| Fan Fiction |
by kglove
“He’s still unconscious but the doctor said he’s stable. They were able to stop the internal bleeding as of now.” Ken was the one who answered.
“Well that’s a relief. Where’s his wife?”
“She’s in there with him. RJ and I can’t stand to watch dad in such a state that’s why we chose to stay here. You can go in and see him if you want. He’s allowed visitors.”
“Okay, I’ll go inside to check on him.”
Ken turned to Gerald. “RJ, are you okay? If you want to get some rest or eat, we can go.”
Gerald shook his head. “No, Ken, I’m okay. I don’t want to leave until I can be sure that dad is going to be alright.”
“Neither do I, but you have to think about yourself. We’ve been here for 2 days now and you haven’t eaten or slept much. We don’t want another Anderson confined in this hospital, bro. Let’s go, we can grab a bite to eat. Mom’s in there anyway.”
Gerald sighed and followed Ken to the cafeteria. While they were eating, Ken’s phone rang. Gerald paid no attention and just continued eating when Ken handed him the phone. “What’s this?”
“It’s for you, RJ. I think she’s gotten so worried that she decided to call me.”
Still confused, he grabbed the phone from Ken. “Hello?”
“Oh my goodness, Gerald, you had me worried sick! You haven’t returned any of my phone calls and text messages for how many days now. Where have you been?”
“Kim?”
“Yes, it’s me. I have been trying to get in touch with you because you didn’t show up for work yesterday and today; Michael just said that you filed for leave of absence without telling any reason why. That’s why I decided to finally call Ken to ask for your whereabouts.”
“I’m really sorry for not calling. I left my phone at my apartment and we’ve been really busy. I’m here in the hospital, Kim. My dad had an accident and he’s still unconscious until now.”
“I’m sorry to hear about Tito Randy. I sure hope he’s going to be okay real soon.”
“Yeah, I hope so too. Listen, Kim I apologize for not telling you. All I can think about is my dad and I should’ve let you guys know what happened. Didn’t mean to worry you.”
“That’s totally understandable, Gerald. Don’t worry about it. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to call, okay?”
“Thanks, Kim. I appreciate that.”
“No problem. Bye.”
Gerald handed the phone back to Ken and finished his meal. The moment he heard Kim’s voice, somehow the situation they are facing right now felt a little lighter. He has been thinking about calling her since he learned about the accident and just couldn’t bring himself to do so.
“Is Kim coming over?” Ken asked.
“What? No, I don’t think so. She’s busy and I know she aint gonna waste her time driving all the way here.”
“Why not? RJ, you’re friends, right? And once upon a time, she was a part of this family.”
“Ken, I don’t want to impose on her. She’s not my girlfriend anymore. Besides, she’s already dating someone else now. I don’t think her boyfriend would appreciate that.”
“Kim has a new boyfriend? I find that so hard to believe.”
“Well, Kim has obviously moved on a lot faster than me. You can’t blame her. It was me who screwed up in our relationship. To be honest, I have been trying to win her back but with Jeremy as my competition, my chances are zero to none.”
“Bro, don’t lose hope yet. I know that Kim is not the kind of girl that easily forgets. I mean, 4 years is whole lot of years to forget in a few months, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, but… I don’t want to put too much pressure on Kim. Right now, as long as I see her happy I can live with that.” Gerald sighed. “Come on, let’s go back and check on dad.”
***
“Kim? What’s going on?” Jeremy saw Kim pacing back and forth in her office.
“Oh, hi Jeremy.”
Jeremy held Kim’s hands and led her to her office chair. “Is there something wrong? You’ve been very distracted lately.”
“I’ve been very unfair to you and I hate myself for that.”
“What are you talking about, Kim? I don’t understand.”
Tears started falling from Kim’s eyes. “It’s about Gerald.”
“Gerald? Why, what happened to him? I noticed he has been absent for some days now. Is he okay?”
“He went to see his dad at the hospital. Mr. Anderson was in an accident and until now, he’s still unconscious.” Kim explained.
“Oh wow, that’s rough. I hope everything will be okay.” Jeremy said. “But I still don’t understand why you’re being unfair to me?”
Kim hesitated but she knows she has to do this or she will never find the strength to do it. “I think I still have feelings for Gerald until now.”
Jeremy didn’t say anything; instead he stood up and turned his back on Kim. She was about to stand up when Jeremy turned around and spoke.
“I was wondering when you will say that out loud.”
