He has officially, finally run out of ideas. He has tried everything he could think of to make up for the horrible way he made her feel. He spent the next three weeks wallowing in one failed attempt after the other.
He was close to giving up but kept pushing on until his body gave up on him first.
All the sleepless days spent trying to get her to talk to him has finally caught up with him. His friends found him shivering and curled up in a fetal position on his bedroom
floor after they all got worried he didn't show up for work without any notice.
They had him admitted to the hospital despite his protests.
"I'm fine, guys! Lagnat laki lang to! Mamaya lang pwede na ko pumasok ulit. There was no need to bring me here."
All three guys raised their middle fingers at the same time. Only Jerald spoke up.
"Lagnat laki? Anong lumalaki sayo, yang pinagpalang patola mo? Umayos ka nga, Faulkerson. At nako, wag kang magkakamaling magpapadischarge kung ayaw mong isumbong ka namin sa lola mo."
His comeback died on his lips when the door suddenly opened and she walked in, ran to his side and knocked the air out of his lungs with a fierce hug.
"Dei..."
For the first time in almost a month, he smiled. Until she pulled back from the hug and thwapped him upside the head.
"Ang gago mo! You made me worry! Bakit pinabayaan mo sarili mo? You know very well na mahina yang baga mo and yet you ignored all your body's warning signs and for what? Para saan yang pagpapakamatay mo? Sa trabaho? Sa team stats? Para san tong kalokohang pagkakasakit na to ha, Faulkerson? Para saan?"
He pulled her closer to him, held both her hands in his and looked into her eyes, completely ignoring the three grown men by the foot of his bed who were hitting each other with pillows and what suspiciously looked like a bedpan.
"Para sayo, Dei. Para sayo. Kahit ano gagawin ko para sayo."
