A Tear with a Smile

JUST ANOTHER STORY

"Love is a very strange feeling that can make a person wish that he/she didn't ever feel it"

The cold morning air whipped though my face heaving me to notice the start of a brightless day. My head pounded from pain as I forced myself to wake up from a nightmare...

Or because I had to tell myself that what happened last night was only one of my dreams of torment. From the bottom of my heart, I knew that it's not and that I can't change it at all. I wasn't able to change the outcome at all. A fault of mine that I wasn't able to overcome and watching my own mother fall to her own death is the result. I can't move my body but my lifeless eyes stared at the bright white ceiling in front of me. My throat felt dry and the pain in my head and whole body remained as I just laid on the bed just letting the cold wind wisp from the open window to me. I am able to hear the loud ticking of the clock on the wall and beeping from the machines that surrounded me.

It felt like hours before I hear a door open on my left side. Soft footsteps neared my body and I was able to move my body to see a nurse standing beside the bed that I'm on. We made eye contact as I was able to see the shock in her tired eyes. She smiled kindly towards me and put down her tray on the table beside the bed. "You're finally awake. I'm going to call the doctor so please just relax." I didn't reply nor did I react, just following what she said and tried to relax my whole body even though my head still hurts. Footsteps walked away from me as the door was shut. My surroundings was once again silent and it didn't make me feel comfortable. I hear several footsteps from outside getting louder and the door once again opened. The nurse from before came in and a middle-aged man wearing a white coat with a stethoscope wrapped around his neck entered with her. He came near me and smiled, "How do you feel, Alitheia?" Not one word came from my dry and sore throat as my eyes wandered to the two people beside me shaking my head a bit. The doctor just smiled kindly, "It's fine, Dear. Don't force yourself to talk. You have been in a coma for quite a while. It's understand if your throat feels dry. Now were going to run some tests for you to check if you're whole body is fine, okay?" I nodded my head slowly as the nurse grabbed a syringe on her tray. She came near me smiling and said, " Now honey, this will only sting a little so just try to relax you're whole body." Those are the last words I hear before my vision began to once again fade to darkness.

~

"EMERALD!!"

"MOM!! I"M RIGHT HERE!!"

"Oh thank God you're fine. Thank God"

"Always stay close to me, okay? We're going to make it out of here, Dear. I promise."

~

Slowly, my feet touched the ground with the nurse helping me get on a wheelchair. Sure enough, I was sitting while the nurse was pushing me from behind. She took me from my room and toured us around the hospital. It was quiet when we passed the quarters but as we went down the floor, I can already hear soft cries and mourning from the people who were in front of emergency rooms. Some are crying with tears of pure sadness and hurt while some others are crying with tears of joy and relief and I wish I was one of them. I hear a doctor talking to someone nearby with a heartbroken voice,

"I'm sorry, young man. We're doing all we can but you're mother... will not be able to make it. She only has a week or so."

"You're kidding ,right? This isn't real. Please tell me that's not true."

"I wish I could tell you that but reality doesn't work that way now. I'm sorry but you have to face it that you're mother is-"

The doctor paused and didn't dare say anything else as tears suddenly streamed down the guy's face. He didn't say anything as his arms became limp beside him and even though he kept his head down, anyone can see the tears dropping on the floor underneath him. The doctor was silent but let his hand touch the guy's shoulder comforting him. Then the guy finally moved lifting his hand to his face and tried to wipe away the tears rushing down his face.

As I watched him, memories came rushing back to me and my heart felt heavy and clouded. I slowly bowed my head as I felt a tear go down my face. I closed my eyes tightly and clenched my fist to stop myself from crying. It wasn't working. I suddenly felt the wheelchair move as the nurse behind me pushed me suddenly. My eyes opened as I saw us in the elevator that is set to the top floor. I turned around to the nurse only to see a pained smile with guilt dancing around her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but is hesitant to do it.

"I'm sorry for just awhile back. I was a bit sympathetic towards the young man so I stopped us both..."

She paused for a bit and continued, "I caught a glance at your face and.. I hope you don't mind us having a bit of detour before you go back to you're room. You'll need this once in awhile."

I faced in front of me and took a deep breath before speaking slowly, " Where... are we.. going..?.."

She was taken back slightly but immediately smiled to me. I saw relief upon her face as she spoke gently.

"You'll see soon."

I was a bit uneasy but shrugged it off as we finally reached the top floor of the building. Once the doors open, I was met with a breathtaking sight. As I was still reveling at the sight before me, the nurse pushed me out of the elevator and inside the wide space in front of us.

"..It's.. beautiful..."

"It is, isn't it? Welcome to our small garden of Eve. This top floor is wanted for good use and so this is what we had in mind especially for patients, staff and guardians that are too stressed out. We are the only hospital that has a garden on their rooftop and I honestly don't mind it. It is one of the reasons why I wanted to work here in the first place."

Vines were all around the place and some dangling down the ground. There were all sorts of flowers around and their lovely and fresh scents wafted though the open air. A fountain was in the middle of the garden having the soft flow of water be heard. My face gives it away that I am very fascinated but even the beauty of nature didn't exactly fill the feeling of emptiness within me.

The short smile upon my face was cut short as a memory from before hit my head painfully. I held back my tears as much as I could but I... can't. Not when I realized that there's nothing to be embarassed about anymore. Why do I need to hide it anyways?