Post by Lei Wulong on Sept 16, 2018 23:35:22 GMT -5
A large urban city in the Kowloon District of Hong-Kong. It is home to many tall buildings, as well as apartments and plenty of food and cuisine. It was also home to many ancient sites. This was also near where the famous "walled city" is. It is also where Lei currently resided. At the moment anyway.
The couple made it to the tiny apartment. Lei opened the door and helped Elise inside. He locks the door behind him as he escorts the woman straight to the bed. As Elise walked, she felt some pain in her lower back. Lei advised that the woman go to sleep. She was hurting a lot.
"Do I need to get you an ambulance?"
"I think I can manage..." She said weakly.
"Well, I honestly think we should go see a doctor just in case, alright?"
"I guess_ OHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Elise curled herself up in fetal position.
"Okay? Stay calm. Look... I'm getting a doctor, okay?" Lei said to Elise, grabbing his cellphone.
Elise really hoped this wasn't anything serious.
“Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t save them. I am deeply sorry about your loss.”
Lei was now in the waiting room, several hours later pacing back and forth. “Is she okay?”
Lei was saddened by this, but most importantly, he needed to know if Elise was going to be okay.
“Yes, she’s stable. She successfully passed through all the tissue, but now, we'll have to keep her here for a bit longer.”
Lei nodded, remaining calm. “What will happen now?”
“She’s going to be bleeding out for the rest of the week. Once she’s done, she will be able to resume her life.”
“Good.”
“We’ll discharge her once we feel that she will be fine.”
“Can I see her?”
“Yes, right this way.”
Lei followed the nurse to Elise’s room and takes a seat next to Elise. She was curled up on her side, looking quite tired and exhausted as the wrinkles on her eyes were very visible. She looked so empty and depressed. Lei reached out and grabbed Elise’s hand, holding it tightly.
“Wulong… I am sorry…”
“You don’t need to apologize for anything.” He tilts his head as he smiles. “I’m just glad that you're doing okay is all. If anything, I should be the one to blame.”
“My eggs were bad. You did not cause this… All my fault.”
“I was the one who knocked you up. I mean everything was fine until… well, you know the rest.”
Elise smiled a little at Lei’s comment for a brief moment before going back to her blank expression. “I just hate it… These children didn’t make it.”
“I know. They could have been a doctor, a cop like me, or even a scientist like you. The possibilities are endless. I was just about to go build a triple crib from scratch. And build us a rocking chair. If they were all boys, I wanted to name them Yau, Wan, and Bok Min. If they were all girls, I wanted you to name them.”
“Yes.. I never picked names for the girls.”
“I love Christina. So many damn syllables but I dig it. Like why do you white people come up with these long-ass names and then, instead of saying the whole thing, you shorten it. What’s the point? Christina has more letters than my full name. That’s just a given name! What’s even funny is that if we named the boys, Thomas, Richard, and Harold, they'd literally be Tom, Dick, and Harry.”
Elise giggled a little. It made Lei smile. This was how he managed to help people grieve. Just talk about the deceased and maybe sprinkle a little jokes here and there. And eventually, people reach closure.
“I honestly did not have as much plans as you did.”
“You knew that they weren’t going to make it, did you?”
“Yes… I did.”
“But it’s fine. We'll be fine… I wish I could hold you in my arms right now. I would lie next to you, hold you close, kiss you and whisper sweet nothings to you. We can talk about the future that we had set for our children. Maybe we can have a funeral or a memorial of sorts. I feel like we should honor them in the shrine of my ancestors.”
“Yes… I agree.”
“My ancestors will take very good care of them, Elise.”
“What do you believe happens to children who don’t make it out of the womb?”
“Their souls return to their mother’s soul. I always believed that the child is a result of pieces of the father’s essence conjoining with the mother’s soul to create life. And naturally, the child’s soul returns as the father’s essence is gone forever.”
“Interesting… What happens now?”
“Well, you can stay with me for a few days, but then you have to go back to Poland so you can go back to Katya and go back to work.”
“I suppose that should be done. I just do not think I can bear to be apart from you any longer. Why can’t I just move in with you?”
Lei's heard those exact same words before. It was from Pai. The two were together for two years before Pai said those exact words to him. And Lei knew how that relationship went.
“Because I’m not ready.” Lei finally said. “I want to live with you, just as much as you do, but… I'm not ready.”
Elise sat up. “What do you mean? You want us to move in but you're not ready?”
Lei nodded. “I haven’t found the right place to move into. I wanted to surprise you, but then… this happened. Elise, I just need some space.”
Uh-oh. This is what Elise feared. Lei's pushing her away.
“Wulong, talk to me! What is going on?”
