Erich was the first one finished being observed and when Twinkle came out and Kim was still being checked, she thought it was safe to call Gerald.

Gerald arrived on the scene within a couple of minutes. He was at the gym a few blocks down and didn’t care what he was doing; his first concern was to be with Kim.

He found Erich and Twinkle and walled to them. “Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, a truck ran the red light and then we were hit in the back. Everyone seems fine.” Erich told him.

“You must be my sister’s boyfriend.” Twinkle smiled, a bit star-struck, but contained her emotions.

He nodded. “Can I go to her?”

“She’s in that one.” Erich pointed her to the farthest one.

“Thanks,” he patted her shoulder, and ran over to the open ambulance. Kim was sitting down with a blank expression on her face with someone checking her blood pressure. “Kim?”

She looked up and went into his arms, ignoring the paramedic. He held her tight. “Are you okay? What happened? Erich called me and said you guys got into an accident.”

Kim nodded, and the doctor took her arm. “I think it’ll better if you came down to the hospital just to run more tests; your blood pressure is extremely low.”

“I’m fine, I’m just a little shaken up.” She answered, her head resting against his chest. “I just wanna go home.”

Gerald put his hands on each side of her face, “Come on, just go to the hospital.”

“I’m fine.” Kim assured him, though she felt weak.

Gerald laughed, “Humour me.”

“Yeah, going to the hospital won’t hurt, Kim.” Her sister said.

Kim reluctantly nodded and then it hit her: the flashes. Cameras were in front of her going off, and she didn’t know what to feel; her whole body froze. The only thing that made her body move was the paramedic pulling her into the ambulance. Gerald hopped into the ambulance next and sat beside her, taking her hand.

They were in the clinic part of the hospital and an IV stuck in her arm. Gerald stood beside her, his arms crosses. “I guess I can say goodbye to my job,” Kim said.

“I think that’s the least of your worries. You almost got run over; what happened?”

“That’s actually what we want to know also.” An officer said, walking towards them. “I already got the statement from your friend and sister, we need to hear your statement.”

Kim sighed, “It all just happened so fast. We went to the spa and when we were finished I was driving home. We were talking and laughing, and I stopped because of the red light. Once it turned green, I stepped onto the gas and then my sister yelled my name, she grabbed onto the steering wheel, we turned slightly and I stepped on the brakes. Since it was green, the car was hit by the one behind us. That’s it.”

“Did you get a look at the truck?”

“Not really, I think it was some sort of delivery truck.” She shut her eyes.

The officer nodded and wrote something down. “Were you drinking?”

“No! We went to the spa, the only thing we can drink is water.” She said loudly, but immediately regretted it because her head started to hurt.

“Okay, thank you. We might have to call you for some more information.” The officer slowly walked away.

The doctor returned, and took out the IVs. “Everything seems to be okay. No concussion, I think you just have a lot of stress going on.”

Kim nodded. “Yeah. Can I go?”

The doctor nodded. “If you notice anything wrong, come back, okay?”

“Thanks doctor,” Gerald said, holding her hand rather tightly. He helped her out and had one hand on the small of her back guiding her through the hall. “Let me drive you home.”

Kim chuckled. “I think you should since my car’s at the shop right now.”

“Well, I guess I have no choice then,” he smiled. It was so him to try to make light of every situation.

“Gerald? Kim? What are you guys doing here?” It was Emma’s voice that shocked them. She seemed much bigger than the last time they saw her.

“Emma,” Gerald said. He had his eyes fixed on her growing stomach. Kim looked up at Gerald who had the same look on his face as she did. “You’re….you are…you’re…”

Emma laughed and put her hand on her stomach. “Pregnant. I’m actually glad I ran into you here. I got the results of the paternity test.”

The two of them stood quiet, not knowing what to say. “It’s in my car, I was just about to call you.”

They followed her to her car and she got them out of her bag. “I received them yesterday.” She handed them to Gerald.

Gerald opened the envelope and read it. “I’m not the father.”

“I thought you’d be happy to hear it.” Emma said. “At least the truth’s out and we both know. Congratulations to the two of you.” Emma smiled and went into her car. “Bye.”

