Ray's Diary 2

September 7, 1996:
Mr. and Mrs. Ng decided to introduce me to their close friends and relatives. Last night, they took me to see Mr. Sheh, their long time friend, and his daugher, Charmaine. Melissa was out with her boyfriend.
Charmaine is sixteen; the same age as me. She was born blind. However, she knew her way around her house so well that she did not need to use her cane.
Charmaine has a passion for music. She listens to all kinds of music and plays the flute. After listening to a CD, I asked Charmaine to play a song for me. Just for the fun of it, she played 'All Around the Mulberry Bush', which I sang along to. We tried a few other songs to which I sang and Charmaine accompanied with the flute.
Right now the songs are still playing in my head. Melissa caught me humming a couple of times. "I see you caught the 'Charmaine Bug'"
She loves teasing me. Does she not remember that we do not share the same DNA? She's not allowed to tease me like a real sister, is she?
---
October 4, 1996:
I think Melissa is right. I caught the 'Charmaine Bug'. Since we met, we talked on the phone almost everyday. It was as if I have known her for a long time. I would like us to be more than friends. I saved up my allowance so that I can ask her out on a date.
I called her home and Mr. Sheh picked up the phone. I asked him for permission to take Charmaine out on a date. I was so nervous that I think I said "Uh" too often. When Mr. Sheh gave his permission, I was so ecstatic that I dropped the phone! That was embarrassing. Especially when Melissa saw me and started giggling. Charmaine came on the phone and I officially asked her out. She said "Yes"!
After I finished talking with Charmaine, Melissa was still there giggling. She stopped when I gently threw a cushion at her.
---
October 6, 1996:
Yesterday I took Charmaine out on our first date. Then we to the park, taking in the smell of the flowers. We reached an area where there were many wind chimes. The sound of the wind chimes was very peaceful and soothing. Finally, we went to the Aviary to listen to the birds.
Charmaine asked me if she can touch my face so that she can have an idea what I may look like. I consented. Charmaine proceeded to 'scan' me with her palms and fingers.
When she was done, she gave me a peck on the cheek. I in turn kissed her on the forehead. A parrot chirped, "I love you. (whistles) I love you."
We ended the day with dinner at a family restaurant. I know it's not very romantic but we're only sixteen and I'm on a budget.
When I came home, Melissa of course wanted to know every detail about my first date. I satisfied her curiosity on the condition that she satisfy mine since she went on a date yesterday as well.
---
June 29, 1998:
Today, I am offically a high school graduate! I got accepted into University and will be studying accounting. Charmaine also graduated from her school. She found a job as a voice talent.
Melissa and her boyfriend, Sunny, took Charmaine and I to sing karaoke to celebrate. Both Charmaine and I had never done karaoke before so we had lots of fun.
---
April 29, 2002:
Time flies! I graduated from University! However, it's not over yet. I still need to complete my work experience hours and write exams before receiving a diploma and formal designation of Certified Accountant.
---
May 30, 2004:
Melissa and Sunny had their wedding yesterday. As part of their wedding present, Charmaine and I composed a song and sang it live while putting on the slide show.
Mr. and Mrs. Ng of course were very happy and wondering impatiently as to when they may become grandparents.
After the bouquet toss and garter toss, I took the microphone and asked Mr. Sheh right then and there for his permission to marry his daugher. Everyone was quiet, waiting for the answer. Mr. Sheh consented. I then went up to Charmaine, bent down on one knee as best as I could, and proposed to Charmaine with the guests as witnesses. I had the engagement ring with me. When Charmaine nodded, everybody clapped and cheered. I put the ring on Charmaine's finger, got up and hugged her. I whispered "I love you" into her ear.
---
September 7, 2005:
I finally fullfilled the requirements for the diploma and designation. This means benefits and a better paycheque! I sure could use the money.
Now Charmaine and I can concentrate on our wedding plans.
---
June 9, 2006:
Tomorrow is the big day! I can't sleep. I'm too excited. I looked over the vows and my speech twice. Okay. I'll try and get some sleep now.
--
June 11, 2006:
This morning I woke up with Charmaine sleeping beside me. Charmaine was sleeping peacefully. As of today, we are Mr. and Mrs. Lam. I am the happiest 26 year old right now.
I did not see Charmaine's wedding dress until yesterday. She looked very beautiful and elegant in her gown which Melissa and Mrs. Ng helped pick for her.
I was so nervous during the ceremony that my hands were shaking when I said my vows. I almost dropped the ring before I could put it on Charmaine's finger!
I gotta go! The Mrs. is calling!

