Panic struck every person in the emergency entrance as the attendants wheeled the stretcher in rush. Somebody was badly injured and everybody could tell it from the confusing situation.

            “Kim…” Pie uttered the name through her slightly parted lips. Her tears were beginning to blur her vision as she tried hard to maintain her gaze to the tom.

            “I’m here, Pie. Hold on. They will help you.” Kim grabbed Pie’s hands before she took them for a kiss. Even if in her blur gaze, Pie could see that Kim was actually crying. The white shirt which she picked for the tom this morning was stained with dark and scary blood.

            “It’s painful…” It saddened Kim to hear such complaint from the innocent girl. She dropped her gaze to Pie’s helpless body, her T – shirt was soaked with a thick blood and it somehow spread all over the white sheet that covered her tiny frame. It wouldn’t stop flowing and it scared Kim.

            “I know, I know. Please hold on. The doctor will help you.” For a brief second Kim had to catch the steps. The attendants kept pushing the stretcher to its fastest speed and she was losing the rhythm of the move when she talked to Pie earlier.

            “I can’t…” Kim heard it before she saw Pie slowly closing her eyes. The girl was about to lose her conscious.

            “Pie, talk to me. Don’t close your eyes.” Kim pressed the girl’s cheeks gently yet so nervously as to regain her consciousness. A surge of fear swept over her as the thought of losing Pie came to haunt her mind.

Kim was hoping that Pie would respond to her when she caught Pie feigned a smile across her lips. “Everything will be fine. Please hold on.” By this time Kim saw the girl shook her head.

            “I have something to tell you…” Kim had to lower her head to Pie’s mouth when the sounds of the footfalls were obviously much louder than the girl’s voice.

            “I’m all ears.” Kim smiled.

            “I think…”Kim waited for the girl patiently.

            “I think I lov….”

            “Please wait outside, Sir.” One of the nurse stopped Kim, obviously didn’t aware Kim’s gender. It was too soon for Kim to realize that they had finally reached the emergency theatre and sadly she didn’t manage to hear Pie’s last sentence just now. What did the girl think? She didn’t get any clue of her saying.

            “Kim, what’s happening here?” The tom heard someone calling from the back. She turned around just to find Zee and her girlfriend was heading to her direction. They looked panic themselves. The call that Kim made earlier might shock them as well.

            “Where’s Pie?” Tavee asked, panted hard as they stood right next to the tom. She studied the tom for awhile and what came to her mind told her that something terrible had happened. Kim looked terrible with blood all over her white shirt and some dry blood stained her face as well.

Kim didn’t answer them directly. Instead she pointed her finger to the closed room and it was more than enough for them to know that Pie was in there. Zee took her best friend to the nearest bench. Tavee was very sure Zee knew what she ought to do.

            “Kim, what has happened?” Zee queried, hoping that she could at least have the clue of the real situation. The only thing she knew, Kim had call for her to come to the hospital as soon as possible. She didn’t manage to ask any further when Kim hung up the call in rush. However, her instinct told her that something was not right at the moment because Kim was crying when she made the call.

            “Pie…she got shot.” Kim stammered. The gaze she held in her eyes was blank, lack of any expression.

            “Who did that?” Zee frowned, throwing her back to the seat in frustration.

            “It was an accident.”  Kim said.

            “You did that?” Zee surmised absent – mindedly. She suddenly became out of her control as she grabbed Kim’s collar and pushed her to the wall, indignant with her own best friend for the unwise act.

            “It’s not me.” Kim shook her head, weak. “I was trying to get my gun from Mike and I don’t know how it happened but he pulled the trigger and it shot Pie.” Kim stammered. Her body began to quiver and tears began to fill in the corners of her eyes. For years Zee had never seen Kim that vulnerable. Pie must meant a lot to the tom.

            “Who is Mike? Where is he?” Zee released Kim with a slight guilt of accusing her best friend blindly.

            “I’m here.” They were greeted with a man’s voice. Zee quickly traced the source of the voice but not Kim. There, Zee saw a man walking to their direction before he leaned to the wall and dropped on his knees. Regret and guilt overwhelmed his messy outlook. He must be the Mike who hurt Pie.

A sudden resentment enveloped Zee as she hurriedly took herself to see the person right to the face. Tavee saw her coming and worried by unwanted consequence to happen, she came after her lover. “You are responsible for this matter.” Zee warned him.

            “I’m not going anywhere.” Mike said, utterly surrendering himself.

            “Well, excuse us.” They were greeted by somebody else. All of them turned to look for the persons and what caught their eyes were a few men in uniform.

            “We are looking for Mike Pirath and Kimhan Jittaleela.” One of the men said, taking out a piece of paper. Zee gazed to Kim and then averting her sight to the man named Mike. She could predict the next event which would take place and she gulped hard for it. Mike slowly rose from his kneeling while Kim fearlessly walked to the policemen direction.

            “We need to arrest both of you for the accusation of endangering the life of a girl.” The man handed Kim the warrant. It happened so fast that Zee didn’t manage to take her action when the policeman already sealed Kim’s hands with the handcuff. The same thing went for Mike.

            “Wait. Kim is not guilty.” Zee tried to stop them.

            “We’ll talk about it later...Miss.” The policeman told Zee. It impressed the tom that the policeman didn’t mistake her truest gender. The next thing she knew, both Kim and Mike were taken away from the place.

            “Please look after Pie. Tell her I’m fine.” Kim managed to turn around, sending her request to her best friend from afar.

            “I will. You can count on me.” Zee responded but it was too late when Kim gone at the junction.

            ***********************************************************************************

The afternoon was warm and the sun was streaking through the trees overhead yet the wind wailed through the shady trees with sending a refreshing breeze. Pie found herself standing at a familiar place. Just right in front of her was the entrance to the glasshouse which Kim ever built it for her. She crept slowly into the hemisphere building, wondering what took her to the place.

            “Kim?” Pie called the name, suspecting that the tom was the reason for her to be there.

            “Kim?” She called again but it came to her disappointment when no one is answering. Pie brought herself to a greater distance into the glasshouse, the plants and flowers were growing up so beautifully. The green colour of the plants sent some sort of calm sensation to those who gazed to them while the flowers lit up the surrounding with their various colours.

 She was then remembered about the rose which she supposed to plant but then she refused to do it. Pie wondered if Kim did plant it instead of her. The girl quickened her steps to the centre where the rose plant shall belong to. Once she got there, Pie was amazed with the view which lay right before her eyes; the roses were blooming red.

            “It’s impossible.” Pie mused. How was it even possible that the roses could grow up that fast? She must be dreaming and she needed to wake up from this ridiculous slumber.

            “Mama…?” Her thought was being interrupted with a weak tug on her skirt.

Curious with her hearing, Pie dropped her gaze to the direction where she felt the force. Surprisingly, she caught a little child of about the age of two was staring to her with an innocent look.

            “Hey, what are you doing here?” Pie was called by the cuteness that the little child had. She knelt down to the height of the little girl just to have a better look to the little one.

            “Mama…?” The little girl cal