21 Gifts

Part 1

KATHANG-ISIP. FICTION. NONE OF THIS IS TRUE. 

But we can wish it were ;)

*Many thanks to Elle and Nats for the writing prompt*

She heard a soft knock. "Pasok," Maine called out, inviting Pat and Ate Oreo into her hospital suite. Both had brought her bags and things from Eat Bulaga earlier. Strangely enough, Oreo had also brought a large box tied with a golden ribbon, and placed it at the foot of Maine's bed. "Galing kay Alden kanina. Buksan mo daw mamaya," she instructed. Pat proceeded to arrange Maine's clothes inside the designated closet and placed her cosmetic kit inside the bathroom. "Buti nalang may dala kang tsinelas," she remarked as she placed Maine's flipflops under her bed.

"Salamat, Ate Pat. Salamat, Ate Oreo," Maine replied. They had never left her side since this morning, and they looked more tired than she was.

They both sat on the large couch and looked around the fancy suite that Maine was confined in. She had sustained a rather nasty bruise when overzealous fans had accidentally pushed her toward some exposed steel bars before the show. She had managed to  ignore the pain until it became unbearable. In the middle of her segment, she asked to be rushed to the hospital. The searing pain was just too much to handle.

When the paramedics lifted her blouse in the ambulance, they were shocked to find a huge bruise on the side of her abdomen. Maine continued to grit her teeth in pain as the ambulance shot straight to the nearest hospital. Fortunately, primary tests showed no internal bleeding or any other serious damage. 

Alden, on the other hand, was  completely fraught with worry, and could  no longer count the number of times he had tried to call her phone. He was so distressed that he nearly decided to drive all the way to Maine in Laguna, but his team  reminded him that they had a plane to catch in three hours. Never had he felt so powerless in his life. Ruby stepped in and comfort him, pointing out that his presence at the hospital would worsen the already growing crowd and make the entire situation  a security nightmare. Defeated, he resigned himself to getting occasional updates and calls from Pat and Oreo , who were with Maine all throughout the entire ordeal.

After a couple of hours, doctors allowed Maine to transfer to St Luke's. Her brothers had been tasked to go ahead and spend the night looking after her. The entire family would try to make it the next day, as they could no longer meet the visiting hours.

The strong painkillers and medication the doctors had given her made her tired and groggy. She just wanted to crash into the bed and sleep.

"Ate Pat, OK lang talaga ako dito," Maine assured. "Sila Dean na bahala sa akin. Dapat umuwi na kayo kasi pagod tayong lahat."

Pat stifled a yawn. "Sayang naman aura natin galing Bora," she chided.

"Oo nga. F na F ko pa naman ang tropical beauty ko ngayon," Oreo added with a tired flare.

Maine smiled. "Kung gusto niyo, tambay kayo dito at manood ng TV. Darating na sila kuya, mga 2 hours siguro. Matutulog lang ako." She had lied, of course. With the traffic and travel time, her brothers would arrive in no less than four hours. But after the events of the day, she just wanted to be alone. The incident with the crowd earlier had shaken her much more than she expected, and all she wanted was to be by herself in the silence of her room, not tending to anyone else, and not having to worry about anyone else.