L O U I S E A L D E I M
I woke up to the pungent smell of a hospital disinfect, invading my nostrils. The room was silent apart from my heavy breathing and the faint chirping of birds coming from outside. I slowly opened my eyes, squinting in attempt to sharpen the blurred images before me.
I tried to glance around pero may pumipigil sa leeg ko para gawin yun. Nagsawa na lang ako sa pagtitig sa puting kisame ng silid na kinaroroonan ko. Paano ako napunta dito? And more importantly, how long have I been here? I shut my eyes, trying to remember what had exactly happened. Then it hits me with a bang. The memory of it all starts to occupy my thoughts.
The weird happenings in the school, the warning, the heavy downpour, the shattering of glasses, the accident, the minotaur, the bloody face of my unconscious brother and the death of my parents.
Napahawak ako sa ulo ko dahil sa biglang pagsakit nito. Dali-dali akong bumangon para umupo but I winced when I did at napahiga ulit ako. Pakiramdam ko ay dinagaanan ako ng paulit-ulit ng isang mabigat na bagay.
"You shouldn't have done that," a voice suddenly spoke to my side. At kahit na nahihirapan, napatingin ako doon at ngayon ko lang napansin ang isang lalaki na prenteng nakaupo sa sofa habang nagbabalat ng mansanas. Pero hindi ko siya napagmasdan nang maigi because I am well aware on the excruciating pain spreading throughout my body. Napapikit na lang ako at nagsimulang magtubig ang mga mata ko.
Napansin siguro ng lalaki yun because I heard his footsteps coming towards me. Naramdaman ko siya sa tabi ng hinihigaan ko kaya dumilat ulit ako para tingnan siya.
"Gusto mo bang umupo?" tanong niya sa akin. Tinitigan ko muna siya then I nodded hesitantly. "Here, let me help you." He extended his arms and held my back to guide me para hindi na naman ako mabigla sa pag-upo gaya nang nangyari kanina.
Naglakad siya pabalik sa sofa at kinuha ang mansanas na nabalatan na niya tapos ay iniabot niya ito sa akin. I stared at the apple first then at the man before I took it.
"Hindi ka pa pwedeng gumalaw ng maayos because you're still not okay. Some of your wounds are still fresh," he told me. "And the thing that you did earlier, don't do it again. Okay?" Then he went back to his previous seat and opened the book he was holding.
Napatango na lang ako and that's when I noticed the bandages wrapped on different parts of my body. I had bandages on both of my arms . I can also feel it on my torso and my legs. But the thing that I noticed the most is the cast on my neck. Kaya pala hindi ko maigalaw nang maayos ang leeg ko.
I stared at the man again, wondering who he was and what he was doing in my room. As I looked at him, I can't help but to notice his looks. He has a fair complexion matched with black hair which is slightly curled. He is also wearing eyeglasses but it didn't make him look really old. In fact, he looked to be around in his mid-thirties pero parang hindi. He's wearing a blue long sleeves and the sleeves are rolled up to his arms. Overall, he's a fine looking man.
He must have sensed me staring at him kaya inangat niya ang paningin mula sa librong binabasa at nahuli niya akong nakatitig sa kanya. He just smiled at me then.
Nakakahiya. Nahuli niya akong nakatitig sa kanya but you can't blame me, I was really curious and confused at the same time. Hindi ko siya kilala ngunit siya ang kasama ko ngayon.
"Everything's gonna be okay now, Louise. Wala nang mananakit sa'yo dito," he tried to reassure me which made me even more confused. He knows my name!
"Um..maraming salamat po. But, I'm really confused right now," I told him. "Who are you po? How did I get here? And most importantly po, how did you know my name?"
Bakit niya alam ang pangalan ko? Is he a stalker or something?
Instead of answering me, he chuckled. "Woah! Hang in there. One question at a time. Mahina ang kalaban."
Nahiya ako bigla dahil doon. "S-sorry po."
"Don't say sorry. It's okay." Ngumiti ulit siya. "So, as for your first question, my name is Ellis Smith. You can just call me Sir Ellis because Mr. Smith really makes me old. Second question, how did you get here? Well, believe it or not, I was the one who brought you here," tinitigan niya ako saglit bago niya ipagpatuloy ang sinasabi niya. "I happen to pass by the area and then I saw a wrecked car. I found you together with a young man inside. You were both covered in blood. And, for your last question, I know your name because I saw this attached to you." Maya't maya ay may dinukot siya sa bulsa niya and then I saw my i.d.