Kim stared at Jeremy, confused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s pretty obvious that you and Gerald haven’t really moved on yet. You guys shared so much that it takes more than a few months to get over it. I saw the way he looks at you. He regrets losing you every single day, especially when he sees you with me. And you care about him more than you are willing to admit. I’m not naïve, Kim.”
“Jeremy, I didn’t mean to lead you on. I honestly like you, for whatever it is worth.”
“I know, I never doubted you. It’s just too bad that you love Gerald and not me.”
“Please don’t hate me.” Kim looked at him pleadingly.
Jeremy walked over to where Kim was sitting and held her hands. “I could never hate you, Kim. I like you way too much to feel that.”
“I am so sorry. You have been very good to me and this is how I repay you.”
Jeremy wiped the tears on Kim’s face. “Stop saying that. To be honest, I’m actually happy that you care for my feelings well enough to be honest with me. I really appreciate your sincerity.”
“Where does this leave us?”
“Kim, we’re leaving in two weeks time. But I would really appreciate it if you and I can still be friends even if I am not here anymore.”
Kim smiled. “Of course.”
“Great. Now, I have one last request and I hope you won’t mind.”
“What’s that?”
“Kim, can I hug you one last time?”
Kim nodded and walked closer to Jeremy and hugged him. They remained in that state for a few minutes and he kissed Kim on her cheeks before letting her go. “Thank you for everything. You made me very happy in the few weeks that I was here.”
“You too. Again, I’m really sorry for what happened.”
“It’s okay. You can’t win all the battles, right? I have to go now. I’ll see you around, Kim.”
“Thank you being so understanding.”
“Go and be with the man that you really love. He needs you now more than anything.” Jeremy winked and closed the door to her office.
***
“You told Jeremy that you still love Gerald?” Cathy asked Kim for the second time.
Kim rolled her eyes. “Yes, I did! How many times do you have to ask that?”
“But why?”
“Cathy, I don’t want to be unfair with myself and with Jeremy. He’s such a nice guy and I feel bad going out with him when I have feelings for someone else.”
“Have you told Gerald about this?” Kim shook her head. “When do you plan on doing so?”
“I don’t know. He’s too pre-occupied with what happened to Tito Randy at the moment.”
“But do you plan to see him?”
Kim thought about it for a minute. “Do you think I should?”
“Well, yes! He needs a friend right now and who better than you. I can come with you if you want.”
“Don’t you have a business meeting to go to?”
“Oh yes, I forgot about that.” Cathy reached for Kim’s hand across the table. “Kim, he needs you. You should go and see him. I think it will take a load off his mind.”
***
“Are you sure you and Ken will be okay to stay here?”
“Absolutely, Tita. Don’t worry, we will call you and mom as soon as something comes up. In the meantime, both of you needs to rest.” Gerald assured his dad’s wife. “I should be the one asking you if it is okay that my mom is staying with you.”
“Gerald, your mom and I have no problems with each other. He and your father are very good friends, and so are we.”
“Thank you.” Gerald approached his mother. “Mom, get some rest, okay? We’ll see you tomorrow.” He kissed his mom. The two women left with Ken who will drive them home and to get some change of clothes as well.
A few hours later, Gerald was woken up by Ken.
“RJ, you have a visitor.”
Gerald squinted at the visitor Ken was referring to. When he realized who it was, he immediately stood up from the sofa that he was lying in.
“Kim? What are you doing here?”
Kim smiled at him. “I was just visiting your dad, and also to check on you as well.”
“Are you all by yourself?” Kim nodded. “Are you crazy? You drove all the way out here alone?”
“Yes, why not? I’ve been here before, haven’t I?”
“I know but it’s late at night and something could’ve happened to you, Kim.”
Ken interrupted his brother. “Gerald, you can be so dramatic at times. She’s here safe and sound, isn’t she?”
“Hang on a second, where did you find her?” he turned his attention to Ken.
“She arrived at the house almost the same time that we did. Apparently, she has been calling me but my phone ran out of battery so she didn’t know where to find us. Good thing she knows where we live here so she went there.”
Kim was looking at Gerald and was laughing at his reaction upon seeing her. Gerald noticed it.
“What’s so funny?”
Kim shook her head, still laughing. “Nothing.”
“I’m sorry, Kim. Forgive my brother’s manners. Sit down.”
She smiled and took the seat that Ken offered. “How’s Tito Randy? Any developments?”
“He’s stable, that’s all we know. The doctors said they were able to stop the internal bleeding.” Ken stated.
“Any idea when he will wake up?”
