Almira
I just can’t listen to what’s Jeron is saying right now. This is absurd! A wonderful person like Achi should not be facing this kind of challenge in her life. She’s been perfect. How can the universe be so cruel?
And Ahia’s not here! She has no one to hang on to! Urgh Why does this have to happen now?! I know we’re here for Achi but Ahia’s presence would be so much great help here.
“What are they doing to Anna?” I heard Achi Alyssa asked Shoti.
“I don’t know. They made me choose who to save. I don’t know what to say. I know I don’t have the right to choose. Achi said she wanted the doctors to save Jenna before she passed out. Then Tita Belle went in and they kicked me out,” Jeron tried his best to relay what he’s seen.
My little brother looked traumatized. He may be a huge man but he looks like a disoriented little boy right now. Achi and I pulled him to seat.
Tito Alberto and Toni were both quiet but are obviously listening to us. I know they’re both in panic too but they’re trying to be composed. I can’t say that about me and Shoti though.
“Let us all pray that they can save Anna. I know they will. Tita Belle is there,” Achi Alyssa said, not only to me and Jeron but to Tito Alberto and Ton as well.
After the excruciating wait for who knows how long, the delivery door swung open. Tita Belle was the person who opened the door. It was evident that she has been crying the whole time. Her eyes were in panic in search for a person she can run into. Until she found her husband standing in the corner. Tito Alberto slightly opened his arms and Tita Belle run into him. He hugged her so tight as their son watched them.
I didn’t know I was crying, again, until I felt something wet dropped to my arm.
Jeric
The only thing I can remember from the whole flight, from the states to Japan to Philippines, was I’m thinking about Anna. I wasn’t able to sleep.
I wanted to jump out of the plane so I could be with here. I’m restless for the whole duration of my flight.
My body is tired but my consciousness is fully awake. It doesn’t want to take a rest. It will never take its rest until Anna is in my arms again, safe and well.
When I arrived, I took huge strides of the airport and fought a lady for a taxi. I did get my way though. I almost made the driver fly his taxi to the hospital.
I already called Almira and she told me where they are. When I got to the hospital, I didn’t bother looking at anyone and went directly to where my Anna is.
I’m not sure how long it took me to get here, maybe several hours to a day, but I don’t care as long as I’m already here.
522 is Anna’s room number. When I found it, I didn’t bother knocking, I immediately opened it. My eyes search for the woman I love and there she was.
Her eyes were closed. Her skin was pale. She was motionless. I walked towards her but Mom stopped me. I didn’t know my whole family is here as well as Anna’s. They were all looking at me.
“Jeric, let her sleep. She needs rest. She’s okay now. You can talk to her when she wakes up,” Mom said
I nodded to my mother. “I won’t wake her up, Mom. I just want to touch her.” She faintly smiled at me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
My mom stepped out of the way as I moved slowly to Anna. I sat down to the stool beside her. I gently held her hand and brought it closer to my face. I kissed it tenderly, she’s cold. I held her hand with both of my hands.
“Baby, I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me. I’m sorry but I love you so much. Thank God nothing happened to you. My world will fall apart,” I whispered to her gently as to not to wake her up.
I looked at her longingly. I missed my girl so much. Her face, her lips, her nose. I know I’ve been away for only a couple of days but it felt like years. It’s true that you can’t stay away from the one you truly love for a long time. I looked at her as a whole then I realized she doesn’t have a bump in her tummy anymore.
My skipped a beat. Where’s Jenna?!
I looked at my family with panicked eyes. My Mom knows me too well. She smiled at me.
“Jenna’s fine Jeric. She’s premature but she’s very well taken care of now,” Mom said. That was definitely a relief for me. I heaved out a deep sigh.
Then I went back to Anna. Oh Anna I missed you so much. I showered kisses to her hand.
She stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She looked around her then she found me. I tried to smile at her. She just looked at me blankly.
“Sweetie, Dad and I will just buy something for everybody to eat,” Tita Belle said and kissed Anna on the forehead. She smiled at her mother faintly.
“Sasama na kami,” my Dad said. And the parents, mine and Anna’s, went out.
“We’ll give you two time to talk,” Achi said. My siblings and Toni went out of the room giving me and Anna time.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I told her and kissed her hand.
She stayed silent for a moment. She took her time to formulate the words she wanted to say to me. I’m not sure what’s she’s thinking. For the first time, I can’t gauge her. I just continued to smile and held her hand tightly.
She looked away from me. “I’m sorry Jeric. I don’t want you here. Please step out of the room,” she said emotionless.
My forehead creased.
She slowly took her hand from me. “Please get out of the room,” she said calmly.
“Baby? I’m sorry for not being here, for being away…”
“You told me you’ll be with me every step of the way,” she said. Her eyes were full of pain. “But the time that I needed you to be here the most, the time that I really wanted to hold you, the time that I need you…” and her tears fell.
“I’m sorry, sorry, sorry… I’m sorry. You know I wanted to be with you…” I told her pleading.
“But you weren’t,” she said interrupting me. “Jeric, I was so scared. I thought I’m going to lose Jenna. I badly wanted you to hold my hand… pero wala.” She said straight to my eyes.
I am ashamed of myself right I failed her. I failed the woman that I’m willing to sacrifice my life with. “If I only knew this was coming I shouldn’t have flown away,” I told her. My heart is beating so fast.
“I told you not to go but you did. I told you I had a feeling that something’s gonna happen but you didn’t listen,” She was crying so hard right now. “I was so scared.”
“I’m here now, you don’t have to be scared. I won’t leave anymore,” I told her.