"You thought I was a stalker earlier, right?" he asked habang natatawa.
I felt my cheeks redden a bit. Nakakahiya talaga. Oo nga naman. It made sense. Of course, he saw my i.d kaya niya alam ang pangalan ko. Nahihiyang tumingin ako sa kanya at humingi ng paumanhin. "I'm sorry po."
"I told you not to say sorry, Louise. It's really okay. I understand that it's not easy for you to trust a stranger like me. But I mean no harm, really," sabi niya habang nakangiti.
He sure does smile a lot. And the smiles that he gives me are surprisingly calming.
"By the way, I was really worried that you're not gonna wake up anytime soon."
"Bakit naman po?" I asked him. "Gaano po katagal na wala akong malay?"
"You were unconscious for two weeks so I thought you were in a coma already."
My eyes widened when I heard that. "T-Two weeks?" That long? Anong kayang nangyari nung mga oras na wala akong malay? And then, I remembered my kuya Caleb.
"Sir Ellis?" tawag ko sa kanya. "I just wanted to ask how my kuya is?"
Mukhang naguluhan naman siya dahil sa sinabi ko pero agad ding nakabawi nang may maalala. "Kuya? Ah, the young man that I found you with. He is okay as well and he's in another room. Don't worry, he's being taken care of."
I just nodded although I can't help but think kung ano na ang nangyayari kay kuya ngayon. And, there is still one thing that confuses me though. Where is this place? I might as well ask Sir Ellis.
"May I ask another question Sir Ellis?" tanong ko sa kanya nang may pagtataka.
"Go ahead," sabi naman niya sa akin at saka niya ibinaba ang hawak na libro.
"Nasaan po tayo?" I asked, hesitantly.
Sir Ellis stared at me for a few seconds before he answered with a smile. "You're in a hospital."
I furrowed my eyebrows at that. Yes, I know I'm in a hospital but where exactly?
Napatingin ako kay Sir Ellis. Lalo akong naguluhan dahil doon. Pakiramdam ko may hindi ako alam at ayaw itong sabihin ni Sir Ellis sa akin pero bakit naman niya gagawin yun? Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako and Sir Ellis noticed it.
"I think you should lie down and get some rest for the meantime and I promise to answer all of your questions when we see each other again. Is that okay with you?" he told me and I felt the reassurance in his words.
I just nodded at his suggestion at inalalayan naman niya ako para makahiga na. "Thank you po, Sir Ellis. I really appreciate everything that you have done." tapos ay binigyan ko siya ng isang tipid na ngiti.
"No problem, Louise." he said as then smiled back at me. Then he turned his back at naglakad na papunta sa may pintuan. He opened the door and was about to leave when he stopped halfway. Lumingon ulit siya sa akin. "I hope you're coping well despite everything that happened. I'm so sorry about what happened to you and your brother." tapos lumabas na siya at naiwan na akong mag-isa sa silid ko.
Gusto ko mang isipin ang lahat ng mga nangyari ngayon pero naramdaman ko na sumasakit na naman ang ulo ko. Tama si Sir Ellis, kailangan ko nga siguro talagang magpahinga ulit.
* * * * * *
I woke up in the middle of the night.
Sinubukan kong bumalik sa pagtulog ngunit hindi ko na magawa. One reason I couldn't is because I kept thinking about everything that's happened.I feel so uneasy. I need to get this feeling off of me.
Kaya kahit sinabi ni Sir Ellis na wag muna ako gumalaw ng masyado, I pushed myself up and tried to stand na nagawa ko naman kahit na napapaaray ako sa sakit. I went to the window and opened it. I instantly felt the gush of wind so I closed my eyes and let the feeling of it linger on me.
Now that I think about it, back in my childhood days, the wind always calms me down. Whenever I feel uneasy or if I'm down, it lifts my spirits up. Aside from that, it really reminds me of how our parents took care of me and kuya.
Namalayan ko na lang na umiiyak na pala ako. I immediately closed the window and got back to my bed.
I just can't believe that a lot of things happened that day. Hindi ko inaasahan na mawawala sila ng ganun-ganon na lang. And kuya too. Hindi ko alam kung kumusta na siya at kung okay lang ba talaga siya. Niyakap ko na lang ang sarili ko as I silently cry. I didn't mind the pain in my body anymore because...
Although I am alive, I feel like I am dying over and over again.
* * * * * *
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(Edited)
January 4, 2019