I am not making any money with this. I do not own Lara Croft, Tomb Raider
etc.
Only to be archived at Fanfiction.net and 'Lara Croft's Tales of Beauty and Power'. All other sites email me first to gain permission.
========================================================= The Last Revelation Part III: Garden of The Five Towers by Heidi Ahlmen (siirma6@surfeu.fi) =========================================================
Chapter 8
~Five days later~
Central Hospital of Bangkok
Suapa Avenua 1093 Chinatown, Bangkok
Clutching a huge bouquet of orchids in his hand, Jean-Yves rode the elevator up.
Bangkok was a fresh wind of civilization after Cambodia. In all honesty, he had been happier than ever as his plane had crossed the Thailand border for good. After packing both his and Lara's things, he had arranged himself a seat in a rare commercial flight from Phnom Penh to Bangkok. The flooded streets of the capital had felt sad, and Jean had lost all interest in the civil war in the God-forsaken kingdom of Cambodia. They had the Iris, and that was the main thing.
Finding Lara help in Bangkok had not been easy. With some help of his father, they had phoned through all the hospitals and private clinics in the city, and the last one had been the right one.
Murphy's law.
The elevator doors opened to the eleventh floor of the state-of-the-art facility known as the Central Hospital of Bangkok.
Behind the reception desk stood a young Thai girl in a regular nurse's outfit. Jean walked up to the desk.
"Miss Lara Croft, please?"
The receptionist smiled. "Just around the corner, Sir. Room 1120."
Jean flashed a relieved smile to the young woman, and walked to the room door.
It was evening, the sun was setting and creating curtain-shaped patches of light on the sterile, white floors.
He opened the door.
It was a private room, with tropical flowers in numerous pots near the big window opening towards the Mangkhon Road temple.
Lara sat in the hospital bed, following his movements slowly.
"I'm sorry," Jean said silently.
"Sorry for what?" Lara asked politely, unsure what she was supposed to say.
"For something. I don't know. I was hoping you'd tell me." He gave Lara the flowers, and as predicted, she smelled them and put them aside. "Don't be sorry for anything, Jean." Lara almost smiled. Almost.
"You seem well." Jean stated simply. "Malaria. I should've guessed."
"I'm already down to 37.9 degrees. You know what they say, one's gotta get it sooner or later." Lara small talked.
"They say that about the influenza, not malaria."
Lara looked out of the window.
To fill the silence following his own comment seconds before, Jean opened his mouth.
"You never answered my question." He said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.
"You figured a sick woman would say yes more easily?"
"I'm not plotting against you, Lara Croft, by asking you a question, personal or not."
Lara sat up, and looked deep into Jean's eyes. "Was this planned? Both of us from good families, rich as hell, my father would be downright ecstatic to have a son-in-law like you."
"Nothing was planned," Jean assured her.
"Why don't you answer a question."
Jean nodded.
"What such good deeds have you done that make you think it is your right to walk in here and reask for my hand?"
"I dropped you in a fountain," Jean said.
Lara ignored his remark, sure that he was joking.
"Jean, I'd be honored to be your friend. I'd be miserable to be your wife. Even the thought sounds ridiculous."
Jean, who had never met anyone so straightforward, just sat and listened.
Lara stopped talking and looked out of the window.
"I'm sorry. I am. I know what you did in Angkor Wat."
Jean just nodded.
"I escaped marriage to Oxford. I escaped marriage to America."
Jean turned his head and Lara stopped.
"Saying no does not kill me of a broken heart."
"The matter's settled then." Lara said quietly.
"One thing," Jean said.
Lara listened.
"You did not kill me of a broken heart. You only almost scared me to death." Not wanting to say anything more, Jean got up, gave Lara a light kiss on her cheek, and disappeared to the hallway, leaving Lara alone.
Lara rubbed her temples. She felt like the world had quickened its run and she had beend dropped out of the winning team. She had lost a friend, an artifact, and almost her life, or at least that was what she had been told by the doctors.
She wondered what had happened after the temple. She did not remember.
Lara heard distant sounds from the Chinatown eleven floors down. Fireworks rattles as the citizens of Thailand were celebrating some festival she knew nothing about.
Beans on toast was all she wanted.
Plain beans on plain toast.
And company.
She was alone as ever. Perhaps it was for the best, perhaps not.
