24

Because a LOT can happen in 24.

12/24 12:24 am

"Ow!" Jessica "Jess" Cojuangco groaned. She was so not happy. Grimacing in pain as she walked-hopped down the hall on one foot, she berated herself for being clumsy. She sprained her ankle and now she has no choice but to go to the company clinic to get it treated. How clumsy could she get? She was just walking from the pantry all the way to her office in perfect 5- inch ecru wedge sandals that she just bought yesterday and she twisted her ankle just like that! In all the years she had been working in this company, this is the first time that something like this ever happened to her! For someone who prides herself in being careful, this puts a dent in her usual stride.

Stopping in front of the clinic, she swiped her id badge against the sensor. The door slid open and she was surprised to find the clinic empty except for a male nurse who appears to be doing an inventory of meds.

"Excuse me, sir." Jessica croaked as she sat down on one of the chairs in front of the nurse's desk. "Help. Please."

He must be new here. Jessica thought.

Normally, it's her cousin, Brian Cojuangco, also a company nurse who would be on shift at this time of the day. Plus, it wasn't his day off so where could Brian be?

Nathaniel "Nate" Tanseco lifted his head up to find Jessica Cojuangco failing at her attempts to massage her ankle which she elevated on the chair opposite hers.

Jessica Cojuangco. Jess. It's been 4 years since he had seen her this close. 4 years since they broke up. Well, more like separated. He didn't want to break up with her. He was forced to. He couldn't tell her why. The legal consequences would've impacted both him and his mother. Then again, maybe it was a good thing because it was never serious between them in the first place. He was the only one who thought it was serious. That's probably why she moved on so fast.

Nate's thoughts were running amok. His heart still hurts at the sight of her. Her and her dewy morena skin, gleaming almond-shaped dark chocolate brown eyes that he would've drowned in over and over and that alluring bow-shaped mouth whose lips haunted his fantasies for nights. He didn't know how to approach her. So he did the next professional and civil thing that came to his mind.

"Hi." Nate said. "How may I help you?"

Jess could only stare at him, mouth agape and the pain in her ankle forgotten for the moment.

She looked away and released a sharp exhale. All kinds of emotions churning inside her, wreaking havoc, unsettling her.

Why am I feeling this way? She asked herself. It's just Nate. Nate who broke my heart 4 summers ago. Nate who left me after I gave it my all. Nate who still makes me feel alive even if my heart stops at the sight of him.

Jess composed herself and turned back to Nate.

"I sprained my ankle. I need ice." She stated, trying to sound indifferent.

Nate could only stare at her for the next few moments.

"Ice...of course." Nate stutters. He stepped into the clinic's small kitchen where the ref was and got out an ice pack. He also got a glass of water and Ibuprofen for the pain.

He went back to Jess and plopped her sprained ankle on a pillow and placed the ice pack wrapped with a towel on it.

Nate was kneeling on the floor as he grabs Jess' hand, places it on the table and pushes out the Ibuprofen tab from the blister onto it.

"Here's Ibuprofen for your pain." He says, gazing into her eyes, filled with anger, confusion, longing and something else he can't name.

For a few moments, they stare at each other.

There were so many things running in Nate's head. Like how he wanted to tell her the truth of what really happened. Like how sorry he was that he gave in and that he had to leave. Like how he wanted to hold her and never let go.

Jess felt like crying. She was supposed to have moved on and healed. Yet she feels angry-because she hated him for hurting her and now, all she can think of is melting into his arms as if nothing happened 4 years ago.

Jess broke it off first. "Thank you. I'll take this to the office."

"No." Nate interrupts, obviously not wanting her to leave. "You'll need to keep that ankle elevated for 48 hours and compress it after the ice application. You can't do that in the office. You can do that here."

"I can elevate my foot at the office. I can borrow other chairs plus I have a pillow." Jess responds, looking down on her foot. She tries to stand up and ends up putting weight on that ankle causing her to groan in pain.

Jess falls back and Nate catches her just in time.

Jess stiffens as Nate assisted her back to the chair. His hand guiding her back and the other holding her arm brought back so many memories.

"You're in no position to even walk right now." Nate tells her as he plops her ankle back on the pillow.

"I think I am the perfect judge of whether or not I am capable or incapable of doing something." Jess retorts.

Nate chuckles. "Some things never change. You're still stubborn as ever."

"I'm not being stubborn!" Jess snaps. "I just know what I can and can't do. I know when I need help and when I don't and I most certainly do not need yours!"

Why can't he just let her be? She thinks to herself. The more she stays in proximity with him, the more memories come rushing back and the more distressing it gets. She needs to get out of here. STAT.

And just like in their younger years, it would seem Nate still has the ability to read her mind as he lands a tentative yet strong hand on her shoulder.

"Look." He lifts her ankle and the pillow on which it was resting on and placed them on his lap as he sits on the chair opposite hers and his eyes dropped on her ankle. "This is difficult given what happened to us before. I would understand why you would want to leave." He said in a rush. "But as the company nurse on duty, I would be remiss on my duties if I didn't remind you about the consequences of you placing your weight on your sprained ankle which is now starting to swell." He was unwrapping and re-wrapping the towel on her ice pack and the combined touch of his skin on hers and the ice on her ankle were doing strange things to her. "Please stay." His eyes were pleading as he gazes into hers. "Please stay and..."

"Let me take care of you." He wanted to say but he knows she'll just come back with "The last time I allowed you to take care of me, it landed us into a huge mess that we can never come back from."

Instead, he said, "Please stay and wait until the swelling of your ankle goes down."

Jess kept her head bowed down. She refused to speak. What Nate is saying makes sense, of course, but she was just feeling too emotional.

Nate in the meantime was waiting with baited breath.

Jess nods. "Okay. I'll wait."

Her voice was soft but Nate caught on what she said and he sighed with relief.

"Mas komportable sa clinic bed. Gusto mo tulungan kitang lumipat doon?" Nate asks gently, forgetting about the company's English Only Policy. They can only speak in Filipino the moment they've stepped outside of the building.

Jess simply nodded.

"I'm going to carry you over, okay?"

Jess again, nodded her permission.

Just as Nate was about to lift her up, all the lights went out. Since it was dark outside, Nate assumed that it was a black out of the entire building. The door sensor light was off, which also means that they were both locked inside until the power comes back.

Jess in the meantime, was afraid...not so much of the black out but because of the fact that she and Nate were left alone together and probably for a longer period of time. She wasn't blind. There are no lights outside, which means this is probably a full-blown power outage and possibly one that their company generator won't be able to help with asap. The door sensor is off which means they can't open the door until the power comes back. She could call facilities but the clinic phone isn't even blinking. So, she has no choice but to stay here with Nate until the power comes back. Good luck to her pending reports and her client calls!

"Let me just get lights, blankets and pillows." Nate says after making sure her ankle was stable.

"It's dark." Jess says, sounding worried.

"It's okay." Nate reassures her. "I know this clinic like the back of my hand. I can navigate it in my sleep and even with my eyes closed."

Jess silently listens to the sound of Nate rummaging somewhere at the back.

She shouldn't have volunteered to go on overtime on a holiday but she wanted to impress her unit manager and she had nowhere to be for Christmas Eve. Well, Brian invited her for Noche Buena and her mother is flying in from Manila to spend Christmas with her but other than that, she really had no special place to be.

Nate appeared to be fixing the clinic bed and replacing the bed sheets. Her mind wanders to what might have been.
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