“I’m too old for this, aren’t I?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Elise, I've always wanted someone to share my life with. I always hoped that we'd raise kids together. But now I realize… I might be too old for this future. I wasted my best years on my career when I could have settled down a long time ago. Maya died because of my career. Catherine left because of my career. Pai cheated on me because of my career. Now here I am with the perfect woman only to find out that we are too old to start a family.” He closed his eyes and sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’ll be in our 70’s by the time the kid gets out of college. Aren’t we being a bit selfish? Like they might have to take care of us while they’re raising a family. That is… if we even live that long. Like let’s face it, you and I both probably might die in our 80’s. Well, you might outlive me. I don’t know a guy in my family who lived past 80. Everyone got killed in their 40s. Except my brother and_”
“What are you babbling on about?” Elise interrupted.
“Elise, I don’t think we should have kids. We should focus on our own kids. You know?” He smiled.
“But… I… we…”
“I know. I just didn’t realize how dangerous it would be for you. I am still suggesting adopting a child from a murder case. But… even then… we're too old.”
Elise frowned. “But that was our plan. We discussed this.”
“I know. We agreed that after we got married, we'd start looking into having kids. But I think I might sit this one out, love.”
“But… what…”
“That’s why I need some space. I need time to really think about this one. Alone. I'll have to decide whether or not I should get a vasectomy. Just for your safety."
Elise was speechless. She just couldn't believe this. Was he seriously going to let this miscarriage determine whether or not they should start a family?
"Well, I'm going to take a quick nap here. I'm tired. Wake me up if you need anything, okay?" He smiles, kissing Elise quickly on her lips before lying down and settling himself on an empty hospital bed next to Elise.
The woman felt lonely. This was exactly why she didn't want to tell him. It was exactly as she had feared. Lei was going to blame everything on himself and push her away. Elise wasn't sure what to do now.
Elise was eventually discharged from the hospital a couple of hours later. She was happy to be able to walk around and eat whatever she wants and she had her freedom back. However, she was still upset about what Lei said about not wanting kids anymore. But she would have to come to terms with this eventually. Right now, she just needed to mourn. The first thing that Lei does is head to the bedroom to take off his clothes and fall asleep in bed. This left Elise alone, free to do whatever she wishes. Elise then decides to go out for a walk to help clear her mind.
Lei needed to sleep and felt tired thank to the jet lag. Plus his mind needed a soft reset after what had happened. He just now warmed up to the idea of himself and Elise having triplets. And made plans and had ideas, but then suddenly, they all die and she miscarries. He understood why Elise didn't want to tell anyone. He was very much devastated, but he had to be strong. Lei rolled around in his bed. When he wakes up, he was going to just help the woman grieve. He'll go get Li-Mei later.
Maybe she should stay in Hong-Kong with me until the month ends. Lei thought to himself before eventually falling asleep.
The couple made it to the tiny apartment. Lei opened the door and helped Elise inside. He locks the door behind him as he escorts the woman straight to the bed. As Elise walked, she felt some pain in her lower back. Lei advised that the woman go to sleep. She was hurting a lot.
"Do I need to get you an ambulance?"
"I think I can manage..." She said weakly.
"Well, I honestly think we should go see a doctor just in case, alright?"
"I guess_ OHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Elise curled herself up in fetal position.
"Okay? Stay calm. Look... I'm getting a doctor, okay?" Lei said to Elise, grabbing his cellphone.
Elise really hoped this wasn't anything serious.
“Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t save them. I am deeply sorry about your loss.”
Lei was now in the waiting room, several hours later pacing back and forth. “Is she okay?”
Lei was saddened by this, but most importantly, he needed to know if Elise was going to be okay.
“Yes, she’s stable. She successfully passed through all the tissue, but now, we'll have to keep her here for a bit longer.”
Lei nodded, remaining calm. “What will happen now?”
“She’s going to be bleeding out for the rest of the week. Once she’s done, she will be able to resume her life.”
“Good.”
“We’ll discharge her once we feel that she will be fine.”
“Can I see her?”
“Yes, right this way.”
Lei followed the nurse to Elise’s room and takes a seat next to Elise. She was curled up on her side, looking quite tired and exhausted as the wrinkles on her eyes were very visible. She looked so empty and depressed. Lei reached out and grabbed Elise’s hand, holding it tightly.
“Wulong… I am sorry…”
“You don’t need to apologize for anything.” He tilts his head as he smiles. “I’m just glad that you're doing okay is all. If anything, I should be the one to blame.”
“My eggs were bad. You did not cause this… All my fault.”
“I was the one who knocked you up. I mean everything was fine until… well, you know the rest.”
Elise smiled a little at Lei’s comment for a brief moment before going back to her blank expression. “I just hate it… These children didn’t make it.”
“I know. They could have been a doctor, a cop like me, or even a scientist like you. The possibilities are endless. I was just about to go build a triple crib from scratch. And build us a rocking chair. If they were all boys, I wanted to name them Yau, Wan, and Bok Min. If they were all girls, I wanted you to name them.”
“Yes.. I never picked names for the girls.”
