Sorry for not keeping my promise, my dear cupcakes.
I was so worried about my first-year pro exam results that I didn't dare to spend time on anything else.
All medical students have to pass this pro exam to be qualified to continue second-year medical studies.
Luckily I passed with good results. Damn, I was so scared and sweated a bucket while waiting for the results.
Now that it is over, I will get one month's semester break before 2nd-year classes.
Therefore, I will try to complete this story before my second-year starts.
So, here we go.
___________________
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//Splash//
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"No!!!!!!!!"
~
'Remember, Forth. You broke our promise.'
~
Tears streamed down his still-closed eyes as he slowly gained consciousness from the worst nightmare. The image of dead Forth sinking into the endless ocean with him and the overwhelming emotions which engulfed him were too much for him to handle.
Beam is not a stupid person. He knows to get reincarnated -one has to die first.
But, he didn't expect it to be this painful.
He never expected Forth to die with him nor before him by leaving him behind.
All the memories rushed back to him all at once, making him feel suffocated. He had so many questions to ask.
So many things to clarify, but to whom?
What actually happened on the ship which led to the fire accident?
What went wrong with the plan?
Why did Khun Kong shoot him?
Why did Forth give up even before, He could try to save him?
Too many emotions and pain made him feel threatened. Beam felt vulnerable staying at the hospital, where he didn't feel safe.
He wanted to go home, the only place he acknowledged as his safe heaven in his previous life and maybe now.
Beam Jaturapoom didn't know the way to the house he had been looking for, for weeks, but Beam Baramee knew where that place was like the back of his hand.
The house Forth built for him.
The place where most of his happy memories with Forth reside from the past life.
It was his home, after all.
Despite his splitting headache and wobbling steps, he slowly got off the bed and made his way out of the hospital bed while holding his heart. The pain from his head is nothing compared to the pain he is feeling in his heart. It felt hollow and heavy at the same time.
None noticed the weak Beam barely holding up the immense emotion leaving the hospital. He managed to get to his car as he drove away slowly.
~
"What happened to him?
Where is he?
Is it another panic attack?" questioned Forth when he reached the hospital worriedly.
Forth got there as soon as the event ended. None told Forth about what happened to Beam. He only knew about it when he looked for Beam in the medical tent.
"Calm down first, Forth!
I can't handle two troubled individuals at the same time.
Beam is still unconscious.
He was calling out for you in his sleep. You may company him while I bring Nong Fiat to the cafeteria. Calm down, Forth. Beam needs you now," stated Leo as calmly as he could.
"Okay. Thank you, meng," replied Forth as Forth walked towards the room Beam got admitted.
Fiat helped Leo with Beam's condition as his game was over, and all he had to do was to get the trophy from the special guest. Therefore, he volunteered to help Leo at the campus.
Leo was worried about his friend and hoped Forth could handle Beam's situation as he left with Fiat.
But,
"LEO!!!!"
The screaming sound alerted Leo and Fiat, who was about to leave for the cafeteria. Leo rushed to Beam's room with Fiat in tow.
"What happened? Why are you-
Where is Beam?!" Leo asked Forth, tensing.
"I don't know. Beam was not in the room when I got here. Did the nurses bring him away for additional check-ups?" asked Forth, bewildered.
"I'll look into it," stated Fiat as he left the room to the nurse station. He was the only person stable enough to think straight at the moment.
Forth is confused, and Leo is terrified.
Leo saw the fear in Beam's eyes before he finally passed out in his arms. Leo knows about Beam's nightmares and flashes, unlike Forth, who is clueless and nervous.
"The nurses didn't bring him for any tests, but one of the security guards saw someone leave this room 10 minutes ago. I guess P'Beam left while we went to collect the medicines," reported Fiat to both Forth and Leo.
"If only he left a few minutes ago, Beam can't go far. I'll look around for him with my gang. Leo, update me if Beam return here," ordered Forth as he rushed out the door.
"P'Leo, are you alright?" asked Fiat as he noticed Leo.
He has been standing in the same position as he stared at his phone with a deep frown.
"I'm sorry, Beam. You give me no choice," mumbled Leo as he dialled Grandpa Mew's number.
After half an hour, a very tensed Mr Bane and Grandpa Mew reached the hospital. They left grandpa Gulf behind at home to take care of Mrs Sanoh and to inform them if, by chance, Beam returned to their house.
"Grandpa Mew...," Leo called out his name as he spotted them in the hospital lobby.
"Beam? Where is he? Have you guys searched this hospital? What about the CCTV?" asked Mr Bane, worried.
"We have checked the hospital, Sir. But no P'Beam on sight, and we found out that he left the hospital through CCTV too," Fiat provided them with information.
"And we can't spot his car where we left earlier at the campus. Seems like he drove away from the campus," added Leo, guilty.
They gave him one job, and he failed them.
With all the information they received and collected, Mr Bane was worried sick, and Leo was about to start having a panic attack in anxiety, while Grandpa Mew tried to stay calm and collected.
