The nurses wheeled Ella in the hospital, half awake.
“Ch-C-Chun?” Ella said in a shivering voice.
“I’m here.”
“Chun, I’m so cold.”
“It’s ok, I’ll be right here. We’re going to get you checked out ok, honey?”
But Ella didn’t respond. She could still hear him, but her body felt like it was just too tired to say anything back.
Before she knew it, she was asleep.
---
Ella laid in the hospital bed still under drugs.
“Ella, wake up.” it was the voice of Li Chen. “Mom‘s here. I miss you. You must be ok. I don’t want to lose you again.”
“Doctor, how’s my wife?” Chun asked seeing the tears in Li’s eyes.
“Well, I have good news and I have bad news.”
Chun and everyone else stared at the doctor with their mouths hanging open.
“The good news is she will be stable and ok when she wakes up.”
“And the bad news?” Chun asked.
The doctor heaved a heavy sigh.
“I’ve discussed this with Mrs. Wu during the blood transplant a few months ago during the car accident, remember?”
“Blood transplant? Car accident the one before she got kidnapped by the gangsters?” Chun asked around.
“Right. That must be it.” Li said.
“Mrs. Wu didn’t tell you about this?” the doctor asked.
“Didn’t tell us what?” Chun asked confused.
“Mrs. Wu is unable to be fertilized.”
“SHE’S WHAT?!” everyone shouted.
The doctor looked at everyone like he said something he shouldn’t have.
“What do you mean, she’s unable to be fertilized?” Chun asked.
“She’s unable to give birth. She’s unable to become pregnant.”
Everyone started to cry when the doctor let the cat out of the bag.
Chun on the other hand, was devastated.
He was angry at her.
‘How could she not have told me?’ he thought. ‘How could she have done this?’
“How could this have happened?” Li sobbed.
“She’s not fully developed. She doesn’t have all of the components of being able to re-produce….”
---
“Ella? Honey how are you feeling?” a voiced cooed her. A voice she longed to hear.
“Dad?” Ella opened her eyes seeing Andrew and Sheng’s face. “MOM!?”
“Hi, Ella.” Sheng said in a whisper.
Ella looked around and saw nothing but a white room.
“Where am I? Am I dead?” she stared to cry.
Andrew smiled.
“You are not dead, honey. We just miss you.”
“What?” Ella was confused.
“You don’t want to see us?” Sheng sarcastically said.
“No! I do! Mom,” Ella touched her face. “You’re still so skinny. They don’t give you any food in heaven?” she asked.
“They do, honey. But since your father left you, all he’s been complaining is how much he misses your cooking.”
Ella couldn’t help the water works.
“Dad, you left me..”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Andrew said placing his hands on her cheek.
“I thought you would be better with out me.”
“If you’re really sorry, take me with you right now!”
“Ella we can’t do that.” Sheng cut in.
Ella sobbed even harder.
“I’m sure everyone knows about my secret right now. I don’t want to face them. I don’t want to! I can’t! Help me! I don’t want to lose Chun!”
“Ella we have to go now.” Sheng said in a soft voice.
“What? No! Don’t leave me! Please?! Mom! Dad! Don’t leave me! Don’t go!..”
---
“Ella! Ella!” voice scattered as they saw her kicking around and trying to grab someone.
“Ella! Honey, I’m right here.” Chun softly said as he patted her head.
Ella frightenly opened her eyes.
She was covered in sweat. “Chun!?”
Chun smiled.
She quickly pulled him to a hug.
“I saw my dad! And my mom!” she excitedly cried out.
The looks on Mong and Li’s face were priceless.
They knew that they had failed as being parents.
Their own daughter didn’t even think of them anymore.
They were never important to her.
Li forced herself not to cry in front of so many people.
She forced a smile instead.
Everyone wanted to asked her about her secret, but before Ella woke up. He made everyone else there promise that they were not going to bring up the topic.
And as promised, no one else did.
The doctor asked everyone to leave while he and Ella had a little talk.
“They know Mrs. Wu.” the doctor said looking disappointedly.
“They know about me not being able to be pregnant?”
The doctor sadly nodded.
“Why didn’t anyone say anything?” Ella asked madly.
She tried to recall. When she woke up, Chun didn’t say nothing more than a few words. He just kept staring at her.
Like he was trying to read her expression.
Trying to read her guilt.
“I’m so stupid!” she cried to herself. “No wonder why he kept staring at me like that!”
“Ella, I told them already. If you do get pregnant by some change, there are high statistics that reads that 98% of the time, the child won’t make it, I don’t want to put you in danger…”
After the doctor left, Chun quietly entered.
“Chun…” Ella said in a small voice.
He could tell, she had been crying.
“I’m sorry. I know I was wrong not telling you and you’re parents and everyone else but-”
Chun wanted to be mad at her, but he soon understood why she kept the secret to herself.
“it’s ok, Ella. I understand.”
Ella looked up at Chun.
“You’re ok with it?”
“Of course not! I wanted you to give me many children.” Ella could see his eyes turning watery. “I wanted you and I to start a family of our own. I wanted you to be the mother of my children. I wanted you…” he couldn’t continue. “I don’t want to lose you.”
Ella hugged him tight.
And they sat through the night, crying.