Kim sighed, “Good news, huh.”

Gerald smiled and drove her home. At least something had a happy ending. The only thing that could hurt them now was what was waiting outside the loft in the morning.

The next morning, Kim woke up and had a blissful feeling within her. Gerald wasn’t going to be a father, and it seemed like it was one less battle to fight just to be together. Maybe it was going to be okay after all.

She washed her face and went downstairs, finding her best friend and sister on the couch with blank faces. “Good morning!” Kim said cheerily sitting down on the chair.

“I guess you haven’t seen the paper.”

Kim gave them a confused look, “What are you talking about? Gerald’s not a father, and all is right in the world.”

“Maybe you should call the StarEye and explain that to them.” Erich said handing her the tabloid magazine.

BASKETBALL STAR CAUGHT IN LOVE TRIANGLE!
Basketball heartthrob, Gerald Anderson (seen on right) was seen outside the local hospital with two women; Miss Emma Cordero (picture on bottom left) and Miss Kim Chiu (picture bottom right), who happens to be his publicist.

Kim couldn’t believe she was actually reading this. was opened and one hand clutched the paper in a tight grip while the other was over her chest.

The three were seen looking at a piece of paper which possibly had something to do with the supposed pregnancy. However, Gerald left the hospital with Ms Chiu who was in a minor accident the same day.
This wasn’t the first time seeing Mr Anderson and Ms Chiu in such close quarters. The two recently arrived from a business trip in New York to publicize Gerald’s basketball team. They were seen in Central Park together quite close, making the staff wonder the real score between the two. A picture was also taken from the balcony of their hotel suite in THE PALACE (right) dancing romantically and kissing on the patio.
What does this hospital visit mean? Is Gerald Anderson the father of Miss Cordero’s child, or is he backing out of the promise he made on international television and continue the romance with his own publicist?

There seemed to be more because it said to turn to page E4 for more details but she couldn’t get herself to do it. The paper fell out of her hands and the sudden burst of happiness that she woke up with soon disappeared. Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears, but she swallowed the lump in , forcing herself to be strong.

She sat in the chair for a few minutes and when she got the courage she turned to page E4, and saw the photos of them. The left page was full of images of them in Central Park, the romantic evening they shared on the balcony, even recent pictures of them on that Friday in Gerald’s car. They were even able to capture photos of the two of them outside the ambulance where she went straight into hi arms and he held her close and tight. The place where she thought she couldn’t get hurt, ever, was the exact place where her whole world was just about falling apart. “How…”

Twinkle came to sit beside her and put her arms around her, feeling Kim’s heart race and her breath coming out unevenly. “They probably had someone following you. Those damn bastards! How dare they think they can mess with my little sister?”

“She’s right, Kim. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. I mean it’s not like you asked them to come and follow you, especially all the way to New York! It’s all going to blow over and you’re gonna be fine because you’re a fighter.” Erich said with confidence in her voice.

“My job…I can’t even think about this right now. Everyone would’ve seen this, Melissa, Janet!”

Twinkle rubbed Kim’s hands. “Don’t think about that right now. Look, maybe you should call Gerald. I’m sure he’s in the same shock as you.”

Kim nodded. She should call Gerald. Maybe he was already trying to fix this for the both of them. She walked to the phone, but it rang even before she was able to pick up the receiver and dial. Maybe it was Gerald calling her. He was always the first one to try to come up with a solution. She picked the phone up. “Hello?”

“Kim? It’s Mel. Did you see it?”

She didn’t know what to say exactly. Yes, she did see it and take all the yelling over the phone; or No and have Melissa throw it in her face. “It depends on what you’re talking about.”

“The articles are all over the magazines and newspapers. I only thought it was on StarEye, but then I open the newspaper and you’re on the entertainment section! You’re everywhere. Is it true? Please tell me it’s not,”

Kim bit the inside of her cheek, and stayed silent on the phone. “Kim! Everyone’s calling the agency and asking, everyone! They all want a comment from you, my secretary even heard someone calling the Palace to ask how you acted while in the hotel during the month. I don’t understand, you said everything was going fine.”

