Okay, I wrote the first part at the hospital, bad-tempered because of the narcosis and the pain, and it should be a sad oneshot. But as I had translated it at home I lay awake the whole night after my uploading, because I couldn't end it like that. I'm a hopeless romantic, I guess. Since then I was working on that. Hope you enjoy it. I guess it's not the best one, but the next chapter will make up for it, promised ;-) The third and last part will be up soon.
She had hardly pulled her bag off of the luggage conveyor belt, as someone behind her shrilled happy. She turned with surprise and at the next moment Gi flung her arms around her neck. Now she could no longer hold back herself and they shrilled happy together.
"You look great Gi", said Linka then."It seems as Lee is very good for you."
"He is", replied she with a grin, before she looks at her friend serious."You have lost weight."
"You know, my work", said Linka with a smile.
"Sure, your work. How good that you have the whole week leave. I will take care of you."
"Are already other guests there?" deflected Linka.
"A few. Kwame and Ma-Ti too. But Wheeler comes not before tomorrow. He couldn't get a sooner flight."
"I guess he has it dawdled away again. Some things will never change."
"Let us go. Lee is waiting at the car. He could hardly await to get to know you."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The reunion with the old friends was so cheerful. It was almost like in the past, but Wheeler's absence left a gap. All of them looked forward to met him again at the next day, only Linka was afraid of that. She hadn't slept the last whole night, because she was so excited and afraid of met him again, of his reaction to her. She had only took a short nap at the flight, but it was not enough and Gi had she finally sent to her room at the evening, because she looked so overtired and was almost sitting fallen asleep.
But there she lay again wide awake and with tears in her eyes. She missed him so much.
Though she had fallen asleep finally, it seems the night would never end. And on the next day it was the same. She waited anxiously of Wheeler, but coevally she wished that it would take much longer. Never before in her life her feelings were in such an antagonism, not yet at that time as she couldn't or didn't wanted to realize her true feelings for him.
She sneaked the whole day through the garden of the hotel of Gi's aunt, what she had put at Gi's and Lee's disposal. The hotel and the garden were built and laid out like the asian style. The scent of the flowers were wonderful, the ripple of the pond was relaxing.
Every now and then she met one of their friends and talked for a short time with them. All the three noticed that something was wrong with her, that she wasn't happy, but nobody of them said a word. They were still friends, like brothers and sisters, but the times were over, where they gave their friends suggestions. But first of all they knew how stubborn she could be at this shape.
As she wanted to cross the foyer at afternoon as she was looking for Gi, a familiar voice stopped her and she looked up. It was Wheeler and he tried to understand the woman on the reception. A smile spread across her face, as she looked at him. For one moment it seemed to her that it would have never given the last year, and the only thing what she wanted was to go to him, take his hands, hugging and kissing him, as they never were parted.
But at the next moment Gi came out of a adjoining room and flung her arms around his neck.
"You're finally here."
"Have you thought, that I will miss it, when our little mermaid finally catches a guy?!" replied he with a grin and got a slap on the arm for that.
"And you're just in time. We will start with the party in a few minutes."
"Bachelor party, hm?!"
"Don't count with saparated parties and stripteasers or something", said she and he made a grimace in simulating disappointment.
But now he saw Linka and turned towards her. She grew stiff for a moment, but she replied his smile, that seemed now to beam on his face.
"Babe", was the only thing he said and went to her.
"Yankee", replied she. Their embrace was strong and they both had to fight back tears. It was staggering how much magic crackled still between them, but both of them were not sure, if the other felt it too, and so they parted soon.
"It's nice to meet you again."
"I can only say the same. How are you?"
"I live. And you?" said he with a smile and shrugged.
"The same. I…"
Ma-Ti and Kwame run against to them so suddenly and welcomed Wheeler so effusive, that she have to go a step back with shock. At once other people come near to welcome him too.
Linka looked at them for a moment, before she comprehended that Wheeler couldn't break away so soon and she decided to go to her room and get ready for the party.
As Wheeler break away from the people he looked for Linka, but she was disappeared. He was barely diverted and she had used the first chance to escape. It was so obvious , that she didn't wanted to be together with him anymore.
"Come with me Wheeler. I'll show you your room", took Gi him out of his thoughts and he showed again his studied happiness.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The evening stride ahead and all the time came old friends from their missions to her, with them Gi was still in contact, and wanted to speak with her too.
Continually she took a quick glance at Wheeler, who was as busy as her. But she had the whole evening no attempt of him seen, that he wanted to go to her and to speak with her. Actually he didn't noticed her views or did he ignore her? She had to put up with the fact, that he was really not more interested of her.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wheeler looked again to Linka. She was talking with some Guy, smiling, it seems that she was happy – alone. Around of him stood Kwame, Ma-ti, Lee and a few friends of him and talked too.
