(Hi I still own know one. Ok I own the Wong family. I always seem to create
characters that I don't really like. Anyway this chapter still seems a bit
light to me so I'm going to try to go darker. I have also started another
story that I hope to have ready to be posted soon.)
*-*-*-*-*
I awoke on the couch. The lights were all out and Natalie and Pete had gone home. It was so hot; it felt as though I was in Hell. After the life I have lived it would have been believable. I tried to get up but was too weak. I tried to remove the damp shirt but it was sticking to my skin. I wanted Dylan. I hurt all over. I coughed and my chest hurt. "Dylan" I said my voice hoarse with disuse. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could see that her bedroom door was shut. I mustered all my strength and stood up. The room twisted and turned but I managed to get to the door without falling. I supported myself with the door frame waiting for the dizziness to subside and slid to the floor. "Dylan" I croaked again. This time she stirred. She sat up right in bed and turned on the light. I closed my eyes against the brightness.
"Anthony," she asked, and then spotted me on in the doorway. She hurried to my side and placed her frigid hand against my forehead. "You're burning up." I could hear the concern in her voice. She helped me off the floor and into her bed. Lift your arms. I lifted the left one and she eased the shirt over my head and gently removed it from my right arm. Your stitches have broken and you're bleeding. I think you have an infection". That would explain the fever. I moaned in agony. "I knew I should have taken you to the hospital". I shook my head "no" and it felt like someone took a jackhammer in my skull. She reached for the phone. "Please" I said to her.
She looked at me angrily and hung up the phone. "I already thought I lost you I don't want to lose you again. I have to call for an ambulance."
I motioned for paper and a pencil. She obliged but reluctantly. I wrote down Dr. Wong's name and phone number. Under that I wrote a code that she had to type into the phone. "Who is Dr. Wong," she asked. I was too weak to explain and wrote, "Call him." She picked up the phone and dialed the number I gave her. I could hear the answering machine on the other end pick up. "You have reached Wong Chinese Palace Restaurant. The best Chinese food outside of China since 1978. Our business hours are Monday through Friday 11am-11pm, Saturdays 10am-12am, and Sundays we are closed. If you wish to leave a message do so at the beep".
"It's just the answering machine," she said. I tapped "code" on the paper. She carefully pushed the buttons in the order I had written and a man answered, "Wong number."
"Are you sure I have someone who needs help?"
"No, Just a little joke," I heard Wong say on the other end. He told that joke all the time and always laughed as though it was the funniest thing he ever heard. "You a friend of A's"
I nodded my head to let her know that it was how he identified me. "Yes, he was badly injured and needs help but he won't let me call a doctor."
"I am a doctor and a good one too. Bring him here I make him good as new. I always do. Ha ha I make a rhyme."
"I don't know if I can move him. Can you come here?"
"This doctor makes no house calls. You bring here to restaurant and I help A. He knows how it works."
She agreed and I closed my eyes in relief. "Anthony wake up." I wasn't asleep only resting my eyes. She brought me my pants from the bathroom and handed me another t-shirt. This time it was plain white with no strange men or their names on it. She helped me put it on but I could tell she was angry with me. I was angry with me too. I should have gone to Wong's in the first place.
I always knew she was petite but never more so than when she tried to help me down the stairs to the main door. I was almost a foot taller than she and I think she was supporting more of my weight than I was. We made it to the car where I promptly passed out.
*-*-*-*-*
Nat, Pete and I watched the end of "Bringing up Baby" then "An Affair to Remember", I wanted them to stay longer but they said that Anthony needed his rest. Spike didn't want to leave Anthony but they managed to take the big eared puppy with them. I went into the bathroom and cleaned up the remains of the mess from the night before and went to bed. About 3am I had a dream that someone was calling my name. In my dream I realized it wasn't in my dream but in reality. I woke up and turned on the light next to the bed. There sitting in the doorway was Anthony.
His hair and shirt were soaked with perspiration and his face was flushed and his eyes glassy. I climbed out of bed and went to him. I could feel the heat radiating from him as I came near. He was fine when I left him sleeping on the couch. Now he looked almost as bad as the night before. As I became more awake I noticed the wet of his shirt was in the center of his chest. His stitches had opened. Even with my limited medical training I recognized his fever as a sign of infection. I told him I was going to call an ambulance, that he needed to be taken to the hospital but he wouldn't let me. He instead talked into calling a Dr. Wong, who to me seemed less than professional but seemed to know Anthony rather well.
After some discussion with the so called doctor I loaded Anthony into my car. Getting him down the stairs to the front door was a nightmare. He could barely walk and I was afraid he would fall down the stairs and break his neck before I could get him the help he needed.
