had asked Gallen
“The first bullet went through the container, I’ve just checked, the damage is beyond recoverable limit…”
And the second bullet had gone though Gallen himself. The damage it’d done on him…
Flora shut her eyes. She didn’t want to think more…
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"Once upon a time there was light in my life..."