Count on Us - Ami's Story
by Fiona Lim
flim@hotmail.com
This is part three in a series that I've named (for want of a better name)
Ordinary People. It isn't a series about Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts,
nor is it a story about the Star Guardians or the Moon Kingdom, it's a story
about the ordinary people that are behind the Sailor Scouts and the Star
Guardians. This is Ami's story.
Please send all flames, comments, ideas and questions to the email:
flim@hotmail.com.
***
"Did you hear?" Serena whispered to Lita as they sat on the
work bench in her kitchen.
"Obviously not if you're telling me." Lita said dryly, "What?"
"About Ami's mother." Serena said, frowning in worry.
"Doctor Chan?" Lita shook her head, "No, last I heard, Ami said she
was flying to England to give a lecture to the Medical Conference there."
"She never made it. I heard on the television yesterday. The plane
crashed into the English Channel, she's in the hospital now."
"Oh! That's terrible! Poor Ami." Lita said, a frown creasing her
face now as well, "She must be SO worried. How is she holding up,
Serena?" Lita asked as she pulled herself down off the counter and
stirred the chicken curry boiling on the stove.
"I don't know, that's what's worrying me." Serena said, "She's
withdrawn into herself - like the time when her mum was away in the
Middle East and that war broke out and communication was lost." Serena
said, "I didn't know her very well then, she was just the genius girl in
at my school. That was before I found Luna." She added, "I remember
walking in on her in the computer room. She was hacking into
the Internet News Broadcasting System to find out all news she
could find. I was SO sorry for her then, being alone without
any friends." She said guiltily, "But then Molly called, so I
didn't speak to her."
"Ami didn't have many close friends before us." Lita said
thoughtfully, "Maybe Ami's never had friends she could count on
before."
Serena nodded in agreement as she brightened, "Then we'll just
have to show her that she's got friends to count on this time!"
The blond teen said firmly, "Call Rei and Mina after school, we've
got to talk!"
***
Ami bit her lip as she stared at the phone on her table.
It sat there, as silent as it had been for the past two days.
*The doctors said they'd phone at the first sign.* she thought,
*Why is it taking so long? Surely she's awake by now?* Ami curled
up on her bed, hugging her knees against her chest as she bit
back a sob. *Oh Mummy, please be all right!* she thought, *Please
don't die, please don't leave me alone. Mummy - please.* she
whimpered inside, the fact that those were the words she'd sobbed
to her Father before he'd died striking her. *And Papa died.
Please Mummy.* she thought, shivering in fear, *I wish I could
go to you. What if you die without me there? What if I don't get
to say goodbye?*
The doorbell rang shrilly through the quiet house, shaking Ami
out of her reverie. She pulled herself out of bed and hurriedly
ran downstairs, just in time to see Arron - the butler - close the
door.
"A parcel for you Miss Ami." He said in his stiff, English
accented voice.
"T-thank you Arron." Ami stuttered, taking the large brown
envelope from Arron's hands, staring at it in surprise.
She walked slowly up back to her room, slitting the lid open and
taking out the plain black Sony cassette out of the plain cover.
It was a simple music tape, the sort you could buy anywhere to
tape songs off the radio with. *Who would send me something like
this?* Ami thought, frowning as she stuck the tape into the player
and pressed 'play'. A piece of paper fell out of the case as the
music started playing. It had words written on it - from the song
she realized after a second or two. There was only one song on
the tape, and after a moment, Ami rewinded the tape and replayed
the song.
Count on me through thick and thin
a friendship that will never end
When you are weak, I will be strong
Helping you to carry on
Call on me, I will be there
Don't be afraid
Please believe me when I say
Count on
I can see it's hurting you
I can feel the pain
It's hard to see the sunshine through the rain
I know sometimes it seems as if
It's never gonna end
but you'll get through it
Just don't give in cause you can
Count on me through thick and thin
A friendship that will never end
When you are weak, I will be strong
Helping you to carry on
Call on me, I will be there
Don't be afraid,
Please believe when I say
Count on, you can count on me
(of yes you can)
I know sometimes it seems as if
We're standing all alone
But we'll get through it
Cause love won't let us fall
There's a place inside of all of us
Where our faith in love begins
You should reach to find the truth in love
The answers there within
I know that life can you feel
It's much harder than it really is
But we'll get through it
Just don't give in
Count on me through thick and thin
A friendship that will never end
When you are weak I will be strong
Helping you to carry on
Call on me, I will be there
Don't be afraid,
Please believe me when I say
Count on -
Count on
Count on
Count on
Count on
Me. . .
At the bottom of the words in a familiar scrawl Ami recognized
immediately was the words:
"WE'RE HERE FOR YOU, AMI. COUNT ON US THROUGH THICK AND THIN,
YOU WERE THERE FOR US WHEN DARIAN DUMPED SERENA, AND YOU WERE
HERE FOR US WHEN KEN WAS SICK AND LITA WOULD HAVE GONE OUT WITHOUT
THINKING, AND WHEN MINA WAS HEARTBROKEN, AND WHEN REI WAS ANGRY -
NOW IT'S OUR TURN."
There was a light tapping at her door and it opened, showing Serena,
Lita, Mina and Rei, smiling at her.
"Are you ready to let us stand by you?" Serena asked, running
up to Ami and hugging her tightly, "I heard on it on the news last
night, Ami. Why didn't you tell us?" she demanded, "You've been
just staying here by yourself, suffering in silence."
"Unlike some people who bawl their eyes out and tell everybody
within fifty miles of her." Rei drawled succinctly.
"Oh SHUT UP Rei!" Serena shouted, her face going red, "And as I
recall you weren't particularly quiet either when -"
The phone started ringing then, and both of them shut up as Lita
picked up the phone, listened for a while and wordlessly handed it
to Ami.
"It's the doctors at the Royal Medical Center in England, Ami."
She said softly.
Ami took the phone and felt a hand wrapped around her fingers,
squeezing them tightly, and an arm wrapped around her shoulders,
while another hand touched her arm, all in silent comfort.
"Yes?" she asked softly, looking around at her friends gathered
together, helping her, standing by her - always.
Ami put the phone down, breathing deeply.
"Well?!" they all shouted at her, "What did the doctors say?"
She turned around, grinning broadly, "Mummy's awake, she's in a
steady condition, and they think they'll be able to transfer her to
Tokyo General Hospital in another day or so." Ami said happily.
THE END
So what do you think? PLEASE send all comments and flames to the
email: flim@hotmail.com
DISCLAIMERS:
Sailor Moon and all characters related to the television show are
not of my creation, the depiction of their characters and most of
their personalities and some of their troubles and problems belongs
to me though. The story and plot of this tale belongs to me as well.
The song: "Count on Me" is a song written by Babyface, Whitney Houston
and Michael Houston, and is from the movie "Waiting to Exhale". It can
be found as track 16 in the album: "Waiting to Exhale", and is song by
Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans. In no way do I claim any credit for
this song, other than the fact that I used it in my story.
Copyright 1997: Fiona Lim and any other names she may use
All rights reserved