"Wheeler!" fetched his little buddy him back to the reality."So, I can't say that it pleased me, that you drink. It seems as you're a dreamer now."
"Was our Wheeler not always a dreamer?" asked Kwame and Ma-Ti agreed laughing."But I can remember that you don't wanted to drink just even one gulp in the past. How comes it?"
"I acquire a taste. Such one glass now and then is not so bad."
"One? I have stopped to count after your fifth. It's a wonder that you can still stand."
"I know my limits, okay?!" said Wheeler stroppy. Criticism was the last thing what he needed.
"It's all right buddy. I don't want to…"
"Hey redhead", said now a buddy of Lee and Wheeler turned unwillingly towards him, as he topped him on his shoulder."I've heard that the blonde there is your ex-girlfriend."
"And?" asked Wheeler peeved. He knew it, he didn't needed totally unknown people to rememeber him that.
"I have a crush on her. Tell me what I have to do to get her."
"Forget it! You don't stand a chance with her."
"Why not? Maybe she needs it and all women knows that we Asians are the better lovers", said he with a grin and a few of his buddies laughed bawling.
"If I would be you, I would watch out of what I say. It seems that you want a whipping."
"Uh, what is with you?! Want you for yourself to jump with her through the beds?" asked the guy and Wheelers grip around of his glass was stronger now. Even if to hear a guy talking of Linka like that was almost killing him, he couldn't and didn't wanted to create unrest to Gi's wedding and to ruin her everything."She is so hot. If I've finished with her I'll send her to you, buddy", said the guy then and that was too much.
He turned away to go to Linka, but Wheeler grabbed his shoulder and turned him towards him. The guy was too surprised, that he couldn't ward off Wheelers hook to the chin, but he jumped up at once and attacked him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trouble had arosen and Linka looked to a ring of people, who was more and more bigger. She and Gi looked at each other asking, before they ran over there and they surged through the crowd.
They couldn't believe their eyes as they saw that Wheeler and one of Lee's friends trounced each other.
"I hope that Wheeler will lambaste him. He deserves it", murmured Gi.
"Gi!" replied Linka serious."We have to stop them. They will hurt each other."
"Forget it. Chang is surely again blind drunk. If we intervene now, we come not out of this well too."
But it was not necessary to intervene, then the asian grabbed Wheelers arm and to the surprise of all of them he managed it to throw him above his shoulders. He was so tired that he fell down, before Wheeler hit the table and destroyed it with his weight. He stayed laying too.
Linka ran at once towards him. He was unconscious and one of his hands full of blood, the same was with his face, because his lip was chapped by one of the strokes.
"Ma-Ti, Kwame, can you help me please?"
"Sure, we will bring him to his room." Kwame grabbed him and pulled him up. Each one of them laid one of is arms around their shoulders and they brought him to his room. Linka fetched his key out of his pocket, opened the door and the two men laid him on his bed.
"What happened down there?" asked Linka as she came out of the bath with a wet towel, sat down besides him and started to wipe off the blood from his chin.
"Well, the guy had said a few not so nice things", said Ma-Ti hesitantly.
"And I thought he can control himself."
"It all depends on what was said and of whom", said Kwame.
"That's no excuse. He had no problems with that lastly."
"He had ever a problem with it when other people didn't have spoken good of you", said Ma-Ti angry.
"Don't say that the matter for that was I?!" said Linka with surprise and turned to Wheelers hand, after both of them had nodded."What has the guy said?"
"Let us say, that he have a crush on you and had corresponding purposes", replied Kwame hesitantly."We should go. Can you manage it now?"
"Da, sure. Thank you."
She heard the door fall into the lock and finished the cleaning of his hand. She could see only a few scratches, who were not bleeding anymore, so she didn't got the dressing material.
But she decided that she couldn't let him lie there with his clothes. His shirt was blotchy and it smelt of alcohol. She unbottoned it and shed it over his shoulders. It was toilsome to sat him up and undress him, but she could manage it. Thereby she could smell, that it was not only his shirt what smelt of alcohol, but he too. How long was he drinking?
She frightened away this thought and undressed his shoes and trousers, before she sat again down besides him and looked at him for a moment. He had not changed in this last year. She resisted the temptation to stroke above his chest and face, but it was hard though, but it would make everything more worse. Was it a good sign, that he had wanted to defend her honor? She had to sigh, before she covered him with the blanket and sat down into a arm chair next to the bed and turned the light off. She had to expend all of her patience once more, until he would awake. But she would not leave, before she had not a few answers of him.