“It’s all up to him. At this point, the doctors can’t say how long he will be in a coma.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll come around soon. How are you both anyway?”
Gerald was the one who answered this time. “We’re okay. A little tired but we’ll manage. Kim, I’m sorry for acting weird earlier. I just wasn’t expecting you to come at this hour.”
“Here, I brought some food for you. Ken already ate his share so that’s all yours.”
“RJ, why don’t you eat at the pantry with Kim? I’ll stay here with dad.”
Gerald nodded and walked with Kim towards the cafeteria.
“Thanks for coming. You shouldn’t have bothered. I mean, I know you’re busy with a lot of stuff. Plus there’s Jeremy.”
Kim glanced at Gerald’s face. “Don’t worry about him, he understands. Besides, they’ll be very busy the next few days because they’re leaving in a couple of weeks.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” They settled in one of the empty tables. “Are you ready for that?”
She shot him a confused look. “What, them leaving?” Gerald nodded. “Well, yes. Jeremy and I already talked about it and I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. I mean, there’s always a way for us to keep in touch, right?”
“Of course.” Gerald offered Kim a portion of his food. “Here, let’s share.”
Kim dismissed Gerald. “No, thank you. I brought that food for you and I want you to finish that.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. Gerald continued to eat in silence while Kim just watched him. Few minutes after, Gerald noticed that Kim was staring at him.
“What?” Gerald asked.
“Nothing. Why?”
“You were staring at me. Do I have something on my face?”
“Oh no, no. Sorry, didn’t mean to do that.” Kim blushed. “Anyway, I saw your mom with your dad’s new wife.”
Gerald shrugged. “Yeah, they are okay with each other even before. My parents have moved on and I'm just glad that they are friends. It can get a little awkward at times, but it’s cool. As long as both of them are happy, it doesn’t really matter who they’re with.”
Kim smiled and let Gerald finish his meal. She just busied herself by checking messages on her phone.
“By the way, my dad sends his regards. He wants to come and visit Tito Randy but unfortunately he has some meetings to attend.”
“Thank you. I'm really sorry I wasn’t able to inform you about it. When Ken showed up at my apartment and told me what happened, all I could think about was to get to my dad as fast as I can.”
“Don’t worry about it, I totally understand. I just got worried when you didn’t show up for work without anyone knowing what happened. I even checked your apartment when you didn’t return my calls and messages.” Kim narrated.
Gerald couldn’t help but smile. He was touched that Kim went out of her way to find him and know what’s going on. He reached for Kim’s hands across the table.
“I really appreciate that, Kim. You just don’t know how happy I am that you’re here with me. Somehow that makes the situation a lot easier to bear.” Gerald squeezed Kim’s hand. Before Kim could say anything, he stood up. “Come on, we have to go back. I just have to make sure that Ken will be okay for a while and then I’ll drive you home. Where are you staying anyway?”
Kim shook her head. “I didn’t have time to get myself a hotel room. I went straight to your dad’s house when I couldn’t contact Ken.”
“Well, you’re not going to need one. I'm offering my room at dad’s house. I'm sure his wife wouldn’t mind.”
“Uh Gerald, I don’t think…”
“Kim, it’s the least I can do for you for doing this. You can take my room and when you’re settled in, I can go back here.”
“I want to stay here with you then.” Gerald stopped and looked at her curiously. “Ge, I went here to show you support. I know I can’t do anything to help your dad but I can do something for you. I know you need someone to talk to and that’s why I'm here. So if you're staying here, then I'm not going anywhere.”
He looked at Kim and he saw that she is serious about staying with him at the hospital. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes I am and there is absolutely nothing you can say or do that will change my mind so don’t bother trying.” Kim warned.
Gerald held both of his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. But let me ask you a question. How are you going to work tomorrow?”
“That’s easy. I took a vacation leave. I haven’t had any vacations since last year so Mike couldn’t deny my request. Satisfied?”
Gerald nodded. “I guess I just have to thank you. This means a lot to me, Kim.” He took one step closer to Kim. “I know we’ve had our differences and issues before but I want you to know that…”
Kim interrupted him. “Stop! Whatever it is that you are about to say, it can wait. For now, we are here for your dad. We can talk about that some other time. Okay?”
“Alright, but I sure hope you're not going to stop me what I'm about to do because I’ve wanted to do this since you arrived.” Kim gave him a puzzled look. Gerald took one more step and enclosed Kim in a hug. Kim was a bit surprised by his action but nonetheless hugged him back.