sucked in

Chapter 30

Unfamiliar surroundings greet me as I awaken. I can't move my body. I feel extremely weak, and my throat feels really dry.

I roamed my eyes around the place without moving my head, only to discover that I am in a hospital. That explains the strong smell of antiseptic. I glanced down at what I'm wearing, and as expected, I'm wearing a hospital gown.

Nagulat naman ako at napalingon sa may pintuan nang may biglang pumasok.

"Mira, you're awake!" sigaw ng kadarating lang na si Lawrence. He looks like he's on the verge of crying. Dali-dali niya akong nilapitan at niyakap. 

"A-Aw, you're hurting me," reklamo ko. My voice is still so frail.

"Sorry," aniya at bumitaw na. "Akala ko hindi ka na magigising."

I chuckled softly. "Hindi naman ako papayag na hindi ako magising, 'no," pagbibiro ko. "Anyway, Lawrence..." I paused and gave him a serious stare. "How long was I in coma?"

He broke eye contact. Parang nag-aalangan siyang sagutin ang tanong ko.

"Just tell me already," aniko.

"Uhm, Mira..." He looks concerned. "Huwag kang mabibigla."

I exhaled deeply. Hindi ko alam kung dapat ba akong matakot o kung dapat ba akong mainis, e.

"You've been in coma for over a month," he told me.

Napakurap-kurap ako. Wow. Really? Over a month? That's a looong time.

"Anyway, I'm gonna call the doctor. Just stay there, okay?" he said to me. I just nodded as a response.

I'm thankful that Lawrence is here for me. Who would've thought that we would be friends? A silent laugh escaped my lips. Kapag tuluyan na akong gumaling, I promise, babawi ako sa kaniya. 

Maya-maya pa, habang hinihintay ko na bumalik si Lawrence, may biglang pumasok sa kwarto. It's Caleb. Seems like he's surprised to see me awake. Dali-dali niya akong nilapitan. 

"Mira," he muttered my name under his breath. "How are you feeling?" tanong niya. 

"I still feel weak, but I'll be fine." I tried my hardest to flash him a small smile. "Thank you for being here," I said. 

He smiled warmly at me and sat down on the chair beside my bed. "You better recover soon. Our graduation is only a week away," he told me. 

I'm too stunned to speak. Right. We'll be graduating soon. Hindi parin ako makapaniwalang gano'n ako katagal na walang malay. 

"Mira, I'm sorry this had to happen to you," aniya. 

Bahagyang natawa ako. "Ano ba? Bakit ka nagso-sorry? It's not your fault," sabi ko naman sa kaniya. "Anyway, Caleb..." I took a pause to clear my throat. "Where is Aaron?" tanong ko.