She became silent. She tried to stop her crying. She closed her eyes feeling all her pain. And when she opened it again, she looked at me with eyes full of hurt.
“The lesson I learned from this is the only person you can truly rely on in times of great need is yourself alone. If you don’t want to go out, then I will,” she said and tried to get up by herself.
“Anna naman,” I tried to put her back to bed.
“Jeric, please. Stay out of the room… and my life too,” she said.
I wasn’t able to comprehend what she said. Is she… is she breaking up with me? I stared blankly at her. How much pain did I cost her that she’s willing to push me away?
“I love you,” are the only words I could say to her.
“No, you don’t, Jeric. You left me here alone.”
***
Jeron
My sisters and I are waiting in couches in front of the nurse’s station. Ahia and Achi are talking inside the room. My sisters were both silent which is very unusual for my Dichi.
Until Dichi heaved out a heavy sigh, “I hope Achi Anna gets better. When she woke up earlier, before Ahia arrived, she was silent and sad.”
“But did you see the look on her face when she saw Jeric?” Achi Alyssa asked.
“That part, I don’t understand. She doesn’t look excited or relieved or anything positive,” Dichi said.
“Exactly,” Achi agreed.
“I saw how hard it was for her yesterday. She in physical pain and all sorts of emotional pain. Malamang sa malamang magtatampo yun kay Ahia,” I told my sisters.
As if on cue, we all saw Ahia walking blankly on the hallway like a zombie. He looked dead tired, lifeless and hurt and sad… he looks dead period.
Achi pulled him and made him sit beside her. “What’s wrong? What happened to Anna?”
“She doesn’t want me anymore,” he said lifelessly.
“What?! What did she say?” Dichi blurted out.
“Shobe,” Achi warned her. Dichi kept quiet.
“Shoti, can I have your keys?” Ahia said and opened his palm. Out of reflexes I took my keys out of my pocket and gave it to him.
Ahia quickly stood up and ran as if his life depended on it. Achi face palmed herself.
“Stupid,” Dichi said to my face. I eventually realized she was correct.
“Go and follow him! We all know you’re the only one who can catch up with him. Keep him safe,” Achi ordered and I oblige.
I ran as fast as I could to the parking area. Luckily, I found Ahia still looking for my car. We both found my car at the same time. Ahia doesn’t know I’m behind. When he got into the car, I immediately followed.
“Where are you going?” I asked him.
“Get out of the car,” he said surprisingly calm.
“Where are you taking my car?” I know I’m talking about the car but my main concern is him.
“Get out, Shoti!” he shouted as he started the engine.
“I’m going where you’re going,” I told him.
He didn’t answer but instead he maneuvered his way out of the parking out with the speed of a rocket. We were dancing with the traffic, IN FREAKING GAZILLION MILES PER HOUR.
“Ahia please, slow down. You’ll get us both killed,” I tried to tell him but to no avail.
We ran like that for who knows how long. Inubos ang gas ko -.-
It’s almost nighttime and we’re in an unknown place right now. Ahia was driving aimlessly earlier. Luckily we ran out of gas in a secluded area. It almost looked like a park.
Ahia is grumpily walking to the park and went directly to a tree. He leaned facing the tree, rested his bare forehead on the trunk of the tree. I would normally make fun of him but I know he’s hurt right now.
His body shook while he’s leaning on the tree and from that I know he’s crying. I sat on the swing beside the tree and waited for him silently.
After a few moments when I thought he already dried out his eyes, I opened my mouth. “I was there beside Achi in the delivery room Ahia.”
Ahia stood up straight but still facing the tree. “Do you want to listen to my story or not? Come here and sit down, you look like a weirdo there,” I tried to throw a joke but he didn’t even smile. He just walk lifelessly to the swing beside mine.
“Do you know why I’m there?” Of course he didn’t answer. “Because she wanted to look into your eyes while she’s delivering Jenna.”
I smiled at the sky, “I didn’t know Dichi was that smart that she was able to think to bring me in the room so Achi can see your eyes. Achi was begging to see you, Ahia. When I entered the room I heard her screaming that she won’t deliver Jenna until you arrive.”
“When she saw me, I had my mask on, my eyes are the only things that are revealed from my face. She thought I was you, and she virtually relaxed. Then I held her hand, she immediately knew that it was not you. She knows you by your touch, Ahia… I don’t think that was just plain familiarity. I know she loves you so much that she had memorized you because she’s constantly thinking about you.”
I paused to let him take in everything that I said. “But then she’s loosing so much blood and the situation got out of control… Then they made me choose, who to save, Achi or Jenna.”
Ahia’s head snapped turned to me. That was a revelation for him. “I know I don’t have the right but when I think about what if you were the one in there. Who are you going to choose?” I said and Ahia looked at me sharply.
“Let’s not dwell on that aspect.” I told him and took another pause.
“Achi heard the doctor when she asked me. Even when she was dying in pain, she tried to say to us that Jenna should be saved when it comes to that point. She was tired and weak.”
“Ahia, Achi had gone through serious physical and emotional pain for the past 48 hours. She might make decisions out of pure emotion. Try to understand her for now. I know she’ll come around. I know she loves you so much,” I’m trying to get to my point now.
“I cannot lose her,” Ahia said and buried his face to his palms.
“You won’t, Ahia.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's note:
Another short update muna guys. Rest weekend's over back to school again. I'll try my best to upload another chapter. Thank you for reading. Don't forget to leave a comment for your thoughts about the chapter.
Comment and Vote xoxo