***
"Alfarez... Alfarez..."
Alfarez woke up in a dark place and he heard the voice he always hears every time something happened to him.
"Alfarez!"
"Am I dying?" He asked.
"Not yet but death is always chasing you..." It echoed everywhere. "Be careful whom you trust... Not everyone around you... Not everyone around you is trustworthy. others are just showing off and taking your heart out so you don't doubt them..."
"W-What? Who? May I know?" But the voice didn't respond to him.
"Be careful. The end is near. Your battle is almost approaching. Ready your heart, soul, and mind..." The voice seemed to scare him but that's the truth. "Pain will hit you... Pain... Pain..."
***
His eyes opened and he found himself lying on a hospital bed and Blair was there looking so worried to him.
"Uncle." Blair hugged him. "Uncle Rouvie said that you passed out. Are you fine?"
"Y-Yeah... How about Alfarez?" He looked at Sanchez who just entered his hospital room. "How is he?"
"He's in a good condition right now," Sanchez answered and asked a question. "What happened to you? You suddenly fainted earlier in the helicopter."
"I don't know. I just felt something painful hit all over my body. My arms seemed to break and my legs felt burned." He explained but he is totally fine right now. No injuries at all.
"That's... That is what happened to Alfarez..." Sanchez said in a low voice. It was as if he realized something. "Is it because you're connected? That's why you felt what he felt during the explosion?"
"I don't know but there was a big possibility that your assumptions were right," Ferran said. He can no longer feel the pain that he felt earlier on the battlefield.
One afternoon in the police station, Ferran was pouring the coffee from a coffee maker in his mug. He almost did not sleep because of the number of cases he was holding in November. Including the stress due to his mission which will only take place almost four months from now. He is just making a plan with Sanchez on how they can smartly defeat the enemies.
They can't just enter the laboratory. They have not yet set foot in front of the hideout, they would die immediately. For sure, the organization doubled their security due to his invasion three weeks ago.
Alfarez suddenly appeared on his side and took his mug to pour some coffee too. He just came back to work after three weeks of resting from the San Andres terrorism incident. Ferran felt awkward for no reason. He should not feel that 'coz they are both Alfarez but in different bodies and times.
"The coffee is overflowing." He heard Alfarez and that made him return to his right senses.
"Oh, sh*t." He cursed then immediately wiped the table and his mug. His heavy sigh was heard. He didn't say anything else and he was about to leave Alfarez.
"Ferran," Alfarez called him, which made him stop. "I've been thinking about this matter for three weeks now. I would not be relieved if the questions in my mind could not be answered."
"I'm not interested in what you were about to ask." He said in a serious tone then left him. He has a strong hunch that Alfarez will ask, how did he know and predict everything that happened in San Andres. Alfarez is not stupid to not notice Ferran's strange behavior that day.
When Ferran reached his cubicle, Sanchez looked at him. "You should rest, Ferran."
"I don't have time for that." He said and sipped in his mug.
"Don't forget that you need strength for the battle you must face in the future. You might get sick."
"I can take care of myself. It's just..." he glanced at the folders containing new cases. "I'm not used to the cases Ferran was handling. it was as if he took everything. Though it's been a year since I acted like Ferran." He sighed and continued his work until ten o'clock in the evening.
"It's our day off tomorrow. Let's make a plan." Sanchez said while they were walking out of the station.
"Well, yeah. That's the agenda for tomorrow." He said and yawned. They were about to enter their cars when Sanchez heard a gunshot nearby.
"Did you hear that?" Sanchez asked, eyes widened.
"What?" Ferran asked who's already sleepy and wanted to go home immediately to rest.
"A gunshot. There's a gunshot nearby." He pulled his gun from his gun holster. He silently went to the area where a gunshot was heard.
Ferran sighed and followed him. He was handling his gun downward. They both hid at the side of a parked car and peeked from the corner. They saw a man sitting behind a car. Sanchez can't clearly see the face but he is sure that the man was shot.
"It's..." Ferran said and narrowed his eyes. "Beltran?"
"W-What?" Sanchez asked and he looked at the man.
"Go to Beltran I will face the gun shooter," Ferran said and left Sanchez.
Sanchez looked around and ran towards Beltran. "Hey, you okay?"
"Y-yeah." He said while covering his wound on the shoulder. Sanchez removed his jacket and used it to cover Beltran's wound. He became pale so Sanchez immediately assisted him to his car but a man in black suddenly appeared in front of them and was about to shoot Beltran when Ferran shot him in the back.
"Sh*t," Ferran cursed while enduring the pain on his cheek and nose. "Let's go."
They took Beltran to the hospital. He's not in critical condition but he must stay in the hospital for two to three days.
"What is really happening?" Sanchez asked him while they were in the hospital ward.
"It's nothing."
"Beltran, tell me the truth," Sanchez said in a serious tone.
"It's about work. You worry much, K---" he looked at Ferran who was walking towards the bed and was holding an ice pack for his swollen cheek. "Don't mind me."
"Fine."
"Excuse me." Ferran caught their attention. "I have to go. My niece is home alone." He looked at Beltran. "Rest well."
Beltran just nodded at him before he left. Ferran went outside of the hospital and there, he realized that they left his car in the police station. "Sh*t. Tsk. I want to sleep."
While waiting for a cab, Ferran saw Alfarez who rushed to the hospital when he heard what happened to Beltran. He didn't even notice Ferran because he was in a rush on entering the hospital.
After minutes, a cab stopped in front of Ferran and as time went by, he arrived at home and the light in Blair's room was still on, meaning she was still awake that hour. Ferran creased his forehead when he heard laughter in the room. He opened the door without permission and saw Blair and Cally playing on the bed while Trestan was facing the study table and reading a book.
"Uncle!" Blair greeted him.
"Dad," Trestan said and Cally seemed confused by what her brother just said.
"Kuya, why ale you calling him dad? He's not our dad. He is Ate Blair's uncle." Cally innocently said to Trestan.
Trestan just smiled at her and looked at Ferran.
"You'll stay here?" Ferran asked.
"I invited them, uncle." Blair went near Ferran. "We heard that SPO2 Beltran was shot and uncle Timotheus visited him so..." He looked at the two. "Cally and Trestan were home alone too like me..."
"You planned to let them stay here?" Ferran asked. "Blair."
"Trestan will sleep in your room or on the sofa and Cally will sleep with me here," Blair said and Ferran just sighed. He cannot leave his children alone in their house.
"Fine. Trestan , sleep in my room. I will sleep on the sofa. Goodnight." He said and he looked so sleepy.
"Goodnight, uncle."
"Goodnight, dad."
"Guhnight," Cally said and waved her hand at him. That simple gesture made Ferran smile.
"Goodnight, sweetheart."