(A/n: it's chaotic from here)
##~~
"Beam?"
He chuckled. "Yeah.."
"Tell me.. he really has two kids? No wife or anyone else in his life?" She asked with excitement.
He huffed. "Don't try.. he is not getting my brother Prae!"
Prae rolled her eyes. "Come on, he made mistakes, so he doesn't deserve Beam.. I agree with that. He doesn't deserve your friendship either?"
Lam sighed. "You were not there to see his dead eyes. I will never forgive myself. I wasn't able to save him from heartbreak" he licked his lips. Then smiled. "But.. yeah he has two beautiful kids.. he's successful in his life.. I'm so damn relieved"
"Yeah I kinda met the older one! He's so cute!" She smiled.
"Yeah you met the good one" Lam chuckled. "Wait till you meet the tiny whiny one"
Prae remembered the cold eyes of the boy she met. "That was the good one?" She chuckled. "Sweet! I don't wanna imagine the bad one now"
"Yeah.. let's just say he could make you to happily bankrupt yourself and lay down in front of a train. Then he'd clap and walk all over what's left of you with a cute angelic smile"
Prae raised her eyebrows. "I'd wanna meet him now"
Lam smiled. "So.. you're gonna tell me?"
Prae looked at her favourite best friend. "Tell what?"
"You know what!" Lam looked at the three kids. "Who was it Prae?"
"Lam.. forget it!" Prae shook her head. "I haven't told any of you before.. I won't now"
Lam sighed. "Come on, it's me. Please tell me.."
Prae sighed and looked down. "I have nothing to tell Lamie.."
Lam frowned. He looked at the seven years old kid playing with his twin sons. "What do you mean?"
Prae bit her lips and Lam's eyes widened. "You don't.." he bit his lips and whispered. "Damnit! You don't know him? You don't know who the father is?"
Prae looked up at him and sighed. She had tears in her eyes. "I.. I remember that night and I remember what happened to me.. but I do not remember the man.."
Lam blinked. "Oh Prae.. what happened?"
Before Prae could say a thing, Lam's phone rang again.
"Yes P'Mike? WHAT?" He stood up abruptly, the news taking away all his sanity.
##~~
🎵You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
"She's losing too much blood what do we do?"
🎵You make me happy, when skies are gray
"P'Beam you gotta tell me something here!"
"Beam!! We're losing her!"
'I can't wait to have you in my arms baby lioness'
"Beamie?"
He gasped and looked at Pha who held his shoulders.
"Hey.. I know she's your sister in law.. you must be shocked" Pha rubbed his thumbs at both of Beam's shoulders. "Don't you want to go help your brother's wife and child?"
His eyes teared up. "I'm scared.." he felt like a scared little baby crying to his parent at night.
"Hey.. I'll go in there with you okay.. I'll stay right beside you okay.." Pha told him. "I won't leave. Would that help? I.. it always helped before"
"Promise?" He asked.
Pha sighed and nodded. "Promise.. let's go.. if it's hard don't look at her face okay.. I'm with you.."
Beam sighed and let Pha lead him inside the OR.
"There's fetal heartbeat" Namtarn informed him. "Approx eight months.. 37 weeks.. we can deliver.."
"That's if we can save the fetus first! The cord seems ruptured!" Another resident informed him.
Beam looked down at the woman's face who had just been with him not even an hour ago. He sighed and raised his hand. "Scalpel"
.
.
"Did you help them?" Lam asked the tall ponytailed guy with his left hand bandaged. The guy nodded.
"I was on the bike when this SUV just suddenly came out of nowhere and cut their car's path, it swerved, totally out of control, and almost hit me before hitting the tree" he spoke slowly, head still a little dizzy.
Lam looked around in urgency. "What? How long? P'Mike didn't-"
"He's okay.. your wife has been in surgery for over two hours now.. I'm sorry I can't really do anything else.. but I know Dr. Beam is great. He will help.." the boy answered, unsure what else to say.
