Salamat sa mga matiyagang naghihintay. Sana hindi kayo magsawang maghintay pa sa mga updates kong mas magiging madalang pa sa madalang. MAJOR SUBJECTS AKO NGAYONG SEMESTER. 6 out of 8 subjects ay major plus may isang pa-major so… 7 out of 10 majors. Kaya paki-expect na lang na matatagalan ang susunod na kabanata.
P.S. Kung kailan malapit nang matapos itong kwento saka naman magiging madalang ang update. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Untitled
Schirina
I felt numb. I can’t feel anything. I can’t feel my feet but I know I am moving. I can’t hear the noise in my surroundings. I can’t hear my mother’s cry. I can’t hear the shuffling of feet on the floor. I can’t hear the shouts of the doctors and nurses. I can’t hear the door of the emergency room closed. I can’t hear Greg’s voice talking to me nor can’t I feel his hold on me.
But I can see everything. I saw how my father collapsed on my mother’s arms. I saw how people panicked. I saw how the ambulance came and immediately loaded my father to the hospital. I saw myself being pulled inside a car following the ambulance. I saw how the nurses and doctors pushed my father’s stretcher to the emergency room. I saw how the room’s door closed. I can see how my mother broke down. I saw everything like it was in a slow motion.
And I am just looking straight to the emergency room’s closed doors. Praying that this is just a nightmare and I will be waking up from this bad dream in three, two, one…
But I can’t even blink my eyes.
I feel so numb. And cold. And shitty. And hell.
A tear slid down my eyes and I blinked with the feeling of the cold liquid cascading from my eye. But with that tear, the faucet to my tear gland opened and a dam of tears started to pour. Kahit gaano ko pilit ihinto ang mga luhang iyon sa pagbuhos ay hindi ito maawat sa paglandas mula sa aking mga mata. Kahit gaano ko punasan ang mga luhang iyon ay patuloy pa rin sila sa masaganang paglandas sa mga mata ko.
Ang tahimik na pag-iyak ko ay nauwi sa hagulhol ng maramdaman ko ang mainit na mga bisig ni Greg na pumalibot sa akin. I buried my face on his chest and grip his shirt while I cried so hard. My screams of pain and agony were muffled. I felt him caressing my hair and my back trying to soothe me.
“S-si… si Daddy…” I mumbled against his chest.
“Dad will be alright, Misis.” he whispered on my ear as he continued soothing me. I felt him kissed the top of my head. “He will be alright. He’s strong, isn’t he?”
Hagulhol ang isinagot ko sa kaniya. Ilang minuto rin ang lumipas bago ako kumalma ng bahagya. Ang kaninang hagulhol na iyak ay pahikbi-hikbi na lamang ngayon. And I was still tucked in Greg’s warm and tight embrace. Bahagya akong lumayo kay Greg at nagpunas ng mga luha at saka suminghot. Nakita ko ang pagkabasa ng damit niya sa parte na naiyakan ko mula pa kanina.
“Sorry, nabasa ko ang damit mo.” mahinang sabi ko sa kaniya habang nakayuko.
“It’s okay, Misis. Maupo muna tayo.” Iginiya niya ako para maupo sa isa sa mga upuan sa labas ng emergency room kung Nasaan pa rin si Daddy. Nakita ko si Mommy na nakaupo na rin doon at wala pa ring tigil sa pag-iyak.
Nilapitan ko si Mommy at tinabihan sa upuan. I hugged her and her sobs became louder; I cradled her head on my chest and silently sobbed together with her.
“Christian… my husband… my husband… your father.”
“Dad will make it, Mom.” I caressed her back as I whispered those words. “Dad will make it. He will not leave us. Not this time. Not this time, Mom.”
“I’ll just buy us water.” Greg kissed my head as he went to buy what he will buy.
Ganon lang kami ni Mommy hanggang sa makabalik si Greg. Greg offered us the bottle of water and Mom and I drank it with shaky hands.
“Thank you, Mister.” I whispered to Greg who was beside me holding my hand in his.
“Anything for you, Misis.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it lightly. I smiled slightly at the action.
“Tita, Schirina.”
Napaangat ang tingin ko sa bagong dating. Humihingal pa si Zach ng makalapit sa amin kasunod ang kasintahan niyang si Saccharine.
“Zach!” Muling napahagulhol si Mommy ng lumapit kay Zach at yakapin ito ng mahigpit. Inalo naman ito ng pinsan ko at pinaupong muli sa upuan para pakalmahin.
Si Saccharine naman ang binalingan ko at sinuklian ang maliit niyang ngiti.
“Schirina,” She opened her arms and I immediately stood up and wrap myself up in her embrace. I started sobbing again. “Shh… it will be okay, okay?”
“I know…” I replied. “My Daddy’s strong… I know he can make it. But… but…”
“Shh… it will be okay. Your dad’s strong, okay?”
Ilang oras pa ang hinintay namin doon. Zach and Saccharine stayed with us that whole time. And Greg never left my side. He was just holding my hand, hugging me, or kissing my head. And I am thankful for him and my cousin and his girlfriend as well. They’re our support system at this time. As well as God.
