[Raymond’s Point of View]
My arms were crossed as I leaned against the wall, pressing hard against it due to the messed up feeling inside of me. Not only did I have the upcoming board meeting to worry about, one of my closest friends is in the emergency room, desperately fighting for her life. What else could go wrong?
I glanced up slightly and saw Ron pacing back and forth now, instead of slumping in disbelief on the row of chairs. I’ve never seen him this worried about anything, and he looked way more like a train-wreck than he did when he got bad news about his father. Ron must really care about Nancy and the baby, and for all the right reasons.
Bernice was sitting on a chair, though seeming calm and collective, just by the look in her eyes I could tell she was exploding with emotions. What was she thinking though? Could she have finally given up on Ron and allow him and Nancy to stay together? But even if she did, sadly, we don’t even know Nancy’s conditions right now.
“Nurse, nurse,” Ron called as he grabbed a lady in white while she walked out of the room. “How is my wife?”
“I’m sorry we don’t have her at a stable condition yet. We’re still trying to protect both the mother and the baby. Please excuse me.”
“Whatever you do, save the mother, please.” Ron pleaded as she left in a hurry.
The expression on Ron’s face said it all. He was one step from hell, one very small step. He was back to slumping on the chair, his eyes blank and saddened. I understood him completely. Choosing to save the mother over the baby doesn’t mean he loved his child any less. It was just a much more worthwhile decision. He knew he couldn’t live without Nancy, so choosing her over his unborn child is forcefully acceptable.
Just when I watched the nurse run down the hallway, I realized Tavia was nowhere in sight. I remembered back when she quietly excused herself to get a drink, and she hasn’t returned since. It has been a while, so I wondered if she was still at the water fountain. I jogged down the hall, trying to remain discreet to the other patrons in this white blinding hospital. I ran a bit more and I finally found her by the water fountain. When I came up to her, she was quiet. She was on her knees, and she was quiet. But I could hear her breathing, and worst, I could hear her trying to hold back her tears that kept flowing downwards.
“Tavia,” I sighed as I pulled her into my arms.
She held me tightly, clinging on to me with desperation. “What if Nancy doesn’t make it?” she asked through clenched teeth and teary eyes.
I pulled her closer, stroking her hair hoping to calm her down just a little bit. “She’s strong, she’ll make it. Nancy has always been really strong. It’s going to be okay.” I sighed, knowing just as well as Tavia how terrified we both were right now.
The only thing I could do was close my eyes and pray to dear god for her to be alright.
~*~
[Damian’s Point of View]
“Mr. Lau, at the board meeting that is going to happen in a couple days, I will give you my shares of AVC. Just please don’t play any more tricks at the meeting,” Bernice Liu spoke over the phone.
“Of course, and thank you, thank you very much.”
“I will contact you later, have a nice evening.”
“You too Miss Liu. It was nice working with you,” I replied, smiling. The look on my face could not explain the intense joy I am feeling right now.
I turned off the flashing television screen and pulled off my Bluetooth headset. The reporter’s words still repeated in my mind. “Today an accident involving a pregnant woman and drag racers happened at around five in the afternoon. The victim’s condition is still unstable and there haven’t been anymore confirms of more victims.” My lips curled upwards in a smile as I picked up the glass of wine and took a small sip.
Obviously Michael was also listening. His eyes stared at me with an odd feeling behind it. I wondered what he could be thinking, and I wondered how proud he would be of me when we take back AVC and have it rightfully back in our hands.
“Is it really worth it?” he suddenly asked. “Is a stupid company really worth it?”
“What are you talking about?” I smiled. “AVC is your blood and sweat, its rightful owner is us.”
“But you’ve just harmed someone innocent, just by this you could get jailed.”
“I don’t care, as long as the company is back with our family.”
“Have some sense of morality will you? You just harmed Nancy Wu. She was the only one who kept my daughter company and helped her throughout all these years. I already owed her so much, and now you just had to hire street racers to run her over.”
“It’s all planned,” I argued. “If Nancy Wu is out of the picture, not only will Bernice Liu give me support, Wu Enterprise will also stay out of our business. Anthony Wu is a smart man, and if his daughter is harmed in this game, he will surely withdraw. It will help with all the private projects that foolish Kenneth Ma kept pressuring me with.”
