Until Forever (Published!)

Chapter 57

It was the longest night of his life. He was waiting outside the emergency room while his wife and stepmother were being treated. At habang naghihintay siya ay parang hindi na rin siya maayos na nakakahinga.

Micheal was already losing his patience. Ilang oras na ang lumipas ngunit hindi pa rin lumalabas si Denzil at iba pang medical staff ng hospital sa emergency room. Hindi tuloy niya maiwasang mag-alala. Ganoon ba kasama ang lagay ni Mia at Jasmin para matagalan ang mga manggagamot? God, it was killing him! He really hoped that everything was alright! Nayakap na lamang niya ang kanyang sarili habang puno ng panggigipuspos ang kanyang damdamin. This was really an ordeal. And he couldn't help but be dead worried. Paano kung talagang masama ang lagay ng kanyang asawa at ina? Christ! He couldn't take that. It seemed as if an eternity had passed before the leaves of the emergency doors opened. Bigla siyang napatayo. With a haunting expression, he rushed towards Denzil who looked really tired and exhausted.

"Denzil, how's my wife?" kaagad na tanong niya.

"She's in a delicate condition, JM," sagot nito na sandaling inayos ang suot na hospital gown.

Kaagad na napuno ng pangamba ang kanyang dibdib. He was scared. "What do you mean?"

"We put her in a life support as of the moment. Hindi maganda ang lagay niya. She sustained a lot of injuries during the crash."

Hindi na yata siya humihinga habang nagsasalita si Denzil. Para lang siyang zombie na nakakatitig lamang sa kinakapatid.

"She had fractured bones. A lot of them. We put her whole body in a cast to prevent more injuries. We're monitoring her condition for any signs of internal hemorrhage or brain injuries."

Tuluyang nanghina ang mga tuhod niya. Napasandig na lamang siya sa pader. This was really killing him. Naaawa siya sa kondisyon ng kanyang asawa. If he could just exchange their situation, he would gladly do so. He didn't want her suffer. He didn't want her be subjected to pain. But what could he do? He swallowed painfully. "But... but she could get through it, right, Denzil? Gagaling ang asawa ko, hindi ba?" even his own voice was weakening when he spoke.

Malamlam siyang tinitigan ni Denzil. "I really hope so, JM. But I don't want to give you false hope. As of the moment, she has minimal brain activity. Hindi talaga maganda ang lagay ni Mia."

A tear pricked from his eyes. Kahit na pinipigilan niyang patatagin ang kanyang damdamin sa harapan ni Denzil ay hindi na niya mapigilan ang matinding siphayo na kanyang nararamdaman. He breathed hard.

"Hindi kasi siya nakasuot ng seat belt nang madisgrasya kaya maraming injuries na natamo," pagpapatuloy ni Denzil. "We're doing our best to help her. We did already a lot of tests, CT scan, and some other things. Kaya kami natagalan. We will have the results in the next few hours."

"What do I need to do, Denzil?" tanong niya rito. "If I can buy my wife's life, I'll surely do. Just tell me what to do," helpless na pahayag niya.

Tinapik siya sa balikat ng kinakapatid. "Just be strong, Micheal. And pray that by tomorrow, there will be significant change in Mia's condition."

He really hoped so. God, he really hoped so! "And how about Mama Jasmin?" hindi niya napigilang itanong. He cared for her, too, just like how he cared for Mia. God, ano ba itong nangyayari sa buhay niya? Dalawang taong mahalaga sa kanya ang nasa bingit ng alanganin. It was very hard to handle.

"Tita is also not doing good, but she only sustained minor bone fractures. Her seat belt helped her a lot during the accident. We already put her in a private room. She's also under observation, but all in all, mas okay ang kalagayan niya kaysa kay Mia. We're hoping that by tomorrow, we'll see major changes in her condition."

Hindi niya alam kung matutuwa sa narinig. Sa isiping walang katiyakan ang kondisyon ng kanyang asawa ay parang gusto na yata niyang pumalahaw ng iyak. Pero kinimkim na lamang niya ang nararamdaman. His jaws were gritting as he dealt with his pent up emotions.

"Ifa-follow up ko pa ang results ng tests ni Mia, JM. Napansin ko kasing mababa ang hemoglobin count niya at mababa rin ang resistensiya ng katawan. I'll get back with you once I have the results. For now, you can take a rest. Nasa ICU si Mia ngayon. Puwede mo siyang makita maya-maya. Si Tita naman ay nasa room 224 na. Puwede mo siyang puntahan doon ngayon. There's a bed there that you can use to rest for a moment. You need that."

"Thanks a lot, Denz," aandap-andap ang kaloobang pasasalamat niya. Pero hindi rin naman siya maayos na makakapagpahinga kung ganitong hindi maganda ang lagay ng kanyang asawa.

He just took a long, painful breath.