Her flow of thoughts was interrupted as a nurse stepped into the room. She was carrying something. A chinese lantern with something faintly glowing inside.
The nurse flashed her a compassionate smile, and passed the lantern to Lara.
"The young Sir who visited you earlier left this at the reception." She said, nodded at Lara, and left the room.
Lara inspected the lantern. It was made of red paper, with green dragons. Having a sudden revelation, Lara ripped open the lantern. Inside, was something she definitely did not expect.
The Angkorean Iris.
'Did I get it?'
'Did Jean get it?'
There was also a note inside the lantern. In the words of Buddha.
" 'What ever happiness there is in the world It is because you wished luck for the others; What ever suffering exists there is in this world, It is for you wished luck for yourself.'
I think this belongs to you.
Call at least once in a decade,
Jean".
Lara smiled.
Bangkok International Airport Nang Sbaek, Bangkok Thailand
"Last call to flight 502AF to Paris."
Jean grabbed his bags and hurried to the gate. He had done his check-in, and then sat down on one of the benches. He had been buried deep in his own thoughts - the last call was the first he heard.
As he passed the gate secretary, she pulled his sleeve.
"Monsieur DuCarmine? Urgent call for you," she said.
Jean did not take the receiver from her. He saw the last passengers hurrying to the plane. He had to answer the phone or catch his flight. It was too late to do both.
The secretary spoke again; "It is a Miss Lara Croft. She says she must speak to you," she informed Jean.
After taking a look at the steward making nervous, hurrying gestures to him to board the plane before it was too late, Jean turned back to the secretary.
"Tell her she found it. That it something she'll want to hear more than anything," Jean said, leaving the secretary puzzled.
Jean made his decision. He flashed the gate secreterary a wide smile, and boarded his plane.
Watching Bangkok get smaller and smaller in the plane window, Jean smiled again - this time only to himself. He knew Lara Croft was going to call her a little more often than once in a decade.
End of part III/V
~For additional information about the series and the creative process, there's an article published about the series at "Lara Croft's Tales Of Beauty And Power". You can find it in the section "Author's Notes". I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far.
Heidi
All feedback to: siirma6@surfeu.fi
Only to be archived at Fanfiction.net and 'Lara Croft's Tales of Beauty and Power'. All other sites email me first to gain permission.
========================================================= The Last Revelation Part III: Garden of The Five Towers by Heidi Ahlmen (siirma6@surfeu.fi) =========================================================
Chapter 8
~Five days later~
Central Hospital of Bangkok
Suapa Avenua 1093 Chinatown, Bangkok
Clutching a huge bouquet of orchids in his hand, Jean-Yves rode the elevator up.
Bangkok was a fresh wind of civilization after Cambodia. In all honesty, he had been happier than ever as his plane had crossed the Thailand border for good. After packing both his and Lara's things, he had arranged himself a seat in a rare commercial flight from Phnom Penh to Bangkok. The flooded streets of the capital had felt sad, and Jean had lost all interest in the civil war in the God-forsaken kingdom of Cambodia. They had the Iris, and that was the main thing.
Finding Lara help in Bangkok had not been easy. With some help of his father, they had phoned through all the hospitals and private clinics in the city, and the last one had been the right one.
Murphy's law.
The elevator doors opened to the eleventh floor of the state-of-the-art facility known as the Central Hospital of Bangkok.
Behind the reception desk stood a young Thai girl in a regular nurse's outfit. Jean walked up to the desk.
"Miss Lara Croft, please?"
The receptionist smiled. "Just around the corner, Sir. Room 1120."
Jean flashed a relieved smile to the young woman, and walked to the room door.
It was evening, the sun was setting and creating curtain-shaped patches of light on the sterile, white floors.
He opened the door.
It was a private room, with tropical flowers in numerous pots near the big window opening towards the Mangkhon Road temple.
Lara sat in the hospital bed, following his movements slowly.
"I'm sorry," Jean said silently.
"Sorry for what?" Lara asked politely, unsure what she was supposed to say.
"For something. I don't know. I was hoping you'd tell me." He gave Lara the flowers, and as predicted, she smelled them and put them aside. "Don't be sorry for anything, Jean." Lara almost smiled. Almost.
"You seem well." Jean stated simply. "Malaria. I should've guessed."