“Everything was going fine. He was going to all press conferences, he was winning his games. I just didn’t think that my life was important.”

“Kim, you got involved with a star athlete on the rise, who happens to be your client. The news was going to be huge! Hot Zone has a strict policy of being strictly professional, and you violated that code!” Melissa spat on the phone. “The second you had doubts that you wouldn’t be able to handle the situation you should have called and told somebody; or even better, come home at once. Janet is on the phone with all our clients right now. This is a bigger deal than we thought, especially since there’s a possibility of a pregnancy!”

“There is no possibility, Gerald’s not the father. She showed us the paternity test.” Kim replied, her whole body shaking.

Melissa sighed. “Look, Janet’s making some phone calls but she says she doesn’t want this to ruin your weekend. We’re not calling you in today, but she wants to see Monday morning.”

“Is she going to fire me?”

“Janet didn’t say exactly what she was thinking. To make you feel better she’s saying I’m over reacting.” That did make her feel a little better. “But I don’t understand, I realize you wouldn’t want me to know because we work together, but you should have come to me as a friend; instead I figure it out over an article.”

She sighed. “I wanted to tell you, but I knew you would tell me to end it before someone finds out.”

“Look, I wanna talk to you, can I come over?” Melissa asked, sounding more calm than when she called.

“Yeah, I’m at my loft.”

“I’m on my way.”

The line went dead and she took a deep breath. Okay, so it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Melissa said it herself that Janet said she was over reacting. Maybe Kim was over thinking it all along. Of course they’d be disappointed, especially since it was her first client, but it’s not like it’s the first in PR history that someone dated their client.

Kim took a quick shower and by the time she went back downstairs Melissa was in her living room. “Hi,” Kim sad slowly.

“Okay, so I was talking to Erich here and I realize I might’ve been harsh on you over the phone.” Melissa said taking a mug from Erich.

Kim didn’t answer; she just took a seat opposite of Melissa and put her arms around her knees which were against her chest; making a barrier between them. After a minute in silence, Kim started. “I get why you’re mad. I was under your wing for two years and I’m pretty much your baby, so I get it if you’re disappointed in me.” Melissa nodded. “But I knew what I was doing. Maybe it was a little hazy and irresponsible, but it didn’t feel wrong.”

“Kim, I know that you must have strong feelings for him, especially after a month of spending practically the whole day with him, but you have to think about your priorities. You’re right, I’m not sure if Janet’s going to fire you, but it’s definitely a possibility. You broke rules – and not just rules that we frown upon, but rules that make us who we are; what we’re trusted upon.”

“I get it, okay, I broke rules, I disappointed you, and yes I may get fired tomorrow, but for once in my life I went after what I wanted, and I broke rules on the way but who hasn’t done that. I spent time with Gerald, lots and lots of time with Gerald and it makes me feel like I’ve known him for years rather than a month.” She explained. “I feel comfortable with him, I feel like I can trust with anything, and that’s not easy with me. I feel like I’m a different person, someone who isn’t scared of breaking the rules because I know he’ll always be there for me.” And once she said those words, the door opened with Gerald on the other side.

He was panting, like he ran to her loft. “I was going to call you, but…Melissa?”

She smiled. “I was discussing your relationship here with my co-worker.” She saw Gerald take a seat beside Kim and put a hand over hers. “I’ll try to talk to Janet and try to get you guys switched or something. You’re right, Kim. I haven’t seen you smile like that in the whole two years of being by your side.” Blood rushed to Kim’s cheek and Gerald kissed the side of her head. “And obviously you guys aren’t trying to hide this secret according to what’s happening in front of me.” They laughed. “But no guarantees. Janet doesn’t like those who break the rules she made, however, Janet can be persuaded.” Melissa paused for a second. “Can I ask something?” The both of them nodded. “How serious is this?”

Gerald stared into Kim’s eyes which were staring into his. “She’s the best person I’ve ever met.” He smiled.

Kim nodded. “He’s not so bad to beside,” she teased, kissing his cheek. “Mel, we thought we could just end it by the time we came back here, but we couldn’t. So there has to be something there, right? I mean you get it, you’re pregnant with the man you love.”