Ray's Diary 1

June 25, 1996:
I was hit by a car and am now recovering in the hospital. My left side is still painful even after taking strong painkillers. The doctor said that my left leg and hip were permanently damaged and that I will need to use a cane for the rest of my life.
Right now I am actually more worried about where I am going to live after I am discharged from the hospital. I definitely will not go back and live with my Stepfather!
I lived with my Stepfather and his girlfriend. My mother died when I was eight years old. On the day of the accident, my Stepfather's girlfriend drugged me. I am not sure what happened while I was under the influence of the drugs but when the effect of the drugs wore off, I found myself lying naked in my Stepfather's double bed. His girlfriend was sitting on her side of the bed in a bath robe, smirking at me. I tried to put on my clothes as fast as I could. Just then, my Stepfather came home and entered the room. His girlfriend immediately ran to him and accused me of raping her. Of course my Stepfather believed her and proceeded to beat me as hard as he could. This was not the first time he beat me. Whenever he was in an extremely bad mood, he would beat me like a punching bag. After he became too tired to continue beating me, my Stepfather kicked me out of the apartment.
The apartment was in the third floor of a lowrise so there were no elevators. I slowly went down the stairs but when I reached the last flight of stairs, I lost my footing and fell down the stairs. After I was able to stand up, I still felt disoriented. I walked out of the building and continued walking but my vision was blurry. I could not see where I was going so I ended up on the road. Seconds later, a car hit me. The pain was so unbearable that I lost consciousness.
When I finally woke up, 2 police officers were there asking me to recall what happened that day. I gave them a detailed account of the accident and asked them not to press any charges against the driver.
My next visitor was Melissa, the driver of the car that hit me. The poor woman was still shaken by the accident. She was relieved when I was finally conscious. I apologized to her for causing so much trouble. Melissa was not mad at me at all and even brought some homemade soup that her mother made.
---
July 9, 1996:
This morning, as part of my physiotherapy, I tried walking with the cane. It's not as easy as it seems. First, because my left leg is the weak leg, I need to hold the cane with my right hand. Then I move both the cane and my left leg forward at the same time. Finally, I bring my right leg forward. Having practiced all morning, I am now able to walk at regular pace with the cane.
A social worker came to see me. He advised that because my stepfather had a history of beating me and will be put behind bars, I will be placed in a foster home.
---
August 18, 1996:
Throughout my hospital stay, my regular visitors were the social worker and Melissa. I met Melissa's parents (Mr. and Mrs. Ng) too. I looked forward to their visits. Mrs. Ng would make me have soup every time she came over.
Today, Melissa, her parents, and the social worker came together to visit me. Melissa's parents were willing to be my foster parents. The social worker had brought the paperwork. If I agree to the arrangement, then Mr. and Mrs. Ng can sign the papers to make it official. Of course I agreed to the arrangement.
The Ngs and the social worker genuinely cared about me. For that I am grateful.
---
August 25, 1996:
Today I got discharged from the hospital. I moved in with the Ngs. Mr. Ng gave me a door key and Melissa showed me my room. I am home.
---
September 3, 1996:
I start at a new school tomorrow. I am both excited and nervous. I'm excited because I will get to meet new people and the school facilities are top-notch. I am nervous because I will have to use the stairs alot and when you have a cane and a backpack, it can get cumbersome.

