I don't want another pretty face
I don't want just anyone to hold
I don't want my love to go to waste
I want you and your beautiful soul
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"I'm not ready..."
"You are and you should, this is your lucky day, Aubrey. You're going to live longer just like what I've told you." Collin smiled, assuring his twin brother's girlfriend while preparing her for her second kidney transplant surgery in a few minutes. Kasama rin nito ang Daddy nito na halatang kinakabahan din para sa anak.
When he told them the good news about the donor, Aubrey Robyne and her father cried so hard. She was already in the verge of giving up when they learned about it. It was a miracle.
She's finally having the chance to live longer again.
The transplant was immediately scheduled a week after the donor showed up.
"Collin... S-Sino yung donor?" She asked him. He didn't really tell them who it was although Arthur Gonzaga kept asking him about the donor so the old man could pay his gratitude - ang lagi lang niyang sinasagot ay anonymous iyong donor at hindi nagpapabayad.
He smiled at Aubrey Robyne, "It's me."
Napansin naman niya ang pag-iba ng itsura nito. He couldn't describe the reaction his twin's girlfriend was showing but surely, she wasn't expecting his answer. Natahimik na lang ito.
He chuckled, of course, he was joking around, "Hindi ako. I'm an alcoholic. I drink beers and some other alcoholic stuff, surely, I won't donate my kidney. Baka makalala pa sa sakit mo." If he could only take a picture of her reaction at i-send kay Lio, malamang baka mabugbog siya nito. Although he knows Lio couldn't punch him cause he's a shy awkward guy.
The surgeon and other medical staff signaled them that they're finally going to start the surgery, lumayo na si Collin at ang Dad nito. Robyne, together with her medical team, then entered the operating room.
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"You look like shit," Collin told Lio when he arrived home. Kakatapos lang ng toxic 36-hour duty niya sa ospital. He was grabbing some beer from his fridge when Lio also went near him.
Tinignan naman ito ng masama ni Collin nang nakatayo lang ito sa harap niya, "What?"
"I need a drink." Sagot naman nito. His brother even looked disheveled during that time. Kinunutan naman niya ito ng noo.
Wala yata itong ginawa buong araw kundi ituloy ang pareresearch nito tungkol sa Lupus. Collin knows Lio goes to the National Research Center of the US just for his very extensive research about the autoimmune disease. Pagdating na pagdating din nito sa bahay niya, pagreresearch pa rin ang inaatupag nito.
"You don't drink beer nor alcohol," Collin replied, ignoring him while drinking the beer he was holding, "Besides, hindi ka rin pwede uminom ng ganito. Don't be an idiot. Sumunod ka sa instruction."
Lio frustratingly sighed and went to sit on the couch of the living room again. Napailing na lang si Collin habang nakatingin dito. Ni hindi na nga ito nag-aayos sa sarili. Lio didn't even get a haircut for a month already, nor even shaving his stubbles. For all he knows, since they were young, Lio is a clean freak and very organized. Pero ngayon, napapabayaan na nito ang sarili nito.
"I still couldn't find a cure, Cole." He said and frustration was evident in his voice. Wala na talaga itong ibang inatupag magmula nang bumalik ito sa Amerika kundi ang research nito.
"It takes time, Lio. Even discovery of new things takes a lot of years to figure it out."
"Our time is running, Collin. Hindi pwedeng wala."
"She's having the transplant. You're going to have a lot of years to still figure it out."
"We still have one week to observe her, there's still a chance that it'll be a graft rejection."
"Kahit kailan, hindi ka pa rin nagpapatalo," Collin commented as he sat beside his brother, "She'll live." He added confidently. Lio's girlfriend is obviously a tough woman. Mabubuhay pa ito ng matagal, "I'm sure about it."
"The moment when I learned about her disease, I began to feel scared, Cole. I'm scared."
Collin just remained silent as he stared at the beer he was holding.
"I'm trying my best for this research pero wala pa ring nangyayari... It's still a failure and we don't have time. I couldn't bear the pain if I cannot save her anymore... I couldn't even almost bear it when I learned about she's dying. It's killing me inside. It's fucking killing me."
Cole sighed as he took another sip of his beer, "You should see her, Lio. She needs you. It's already the time that you should finally show up. There's still a week to figure it out if it would be graft rejection or not. Her lupus is aggressive."
"I'm not ready... Hindi ko kaya..."
"You have to," Collin looked at his twin, giving him a sympathetic smile, "Before it's too late."
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Robyne slowly opened her eyes and groaned when she felt a little pain on her stomach area. Then she scanned her surrounding and noticed she was back at her room in the hospital again. Napansin naman niya ang Dad niya na nakaupo at natutulog katabi ng hospital bed niya.
"R-Robyne." Her father suddenly woke up, "A-Anak--"
"T-Tapos na 'yung transplant?" She asked him. The thing she could only remember that she was talking to her doctor friend, Collin while he was joking around that he was the donor. After that, ipinasok na siya sa operating room para sa transplant.
And to be honest, she didn't expect that she would still be alive.
Her dad nodded. He looked happy, "Kahapon pa anak. The doctor told you that you're still going to undergo observation for a week to check for graft rejection. But your transplant is successful. You're going to live longer."
Her eyes started to brim with tears.
It was pure miracle.
"C-Can I know who's the donor?" Her emotions were all over places. Her dad shook his head, still not knowing who it was.
A week ago, she was already giving up. She was already tired mentally, emotionally and physically. She's not even expecting anymore that she'll have a donor. She was ready to die...
Then a donor appeared.
Robyne wiped the tears that finally went out from her eyes, "Dad, I want to go to the chapel. I want to pray..."
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Robyne was sitting on her wheelchair when she finally arrived at the hospital chapel. Konti lang ang mga taong nandoon na nagdadasal. She wasn't really a religious person since she was young... but now, she wants to pray...
She slowly stood up from her wheelchair while holding the stand of dextrose that was still injected on her hand. Dahan-dahan naman siyang naglakad papunta sa upuan sa may harap ng altar. She was just alone.
But before she could even sit, a man stood up and went to her direction. Parehas naman silang napatigil na dalawa. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him again.
"Robyne..."
She studied his face. It was still the same. The same face that she wants to see every morning at school... the face that she used to love to stare while he was singing...
But his eyes say otherwise. It was red. He looked like he was crying as well.
"Emilio." She called his name and it was the most beautiful name that she ever said again.
He's here and she missed him so much.
"I'm sorry..." The words she could only utter as she couldn't anymore stop her tears from flowing freely from her eyes.
Sorry...
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Comment!
***This story is not going to be more than Chapter 25. So we're really near to its end.