Eric looked on as Jia Li ducked her head in apology in front of Ying Hui.
"These guys are perfect for each other. Whyyyyy can't she move beyond her past? It's time that I employed my cupid potential to the fullest," he thought to himself.
As soon as they finished their breakfast, Eric said, "Jia Li, as you know that my father in-law's illness prevented us from holding a wedding reception at that point. We had thought that we would lose him real soon. But since the marriage, he seems to have made a miraculous recovery and is insisting upon throwing us a big party. The wedding happened so hastily that I couldn't invite Hui and you at the time. But now Melissa and I want you both to join in our happiness in the coming month. So you got to make sure that you recover fast."
She gave him a warm smile and said, "that is indeed great news. Unfortunately I am not sure about my near future plans. I have already taken permission from Bo… from Hui for going down to China for some urgent personal work. Due to this unexpected illness, I couldn't travel. I am not sure how long would my work take there, so I am unwilling to…"
Eric didn't let her complete her sentence.
"I don't care how important is your work in China. You can take off a couple of days and come to New York for my reception, right? You can't even do this much for me? Remember how I was the one friend you had before other people in this room became kind towards you. Now that you have new best friends, my importance has gone down. I am heartbroken and how" he said dramatically.
Jia Li shook her head at his theatrics.
"Ok alright… I promise I will be there," she told him, cutting him short before he could continue with his spiel.
Eric flashed her a triumphant smile and winked at Hui, who looked at him in confusion. Rolling his eyes at his boss's uncomprehending expression, he sighed to himself and thought that he better come up with a fool proof plan for Lin Jia Li to be hooked to Hui for life, because Hui wasn't capable of concocting one, himself. He was happy playing the friend ever since he had been rejected by the girl!
New York Hospital, New York
"What do you think, Doctor? How is he doing now?" Mr. Xie tried to supress his anxiety but it filtered through his words.
The neurologist was comparing the scans from before and after the surgery.
"It seems that there is no further clot formation there. Also, we had inserted a small biodegradable plate at the time because there had been a crack in his skull. As I had mentioned then, the bone would naturally heal and grow there in its own time. Everything looks fine in the current scan. It is looking good," the surgeon assured him.
"But then why is his body not responding? He is still the same as he was a month ago," Mrs. Xie wrung her hands in anguished frustration.
The surgeon looked at her and said clinically, "please understand that this is not a fracture which would heal in a few weeks. His body is paralysed. For him to regain control over his muscles and nerves, it is going to take a lot of time. And how can you say that there has been no progress? He has managed to control closing and opening of his lips now instead of the mouth hanging open all the time. It is no small feat that your son has achieved."
"But doctor, he is still unable to speak coherently. His speech is all garbled and that is extremely frustrating for him. He gets annoyed for the smallest thing. Though, we have finally managed to find a therapist who decided to stick on despite his tantrums," Chu spoke up, paying no heed to her parents' censured look.
The doctor smiled at the description and said kindly, "it is normal for us adults to lash out when we feel threatened, especially the male species. Give him some time to adjust to his reality. We can't begin to understand the level of helplessness and inadequacy which he would be feeling right now. He needs your understanding and infinite patience in this moment."
Chu nodded her head solemnly. The family returned back home where the therapist had already arrived.
"So, what did the doctor say," she asked, hand on her hips.
5'9 in her stockings clad feet, Patricia was a tall and strong woman in her late twenties. Blonde, like a lot of her American counterparts, she stayed lean through various hard core exercises. She had been with the family for over two weeks now and was the only one till date to stay this long.