Bloodline--3

"Mom, I'm home!" said Michelle.
"Just in time for dinner," said Si Maan. "Help me set up the table."
They set up the table and began to eat.
"Mmm . . . yummy!" said Michelle as she ate the curry chicken, her favourite dish.
"Slow down or you’ll get indigestion," said Si Maan.
They both laughed, oblivious to the fact that someone was watching them from the back window.
Fung had not seen Si Maan for 25 years but he recognized her beautiful eyes and smile. He guessed that the young woman must be their daughter.
Seeing that all is well with his wife and daughter, Fung turned around to leave. He was passing through a nearby park when he noticed a woman standing in front of him with a wooden stake. It was Mimi. She ran towards Fung, aiming the wooden stake at Fung's heart. Fung did not move so the wooden stake pierced his heart.
Fung smiled at Mimi and uttered his last words, "Thank you." He then collapsed onto the ground.
"Rest in peace," said Mimi.
***
27 years later . . .
Michelle, Sammul, and their son visited the tombstones of Fung and Si Maan and paid their respects. As they walked around the neighbourhood, they came across a church. There was a group of people taking pictures of a newlywed couple at the front doors. Michelle looked at the newlyweds and to her surprise, they looked exactly like Fung and Si Maan! She took out her cell phone which had a built-in camera and took a picture. Michelle looked at the image on the LCD screen and smiled.

Bloodline--2

Fung was hungry. Another two weeks have passed and he needed to feed on human blood. He could smell human blood. His next victim is nearby.
Fung found two men in an alley. One was on the ground, bleeding from a gunshot wound and begging for mercy. The other man had the gun in his hand. He fired another shot at the wounded man and walked away once he made sure that the wounded man was indeed dead. Fung snuck up behind the man with the gun, grabbed him and bit his neck, extracting blood.
Once Fung was full, he quickly headed back to his hideout. Fung's hideout was an abandoned mansion. Nobody went near the mansion because they believed it was haunted. It was. Fung shared the mansion with a ghost, Hei.
Fung went to his room and knelt down. "Goddess of Mercy, I have sinned again."
"I have never seen a vampire with a conscience like you do Fung," said Hei. "Maybe that's why you're the only one left in this city. Anyway, I have good news. After travelling within cyberspace and networking with other ghosts, I have finally found your wife and daughter."
"You have?" asked Fung. "Are you sure?"
"Aiya! I have seen that photo every day for 25 years. Of course I'm sure! I even used your ID number on the government database," replied Hei.
"Thank you," said Fung. He took out the photograph that Hei was referring to. It was a black and white photo of him, Si Maan, and their baby girl.
"Ah, don't mention it," said Hei. "You took care of the bastard who killed me so I'm just returning the favour."
***
That same night, Michelle, a cop, was assigned to investigate on the murder of two men who were Triad members. She studied the photos of the crime scene and noticed that one of the men had bite marks on his neck. Michelle then looked at the police database archives and found that many of the pictures from past crime scenes were similar. There would be two dead men, one who would die of stab or gunshot wounds, and the other who would die with bite marks. Michelle called Sammul, her fiancé and partner, to tell him her discovery. "Do you think there is a vampire out there?" Michelle asked.
"Call me crazy but I'm thinking that it might be a possibility," said Sammul. "After all, the police have not been able to catch this murderer for ages. If there is a vampire out there, I don't know how we're going to catch him."
***
Mimi was reading the morning paper and saw the pictures of last night's crime scene. She too was wondering whether there is a vampire at large. If the murderer is a vampire, this vampire did not seem to be as hostile as other vampires. Usually, vampires kill at random when they are hungry. Some kill even when they are not hungry. This vampire killed men who were criminals. Also, Mimi thought that all the vampires in the city had been killed off.
The phone rang.
"Hello?" said Mimi.
"Good morning. This is the Chief of Police. I was wondering if you would like to help us in our investigation on the murder of some criminals," said the voice over the phone.
"How can I help?" asked Mimi.
"First, we would like to you to study the photos of the bodies and look at the reports to determine whether or not we do have a vampire at large," replied the Chief.
"I'll be right over," said Mimi.
***
Michelle and Sammul had already put the information together for Mimi to look over. Mimi spent most of the day reading the information. Finally, she determined that the corpses with bite marks on their neck were killed by a vampire.
The Chief of Police called the Mayor with the findings.
"Yes, Sir," said the Chief. "I understand, Sir." He then called Mimi over. "Your orders are to seek and destroy."