Lord, please let my father live. Save him, give us a chance to be a complete family, please. I beg You.
Nakatulog na rin si Mommy sa pagod marahil sa pag-iyak ng matagal. She was lying on the small space of the bench we were sitting on; my lap served as her pillow. Si Zach at Schirina ay nakaupo sa sahig sa harapan namin dahil na rin sa humiga na si Mommy sa upuan. Greg was sitting beside me on the floor as well but he, too, has his head on my other lap, holding my hand and caressing the back of it with his thumb.
“Mister…” mahinang tawag ko sa kaniya.
“Hmm?”
“Uwi ka muna at magpahinga. You look tired.” Hinaplos ko ang buhok niya kaya napaangat ang tingin niya sa akin.
His eyes were droopy with sleep but he’s fighting it. “No. I’ll stay with you, Misis. Kung hindi ka uuwi, hindi ”in ako uuwi. Kung hindi ka matutulog, hindi rin ako matutulog.”
“But you’re tired.”
“And so do you.” he argued. “He’s our father, Misis. And I want to know his condition, too and make sure he will be alright before I rest, okay? I want to make sure that he will be seeing his future grandchildren.”
Kasabay ng pagngiti ko ay ang pagkahulog ng puso ko sa sinabing iyon ni Greg. Just like any other day with him, my heart started beating like crazy inside my chest and butterflies started moving in my stomach. And as I continued staring into his eyes, I felt that unfamiliar tug in my heart yet I know the meaning of.
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, Misis. It is my duty as your husband to make sure you are alright. And for richer or for poorer and in sickness and in health I will be by your side, always, supporting and guiding you. Because in front of God, I vowed that for the rest of my life, I will protect you and cherish you and make you happy.” He gently kissed my hand and sweetly smiled at me.
Naramdaman kong muli ang pag-iinit ng mga mata ko. I felt the sincerity and the feelings in his words and the way he said those. I felt my heart skipped a beat again and fell. At sa pagkahulog na iyon ng puso ko ay ang realisasyon…
I already love my husband.
I love him.
I love Gregory Aguilar.
Before I can even process my new discovery, the door to the operating room suddenly opened. Na[atyo naman kaagad ang tatlo at ginisng ko naman si Mommy na napabalikwas pa ng bangon ng makita ang doctor na papalapit sa amin.
“Can I speak to the patient’s relative, please?” The doctor’s voice was manly; cold yet gentle. And he is handsome, no doubt. He looks more like a model than a doctor.
But Greg is more handsome than any other man in the planet.
“I am the wife, Doc.” My mother rushed in front of the doctor.
“I’m Dr. Reiven Mercado, by the way. Mr. Serrano is safe, Ma’am. He’s stable.” And I think we all were able to breath at that. “He had a cardiac arrest and luckily he was just brought here in time dahil kung nahuli lang ng ilang segundo ang pagdala sa kaniya rito we might declare him dead by now or worst declared as dead on arrival.” Napalunok ako roon. “I’ll be honest with you, Ma’am, he flat-lined twice and fortunately we revived him and now he is okay. But, I am telling you that if this happened again, Mr. Serrano may not make it. Kritikal na ang susunod na atake niya sa puso, Ma’am, so I suggest you follow the dos and don’ts for the patient.”
“Thank you, Doc.” naluluhang pasasalamat ni Mommy.
Thank You, Lord. Thank You for saving my father. Thank You so much.
“Please follow me to my office, Ma’am, so I can give you the list of his dos and don’ts.” Tumango naman si Mommy. “The patient will be transferred to a private room in a while after he’s ready. Excuse us.”
Nang madaanan nito si Zach ay huminto ang doktor. “Good to see you healthy, Mister Villamonte.”
Nang tuluyang umalis ang doktor ay agad kong niyakap si Greg ng mahigpit na sinuklian naman niya ng mahigpit ding yakap. My tears started rolling down again, but this time it is for joy.
“Daddy’s safe.” I mumbled.
“Yes, he is. I told you he’s strong, right?”
I savored the feeling of being in my husband’s warm embrace.
“Bakit parang pamilyar siya, ganda?” narinig kong tanong ni Zach sa kasinatahan.
“Isa siya sa mga doktor na nag-opera saiyo noon, bossing.” sagot naman ni Saccharine. "Siya kaya yung doktor mo, di ba?”
“Ah, kaya pala. Nakalimutan ko na kasi siya, eh."
"Ikaw, ang sama mo. Siya nag-asikaso sayo tapos kakalimutan mo lang? Siya nga yung nakausap ko noon tungkol sa kalagayan mo. Kaya hindi ko siya makakalimutan. Plus, he’s also handsome and his voice is so sexy.”
“Ganda!”
“Pasali nga sa group hug, Schirina!”
“Saccharine! Ulitin mo nga yung sinabi mo!”
“I love you, bossing!”
“I love you, too, ganda. Pero ulitin mo pa rin yung sinabi mo tungkol kay Dr. Mercado.”
I love you, Mister.