We drove down the empty streets of LA into the Chinatown neighborhood. I kept my passenger awake by talking to him. I would glance over periodically to make sure his eyes were still open and blinking. At two am everything was dark, no sign of life anywhere. I found the street and as we rounded the corner the sign on a building came on. It was for Wong's Chinese Palace Restaurant and I stopped the car in front, jumped out and ran to the front door. It was locked. I went back to the car and told Anthony to hold on. His breathing had become very shallow. I went to the back of the restaurant and knocked on the door that said, "employees only". I could hear voices and the door opened. A small grey haired Chinese woman stood there authoritatively eyeing me over. "Is Dr. Wong here," I asked. She turned, said something to someone in Chinese and disappeared leaving the door open. Shortly a balding Chinese man came.
"You bring A," he asked.
"Yes, I can't get him out of the car alone."
"No problem." He too then turned and called out something in Chinese. Two tall, younger men came to the door. "You take them to car. They will help bring him here."
I swallowed hard, hoping Anthony was still alive and led them back to the car. They opened the door. One reached across Anthony' thin body and unbuckled the seat belt. He then helped swing Anthony's legs out side the car and pull him up right. They stood on either side of his and dragged him back to the rear door. I followed them silently.
Once at the rear door they took Anthony inside. I tried to follow but was cut off by Dr. Wong. "No extra people."
"He is my friend."
"Your friend? A has no friends."
I was getting angry by this point I hadn't had a good sleep in two nights, the man I was pretty sure I was in love with was dying, and now a strange little doctor, if that is really what he was, was trying to tell me I wasn't Anthony's friend. "Listen," I said with all the patience I could muster, "I'm going to go in there and be with him whether you like it or not."
He called something in Chinese again and one of the young men came back out. "This is my son Sun-Yu. He will take you back to your car."
"I don't think so." I said angrily. "I'm going to stay with.." I paused not quite sure what to call him I decided to go with what he was called here, "..A and that is that." Sun-Yu grabbed my arm and that was the last straw. I twisted away and spun getting into a defensive posture. The doctor looked impressed.
"Okay," he said with an amused grin, "You fight Sun-Yu. You win you can stay." He nodded in the direction of his son who nodded back and turned to me. Sun-Yu wasted no time attacking. We fought hard. Once he managed to kick me and slam me into the brick wall behind me. He gave me a smile that suggested I was silly girl. That was it. No more playing nice. I attacked. He didn't have a chance. I looked down at his body in the alley behind the restaurant, I looked back at Wong and said, "Ill be in to see A now," and waltzed up to the door.
Wong looked back out into the alley, shook his head and made a clicking sound of disapproval. "You good fighter. Come." I went with him into the building that was lit by dingy yellow light. The place wasn't very clean and I made a mental note never to go there for dinner. He led me down a set of stairs to the basement of the restaurant. When we got to the bottom he unlocked a rough hewn door, surprisingly on the other side it looked as though we stepped into a hospital.
There was a long hallway painted bright white and a pure white tile floor. It reminded me quite a bit of the vault that Corwin had. There were doors on either side of the hall. He took me to one that was at the very end and said, "A's room." I opened the door and there inside was Anthony. Seated at his bedside was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was also Chinese. She had smooth, golden skin, perfectly straight black hair that didn't seem limp like straight hair often does but full of life, and deep soulful eyes. She made Alex look like a dog, no offense to Spike or to Alex. She sat there holding his hand and stroking his hair. I felt a painful twinge of jealousy.
"Is she a nurse," I asked.
"No she my daughter, but very skilled doctor," replied Wong. Once again he said something in Chinese. She responded in the like. I speak Chinese but I didn't recognize the dialect so I was beginning to get frustrated. The girl stood and walked over to me extending her hand.
"Hello, I am Mingmei."
"Dylan," I said simply. Mingmei's name meant beautiful and smart. I hadn't a clue what Dylan meant, maybe dumb and unattractive? I knew that wasn't true but seeing the woman in front of me stirred many doubts.
"Are you a friend of Anthony's?"
I was a bit surprised she used his name since her father called him "A".
"Yes. Are you?"
"Yes, Anthony and I are very good friends." She stressed the "very good", and I could only wonder how good that was. "Father is prepping for surgery. I did the preliminary and I can tell you it doesn't look good. He has had sever internal bleeding and infection has set in due to his broken arm. I have already put a cast on it," she said pulling back the blanket to show me. "He also needs lots of blood. Why didn't you bring him here sooner," she asked me kindly but I could see the accusation in her eyes.
"He wouldn't let me call anyone," I was feeling a bit ashamed.
"That sound like my Anthony. He can be very stubborn. Father and I will fix him up. You may sit with him until we take him to our OP." With that she left me alone in the middle of the bright white room. I went over and sat in the chair next to his bed, pulled out my cell phone and called Natalie to tell her what was happening."