Bloodline--1

Starring:

Raymond Lam as Fung

Charmaine Sheh as Si Maan

Michelle Yip as Michelle

Sammul Chan as Sammul

Mimi Lo as Mimi

Special Guest Star:

Ron Ng as Hei

---

25 Years Ago. . .

Si Maan had her bags packed and her baby daughter was ready. A man and woman from the Women’s Shelter helped her put the bags into the car. Her husband, Fung, put their baby in the car. Si Maan hugged him.
"Don’t worry," said Fung. "Your ex-husband will be locked up and put away for good very soon."
Si Maan let go of Fung and hurried into the car. Fung closed the car door and waved good-bye before heading back inside the house.
Si Maan’s ex-husband had been harassing and stalking her ever since she and Fung got married. Si Maan had a restraining order against her ex-husband but that did not stop him. It got to a point where she may be in danger. Luckily, the Women’s Shelter was there to help find a place for her to hide.
---
Fung came home from work. He was about to close the door after disarming the alarm when someone kicked the door open, knocking Fung onto the floor. Si Maan’s ex-husband quickly closed the door and drew out a gun.
"Where is Si Maan?" he asked.
"Go to Hell!" said Fung who just got up from the floor.
"Wrong answer!" said the ex-husband and he shot Fung at the kneecaps, causing Fung to lose his balance and fall backward flat onto the floor. The ex-husband walked closer to Fung. "I expect a better answer this time."
"You’re not getting it," replied Fung.
Bang! Bang!
Fung was shot at the shoulders.
The ex-husband place himself right beside Fung and aimed the gun at Fung’s heart. "I’m asking you one last time. Where is Si Maan?"
"She’s not here!" said Fung.
Bang! Bang!
The ex-husband wrapped Fung’s body with a blanket, put him in his pickup truck, and drove off.
He stopped at a place that he thought was suitable for burying a body and proceeded to do so. A cat came by and jumped over the corpse. Finally, the ex-husband was finished burying Fung and left.
The moon shone very brightly that night . . . .
---
Si Maan was paid a visit by a policewoman.
"Mrs. Lam, I have good news and bad news," said the policewoman. "You might want to sit down."
Si Maan sat down. "I’m listening."
"Your ex-husband was just arrested," continued the policewoman. "We found blood on his pickup truck and he admitted that he killed your husband. Unfortunately, we cannot find your husband’s body. Mrs. Lam, I’m so sorry."

Heartbeat--4

Raymond was now fit to return to work. On his first day back, he ran pregnancy tests for Charmaine and Myolie. Results indicated that both of them are indeed pregnant. That evening Raymond, Charmaine, Myolie and Bosco had dinner together and Raymond told them the news. Bosco was ecstatic. Charmaine smiled but was quiet.

On the way home, Charmaine was still quiet. Raymond tried to make conversation. "Auntie (Mrs. Kwok) will be thrilled with the news. It would be nice having a child running around in the house. The place would be more lively. Charmaine, I know it won’t be easy being a single mother. I just want you to know I’ll be there for you if you need help with anything."

"Thanks Raymond," said Charmaine. "That means a lot to me. I’m sorry about before. I’m just a little down because Aaron is not here to experience the joy of fatherhood. I miss him."

"I understand," replied Raymond.

***

"Congratulations! It’s a boy!" exclaimed Raymond to Charmaine. He cut off the umbilical cord, cleared the baby’s lungs, and washed him before bringing him to Charmaine. "Have you thought of a name?" asked Raymond.

"Ron," replied Charmaine. "Raymond. Thank you...for everything...the baby shower, setting up the nursery room...everything."

"I'm the uncle," said Raymond. "It's my job." Just then his pager vibrated. Raymond checked the message. "Myolie's about to give birth. I need to go. I'll check on you later. Bye Ron!"

Raymond kissed the baby's forehead and then went over to Myolie who was in the next delivery room.

"OK. Push!" he said.

"Arrgh!" screamed Myolie, ‘pushing’ and squeezing Bosco’s hand which is now swollen.

"How’s your hand Bosco?" teased Raymond.

"It’s OK. The pain is nothing compared to what Myolie’s going through," replied Bosco.

"Alright. I see the baby's crown. Push!" commanded Raymond.

Thirty minutes later, Myolie gave birth to a baby girl. She was named Miriam.

"Congratulations, you two!" said Raymond.