Melissa smiled. “Yes I am, but he doesn’t work for me, and I don’t work for him. But you’re right, I do understand that feeling you that you guys must be feeling now. I just want you to understand the consequences. This may seem like a stupid problem, but it’s not.”

“Melissa, I get that there’s some things we did wrong, like maybe we should have gone to you first, but I don’t care, Kim’s worth the trouble. I have never felt this way about anyone before, and I’m not just going to throw it away because some tabloid magazine is trying to put a bad spin on my life. I’m not going to throw Kim away because of this, she deserves more than that.”

Kim rested her head against his chest. “I’ll talk to Janet tomorrow, and I hate to get fired, but if I have to than so be it. I’m not ready to throw this away either.”

Melissa smiled and laughed. “Okay, well, I think I should go. I heard what you have to say, and I apologize that I did over react over the phone.” She opened the door and gave Kim a hug and a peck. “By the way, I have to admit that you guys look absolutely adorable in the magazine, and I was jealous that you were having way more fun than I did while I was here all alone.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kim said closing the door. She sighed and walked back to the couch and sat in front of Gerald. She threw her legs over his lap and sighed. “That scared me for a second.”

He brushed her hair away from her face. “Good thing I was here then.”

“I was just about to call you but Melissa caught me first. I was literally shaking,” she chuckled. “But you did great. You were so sweet.” She leaned her head to the side.

He smiled, “Well it wasn’t too difficult since everything I said was the truth. I love you and I’m not going to throw this away because someone is telling me to.” He took her hand and kissed it. “We’re in this together.”

Kim nodded. “Promise?”

“Promise. Together.” He repeated. “So now that the secret’s out, what you wanna do today?” He asked.

“Well, how about dinner with my family? My dad invited me over and Erich is going to be there, and I assure you they have all these questions to ask, and why not answer together?” Kim forced a smile.

He laughed, “Anything for you.” He leaned in and kissed her.

The kiss was much harder than Kim expected, and she began laughing, throwing her arms around his neck. He pushed her back on the couch and continued to kiss her. Finally the secret was out and maybe, just maybe it was all going to be okay.

The two of the love birds decided to leave in broad day light since there was no secret to hide any longer. They waked along the streets hand in hand, with some cameras in the beginning, but slowly faded away. “What’s wrong?” He asked her.

She looked down. “Nothing; there’s nothing wrong.”

“I can feel your hands shaking. You’re so tense, and you’re not saying a word.” He explained.

“I don’t usually say anything. It’s you who does most of the talking, and then I answer back and you talk. Are you hot? I’m extremely hot. Well of course I’m hot because we’re in one of the hottest places in the world. I sometimes wish I was back in New York, there so many less problems and then the weather was perfect, you know, not too hot, not too cold. Are you hungry? Let’s get something to eat.” She took a deep breath after rambling. She continued to walk, but Gerald stopped, causing her to stop also. “What?” He raised an eyebrow at her, pulling her back to her. “Okay, so maybe I’m a little nervous. There’s just a lot t think about: my job, my family, us…” She let his hands go and put her hands over her eyes, revealing it to be shaking uncontrollably.

He pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her. “Shhh, it’s going to be okay.” Kim started to cry, and he felt her body tremble in his arms. But then flashes started going off.

“Gerald, is this relationship true? What’s going on with Ms. Cordero? Are you still going to be a father, but be with someone else?” Reporters called out.

Kim looked up and squinted her eyes from the bright lights. “Oh no!” She groaned.

“Hey, leave us alone! Get out of here! You got your story, now leave!” He pulled Kim away into a tight corner and ran behind a building. “I’m sorry about that.”

“You shouldn’t have done that. It’s your job to be seen outside.”

“You’re right, it’s my job to be seen outside, but it’s not my job to let everyone into my personal life. Now what’s going on with you?” He asked, putting his hands on both sides of her face.

Kim shook her head, and tears unwillingly fell from her eyes. “I shouldn’t be crying, especially not in front of you.” She looked away. “I’m just so scared….about everything!”