*-*-*-*-*
I awoke on the couch. The lights were all out and Natalie and Pete had gone home. It was so hot; it felt as though I was in Hell. After the life I have lived it would have been believable. I tried to get up but was too weak. I tried to remove the damp shirt but it was sticking to my skin. I wanted Dylan. I hurt all over. I coughed and my chest hurt. "Dylan" I said my voice hoarse with disuse. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could see that her bedroom door was shut. I mustered all my strength and stood up. The room twisted and turned but I managed to get to the door without falling. I supported myself with the door frame waiting for the dizziness to subside and slid to the floor. "Dylan" I croaked again. This time she stirred. She sat up right in bed and turned on the light. I closed my eyes against the brightness.
"Anthony," she asked, and then spotted me on in the doorway. She hurried to my side and placed her frigid hand against my forehead. "You're burning up." I could hear the concern in her voice. She helped me off the floor and into her bed. Lift your arms. I lifted the left one and she eased the shirt over my head and gently removed it from my right arm. Your stitches have broken and you're bleeding. I think you have an infection". That would explain the fever. I moaned in agony. "I knew I should have taken you to the hospital". I shook my head "no" and it felt like someone took a jackhammer in my skull. She reached for the phone. "Please" I said to her.
She looked at me angrily and hung up the phone. "I already thought I lost you I don't want to lose you again. I have to call for an ambulance."
I motioned for paper and a pencil. She obliged but reluctantly. I wrote down Dr. Wong's name and phone number. Under that I wrote a code that she had to type into the phone. "Who is Dr. Wong," she asked. I was too weak to explain and wrote, "Call him." She picked up the phone and dialed the number I gave her. I could hear the answering machine on the other end pick up. "You have reached Wong Chinese Palace Restaurant. The best Chinese food outside of China since 1978. Our business hours are Monday through Friday 11am-11pm, Saturdays 10am-12am, and Sundays we are closed. If you wish to leave a message do so at the beep".
"It's just the answering machine," she said. I tapped "code" on the paper. She carefully pushed the buttons in the order I had written and a man answered, "Wong number."
"Are you sure I have someone who needs help?"
"No, Just a little joke," I heard Wong say on the other end. He told that joke all the time and always laughed as though it was the funniest thing he ever heard. "You a friend of A's"
I nodded my head to let her know that it was how he identified me. "Yes, he was badly injured and needs help but he won't let me call a doctor."
"I am a doctor and a good one too. Bring him here I make him good as new. I always do. Ha ha I make a rhyme."
"I don't know if I can move him. Can you come here?"
"This doctor makes no house calls. You bring here to restaurant and I help A. He knows how it works."
She agreed and I closed my eyes in relief. "Anthony wake up." I wasn't asleep only resting my eyes. She brought me my pants from the bathroom and handed me another t-shirt. This time it was plain white with no strange men or their names on it. She helped me put it on but I could tell she was angry with me. I was angry with me too. I should have gone to Wong's in the first place.
I always knew she was petite but never more so than when she tried to help me down the stairs to the main door. I was almost a foot taller than she and I think she was supporting more of my weight than I was. We made it to the car where I promptly passed out.
*-*-*-*-*
Nat, Pete and I watched the end of "Bringing up Baby" then "An Affair to Remember", I wanted them to stay longer but they said that Anthony needed his rest. Spike didn't want to leave Anthony but they managed to take the big eared puppy with them. I went into the bathroom and cleaned up the remains of the mess from the night before and went to bed. About 3am I had a dream that someone was calling my name. In my dream I realized it wasn't in my dream but in reality. I woke up and turned on the light next to the bed. There sitting in the doorway was Anthony.
His hair and shirt were soaked with perspiration and his face was flushed and his eyes glassy. I climbed out of bed and went to him. I could feel the heat radiating from him as I came near. He was fine when I left him sleeping on the couch. Now he looked almost as bad as the night before. As I became more awake I noticed the wet of his shirt was in the center of his chest. His stitches had opened. Even with my limited medical training I recognized his fever as a sign of infection. I told him I was going to call an ambulance, that he needed to be taken to the hospital but he wouldn't let me. He instead talked into calling a Dr. Wong, who to me seemed less than professional but seemed to know Anthony rather well.
After some discussion with the so called doctor I loaded Anthony into my car. Getting him down the stairs to the front door was a nightmare. He could barely walk and I was afraid he would fall down the stairs and break his neck before I could get him the help he needed.