***

Four years have passed since Ron was born and now he is in kindergarten. Charmaine couldn’t believe how quickly time has past and how quickly Ron had grown. Ron was very attached to Raymond and Raymond doted on Ron. Charmaine couldn’t ask for a better Uncle for her child.

Chamaine and Myolie were in the kitchen of the Kwok residence while Raymond and Bosco were in the dining room. They were cleaning up after celebrating the birthdays of Ron and Miriam with a birthday party. Mr. and Mrs. Kwok and Mr. and Mrs. Lam took the children out for an evening movie at the theatre.

"Charmaine, what do you think of Raymond?" asked Myolie.

"Raymond is the best brother-in-law I could ask for and the best uncle my child could have," replied Charmaine.

"You mean you never had romantic feelings for Raymond at all?" asked Myolie. "Did you know that he has loved you since high school?"

"Myolie, I hope you understand," said Charmaine. "I love Aaron; always have and always will. Raymond is a wonderful man. But the feelings I have for him are familial, not romantic. I believe Raymond knows this. Otherwise, he would have professed his love to me by now."

Meanwhile...

"Raymond, is there any chance of you and Charmaine being a couple?" asked Bosco. "I mean, Aaron has passed away for more than four years now, you and Ron are already like father and son, and Charmaine seems to like you."

"Charmaine loves Aaron and has not stopped loving Aaron; just like I love Charmaine and have not stopped loving her," replied Raymond. "I respect that. Charmaine is my sister-in-law and Ron is my nephew. We are already family. We live together and see each other everyday. I am satisfied with the ways things are between us."

***

Father’s Day is coming up. Ron’s kindergarten class were making Father’s Day cards. Ron made one for Aaron. Then he had a question for his teacher, "Miss Tong, is there an Uncle's Day?"

"No there isn’t dear," replied Miss Tong. "Why do you ask?"

"My daddy died before I was born," replied Ron. "My Uncle Raymond is like my daddy."

"Oh, I see," said Miss Tong. "You may make a separate card for your uncle and tell him you love him. But don't write 'Happy Father's Day'"

On Father’s Day, Charmaine and Raymond brought Ron to Aaron’s tombstone to pay him respects. Ron placed the card on the ground along with the flowers and said, "Happy Father's Day Daddy!"

That night, they ate out with Mr. And Mrs. Kwok to celebrate. Raymond had dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Lam along with Myolie, Bosco, and Miriam the night before.

Just before Raymond put Ron to bed, Ron gave Raymond a card. "Uncle Raymond, this is for you."

"Why, thank you!" said Raymond. He read the card aloud: "Uncle Raymond. I love you very much."

"How much?" asked Raymond.

"This much!" exclaimed Ron, spreading out his arms to their full length.

Raymond smiled and gave Ron a hug and said, "I love you too...very much."

The End

Heartbeat--3

After being in the hospital for 3 weeks, Raymond was finally back home. His father, who had neglected Raymond since he was born, was now caring for him with the help of his stepmother. Everyday, they waited for the call telling them that a heart is available. Everyday they were disappointed. Sometimes Raymond would have mixed feelings. After all, someone would have to die in order to donate a heart to him and allow him to live longer.

The phone rang. Raymond picked up the phone. To his surprise, it was Charmaine! She was crying. "Charmaine, what’s wrong?" asked Raymond.

"Aaron...There was a car accident...He’s in the ER...His parents...I can’t reach them...Can you come keep me company?" pleaded Charmaine.

"Alright," replied Raymond. I’ll be right there."

***

Raymond waited with Charmaine at the visitor lounge. Charmaine finally was able to reach her in-laws over the phone and they rushed over.

More waiting.

A surgeon came out to greet them so they all stood up. "I’m very sorry," he said. "We were not able to help Aaron. Aaron had signed an organ donor card. I need your consent to allow us to harvest his organs."

"I’ll sign the form," said Charmaine.

After signing the form, Charmaine asked the surgeon, "Steven, do you think Raymond would be a suitable recipient for Aaron’s heart?"

"I’ll ask Melissa," replied Steven and he walked off.

"Your mother stole my husband’s heart and now my son’s donating his heart to you," said Aaron’s mother to Raymond in a cold icy tone.

"What are you talking about?" asked Aaron’s father.