"It's not your fault, Nong Leo. Take a deep breath," advised Granpa Mew as he patted his back.
"Who else is looking for my son at the moment? Where else you guys have looked for him?" asked Mr Bane as he tried to stay rational despite his inner turmoil.
"Our engineering gang is looking for P'Beam around the campus area and our usual hangout places. But they couldn't spot him so far," replied Fiat.
"Okay, did Beam wear his usual watch today?" asked Grandpa Mew to Leo.
"Yes, Grandpa. I'm sure he was still wearing it," responded Leo, worried.
"The watch is here, dad. We can't track him with his in-built GPS tracker," commented Mr Bane as he noticed Beam's watch on the side table.
The nurses took it off when they gave him the stabilizer.
"P'Leo, use your 'Buddy App', Phi," suggested Fiat as he heard the word GPS and tracking.
"Yeah, right. How did I forget about that?" Leo questioned himself as he searched for Beam through the app. If Beam's phone is active, they could spot where he is heading at the very moment.
"Found him!!!" shouted Leo as his app spotted Beam on the highway heading somewhere. But Leo doesn't know where Beam is heading. Roads in Thailand are not his cup of tea.
"Let me see," said Mr Bane as he took the phone from Leo, but he didn't know where his son was driving.
"Dad...I don't know where Beam is going," stated Mr Bane, stressed.
"Maybe, Sir Mew knew. Let him see, Sir," suggested Fiat. Poor guys don't know how to address them suitably.
The shock on Grandpa Mew's face was so pronounced for everybody to see once he saw the direction Beam's car was heading.
Of course, he knows where Beam is going. He was the one who was taking care of the house since his dear brother passed away.
"Nong Leo, please settle the paperwork and return home. We will bring Beam back," said Grandpa Mew seriously.
"Dad, do you know where Beam is?" asked Mr Bane with expecting eyes.
"He is going back home, Bane. I will direct the way. Let's get our Beam back," said Grandpa Mew as he left the room with an unsettling look.
~
After driving for almost an hour, Beam finally entered a high-class housing area. He found his home right away even though it's a big compound with houses with a 2000 sq ft housing area each.
He parked the car at the entrance as he slowly got into the house beyond the fence. The flashes of his memories surged to him once again as he stepped into the familiar place.
~
'Forth, stop running. Nong is chasing you because you don't stand in a place. Nong thinks that you are playing with him,' said Beam as he laughed from the swings while Forth ran around the water fountain with a cute, fluffy puppy chasing behind him.
'Ahhhh, Beam! Take him away!' screamed Forth as he ran for his life.
Who would believe the scary engineering gang leader is scared of a small puppy?
Beam laughed a little as he got down from the swings and caught the puppy as he hugged it to his chest. The puppy was quick to lick his face with kisses.
After calming down, Forth slowly approached them without alerting the devil in Beam's arm. He saw the devil was barely awake in Beam's arms while, when it was with him, it tried to bite and crash him all the time.
'Forth, you scared nong, na,' said Beam as he kissed the cute creature softly.
'I scared him! He scared the shit out of me. This devil almost bites me!' argued Forth with a whisper voice to avoid waking the now sleeping devil.
'Forth! Don't call nong as devil na and don't accuse him. Nong doesn't even have teeth yet. He is basically a baby,' replied Beam as he settled the puppy on his sleeping mat.
'Baby, let's let mom take care of him. You take care of me. I'm scared of him,' begged Forth with pouty lips.
Beam giggled a little as he kissed the pouty lips.
'Forth, you wanted to live in this house with our kids and dogs, remember?' he calmly asked as he hugged the sulky Forth.
'I didn't know they have so much energy and bite,' complained Forth as he snuggled close to Beam.
Beam had to spend the rest of the evening consoling the now-sulking spoiled husband until the devil woke up and chased him around the house again.
Beam remembered a memory as he passed the front yard with swings and an angel statue in between the water fountain. He remembered their happy evening outings with their pet dog Tommy.
He remembered how Forth got close to Tommy more than him as days passed and spoiled the little brat to the core. Forth would go haywire and rush to buy treats for Tommy if he noticed the 'Little Devil' as Forth calls him, ignored his meal or got sick.
~
Beam entered the house by typing the code into the keypad. It was their anniversary date.
Beam noticed everything was still the same.
As if time stood still inside that house.
'Forth..., I'm doing the dishes here. Stop hugging me,' scolded Beam as he continued to rinse the plates after their lunch on a Sunday afternoon.
'I'm helping you do the dishes here,' replied Forth as he peppered kisses on Beam's temple while back hugging him.
'How does holding me so tight while doing work helps me?' questioned Beam as he continued his work.
'I'm keeping you warm as you rinse the plates with cold water during this cold weather,' stated Forth as he snuggled close.
'How about taking over the chores? That would prevent me from getting cold and won't make me tired too,' reasoned Beam even though he loves back hugs from Forth a lot.