“I love Christina. So many damn syllables but I dig it. Like why do you white people come up with these long-ass names and then, instead of saying the whole thing, you shorten it. What’s the point? Christina has more letters than my full name. That’s just a given name! What’s even funny is that if we named the boys, Thomas, Richard, and Harold, they'd literally be Tom, Dick, and Harry.”
Elise giggled a little. It made Lei smile. This was how he managed to help people grieve. Just talk about the deceased and maybe sprinkle a little jokes here and there. And eventually, people reach closure.
“I honestly did not have as much plans as you did.”
“You knew that they weren’t going to make it, did you?”
“Yes… I did.”
“But it’s fine. We'll be fine… I wish I could hold you in my arms right now. I would lie next to you, hold you close, kiss you and whisper sweet nothings to you. We can talk about the future that we had set for our children. Maybe we can have a funeral or a memorial of sorts. I feel like we should honor them in the shrine of my ancestors.”
“Yes… I agree.”
“My ancestors will take very good care of them, Elise.”
“What do you believe happens to children who don’t make it out of the womb?”
“Their souls return to their mother’s soul. I always believed that the child is a result of pieces of the father’s essence conjoining with the mother’s soul to create life. And naturally, the child’s soul returns as the father’s essence is gone forever.”
“Interesting… What happens now?”
“Well, you can stay with me for a few days, but then you have to go back to Poland so you can go back to Katya and go back to work.”
“I suppose that should be done. I just do not think I can bear to be apart from you any longer. Why can’t I just move in with you?”
Lei's heard those exact same words before. It was from Pai. The two were together for two years before Pai said those exact words to him. And Lei knew how that relationship went.
“Because I’m not ready.” Lei finally said. “I want to live with you, just as much as you do, but… I'm not ready.”
Elise sat up. “What do you mean? You want us to move in but you're not ready?”
Lei nodded. “I haven’t found the right place to move into. I wanted to surprise you, but then… this happened. Elise, I just need some space.”
Uh-oh. This is what Elise feared. Lei's pushing her away.
“Wulong, talk to me! What is going on?”
“I’m too old for this, aren’t I?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Elise, I've always wanted someone to share my life with. I always hoped that we'd raise kids together. But now I realize… I might be too old for this future. I wasted my best years on my career when I could have settled down a long time ago. Maya died because of my career. Catherine left because of my career. Pai cheated on me because of my career. Now here I am with the perfect woman only to find out that we are too old to start a family.” He closed his eyes and sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’ll be in our 70’s by the time the kid gets out of college. Aren’t we being a bit selfish? Like they might have to take care of us while they’re raising a family. That is… if we even live that long. Like let’s face it, you and I both probably might die in our 80’s. Well, you might outlive me. I don’t know a guy in my family who lived past 80. Everyone got killed in their 40s. Except my brother and_”
“What are you babbling on about?” Elise interrupted.
“Elise, I don’t think we should have kids. We should focus on our own kids. You know?” He smiled.
“But… I… we…”
“I know. I just didn’t realize how dangerous it would be for you. I am still suggesting adopting a child from a murder case. But… even then… we're too old.”
Elise frowned. “But that was our plan. We discussed this.”
“I know. We agreed that after we got married, we'd start looking into having kids. But I think I might sit this one out, love.”
“But… what…”
“That’s why I need some space. I need time to really think about this one. Alone. I'll have to decide whether or not I should get a vasectomy. Just for your safety."
Elise was speechless. She just couldn't believe this. Was he seriously going to let this miscarriage determine whether or not they should start a family?
"Well, I'm going to take a quick nap here. I'm tired. Wake me up if you need anything, okay?" He smiles, kissing Elise quickly on her lips before lying down and settling himself on an empty hospital bed next to Elise.
The woman felt lonely. This was exactly why she didn't want to tell him. It was exactly as she had feared. Lei was going to blame everything on himself and push her away. Elise wasn't sure what to do now.
Elise was eventually discharged from the hospital a couple of hours later. She was happy to be able to walk around and eat whatever she wants and she had her freedom back. However, she was still upset about what Lei said about not wanting kids anymore. But she would have to come to terms with this eventually. Right now, she just needed to mourn. The first thing that Lei does is head to the bedroom to take off his clothes and fall asleep in bed. This left Elise alone, free to do whatever she wishes. Elise then decides to go out for a walk to help clear her mind.
Lei needed to sleep and felt tired thank to the jet lag. Plus his mind needed a soft reset after what had happened. He just now warmed up to the idea of himself and Elise having triplets. And made plans and had ideas, but then suddenly, they all die and she miscarries. He understood why Elise didn't want to tell anyone. He was very much devastated, but he had to be strong. Lei rolled around in his bed. When he wakes up, he was going to just help the woman grieve. He'll go get Li-Mei later.
Maybe she should stay in Hong-Kong with me until the month ends. Lei thought to himself before eventually falling asleep.