“You could’ve just used some other sly tricks of yours. You didn’t have to resort to harming the innocent.” Michael sighed. “I already owe my daughter so much; I don’t want to take away her closest friend too.”
“When we get back AVC, everything will be all better. You can pay her back with anything in the world,” I tried to convince him.
“Money isn’t the issue, little brother.” It’s been a long time since Michael called me little brother, and when he did it sent some warning signal running through my body. “I’m going out for a drink. And I’m warning you, if you sent any of your hired triad friends to follow me, I won’t keep quiet any longer.”
I watched him leave, the door closing behind him. With honesty, I had to admit I was so tempted to ask someone to follow him, mainly because I cared more about his safety, and in this state of mind, his safety is far more important than anything. But by his request, I had to just sit down, and allow him to freely get a drink. I leaned back, closing my eyes and sighing heavily at the ceiling. I just can’t wait until everything is over, and finally take back what was rightfully ours to begin with.
~*~
[Ron’s Point of View]
My heart was about up to my throat as I sat up to the opening doors. A group of nurses and doctors came out, pushing a metal bed with Nancy laying on it. She was unconscious, and it pained me to see her hooked up to all those wires and tubing. I felt tears in my eyes when the nurse suddenly handed me a small, soft bundle. In it was a baby, a baby boy I checked. And it took me a moment to realize, but he was my baby, my little baby boy with Nancy.
“The baby is born and healthy, his weight is just a little bit under what we expected, but he’s strong and healthy,” the nurse smiled at me with relief.
“What about the mother nurse? Is she alright?” I asked in a hurry, holding my sleeping baby gently in my arms.
She was quiet for a moment. “She’s breathing, but we are still unsure when she will wake up or…if she will wake up at all…”
I silently followed her into Nancy’s room. It was dark in there, but I left it that way, only turning on the little desk lamp beside her bed so that our three faces were visible, hers, mine, and our baby. I held him tightly in my arms, careful not to hurt him but also careful not to drop him. With my free hand I took Nancy’s, and I held onto her tightly. She looked so weak, and the monitor of her heartbeat wasn’t helping make this any better with its faint beeping.
“Nancy, our baby’s here,” I whispered softly beside her ear. “He’s sleeping, and he looks so much like you. I decided to name him Alex, that’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
I looked down at baby Alex, still sleeping soundly in my arms. His lips were closed, but curled upwards in a tiny, innocent little smile. I couldn’t help but let out a little smile myself, stroking his chubby little cheeks as gently as ever.
“He’s going to be such a good boy,” I continued. “Look, he’s still sleeping now, and I haven’t heard him cry since.”
Alex suddenly squirmed in my arms. He tried turning a bit, but was too weak to do much other than wiggle his little body. Slowly his eyes opened, and for the first time I got to look into my child’s eyes. They reminded me so much of my own, like Nancy had explained, except without all the distance. He was so fragile, but so cute. He let out a soft cry, but after a minute, I finally calmed him down. That was the first time I heard my boy cry, his first sound to my ears. After a moment, he then stared at me with curiosity in his big brown eyes. His lips then suddenly curved upwards again, and he smiled, laughing in a high pitch little baby squeal at the face I just made him. He was my little boy, and looking up at Nancy, I held her hand tightly in mine, allowing her to touch baby Alex’s little cheek.
“He’s our little boy Nancy, and he can’t wait to see the face his mommy will make when she wakes up and stares into his big brown eyes.” I spoke softly with all the hope I had in me. She was going to wake up, and I trust that Nancy will hold on tight.
~*~
[Tavia’s Point of View]
I couldn’t rid the thoughts from my mind. Inside my head, I kept thinking over and over again, tracing the cause of Nancy’s so-called accident. The worst thing is, the more I think about it, the more reasons I find that would link everything down to me. I was the one who asked Kenneth to do whatever he could to get Bernice’s share. I could also be the one that led this upon poor, innocent Nancy. In the end, I could be the one who caused Nancy’s many injuries, and her unstable condition on the hospital bed. I caused Ron so much pain and worries, and I caused baby Alex to wake up into this world without the comfort of his own mother.