'It won't be romantic, and it won't work. Let me hold you, babe,' whined Forth like a child.
'Silly. Do you want some hot chocolate?' was all Beam could ask as he relaxed into the warm chest.
'Yes, please,' replied Forth as he continued peppering Beam with kisses while he made hot chocolate for them.
Their life was beautiful with small romantic moments like this. Now that he knew it was a lifetime away, the tears poured out of his eye socket without the need for permission.
~
'Forth...comfort me,' said Beam as soon as he got home from work and hugged Forth, who was watching TV on the living room couch.
'Owh, what happened?' asked Forth as he laughed a little and pulled the pouty pale guys into his arms.
'I'm sad. Comfort me,' demanded Beam as he hid his face in his husband's chest.
'Why are you sad? Hm? Want to talk about it?' questioned Forth as he stokes Beam's hair softly.
'Kit scolded me, and Phana didn't support me,' complained Beam, still hiding.
'Phana didn't defend you? That's new. What did you ask them?' asked Forth calmly. He knows his husband could be a spoiled brat sometimes.
'I invited them to have ice cream on the way back home, and Kit scolded me as he called me childish,' replied Beam, sulkily.
'Beam, it's midnight, na. You will catch a fever. Kit was not wrong to scold you,' reasoned Forth as he pinched Beam's button nose.
'You are not comforting me, Forth....,' whined Beam again, as he does know he was being childish.
'Owh. Come here, my baby. I'll buy you a bucket of ice cream tomorrow morning. Don't be sad, na,' consoled Forth as he patted Beam's back and let Beam nestle close.
They always have moments like this in their household from time to time. Sometimes it would be Forth who demanded extra attention as Forth was under the weather or Beam as he does now.
~
Each and every corner of that house had memories of them. Each photograph had its unforgettable moments.
They had a bond. They vowed to be together till the very end.
Beam doesn't understand why Forth didn't fight for his life,
or why did he give up?
Beam slowly climbed the stairs to their bedroom. He wanted to sleep it all away. If possible, he wants to change his goal to find the truth behind his flashes.
But his wish to rest washed away as soon as he entered their bedroom.
There was a large photo of their wedding day above the bed. He was wholeheartedly smiling as Forth was kissing his forehead. It was the best day of his life. He finally believed in true love and vowed to love Forth forever.
For the first time since he started having flashes from the past, Beam wished them to stop. It was too painful to go through them again.
Every happy memory somehow twisted into a nightmare, and he felt like he was dying with each passing minute.
If he knew knowing the past was equal to re-living this agony, he would have changed his mind.
The pain he felt in his chest was too much for him to handle. His legs give away as he falls to the floor. He shed sad and angry tears as he noticed his favourite photo by the bedside.
He stood up with his shaky legs and held the photo frame as he looked at the person smiling beautifully.
He took that photo on one of their trips to the beach during their college days.
In that picture, Forth was smiling with his gummy smile and stretching as he just got up from his evening nap. His hair was sticking out in all directions. Beam loved that picture the most.
Beam held the picture close to his heart. He lay down in the middle of the bed in a foetus position. All of his body screamed pain, even though he was not hurt physically.
As he cried so much, his eyes felt heavy, and for a moment, he thought he had no more tears to shed.
Thus, Beam stared blankly into the walls as he held the photo frame tightly as if his life depended on it.
~
Beam heard faint footsteps from outside before the bedroom door got opened.
The person who entered the room had tears in his eyes as well. The tears poured out of Beam's eyes as he saw the person standing at the end of the bed with teary eyes.
"P'Mew...," called Beam weakly.
Upon hearing that, Mew knew that Beam remembered his past.
"Nong Beam," he called, as softly and carefully as tries to calm down the now hysterically crying child.
Beam was once his brother-in-law and now his dearest grandchild. Seeing him crying his heart out was equally painful for Mew to watch.
He slowly climbed onto the bed as he patted Beam's shoulders.
"It's okay, nong," he said to console him.
"P'Mew, make it stop, please.
Please, make this pain stop," cried Beam as he hugged him like a small child.
"Shhh...shhh... It's okay, It's okay," he said as he held him tight in his arms. He could feel Beam's trembling body in his arms.
Despite Mew trying to console Beam, his sobbing got loud as if he was crying for all the missed moments and memories altogether.
Mew could only shed silent tears as he is not Forth. Mew doesn't have Forth to console Beam like in the past. Mew could only cry along with Beam.
"Let's go back home, child," he softly said as he noticed how his grandchild trembled like an injured sparrow as he continued to cry.
"Make it stop, phi...," mumbled Beam weakly as he fell unconscious on his arm. Even in his unconscious state, his grip on Forth's picture didn't loosen.
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End of Chap 13.
TBC.
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My lovely cupcakes, your comments keep me going. Thank you to those who comment on each of my chapters. I appreciate it so much.
Do comment with your thoughts on the update below, and don't forget to vote.
Till the next update, be safe, guys.
Buh-bye.
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