The Midnight Patrol

Chapter 1

"Ogie! It's about to start. Hurry!" Juno called over while leaning against the side of the door to Ogie's room. The hospital is about to enter into a festive mood. The New Year's eve mood in Hospicio de Ramiel would depend on where one would situate himself. The emergency rooms would be in chaos when the first waves of fireworks victims come in. But on the rooftop, one would get the most breathtaking view of the fireworks over the metropolis.

Juno and the gang were readying themselves for that night's festivities. The Midnight Patrol planned to celebrate their 1 year anniversary under the fireworks.

Juno streaked across the children's ward, darting from room to room to call his friends. With the orderlies and nurses busy with the oncoming patients. New year's eve was a perfect distraction for the team to sneak up to the rooftop.

"May! April! It's almost time!" Juno called the attention of two girls playing inside one of the semi private wards. May sat on one of the beds, hugging her rag doll close to her. April sat beside her, casting aside a handful lock of hair that hovered over her face. May smiled at the announcement and grabbed April's hand, pulling her away from the bed. The two girls ran hand in hand out of the room. "We'll catch up," May said to Juno as they ran past him to take a glimpse at window of another room.

"W-wait! It's almost mid...." Juno watched as he glanced at the girls running towards a closed private ward. May propped herself up with her toes and peered through the door's small window.

"They're at it again huh?" A boy with a red cap walked beside Juno and caught his attention. "I don't get it man! I have a cute face too. I bet I'm cuter than Mr. K-Pop in there," the boy with the red cap mused as he adjusted his cap.

"Yeah Jules, if only you have hair." Juno swiped Jules' cap to reveal his white scalp. Jules got flustered and fumbled to retrieve the dropped cap. "Aw c'mon man! What's the deal? It's just hair!" he snapped back as Juno laughed.

A boy on a wheelchair emerged from one of the rooms and called Jules and Juno. "All set! I need help getting up the stairs. Hey, where are the girls?"

Juno nodded his head to point at the girl's direction. "Swooning over their "Sleeping Prince" again.

"May's 'Sleeping prince'," April answered back as she overheard the boys talking.

"Buzz off guys! I'm having a moment here..." said May as she kept herself up on her toes to glance over the window. Inside the room is a boy in comatose with white skin and jet black hair in tussles over his forehead. "Oh, I wish to see those black dreamy eyes again, just like your shiny black hair." May gige longingly stared at the boy's face.

"Let's go May. Boys, help me pull her away from the door?" April held May's arms and tried to yank her away to the boys' direction. Juno and Jules looked at each other and shook their heads to show refusal. Ogie giggled while he wheeled in-between the boys.

"Nah, you're on your own. Remember these?" Jules held up his arm and showed the horizontal scratches on them. He got them the last time he tried to help April pry May away from the same door. "I don't want any more of these thank you."

"W-wait! No! I'll be back my dear sleeping prince!" May said with one hand outstretched towards the door while April tugged at her other arm.

"Stop pretending like you're some Korea-novella star! Come on!" said April as she pulled her friend away from the door.

The children's ward was empty as expected. Most of the hospital's manpower were in the emergency rooms and reception desks. The children giggled amidst the warm hum of electricity and the ambient beeps from machines.

Juno didn't want to take chances and insisted that they don't run towards the stairs as a group. He tiptoed and dashed through the desks, open doors, and benches, hiding behind corners and peaking around to check if the course is clear. He then signaled to the group to go one by one to the next corner, inching closer and closer to the stairs leading to the rooftop.

He was the last to go, taking the wheel chair bound Ogie with him since he is the only one who can push Ogie's rickety wheelchair with as little noise as possible.

The halls were empty, almost.

Juno felt a calloused hand on his shoulder when he was almost within reached the stairs. "Where do you think you're going?," asked the man to whom the hand belonged to. Mang Tani, the hospital's oldest security guard, stood behind a startled Juno.

"Mang Tani! Happy New Year!" Juno greeted the man with an apologetic grin. The guard didn't answer and bellowed "Well?" while crossing his arms.

"Mang Tani. We just want to see the fireworks." Ogie turned to the burly guard and pleaded. Mang Tani kept his pensive expression and spoke in a gravelly voice. "The rooftop is off limits. Do you have anything for me?"

"Well...." Juno's voice trailed off. They always bribed Mang Tani with cigarettes whenever they get caught sneaking up to the rooftop. This time however, they never bothered to bring any. They were certain that they'll get away unnoticed this time.

The children looked at each other as if asking each other "What now?".

"So you don't have anything for me." Mang Tani's voice boomed over the startled children. "So it's my turn to give you something." The man stepped aside and revealed five plates of neatly arranged pancit, hotdog, ube halaya, and fried chicken sitting just behind him on a table top counter. The plates surrounded a liter bottle of softdrink. "You wouldn't forget the media noche would you. Can't enjoy fireworks without that," said Mang Tani with a toothed grin.

The children cheered as they took the feast before them. The two girls took two plates, holding them with each hand. Jules took the last plate and carried the bottle of softdrink with his other hand. They invited Mang Tani to join them in the rooftop but he declined. "Keep yourselves hidden ok? I don't want to get fired." He admonished the children as they walked past him and continued along the hallway to the roof top stairs.

May, April, and Julius were the first to ascend the stairs ahead of Ogie and Juno. May gave her two plates to April and Julius who both carefully balanced the extra plates of food on their forearms. She then proceeded to work on opening the heavy steel gate to the rooftop and kept it open for the last two who will enter. At the bottom of the stairs, Juno kneeled down in front of the wheelchair, his back turned on Ogie. Ogie then hoisted himself up and dropped on Juno's back. It took some back breaking effort for Juno to stand up with Ogie draped on him on a piggy back ride.

"Ugh. What have you been eating Ogie? You're getting heavier lately."

"I can't help it. Aling Puring has been giving me free seconds on the rice. Plus her cooking is very delicious," said Ogie, acknowledging his heftiness. Juno took the heavy steps with the paraplegic Ogie on his back. May came down to retrieve Ogie's wheelchair and she carried it up the stairs with equal effort.

The children waited as they looked up to the sky, the blackness now diluted by small fireworks from the scattered neighborhoods around the hospital. What they were waiting for was the prepared spectacle in the mall just south of the hospital. It had a new year's show that was counting down to a grand fireworks display.

"Here it comes!" May couldn't contain her excitement. The children then started counting down together with the mass of crowds in the mall.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

The sky above the mall exploded in a thousand colors and the children reveled under the dancing colors of the fireworks. Juno, Julius, May, April, and Ogie, held hands while they smiled gleefully at the exploding sky. The Midnight Patrol celebrated New Year's eve together as a family, unknown that tomorrow will be an ominous day for everyone.