"You think I didn’t know that you had an affair with Mary?" scoffed Mrs. Kwok. "She came to me to apologize for sleeping with you and to tell me that she was pregnant with your child. Then she showed me the results of the paternity test and promised me that she would never see you again. Well, she kept her word."

"You're my son," said Mr. Kwok walking towards Raymond.

Raymond stepped backwards away from him, shaking his head in disbelief. Aaron’s father was also his father; which made Aaron his half-brother and Charmaine his sister-in-law! The shock of the last few minutes caused Raymond to suffer another cardiac arrest.

***

Melissa determined that Raymond was a suitable receipient of Aaron's heart and performed the heart transplant. The transplant surgery was successful. Raymond had to stay in ICU for 3 days and another 2 weeks in a regular hospital room. Melissa advised Raymond that after being discharged from the hospital, Raymond will need to do regular heart echocardiograms, electrocardiograms and biopsies. He also had to take immunosuppressants to prevent his body from rejecting the heart, do exercise, and watch his diet.

***

DNA tests proved that Mr. Kwok and Raymond were indeed biological father and son. Mr. Kwok insisted that Raymond move into his place. Raymond agreed on the condition that Mr. Kwok treat Mrs. Kwok well and that he make peace with Mr. Lam.

Heartbeat--2

Raymond woke up and found himself in a hospital bed. Four worried faces were looking at him. "Could it be? His father was actually worried?" thought Raymond. Then he looked at Myolie and Bosco. "I’m sorry for ruining your wedding night," he said.

"You gave us quite a scare," said Bosco.

"You have to get well soon. You still owe me a dance!" said Myolie, forcing a smile.

"I’ll bring you some ginseng soup tomorrow," said Mrs. Lam.

"Thank you Auntie," replied Raymond.

"Raymond. I’m sorry for the way I have treated you all these years. I promise I will treat you well from now on. But! You have to get well," said Raymond’s father.

"Don’t worry," said Raymond. "I’ll be fine."

***

"Charmaine! You’re back! How was your honeymoon?" asked Melissa.

"It was great!" said Charmaine. "Too bad it was short. Anything happen while I was gone?"

"Raymond’s on extended sick leave," said Melissa. "He’s staying in the hospital after having had a cardiac arrest. His heart is getting worse. He needs to have a heart transplant soon but it’s not his turn yet."

"Oh my God!" gasped Charmaine. "What room is he staying in? I’m going to see him."

***

Charmaine arrived at Raymond’s room. Raymond was sleeping. "Get well Raymond," whispered Charmaine and she walked away.

Charmaine always thought of Raymond as a good friend and as a brother. Aaron met Raymond through Charmaine and they were friends ever since despite their fathers' animosity toward each other. Raymond even helped Aaron pick the engagement and wedding rings. Both Charmaine and Aaron were disappointed that Raymond could not attend their wedding.

When Charmaine met up with her husband Aaron, she told him the news.

"This is why we signed our organ donation cards and why others should as well," said Aaron. "If more people did sign the cards, Raymond would have had a new heart by now."

Heartbeat--1

Raymond Lam was hiding in the gazebo at a garden outside a banquet hall. It is his step-sister Myolie’s wedding day. The groom is his friend, Bosco. The bride and groom just finished their first dance and the guests began to crowd the dance floor. Raymond felt really exhausted and a little light-headed so he decided to hide and rest for a bit.

He started reminiscing about his childhood. Raymond’s mother died giving birth to him. As a result, Raymond’s father could not bring himself to love Raymond. Raymond’s aunt took care of him from when he was an infant until he started school. She later got married and immigrated to Australia.

In school, Raymond had trouble making friends. The other kids found him weird because Raymond was quiet and never smiled. One day, there was a new boy in his class. Because he stuttered (not anymore), wore thick glasses and was clumsy, he had a hard time making friends as well. The boy’s name is Bosco. While Raymond was waiting for his ride home, he saw a student punching Bosco and then pushed him to the ground because Bosco accidentally hit him with his lunch box. Bosco was crying and since no one paid attention to him, Raymond went over to help him up. Raymond and Bosco became best friends. They even got together that summer. Bosco even surprised Raymond with a birthday gift. Because Raymond’s birthday was during the summer holidays and also the same day as his mother’s death, he never had a birthday party and never had birthday presents. This made the gift even more special.

