Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
[Flora]
I had always dreamt of a man in my life that way. Not someone rich, not someone handsome! All he needed to be was able to earn my respect and trust.
So Gallen was talented, a skilled surgeon at his best! You - just like my best friend Ada - were probably rolling your eyes. But he was not just talented! He was simply adorable in his everyday way of living, wasn't he? I had seen the gentle way he cared for his little patients. I had heard about the loyal way he treated colleagues and friends... Then the loving way he thought of his sister and his family, the exceptional way he was being observant and attentive…
There Ada would roll her eyes once more, “Yeah right, Flora! I say he would probably being observant and attentive right now, because he wants to court you!”
But I believed it took a life-long learning process to be able to observe and care the way he did. He didn’t do sweet talk, yet all his little actions spoke more than words would do.
All of those, trivial or not, made me look up to him. All of those made me think about him.
And I’d been thinking about him a little too much.
“Hey, Day-Dreamer!” Ada jumped out from no where, grinning broadly “What are you… Ah, guess I don’t need to ask… It’s written all over your face!”
“What?” I touched my face before I realized the teasing tone. “Ada!” I bit my lips, grabbed the half-empty bottle of water by my side and hurled it toward her with all my strength.
“Ouch!” Someone uttered a short, painful cry. It wasn’t Ada’s voice. Well, Ada should be able to dodge my attack pretty easily. She always did!
“Oh my gosh!” I shut my eyes and hid my face in my hands, unable to see.
“Are you okay, Doctor Lo?” Ada stifled a laugh and rushed to his side.
I didn’t hear any answer. That worried me more. Did I knock him out completely? Aww, this was awful!
“Doctor Lo!” I heard Ada cried out again. My heart tumbled inside, I hurt him... didn’t I?
I opened one eye and peeked throw my fingers. I didn’t see him where he was. Only Ada was standing there with one hand over her mouth. What’d been happening?
Then I heard a faint chuckle right by my side. I jumped up on my feet and spun on my heel…
“Doctor… I .. I ..” I stammered…
He was standing just a step away from me, rubbing the pain away from his left temple. In his right hand was the crime evidence all right. He handed it to me. He didn't smile, but the sun reflected in his eyes playfully.
“I.. I.. do you need ice?” My poor head finally found something worth saying, even though we were in the middle of the wood and there was obviously no ice.
He touched the injured site gingerly, then shook his head and turned to Ada with a straight face.
“Remind me to get her the smaller bottle next time!” he told her “It probably hurts a bit less!”
He was still being able to tease me? I couldn’t believe it! How I wished the bottle had actually knocked him down!
He turned and continued to walk down the trail back to the HOPE tent. Ada turned redder and redder as she waited for him to disappear around the corner, before breaking out laughing uncontrollably. I was confused with my own feeling… It wasn’t exactly mad or embarrassed. It was different.
“He’s so good, Flora!” Ada gasped for air “Such a sense of humor!”
I glared at Ada long enough for her to finally stop her fit of laughing. “Why did you come here in the first place?” I grilled her accusingly “If it wasn’t for you, then I wouldn’t hit him with the bottle!”
“Don’t you feel good hitting him?” Ada linked her arm to mine “You told me you hate him so! Isn’t he your “worst nightmare” huh?" She mimicked my tone a couple of nights before.
“Well, I…”
“..love him now, don’t want to hurt him, can’t even bear the thought?” Ada cut me short and let out a whole string of her nonsense.
“Arg!” I stomped my feet…
“What are you both still doing up there?” Kevin hollered from a distance “Ada, we sent you to fetch her, not for you to disappear as well!”
“We’re coming, we’re coming!” Ada said, grinning still.
“What’s so funny?” Kevin asked…
“Nothing, Kevin!” I forestalled Ada in an attempt to shut her up “Let’s go back to work. Any interesting case since I left, Kevin?”
“Nah” Kevin shook his head “But your Doctor Lo came back just now with a blister on his head the size of a tennis ball.”
“Really?” Ada winked meaningfully at me while I was helpless “Did he say what caused it?”
“We asked, but he said he just bang his head into a tree branch when he was taking the walk…” Kevin seemed to remember something “How about you, Flora?”
“Me what?” I was tensed
“You told us you would check out the trail too, right?” Kevin reminded me, and I secretly heaved a relief sigh “How was it?”
“Beautiful, yes!” I nodded “But I didn’t go far!”
I was speaking the truth. I didn’t go up the trail.
I had stayed in that cool shadow spot for the whole period of my break, dreaming away…
… thinking of him.
