A Close Second

Forty Ninth

Hello guys!

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The hospital bed seemed to be colder when I came to again.

I looked around and then found Keith Andrew coming out of the bathroom. Nagulat siyang makitang gising na ako ulit. He goes straight to me though,ataking his usual seat sa may upuan sa tabi ko.

"Hey." He says saka naman hinaplos ang buhok ko. "You fainted kanina.   Ang taas ng lagnat mo. Sabi nila may impeksyon daw sa dugo mo."

Tinignan ko lang siya, looking at the IV stand and seeing another bag filled with different colored fluid connected to the IV drip that was directed to my arm. It kind of stung a bit, and I felt my arm a little heavy, which I didn't understand.

"Does it hurt?" Tanong nito sa akin, reaching for my hand and caressing it.
I bit my lip. "Mabigat."
"It's the potassium." He says, kissing my palm. "You'll be okay though."

Naalala ko nalang bigla si Jake and tears start to form on the edges of my eyes.

"Hey... Baby." He says worriedly. "All this stress isn't good for you."
"So Jake..." was all I could say.
He sighs. "I know."

His tone made the tears fall down, my heart constricting with the thought that it was all real and was not a product of my imagination.

"He shoved himself in front of me." I whispered. "Sana... sana pala hindi nalang niya ginawa yun."

The memory flashed in my head, how I was the one who saw the incoming car first. How Jacob had immediately twisted in his seat and tried to cover my head with his body, glass raining down on us.

"He protected me." I say, tears giving no indication of stopping. "Why..."

Why did he even try to protect someone as weak as you? The voice in my head says.

"That protective streak of his is the main reason he's still alive, Tris."

Napatingin ako kay Andrew, who was still holding my IV-clad hand. He was looking at me intently.

"If it wasn't for that, baka patay na siya on the spot."
"What?"
"Nung takpan ka niya, nailayo niya ang katawan niya ng kaunti, kaya paa lang ang naipit sa kanya ng sobra. That's the only bone broken." He says, before taking his phone. "Look at this."

Inilabas niya ang phone niya, showing me a photo of a familiar black pick-up. Sirang sira ang driver's side nito at sobrang yuping yupi. My breath hitched as I scroll through the pictures, seeing the extent of the damage in the machine.

"Ang nagpakritikal talaga sa inyong dalawa ayun yung mga sugat niyo sa ulo at yung pagkaubos ng dugo." He tells me. "You two also had concussions and head injuries. Humihinga pa kayo pero walang nag rerespond sa inyong dalawa when they were examining you two. No reflexes, no eye movement."

The way na nayupi nga ang sasakyan, I'm surprised we didn't die on the spot. More tears dropped from my eyes as I stared at the photo again, remembering the way Jacob had thrown himself over me.

Jake was the nicest, sweetest, most decent, and honest guy that I know. Hindi niya deserve ito.

And yet, ikaw ang gising ngayon. My brain says, almost sarcastically.

Naramdaman kong tumayo si Keith Andrew, joining me in the bed and sitting beside me on the other side bago niya ipinulupot ang mga kamay sa balikat ko and pulling me into him. I cry some more in his arms and he lets me bury my face into his neck, unable to fully express what I felt.

He planted small kisses in my hair, running a hand on my back soothingly.

"It's not your fault."
Wasn't it? "It's not his, either." I sniff. "Bakit siya pa? Ang daming taong nagmamahal sa kanya."