We drove down the empty streets of LA into the Chinatown neighborhood. I kept my passenger awake by talking to him. I would glance over periodically to make sure his eyes were still open and blinking. At two am everything was dark, no sign of life anywhere. I found the street and as we rounded the corner the sign on a building came on. It was for Wong's Chinese Palace Restaurant and I stopped the car in front, jumped out and ran to the front door. It was locked. I went back to the car and told Anthony to hold on. His breathing had become very shallow. I went to the back of the restaurant and knocked on the door that said, "employees only". I could hear voices and the door opened. A small grey haired Chinese woman stood there authoritatively eyeing me over. "Is Dr. Wong here," I asked. She turned, said something to someone in Chinese and disappeared leaving the door open. Shortly a balding Chinese man came.
"You bring A," he asked.
"Yes, I can't get him out of the car alone."
"No problem." He too then turned and called out something in Chinese. Two tall, younger men came to the door. "You take them to car. They will help bring him here."
I swallowed hard, hoping Anthony was still alive and led them back to the car. They opened the door. One reached across Anthony' thin body and unbuckled the seat belt. He then helped swing Anthony's legs out side the car and pull him up right. They stood on either side of his and dragged him back to the rear door. I followed them silently.
Once at the rear door they took Anthony inside. I tried to follow but was cut off by Dr. Wong. "No extra people."
"He is my friend."
"Your friend? A has no friends."
I was getting angry by this point I hadn't had a good sleep in two nights, the man I was pretty sure I was in love with was dying, and now a strange little doctor, if that is really what he was, was trying to tell me I wasn't Anthony's friend. "Listen," I said with all the patience I could muster, "I'm going to go in there and be with him whether you like it or not."
He called something in Chinese again and one of the young men came back out. "This is my son Sun-Yu. He will take you back to your car."
"I don't think so." I said angrily. "I'm going to stay with.." I paused not quite sure what to call him I decided to go with what he was called here, "..A and that is that." Sun-Yu grabbed my arm and that was the last straw. I twisted away and spun getting into a defensive posture. The doctor looked impressed.
"Okay," he said with an amused grin, "You fight Sun-Yu. You win you can stay." He nodded in the direction of his son who nodded back and turned to me. Sun-Yu wasted no time attacking. We fought hard. Once he managed to kick me and slam me into the brick wall behind me. He gave me a smile that suggested I was silly girl. That was it. No more playing nice. I attacked. He didn't have a chance. I looked down at his body in the alley behind the restaurant, I looked back at Wong and said, "Ill be in to see A now," and waltzed up to the door.
Wong looked back out into the alley, shook his head and made a clicking sound of disapproval. "You good fighter. Come." I went with him into the building that was lit by dingy yellow light. The place wasn't very clean and I made a mental note never to go there for dinner. He led me down a set of stairs to the basement of the restaurant. When we got to the bottom he unlocked a rough hewn door, surprisingly on the other side it looked as though we stepped into a hospital.
There was a long hallway painted bright white and a pure white tile floor. It reminded me quite a bit of the vault that Corwin had. There were doors on either side of the hall. He took me to one that was at the very end and said, "A's room." I opened the door and there inside was Anthony. Seated at his bedside was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was also Chinese. She had smooth, golden skin, perfectly straight black hair that didn't seem limp like straight hair often does but full of life, and deep soulful eyes. She made Alex look like a dog, no offense to Spike or to Alex. She sat there holding his hand and stroking his hair. I felt a painful twinge of jealousy.
"Is she a nurse," I asked.
"No she my daughter, but very skilled doctor," replied Wong. Once again he said something in Chinese. She responded in the like. I speak Chinese but I didn't recognize the dialect so I was beginning to get frustrated. The girl stood and walked over to me extending her hand.
"Hello, I am Mingmei."
"Dylan," I said simply. Mingmei's name meant beautiful and smart. I hadn't a clue what Dylan meant, maybe dumb and unattractive? I knew that wasn't true but seeing the woman in front of me stirred many doubts.
"Are you a friend of Anthony's?"
I was a bit surprised she used his name since her father called him "A".
"Yes. Are you?"
"Yes, Anthony and I are very good friends." She stressed the "very good", and I could only wonder how good that was. "Father is prepping for surgery. I did the preliminary and I can tell you it doesn't look good. He has had sever internal bleeding and infection has set in due to his broken arm. I have already put a cast on it," she said pulling back the blanket to show me. "He also needs lots of blood. Why didn't you bring him here sooner," she asked me kindly but I could see the accusation in her eyes.
"He wouldn't let me call anyone," I was feeling a bit ashamed.
"That sound like my Anthony. He can be very stubborn. Father and I will fix him up. You may sit with him until we take him to our OP." With that she left me alone in the middle of the bright white room. I went over and sat in the chair next to his bed, pulled out my cell phone and called Natalie to tell her what was happening."