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[HOPE tent – Tuesday pm]
Nick Cheung had finished with the last patient on his line. He rose and glanced at the watch. 15 to 5 p.m. It was about time to wrap up, since the whole group should be back at Grantham by 7.
“Gallen!” He called out “Gallen!”
“Just a minute” His friend mumbled with his face hidden behind the long list of patients' information.
Nick stepped out of his table and stretched. At 33, he was beautifully fit. Despite his crazy schedule, Nick still managed to be a regular at the college gym. Occasionally when they met inside the gym, Kevin and Ada addressed him as Nick, and not Dr. Cheung. He insisted that way. He insisted to have a first-name basis in HOPE too, but so far the students were still being a little unfamiliar with that. To Nick, students were colleagues, and hence there was nothing wrong with Dr. Cheung being just Nick.
Presently the students were busying themselves with a few last patients, giving out medicine and direction. Nick smiled contentedly. The students had proved very efficient, and he was so proud of them. Nick fixed his glance on the girl from the U.S. She was a great asset to the group, she was smart and quick!
And Nick suspected there was something going on with Gallen since the girl came.
“Come on, Gall!” Nick stepped up to Gallen’s table “What are you still doing? It’s time to go back!”
“This case!” Gallen frowned as he pointed at one entry “I want to talk to the family again!”
Nick traced his friend’s finger “Two year old, heart murmur…. And I see she’s a little small for her age!”
“Too small for her age!” Gallen nodded “and her skin is so pale. I have every reason to suspect severe heart defect. May as well be Fallot, or…”
“What did you tell her family?”
“She lives with her Grandma, parents separated I guess. I told her Grandma that I’ll send her back to Grantham for a procedure next week. This baby seriously needs surgical intervention!”
“And?”
“Grandma said her niece is absolutely fine. She only came for the free milk and vitamin shot. She thinks the baby is small only because she hasn’t enough nutrition. I tried to explain, but…” Gallen tapped his fountain pen on his head, and winced as it accidentally hit the blister “I’m telling you, Nick, without surgery, this baby will suffer much when she grow up!”
“Well, it’s not life-threatening at this stage!” Nick considered “If her family isn’t willing and ready, we can’t force them, Gallen!”
“Nick!” Gallen shoved his chair back “I must convince Grandma!”
“Ah, give her sometimes” Nick advised “Old people don’t usually have too much faith in what we do. To Grandma, little Jia Jia is healthy because her nose doesn’t run, and her temperature isn’t high.”
Gallen stood thinking for another minute, then removed his white blouse and stethoscope.
“I’ll be back in 20 minutes, Nick!” He said as he stepped out “I want to give it another shot. I'll talk Grandma into letting us treat Jia Jia!”
“Hey, but we have to leave very soon!” Nick waved his hands in despair. He knew his friend. Once Gallen set mind to do something, nobody would talk him out of it. Stubbornness was Gallen’s trademark.
“Doctor Cheung!” Ada walked in, looking inquiringly at the retreating figure of Gallen “Where is Doctor Lo rushing to?”
“Ada, it’s Nick!” Nick corrected his student “And that hard-headed Gallen is running back into the village again!”
“Now?” Ada glanced at her wrist-watch “Isn’t it a little late?”
“You think I didn’t tell him so?” Nick chuckled “He…”
“Nick Gor!” Annie skipped into the tent “Where’s my Dai Gor?”
“Went into the village!” Ada and Nick said in unison
Annie eyes the two with a curious look, then she spotted Flora:
“Flora jie!” She said excitingly “Let’s go into the village! I bet Dai Gor was hungry and sneaked in there for some yummy smelling tofu!”
“Like real!” Kevin overheard “He’s not like you Annie! And why do you call Flora Flora jie all in a sudden?”
“Well” Annie winked naughtily “She’s a tiny tweeny bit older than me!”
“I’m older than you, too! Why don’t you ever call me Gor?”
“Dream on, Kevin!” Ada smacked Kevin’s head playfully “And use your head, Kevin. Isn’t there so obvious a reason for Annie to call Flora a Jie?”
“Stop messing with my hair!” Kevin yelped… “And mind you, I’m using my head all the time!”
“So why do you still ask?”
“Because I want to make a clean bread of everything!” Kevin declared solemnly
“Like what?” The three girls tilted their head and waited for the answer
“Like whether Flora likes me, or your brother!”
“What?” Flora cried
“How vain!” Ada laughed
“Tsk tsk!” Nick shook his head
Annie didn’t say anything. She stood looking at the smug Kevin for a moment, and then just quietly slipped out of the tent…
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