Triad Tourists

Chapter 19

Kelan hugs me. "I'm gon' miss you."

"I'ma miss you too man." I squeeze him. "And I'm sorry about telling Nia what happened. I'm sorry for being so mean always. I'm sorry for being too hard on you. Gui too."

"You good." He pulls out his envelope. "Since you gonna be here for a while."

I shake my head. "Mm mm. June gave it to you."

"What I'ma do wit it at home?" He pushes it to me.

"Spend it on useless airport stuff."

"That's why I'm giving it to you. I spent as much as I want." He holds up his new suitcase. He's been spending the money for days. I'm surprised he has extra for me. "I be getting mad at you but you need it. Get some girl stuff or some. Ain't no telling how long China gon have y'all."

I take it and give him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

He pushes me away playfully. "You waiting to me to leave so you can be by yoself."

"With who? These people ain't rockin' with us black folks. Now if we was in Puerto Rico..." I dap him as we break into laughter. "You know huh?"

"Frreal! I'll be doin' som' dangerous." He laughs. "Aight Lulu. Help me get on the plane so I can go see Ryder" He feels around for a bag. "You need to stop playing and give deh man a chance. He been with you the whole time."

"Ryder the one playing with me. He be with Sayora."

"But he want you."

"Then tell him act like it."

"Yeah aight." After grabbing his bag, I grab his other old one and we go so he can board. In 30 minutes, he and Gui are gone.

I get a text from out of the country. Kirsten asks if we're gone. I shoot her a quick text back and go back into the City. We finally learned how to talk while across the world, and I love it. I haven't told her about Kelan's incident or about how Wang and I tried to rip each other's neck off our shoulders, but I basically told her the rest. Now, all I want to do is lie in my bed and sleep because no one needs me!

Beep beep beep beep

"Oh noooo." That specific ringtone is for the Hospital. Foreigners are subjected to go and that's always since we had to travel around the world to help!!!!!

Before walking to the Hospital, I buy a cup of the something called Vietnamese Coffee. I don't know why people looked at me funny when I ordered it, maybe because of my hair? Everyone here has crazy long hair that's dyed simple colors, all except the dozens of foreigners or people who speak something other than Chinese. I guess they aren't so different from Americans, they all have long black hair and simple styles just like we have BBL's and lashes. Same people, different places.

I get to the Hospital in time, but by now my team is in motion, so I stand in the back and assist where needed. "Xin, how far has everyone gotten?" I ask. He makes sure my equipment is on and runs me in. He is a nurse. All he does is push our things back and forth.

"Oh, I don't know. I just get here." He has a handful of bloody gauges.

"Head!" I call, seeing the main Surgeon.

Thankfully he's a foreigner from Canada. He knows English, so I don't have to try to make out his words. He looks at me and moves to the side for me to stand beside him. "Her leg was cut badly up until the bottom of her torso. The pelvic bone is cracked at the base. We have to screw the Femur back together as of now- hold this?"

I grab his tool. "How did it happen?"

"Train accident." He says as he puts more gauges around her to soak the blood.

"Is her pulse stable?"

"Yes, but she was on blood thinners. She did manage to get off of them a few months before she was injured, but we have to get her sewn before she loses too much."

"Will she need a donor?"

"Depends on how long we can soak her blood- next set of gauges?" He calls.

The surgery goes on, and I eventually help someone stitch her. "Best part of the surgery, huh?" A man asks.

"I'm sorry?" I can't see his face, or much of him at all.

He pulls down his mask for a split second. He looks Latino maybe, and he's poking out of his scrubs because his chest and arms look so big even in scrubs.

I wonder what's under all that

Ahem "No, actually. I like to think the part when the people pass out the best." People groan in their sleep, some talk: It's amusing.

He chuckles. "That's a different type of liking. The stitching is the last part, where you can go home. Watching a person pass out is like a "calm before the storm" thing. You know it's time to put in work there and then."

"I guess you're ri-" My fingers twitching uncontrollably. "Right." I try to stop them, but it gets worse.

"You okay?" He asks.

"Yes, those long shifts must do a toll."

"Imagine staying the entire 15." His eyes shrink, showing me that he smiles under his covers.

"Right." I go to sew another piece of skin, but I poke it wrong. Now, whoever this is will have a crooked scar and an extra hole in them. I quickly pull out the plastic and lay the bloody metal on the pan with the rest of it. "You know, I think someone else should be called."

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes." I hold up my hand, unable to hold it still. "I don't think I can work like this."

He nods. "It's not much left, I can finish sewing her myself. Feel better." He adds courtesy.

I nod. "Xièxiè!"

As I'm walking home, I unconsciously start a light job. By the time I see the apartment, I'm practically running, slipping through the compressed bodies on the street. I feel great! So much energy! I haven't felt this good since I was a teen.

I reach my apartment and slide the card in the door. After both my feet hit the shined wood, I slam it closed and rest my forehead against it. "What's happening?"

It could be anything: meds, meds mixed with alcohol, the coffee. I could get my license taken away because of the drinking. It should be gone by now, it's not like it was an herb. My choices haven't been all right since I started thinking I couldn't get in trouble, but I thought I was safe. No one noticed yet. Putting a life in danger isn't like me, well, anymore.

I take a few deep breaths and turn the TV on to some music. "Ok, Tallulah. Untie your coochie lips and get this energy out of you." I'm free for the next few days to get myself together. Although there is a drought for Healthcare workers, they won't let anyone go in without 100% focus. That's asking for death rate spikes and lawsuits.

I start to play a C-Drama and take out a few weights that Kelan left. For the next hour, I just do cardio and work out until that episode goes off. I'll need the extra spunk for tomorrow.

(AN: Here would be the place to recommend good Dramas to your girl! That where most of the Chinese comes from and I need a new show!!)