The man looked near tears while the woman beside him tried to calm him down. She even thanked him and asked if he needed anything, till his friend came running inside.
"Thada! I.. damn I'm an idiot!" June was in tears.
Thada frowned at him. "What?"
"I.. Kao called.. I'm an idiot!!" June was beyond himself. "He's here.. P'Forth and Pete brought him here.."
"What?"
##~~
Ming was getting back from a business lunch, he only got to walk out of there now. Doing business with women was very hectic, they never let go with only business talk. They always want more.
He sighed seeing the time. It turned into dinner. Again. He opened his car door to find Kit getting out of a car with a kid in his arms and a tall familiar man beside them.
He watched them laughed and hold hands with a very peculiar expression on his face.
Then a sudden emotion flashed through his eyes when the man bent and pecked Kit on his lips. In broad daylight! In public!
And Kit smiled.
He wasn't embarrassed to get kissed in public by that man?
Ming looked down with his lips pursed. Guess, he was just embarrassed with him. He sat inside the car. With one last glance towards the people who disappeared inside the restaurant, he started his car.
.
.
"Hey.. I didn't know we had a guest with us" Tim chuckled at Arthit in Kit's arms. "Don't you go to school?"
"Aww P'Faam go to kool! Aathi no goo! Aathi ij a bwaby!!"
"Aww.. you heard that? He's a baby!" Tim laughed.
Kit shook his head. "Oh no he's not! He drives his own Lamborghini!! He's just knows when to act like a baby!" Kit kissed the kid who cackled.
"You don't mind? He is a cyclops! He won't stay put anywhere!!" He said as Tim looked at the little devil in his arms and Arthit looked back with same interest.
"You have kitty band aids" Tim commented, making Kit smack his arm.
"Don't! You! Dare!" He huffed and Tim laughed.
"I'm not saying anything, you're the one reacting!" Tim played innocent. They haven't even sat down properly yet when his phone rang. Actually, both their phones rang.
"Prae?"__Tim.
"Forth?"__Kit.
"WHAT?" They both stood up, shocking the poor little toddler beside them.
"We need to--" Tim started.
"Hospital!!" Kit completed.
Tim was the one to grab Arthit as they rushed back to the hospital. Arthit was scared and confused as they entered through the building but he lost it when he saw his friend being pulled inside on a gurney.
"Koko.." he teared up seening his P'Kao in pain. Then he saw Forth and cried even more.
##~~
The environment inside the waiting room was suffocating.
Forth had hugged a crying Arthit close to himself as he eyed a miserable looking Lam. He walked to his friend and kneeled on the floor.
"Lam.. the kids are here.. can I take them out with me.. they are scared"
Lam looked at him, biting his lips to not cry out and only managed to nod. Forth squeezed his shoulder once and stood up. He can't let his child be in there a second more. Same goes for the other three kids.
He coaxed them and took them all out to the cafeteria, knowing better not to take them away from their family at a time like this.
Oon worried him as he clung to him, so scared. He didn't understand anything except that his auti Min was hurt and that his Koko was also hurt and his dada was nowhere to be found.
"It's gonna be okay baby.. it's so gonna be okay.." he told the baby. "Your dada is saving your aunt and your uncle kitty and aunt Yihwa are with your P'Kao.. they will be okay"
Arthit clung to him even more tightly.
.
.
Lam stood up seeing a beat up Beam. It had been hours since he was in there.
One look at his big brother and Beam burst out crying.
"B-B.. Beam.."
"I hate you! I hate you so much!!" Beam cried as he hid his face on Lam's chest. "I forbid you two to have more kids! Never have more kids!! Three are just fine!!! Never put me through that I was so scard!"
Lam let out the breath he was holding when Pha nodded at him and hugged Beam back.
"Oh God!! Yeah.. I promise baby snowball!! I'm so sorry.."
They hugged for a while till Beam looked up at him with a teary smile. "He is a snowball too.. I can't believe you two uglies made him.. he's too beautiful.."
Lam laughed out and hugged him again.
