Another chap of Love Arises In The Weirdest Of Ways!

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"Hey Mark. And thank you for everything." I stood up and hugged him with my good arm, and lightly kissed him on the cheek.

He returned my hug, but when we parted, I saw his once pale cheeks were beet red. Oops, I might've embarrassed him.

The towering black man behind him laughed loudly before a woman slapped him lightly in the stomach with her purse...wait, is that a drag queen? I snap back my attention back to Mark as he called my name.

"Uh… Xiou- Lin, these are my friends Collins, Angel, Roger and Mimi. There were two others but they aren't here right now." Okay, I thought some people were missing.

"I remember you guys, I drew you guys." I pull out my sketch pad from my duffle bag and show them the pastel picture.

"Wow, you're good. That was like 20 minutes before you tackled Roger." Mark said and I smiled.

"Shut up, Mark." Roger said irritably, and Collins chuckled. I looked at Roger and saw an ugly purplish bruise on Roger's face.

"Where did you get that? It looks fresh." Collins snickered and Angel and Mimi covered their mouths to stop from laughing out loud. I have a feeling it had something to do with me.

"It happened when you tackled me, when the neck of your guitar hit me on my face." "Oh, I'm truly sorry." Roger's face softened a little. "It's okay, it's okay, it's not that bad." Roger said blowing it off.

"That's not what you were bitchin' about earlier this morning, Roger." Mimi half laughed.

I sat back in my chair as the nurse tapped his foot rather impatiently, and he wheeled me towards the elevators.

"Xiou-Lin, how did you end up like this? You never told me." Mark said.

Should I tell him? Was it his business really to know? But I think I owe him that, if he kinda just saved me from dying. Telling him a little bit of my personal life couldn't hurt could it?

"Oh well, I've been living on the streets for a while and…"

"Wait, you have been living out on the street? Alone, in this weather?" Roger asks.

"Well, I did have a loft on the end of Avenue B, but I was evicted for being late on two months of rent. My job at the pet store had cut my pay, so I wasn't able to afford rent. But that was 3 weeks ago. I've been selling my pictures and playing my guitar on the streets for money so I can pay my rent." Collins looked angry.

"Son of a bitch." He mumbled.

"Huh?" Why was Collins all mad all of the sudden.

"Oh nothing." He said but I looked around and saw that everyone had a frown or scowl on their face, including Mark, though Mark looked a lot more pissed.

Was it something I said? I continue, as if I didn't catch the angry, scowling expressions, not entirely directed at me.

We stepped into the elevator, and Collins punched the button labeled 1L. I guess '1L' stood for first floor lobby. "Well, I was out that night sketching the park for inspiration and I saw you guys. I sketched you guys, but I didn't hear those guys behind me."

"So what did they want? Were they there to steal your pictures?" Mimi asked.

"No, but let's just say they wanted to get something I wasn't willing to… give, not in the slightest. So I ran, and collided into him." I point at Roger. "I ran into the alley hoping to get away from them, but the alley turned into a dead end."

The elevator stopped and we got off and headed to the pharmacy.

"So how in the hell did you beat up two guys my size? I've been wondering that all day." Collins asked.

"Oh well, about that. I know karate, ju jitsu, and a little bit of kung fu. My dad taught me… my real dad taught me that before he died. I would be technically a black belt in all of those, though I never took formal training.

Well, I was doing fine until one of the guys pulled out a knife and stabbed my arm," I point to my bandages on my upper arm.

"The other man had punched me so hard that I fell on a metal pie and hit my head. I could barely see straight. But my injured arm got caught in between to tight space between the wall and the pipe, so when I fell, I was unable to get it loose and so it broke my arm. So I guess you could say that I accidentally broke my own arm. One of the guys started coming for me, so I used my foot to kick a nearby metal trash can at his face. His head hit the brick wall and the pipe. When he fell on the pipe, he loosened it enough to where I could get my arm out of it. He was already passed out by the time he actually hit the ground. I was on the ground then but the other guy was coming for me so I kick his shins out from under him so hard that they flew from under him and his face made full contact with the concrete. Not exactly very martial art-ish, just plain defending. Then you guys came. Does that explain it all?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Collins said accepting the explanation, a little flabbergasted.

"Remind me to never get you angry." Roger joked, but absently touched his purple cheek. I look at the African American named Collins.

"So, you must be the one who paid for my expenses." He looked at me like I was crazy, but in a joking way and started laughing.

His laugh almost startled me, it was so deep and loud. " Oh no, girl I ain't no walkin' charity or one that has much money to begin with." "Oh sorry. The nurse said that a black male paid for my expenses."

After I said that everyone just got quiet again. What am I doing or saying wrong?

We reached the pharmacy and I picked up my medicine. Mark said he would wait outside the pharmacy, since it was really small. I reached the counter and a pharmacist asked

"May I help you?" "Um Katy Coffin here to pick up my prescriptions." She clicked commands on a keyboard before replying

"Ah, yes, Katy Coffin, here is your prescriptions for Oxycotin for your pain, which you will get frequently, which you should take as needed. The liquid is just a concoction of prostaglandins and calcium, all it does is help your bones heal faster and more in alignment, so they won't heal crooked or bumped to make things short. Just make sure you take it once every week, same day, same time." She smiles at me before going into the back of the pharmacy temporarily before arriving back, giving me a bag with the pills and chilled liquid medicine in it. I nod a thanks to her and I leave…

(Mark's Perspective)

"Um Katy Coffin here to pick up…" I hear Xiou- Lin say to the pharmacist.

This is confusing, what should I call her? Xiou- Lin or Katy? I just don't know anymore.

"Wow, her story must be the real thing. I wonder how she's gonna react to…"

I jab Collins lightly in his side with my elbow to keep him from speaking about it.

"Sshh, she doesn't know about that yet! Where's Benny anyway?" I ask, the others, wondering if anybody had seen him.

"He's making a stupid ass phone call, no doubt to Muffy. Hey Muffy guess what? You have a sister in law!" Roger mocked brashly.

The nurse wheels her out of the pharmacy, Xiou-Lin…Katy, whatever, holding two bottles of medicine. "You ready to go?" I ask her, and she smiles and nods. The nurse wheels her through the double doors.

"Now you can officially walk Ms. Coffin." The nurse says smirking.

"Thank you. Finally! After being in a bed for three days, then having to be wheeled around in some wheelchair like, forever, I'm glad to stretch my legs!" Xiou-Lin says in a joking manner.

She stands up and grabs her guitar and flings it over her good shoulder easily, but struggles with her duffel bag.

"I'll hold it for you." I offer, she smiles at me and my liberality, and I hope my cheeks don't turn a flaming red. I take her duffel bag and sling the double straps over one shoulder...

Another chapter for you guys, didn't know where to stop, so sorry if it seems a bit cut off.

I am sorry for any delays, as I am working on 6 multi chaptered fics currently along with school and everyday life.

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