“Tavia,” Raymond’s soft voice interrupted my thoughts.
I turned around, facing him. His face was straight but saddened, and he seemed speechless, stuttering to find what to say. I tried pulling a light, simple smile, but I failed so badly I only ended up cringing in disappointment at my own self. What kind of person am I?
“She’ll be alright. We all know Nancy, and she may be stubborn but she won’t make the wrong decision in the end. She’ll hold on all she can, and she’ll wake up soon.”
“But what if she doesn’t? What if no matter how hard she tries she still won’t…go through this?” I asked him, feeling the tears clouding my eyes and thoughts as I stuttered the last few words.
He took my hands. “She will, have faith in her. Ron’s beside her now and I know he won’t let her slip away so easily. She’ll wake up.”
Raymond’s voice was also shaky. I guess we both were close to being in the same position. Except my second worry was what I had ended up doing to my best friend all because of a company, and Raymond’s second worry was the upcoming board meeting, in a couple of days. I would love to comfort him like he was to me. I’d love to take away his worries. But I can’t, at least not right now. If I did then that would only ruin everything, and put all the sacrifices and pain to waste.
I looked up at him and finally pulled an obviously fake smile. He kissed me goodbye as I stepped out of his car and up to my apartment. I knew he wouldn’t follow, he had so much on his mind and still so much work left to do at home. So I headed up to the apartment, alone.
Step by step I came closer to the one place that was filled with endless memories. My apartment alone was decorated with endless nonsense both Nancy and I used to find interest in. As I stepped foot inside the door and stared up at the star scattered ceiling we both decided to make a couple years back, my knees gave out and I slid onto the ground. I couldn’t help myself from crying, praying to whoever was listening to save my sister. Yes, I consider her my sister, because thinking back, no one else would do any of that for me, but Nancy did.
With all the strength I had, I pulled myself over to my couch. I sat in the single arm chair that Nancy used to love lying backwards in. Staring at our picture sitting on the coffee table, I was engulfed in silence. I couldn’t clearly remember why we made such crazy faces in that picture, but we obviously had a great time. If anything happened to Nancy, I don’t know what I’d do. Then I thought about the reason this accident happened.
If my guesses were right, either Damian or Bernice must’ve hired someone to take her out. Why? Bernice’s reason was obvious enough, but Damian’s reason is a little twisted. I knew he needed her out of the picture because of Wu Enterprise’s private patch ups for AVC, and what better way to take someone out that by standing on the sidelines and watching as they end up in a so-called “accident”? I’ve worked with him before, and I could say I know him well enough to say that he would do a thing like this. It’s sick to know we’re related.
This only adds more onto the reason why I can’t let him win. If Damian wins then all my work would’ve gone to waste. All the troubles, all the pain, lies, and worries would be all for nothing, and that is that last thing I will ever let happen. I have to keep standing firmly where I am now, and just hope that things will work out in the very end.
A soft muffled knock on my door woke me up, but I wasn’t that asleep to begin with.
I went over to the door, hesitating to open it as I wondered who it could be. It could be Raymond, coming over with a long face because of all the worries in him while hoping to comfort me. Or it could be Ron, coming over with sweet baby Alex and bearing news that Nancy is alright and she is complaining in the hospital about pointless stuff. I laughed at myself. I wished Ron would come.
When I opened it, the person standing there wasn’t Ron or Raymond. In fact, I never would expect him to be standing here, in front of me. I’d never expect this in a million years, or a million years after that. I was caught off guard as I stared back into his soft, remorseful eyes.
“Dad…why are you here?” I asked in pure surprise.
The look on his face seemed a bit stunned. Of course, he would never expect me to call him dad either, neither did I. I couldn’t explain why I did that. All I knew was that right then and there, he’s standing before me. And all I knew was that right now, I could really use a dad to be with me. I opened the door wider, silently inviting him in. A smile fell on his face, the same smile I would always see when he was with mom and me. They were the very same smile that imprinted the building blocks of my childhood.
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