Destination XYZ

Fifteen

Third Person

Every night Irene opens a new letter, and at this very moment, she was on to the last one. She felt her heart flutter as she took the letter out of the envelope. Her hands shook lightly as she flattened out the letter.

Her eyes began to wander on the words that he has written on a piece of paper. And at last, she has finished the puzzle. She has decoded the message that she longed to know.

She dug her hands inside her drawer to find the letters and laid it all on her bed. From the first to the last, laying it on top of the other. She scanned through the letters one last time and smiled.

"P...A...N...G...A...K...O..." She uttered as her eyes followed through the first letters of each letter.

"Pangako..." She repeated and felt tears streaming down her face out of happiness. She felt herself smiling as she stared at the letters laid out on her bed.

"God, Greggy... After all these years, you still know how to make me fall in love all over again."

༻✧༺

That morning, Irene knew that it was time to tell Greggy about her decision. About her answer to his letters. She was walking in the hallways of the hospital, and just gotten back from doing her rounds on the pediatric ward.

Nina was running towards her, a panicked expression on her face. Irene's face scrunched in confusion, "Doc! Doc!" Nina panted.

Irene frowned, "Yes? Bakit? Ano?" Nina's hand flew to her chest in attempting to catch her breath. "Si...Si Xab doc! Nasa emergency room." Irene's eyes then grew wide.

After the news Nina told her, she was on her feet like lightning. Thank God she was wearing flats when she was at work. She went a floor beneath and went directly to the ER.

"Irene!" Her head turned to the direction where the voice rang. Elena. "Elena! Anong nangyayari?" Irene and Elena met halfway.

"Xab is declining everything, Rene." She blatantly said, no time for flowery words. "Diba akala mo may tumor na kailangan mong kunin? Leukemia doesn't even form solid masses. Within the ALL maintenance treatment, we found osteosarcoma on her radiologic and pathologic exams."

Irene's heart sank deeper and deeper as she found out about the news. "Need pa yan ibiopsy, Len." Elena nodded, "Then she has to undergo chemo for that..." Irene continued and then she shut her eyes. "Elena, she... she can't do it. Hindi makakaya ng katawan niya yung radiation... There so much going on in her body now."

"She's very weak, Rene... Dine-decline na nga ang medications..." Elena massaged the temples of her forehead.

Patricia, Henry, and Greggy were seen running towards them. Hoping for any new updates about Xab's condition.

"Anong mangyayari sa anak ko?" Through her sobs, Patricia was able to speak. Henry was holding her in his arms. "Ate... We found the tumor you told me about." Irene said, turning her gaze to Patricia.

"Makukuha naman diba?" Patricia said out of hope.

Irene and Elena looked at each other, "Ate, ipapa-biopsy pa yun. Tapos chemo nanaman, and it won't work now as Xab's body is declining everything we give her."

Patricia sobbed as Henry was holding back his tears, "Y...you can still cure her right?" Greggy reached for Irene's hand. She looked at their intertwined hands before looking at his eyes. "We still have to try." She said.