##~~
Pete looked inside the room where Kao was currently sleeping in. He looked so drained and exhausted. He bit his lower lip and stood aside while Kit and Yihwa walked about with June, May, Sandee and the rest of Kao's new friends all gathered around.
He only got pieces of their conversations. He knew Thada almost had an accident and Kao couldn't bear it. But the doctors had helped him long enough for his doctor to get there on time to save him.
He looked up as a bandaged Thada walked down with a pale man supporting him.
Then his face turned pale seeing Forth and his aunt there as well. The four had a talk and then the first people they let inside to be with Kao were that guy Thada and the pale nan who stopped in front of him with a hard look in his eyes before he walked inside.
He looked from the glass window as Thada held Kao's hand in his.
.
.
"I want to-"
"Sit right here ir I smack your already hurt head!" Beam aaid sternly and the tall boy in front of him shut his mouth tight. "I just operated on my sister and then I got a heart attack seeing you here all bandaged with my baby Kao unconscious on one of those rooms.. it's too much for one day Thada!"
Thada looked down. "I just.. I didn't cause the accident.. I'm always careful on my bike you believe it or not!" He sighed. "If I didn't close the shop earlier and got in that accident.. Kao might not be here.."
Beam looked down at him and smiled faintly. "You're so worried for him.. but see if.. you weren't there.. you won't have saved my sister. I owe you" he said sincerely. "And Kao is okay now.. if only.. it tells how much he cares for you.."
He smiled seeing the tears in Thada's eyes and wiped them.
"I don't want him to care that much if that means he hurts himself.." Thada didn't look up.
"Oh God! He's right!" Thada looked at him. "How? Who?"
"Kao is right! You are a big giant marshmallow!!"
Thada blinked. He looked away, totally flustered. "I want them to be safe.."
Beam nodded. "But don't you want something for yourself?"
Thada looked at him.
"Thada.. kiddo it's okay to want something for yourself once in a while.. it's okay to fight for it.. the way I see it.." Beam grinned. "He will be too damn happy to see you fight"
Thada blinked. He did not have any idea how to respond to the doctor. But he knew after the last few months he'd seen him that he respected the man as an adult. And that he cared for Kao just as much as he did.
"I.. we were.. we planned to go to beach tomorrow.." he found himself telling the older man whose smile widened.
"Good.. that's a start!" Beam smiled brightly. "Now get up! Geez, I feel like I have four kids by now" he helped Thada to walk. "I have checked up on him, he's totally fine, stressed but fine.. and Dr. Kit sais he was mumbled for you.. he's just scared and he'll be fine once you're in ftont of him"
"You sure? And our babies? You're not lying to me because I'm hurt?" Thada asked again for the thousandth time.
"Hey! Do I look like someone who lies?" Beam snapped and Thada shut up.
"Beam.."
Beam looked at Forth who had Arthit in his arms. "Oh.. he isn't in the.."
"Kit decided to take him out to his date" Forth informed him of Kit's brilliant idea. "Then Kao and Minute.. he was so scared I didn't want him to stay there.. he's been asking for you.. he's sleeping now"
Beam gave a very desperate and loving look towards his son. "Oh.. Pharm is here with Lam and his family. I think. You've been with him all this time? Thank you!"
Forth was taken aback by that but nodded. "I.. he's Arthit. Don't thank me..
how's Kao? You really scared him kid" he spoke to Thada who looked down once more, feeling guilty.
"Hey.. it's not your fault!" Forth patted his shoulder. "Em.. this is Prae Punsawat.." Forth pointed at the woman beside him who looked at the kid in front of him and them to the familiar man.
"Beamie.."
Beam smiled and hugged her. "How have you been?"
"Good.. you?"
Beam smiled. "Good.. Pete's aunt? You're that arrogant bastard's aunt? Where did you find that masterpiece? I wanna know so I could dump him right back there!"
"Phi.." Thada called him with a frown. "You said no violence when I wanted to kill him the last time!" He accused.