"I'm already down to 37.9 degrees. You know what they say, one's gotta get it sooner or later." Lara small talked.
"They say that about the influenza, not malaria."
Lara looked out of the window.
To fill the silence following his own comment seconds before, Jean opened his mouth.
"You never answered my question." He said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.
"You figured a sick woman would say yes more easily?"
"I'm not plotting against you, Lara Croft, by asking you a question, personal or not."
Lara sat up, and looked deep into Jean's eyes. "Was this planned? Both of us from good families, rich as hell, my father would be downright ecstatic to have a son-in-law like you."
"Nothing was planned," Jean assured her.
"Why don't you answer a question."
Jean nodded.
"What such good deeds have you done that make you think it is your right to walk in here and reask for my hand?"
"I dropped you in a fountain," Jean said.
Lara ignored his remark, sure that he was joking.
"Jean, I'd be honored to be your friend. I'd be miserable to be your wife. Even the thought sounds ridiculous."
Jean, who had never met anyone so straightforward, just sat and listened.
Lara stopped talking and looked out of the window.
"I'm sorry. I am. I know what you did in Angkor Wat."
Jean just nodded.
"I escaped marriage to Oxford. I escaped marriage to America."
Jean turned his head and Lara stopped.
"Saying no does not kill me of a broken heart."
"The matter's settled then." Lara said quietly.
"One thing," Jean said.
Lara listened.
"You did not kill me of a broken heart. You only almost scared me to death." Not wanting to say anything more, Jean got up, gave Lara a light kiss on her cheek, and disappeared to the hallway, leaving Lara alone.
Lara rubbed her temples. She felt like the world had quickened its run and she had beend dropped out of the winning team. She had lost a friend, an artifact, and almost her life, or at least that was what she had been told by the doctors.
She wondered what had happened after the temple. She did not remember.
Lara heard distant sounds from the Chinatown eleven floors down. Fireworks rattles as the citizens of Thailand were celebrating some festival she knew nothing about.
Beans on toast was all she wanted.
Plain beans on plain toast.
And company.
She was alone as ever. Perhaps it was for the best, perhaps not.
Her flow of thoughts was interrupted as a nurse stepped into the room. She was carrying something. A chinese lantern with something faintly glowing inside.
The nurse flashed her a compassionate smile, and passed the lantern to Lara.
"The young Sir who visited you earlier left this at the reception." She said, nodded at Lara, and left the room.
Lara inspected the lantern. It was made of red paper, with green dragons. Having a sudden revelation, Lara ripped open the lantern. Inside, was something she definitely did not expect.
The Angkorean Iris.
'Did I get it?'
'Did Jean get it?'
There was also a note inside the lantern. In the words of Buddha.
" 'What ever happiness there is in the world It is because you wished luck for the others; What ever suffering exists there is in this world, It is for you wished luck for yourself.'
I think this belongs to you.
Call at least once in a decade,
Jean".
Lara smiled.
Bangkok International Airport Nang Sbaek, Bangkok Thailand
"Last call to flight 502AF to Paris."
Jean grabbed his bags and hurried to the gate. He had done his check-in, and then sat down on one of the benches. He had been buried deep in his own thoughts - the last call was the first he heard.
As he passed the gate secretary, she pulled his sleeve.
"Monsieur DuCarmine? Urgent call for you," she said.
Jean did not take the receiver from her. He saw the last passengers hurrying to the plane. He had to answer the phone or catch his flight. It was too late to do both.
The secretary spoke again; "It is a Miss Lara Croft. She says she must speak to you," she informed Jean.
After taking a look at the steward making nervous, hurrying gestures to him to board the plane before it was too late, Jean turned back to the secretary.
"Tell her she found it. That it something she'll want to hear more than anything," Jean said, leaving the secretary puzzled.
Jean made his decision. He flashed the gate secreterary a wide smile, and boarded his plane.
Watching Bangkok get smaller and smaller in the plane window, Jean smiled again - this time only to himself. He knew Lara Croft was going to call her a little more often than once in a decade.
End of part III/V
~For additional information about the series and the creative process, there's an article published about the series at "Lara Croft's Tales Of Beauty And Power". You can find it in the section "Author's Notes". I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far.
Heidi
All feedback to: siirma6@surfeu.fi