“Melissa said it herself that she’s going to try to keep you within the agency.”

“That’s not why I’m scared; at least not the whole thing.” Kim sighed, and leaned against the brick wall. “Janet may not fire me, but I just worked so hard that I don’t even want it to be a possibility. Plus, I’m having dinner with my mom tonight. It’s been 18 years since I had dinner with her, with my whole family being there.”

He laughed, “That’s what’s making you cry? Don’t worry, I’m going to be right there with you.” He said kissing her forehead.

“Okay, so it’s not just that, and you’re going to laugh if I tell you.” She said walking away slowly.

“You’re probably right, but tell me anyway.”

Kim took a deep breath, “Okay, so maybe this is the first time in a really long time since I brought a boyfriend home.”

He chuckled to himself. “Stop laughing! It’s been four years. And having my mom back in town or in my life isn’t exactly helping.”

Gerald smiled at her and picked her up, sweeping her off her feet. “Parents love me, so you have nothing to worry about; especially since I’m a star athlete.”

Kim laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re my star athlete,” giving him a kiss.

“See, I know exactly how to make you smile.” He put her down and put his arm around her shoulder, intertwining their fingers. “So what time is this dinner you’re so afraid of?”

“Around 6:30. So we have exactly 2 and a half hours before I need to start getting ready.” Kim replied.

Gerald stared at his watch, “But it’ll only be 4:00. What does it take to get ready?”

“Hello, this is my first dinner with my mother since I was 7. My whole family’s going to be there. Not to mention they’re going to be meeting my first boyfriend in four years. There’s a lot riding on this dinner. Nothing can go wrong.” She paused and gave Gerald a once-over, staring at his clothing. Gerald usually looks good in everything he wears, but if he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt like now, it wasn’t going to make the cut. “Please tell me you’re changing.”

He looked down to his polo shirt. “What’s wrong with this?” Though he had every intention of changing beforehand.

She laughed, “You’re joking, right? I mean I could find at least 10 things wrong with this outfit for this occasion. Come on, we need to go shopping.” She took his hand and dragged him to her favorite store. She pulled out a few options off the hanger and made him try them on.

First was a pair of dark black dress pants and a bright yellow collared shirts; actually they were all collared shirts she chose for him. She shook her head, the yellow didn’t really work for her. He went back in and tried on a light pink shirt. Kim stood up from her chair and walked up to him, “This is good.”

“Yeah, it’s good.” He shrugged and lifted his chin so Kim could put on a tie. “Not really feeling the pink though, doesn’t it look a little feminine?”

“Of course not! And plus, every real man taps into his feminine side every once in a while.” She turned around and stared into the mirror. “Actually you’re right. This pink isn’t looking good against your skin.” She pointed back to the dressing room. “Chop chop.”

He groaned while shutting the curtain. “Oh, don’t make me go in there,” she called out, leaning on the wall.

“Be my guest,” he said smiling.

She laughed. “Try on the green one, with the lighter pants – the dark grey ones.” She said sneaking a peak into the dressing room. He already has his pants on, but was shirtless. She smiled. “You know, maybe you should just go like that; you’ll certainly be a hit with the ladies in the family.”

He stared at her and started buttoning up the shirt he just put on, “I’m not looking to be a hit. Didn’t you hear Ms Publicist? I’m already taken.”

Kim rolled her eyes, and watched him walk out to in front of the mirror. “Okay, now this one I like.” Her eyes immediately widened and brightened.

“Oh yeah?” He left a couple of buttons undone. “Maybe I should just stay with an open-collared, it’s much more formally casual. I wouldn’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, di ba?

She nodded. “That’s true.” She gave another once over. “Definitely this one.” She smiled at him and gave him a kiss. “You look good,” she sighed. “And now it’s my turn to look good.” She pushed back into the dressing room.

“You want to join me?” He asked in a husky tone, smiling deviously.

She laughed at him, “Maybe when we get home, I’ll take you up on that,” she replied, returning the smile.

They left the store hand-in-hand and smiles on their faces. She started walking towards her apartment, but Gerald stopped her. “The two hours isn’t over yet,” he pulled her the opposite direction.