"Well that was for you.. this is for me! I'm the adult! You shut up!" Beam snapped and Thada shut up again. "Prae.. I will bring hell to him and the God damned awful people who raised him to be like this if he ever hurt Kao again!"
Prae blinked. She turned to Forth and then looked towards Pete who didn't meet her eyes. "I don't follow.. what is it?"
Beam looked at Forth who instead of answering her asked Thada. "Has he done something else? Before?"
"You mean something other than knocking him up and them calling him a.. slut? Yeah.. a lot!" Thada replied and Prae's eyes widened comically. Thada turned to Beam. "I want to go to him"
Beam nodded and led him to the room Kao was in. He was currently fast asleep, still wearing that same white tshirt he picked out of Thada's closet to wear.
Thada pulled the chair close and sat down holding his hand in his own. Never in his whole life had he thought he could feel so crushed the way he did seeing Kao at that moment.
"Kao.."
"They are fighters" Beam reassured him.
"H-he.. he's in pain is he?" Thada asked in cracked tone. "When? When will he wake?"
Beam sighed. "Soon. It's good if he sleeps. Call me when he awakes, make sure you keep him calm, okay? It's gonna be okay" patting his shoulder, he left them alone. He stood at the door for a while, watching Thada look at Kao with tears in his eyes was such a devastating sight, he turned to walk out.
His head was a jumble of so many thoughts.
'Pharm.. look at me.. please baby.. look at your P'Beam..'
"P'Beam.." June looked at him and he could only nod at him.
"Let him wake up first okay?" He managed to answer.
'Daddy's little lion princess..'
He looked at the boy that had hurt Kao so much in the past and breathed out. He grabbed his hand roughly.
"Do you know what it means to be a parent? Come here!" He pulled him to the door where Kao was still asleep. "Look! That! That is a parent! That man sitting inside is not the one who helped made them! He's already their parent!"
Pete looked inside. Thada had tears in his eyes as he held Kao's hand in his own.
'I wish P'Beam was my father'
'Blood.. there.. there was blood.. where.. where is she?'
'Where is my baby?'
"If you can't be bothered by what you have done to that poor boy, if you can't even man up enough to realize how big of a mess you have pushed him into, if you can't be responsible for what happened between you two, let him!! LET HIM DO THAT! LEAVE HIM IN PEACE!" He teared up as he let go of Pete. "What is it? Third or fourth time he's here? Because he's too much stressed! He is having triplets you bastard! He is in danger but he's still having them! Have mercy on him! Have mercy on them!"
With that he stormed away from them, everyone. As fast as he could. But he didn't feel any better. He could not get rid of any of the emotions he felt at that moment.
🎵You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..
"Are you okay?"
Forth asked him as he sat beside him. Beam sighed.
"I wanna hold him" he took Arthit from Forth and hugged him tightly. Then he frowned. "He.."
"Yeah.. I felt it a while ago, that's why I didn't take him to see the baby and brought him to you.. he feels like burning up.."
Beam looked at Arthit. "Baby Oon?"
Arthit opened his eyes and rubbed his nose cutely. "Dada.. porr.."
They both chuckled.
"He's greedy.." Forth pondered.
"Yeah.. he is" Beam dropped a peck at his baby's forehead. "Hey sleepyhead, don't you want to see your baby cousin?"
"Dada.. momma Min!!"
"Yeah.. momma min is fine! She was asking for her Oon! And the new baby cousin is also asking for you.. wanna go see him?"
"Aathi waan!!" Arthit said weakly. He tried to sit up straight but Beam held him. "Baby.. you feel dizzy?"
"Waa deejy?"
(Arthit101: What's dizzy?)
"Em.. feel eyes heavy? You feel like it's spinning round and round?" Beam asked him again and his stopped when the boy nodded weakly.
"What is it Beam?" Forth asked.
"I.." Beam sighed. "W-will you come with me? I want to take him for check up. Please.."
##~~
🎵You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..
🎵You make me happy, when skies are gray
'My lion princess..'