The next year, Raymond’s father remarried and his step-mother moved in, bringing along her daughter, Myolie. Raymond and Myolie got along really well. Because Raymond and Myolie were the same age, they attended the same school and the same class. Unlike Raymond and Bosco, Myolie became very popular with her classmates. This meant that they no longer teased Raymond and Bosco and even included them in some of their games during recess. Bosco was smitten with Myolie and Raymond would tease him for it.

Now Myolie and Bosco are married and Raymond was very happy for them. However, he will miss not having Myolie living under the same roof anymore.

Raymond’s thoughts then turned to something in his pocket. It was a folded up wedding invitation of Charmaine and Aaron. As fate would have it, their wedding day was also today. Raymond met Charmaine in high school. They were good study partners and good friends. Raymond had hoped that they could be more than friends. Unfortunately, by the time he had the courage to ask her out on a date, he found out that she was dating a first year university student. Now, they work in the same hospital but in different departments. Charmaine worked in the lab while Raymond worked in the maternity ward as an obstetrician. He didn’t know why or how but his crush on Charmaine developed into love. Raymond loved Charmaine even though she was in love with someone else. He was happy for Charmaine as he knew Aaron would make a good husband for her. Aaron also worked in the same hospital but as an ER surgeon. Raymond looked at the picture on the invitation and sighed. Then he put it back in his pocket.

"Hey, how about a dance with your sister?" asked Myolie.

"You know I don’t dance," replied Raymond.

"Come on, don’t be such a party pooper!" insisted Myolie.

"Oh, alright," said Raymond reluctantly.

They headed towards the dance floor inside the banquet hall when Raymond stopped in his tracks. He felt massive pain in the chest.

"Raymond! Are you OK?" asked Myolie.

Raymond couldn’t speak. He couldn’t breathe and felt light-headed. He then collapsed onto the ground.

Myolie screamed, "Someone call ‘999'!" Bosco called ‘999' while a security guard administered CPR. Raymond’s father and stepmother ran to where Raymond was, shocked. The ambulance came and Raymond was rushed to the hospital, the same hospital where he worked.

At the hospital, Raymond was immediately brought to the ER. His family waited in the visitor lounge.

Finally, a doctor came out to greet Raymond’s family. "My name is Melissa and I am a cardiologist and one of the doctors looking after Raymond. Raymond suffered from cardiac arrest due to heart failure. His heart is functioning at about 30 percent. He will need a heart transplant as soon as possible. (pause) Actually, Raymond has had heart trouble for a while now and I have been monitoring him closely. He is already on the transplant list but there has not been an available organ yet. We are sending him to ICU for observation. You may go see him as soon as we have his room set up."

"Thank you Doctor," said Mr. Lam. Melissa nodded and left.

Mr. Lam then asked Myolie, "Did Raymond tell you about his heart condition?"

Myolie looked at her stepfather in the eye and glared at him. "You have never celebrated his birthday. You did not attend his high school graduation. You did not even congratulate him when he became a doctor. You ignored him for most of his life! What do you care? If he collapsed where nobody was around to help him, he would have died already!" At this point Myolie was almost screaming.

"Myolie!" exclaimed Mrs Lam. "Don’t talk like that to your father!"

"He is not my father!" shouted Myolie. "My father died a long time ago. Ask your husband here whether he treated Raymond like a son!"

"Myolie, please! This is a hospital. Keep your voice down!" scolded Mrs Lam.

Just then Bosco, after dealing with matters at the banquet hall, arrived at the hospital on his own. He headed towards Myolie. "I can hear you a mile away. How’s Raymond?"

"He has heart failure and is going to need a heart transplant!" said Myolie, now sobbing.

"Okay...shhh...everything will be alright," said Bosco, trying to comfort his wife.

Heartbeat--Foreword

This is my attempt at writing a fanfic featuring CharRay. I hope you will like it. All constructive criticism is appreciated.

Main Characters:

Raymond--Raymond Lam
Charmaine--Charmaine Sheh
Bosco--Bosco Wong
Myolie--Myolie Wu
Aaron--Aaron Kwok