"Why're you doing blood test?" Forth asked.
"Because I have to" Kit sighed. "Take Beam out of here okay? Arthit is happy with uncle Kitty.. right Oon?"
Arthit looked around happily at the baby's room amd nodded. Too occupied with the lollipop in his hand to care.
'He is so badly hurt if you didn't get to him in time.. we won't be able to save him'
'Do we call it saving if I can't bring back what he lost? His childhood, his rainbows and colours..'
"What's wrong with him?" He asked Kit in a tone devoid of any emotions. "Tell me, I can take it"
Kit sighed. "I'm just doing a blood test, he looks anaemic at most. We'll see after further testing, get out!"
Forth looked at Beam's face and held on him to drag him out though Beam didn't protest.
'You better like this colour okay little one? Daddy had to endure paint smell so I could stand and watch it getting done!'
"He will be okay.." Forth spoke to him.
"He better be.." he didn't sound like himself. His voice was as good as a dead man's. He felt dead. He didn't feel anything. And then he heard his poor little boy's cries. He had never let his baby cry. Never...
Why was he crying now?
🎵You make me happy, when skies are gray
He felt his heart stop. Not again. He can't bear another of his children getting hurt.
"Beam.. Beam.." Forth held the smaller paler man in his arms who shook like a fish without water.
"Kiera.." Beam let out a cry as he fainted.
##~~
"Hey" Pha sat beside the kid who looked up at him, nodded and then looked down at his hands. Kit had told him Dome was a few months too young to be his. And that night was the last time he met Prae.
But seeing that kid sit there all alone, looking so dejected, Pha couldn't bring himself to walk away.
"Tired?"
"I'm not easily tired" the boy answered, not looking up.
"Hm.. then scared?"
The boy looked up with a pout. "Do I look like a baby to you?"
Pha found himself smiling. "God! You're too full of yourself aren't you?" Then he sighed seeing the boy looked down dejectedly again.
"Hey.." he elbowed him lightly. "You don't want to go in and see the baby?"
The boy shook his head. "I saw him. He's cute and tiny and there are so many people inside who love him.. I don't have to be in there.. I don't even belong here" he shrug.
"Yeah?" Pha laughed. "Me too"
"Yeah?" The kids nodded as he looked around.
"They're such a big family you know.." the kid spoke. "I only ever have my mom. I have a big cousin but I have a feeling he doesn't like me" informed Pha with a serious tone.
"Yeah? Why's that?" Pha turned his full attention to the boy.
The kid sighed. "He told my mom I'm a mistake"
Pha blinked at that. Suddenly he felt his heart hurt.
"Mom gave him a piece of her mind though. She's very cool" the kid grinned. "But this place isn't cool at all. I was happy to come but now I just want back home. I had friends you know, and I'm so smart, and I play basketball, my teachers love me, all the girls dig me, I was a star"
Pha laughed. "Oh God, you're really full of yourself" he shook his head. "Ahah.. this is refreshing.."
The kid looked up at him. "Yeah?"
Pha smiled. "I was kinda like you.. dodo is it?"
The kid huffed. "Anhunn.. it's Dome! And how can you be like me? I'm more handsome"
Pha laughed. "Yeah, indeed. I'm sorry sir.. Dome"
The grinned, showing his cute dimples. Then he turned serious. "Em.. you're a doctor right?"
Pha nodded.
"So can I ask you something?" Dome asked.
"Em.. yeah, sure" Pha nodded.
"Em.. do you know why would someone tell their age wrong to other people?" Dome asked and bit his lips.
Pha frowned. "I.. don't really understand.."
Dome sighed. "Oh.. ofcourse you don't. Why are old people so stupid?" He shook his head. Then eyed Pha and raised his pinky. "Make a promise you won't say it"
Pha looked down at the boy's little finger. Frowning, he still made a promise, interlocking their pinkies.
Done took a long breath and started. "Okay.. this is a secret now, do not make me regret telling you" he said seriously and Pha laughed.
Now what secret could a child really have?
"Don't laugh okay! See, since we came here, mom told me to tell everyone I'm six and a half"
Pha's frown deepened. "O-kay then..?"
"But see the thing is, I'm not. I turned seven four months ago and.."
Pha blinked. He stared at the kid in a daze afterwards, not even listening what he was saying.
"Hey?? Did you sleep uncle?" Dome shook him. Pha blinked again.
He felt his heart heavy and licked his lips. "Em.. yeah.. there could be many reasons why she said it.. so, y-you are seven years old?"
Dome nodded with a shrug. "Do you have a phone? Can I play on it?"
Pha fished his phone out with difficulty and handed it to the boy. 'He.. he is.. he could be mine.. and he thinks he has no one..'
Just then he received a pager from Kit, still in daze, he stood up. "You.. can keep on playing as much as you want.. get whatever game you like"
Dome's face lit up. "Really? Thank you"
Pha smiled tightly. "Yeah.. I'll see you again.." he walked away feeling heavy just as Pharm came to sit beside the kid.
"Hey.. I'm Pharm"
"I'm sorry.. I played with your dogs.." Dome said innocently and Pharm smiled.
"No.." Pharm looked down. Then he eyed the kid. "You can play with them.. I was just having a bad day.. did I scare you?"
Dome nodded.
Pharm smiled and poked the little boy's dimple. "My baby brother has a dimple too. Don't tell him.. but yours are cuter"
Dome grinned brightly at that.
##~~
"Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anemia"
"What?" Pha stared at the room where Forth sat on the couch holding a little baby boy in his arms. While Pharm was sleeping holding his dad's hand.
It was already past midnight. Minute was out of danger and was shifted to her room and the baby was in no further need to be in NICU so Kit had allowed them to keep the baby with his mother.
Kao still didn't wake up, being kept under observation with all his friends worried out of their wits and June going hysterical while Thada had refused to leave his side.
Beam had done it all to look after everything that night. He was drained and hurt and exhausted and Kit thought that sleeping was the best for him instead of keeping him awake and worried about his son.
Arthit was a baby, an innocent child. And he was lucky they caught it at this age.
"Here.." Kit handed Pha all the reports. "It's not something to worry about but.. how do I tell him I caught how sick his aon is?" He teared up. "And.. yeah, we can do.. we can keep him nourished with iron to keep up, we can transfuse blood.."
"He's a baby.. that would be painful Kitty.." Pha looked through all the blood reports and scans. "Can't we like.. there must be a permanent solution for this.."
"It's a birth defect" Kit said slowly. "We can do a stem cell transplant.. that would be the quickest and most affective way but.. Beam is not his blood match. Do you know about his mother?" He asked though he knew Beam would barely talk to Pha.
Pha eyed him. "I thought he was getting close to you"
"We don't talk about his life away.." Kit said hesitantly. "He seemed so lost today, if it was before, I would tell you, we could've grilled him and he would spill everything to you. He always told you everything and.."
"Shh.. this isn't the time Kitty, he adopted them" Pha put a hand on his shoulder as he informed him.
Kit sighed. "Great. Now I will make him feel even worse by informing him he couldn't help his child because they aren't biologically related?"
"Kitty.. you said they're not the same blood type. He still can't help" Pha comforted him.
Kit raked a hand on his face. "And Arthit have to have AB positive. You know how rare is AB positive? Let alone a match.."
"AB positive you said?"
"Yeah, why?" Kit snapped.
"Really Kitty?" Pha tilted his head and Kit gasped.
"Oh.. God! I'm such an idiot!" Kit facepalmed. He suddenly looked ready to fight a battle.
Pha shook his head. "Let's go. He should not suffer anymore after this"
With that, they both hurried away from that room.
##~~
Tragedy, pain and sickness, sometimes they can make the weakest of us all the most strong.
Then again, if one person keeps on fighting all the battles alone, on his own, they sometimes crumble.
Vote and comment.
See ya.