A Vihokratana's tragedy

5. Aunt Namtan

New's tarso took another jolt as the defibrillator pads were pulled with a force once again. His heart was beating again. The monitor's lines fluctuated, confirming that he was alive. New was alive. Once again a tear drop fell from a small pair of already reddish and swollen eyes. In all the chaos, no one noticed the child hiding behind the anesthetic machine, tucked away in a small space, out of sight from the doctors and his dad, who was anxiously trying to comfort his nine-year-old twins. He needed to know how his Papa was doing. The twelve year old was not afraid to see scissors cutting through his papa's skin as the red will make its way out of the cuts. He knew the process. He saw it on the Internet. He was about to step out when the beeping from the monitor suddenly stopped.

Pluem woke up with a jolt, his body drenched in sweat. His heart thudded, as if trying to break free from his chest. After nearly a year, the nightmare had returned. The machines, the blood, Frank and Nanon's cries, and his dad's panic—none of it terrified Pluem as much as seeing his Papa's body with weak pulses lying on the bed of the hospital room did. They told him it wasn’t his fault, but was it really not? Pluem needed water; his dry throat was killing him. He reached for the bottle on his bedside table but found it empty. Right, he had finished it before going to sleep. It was four in the morning. He dragged his still-numb body to the kitchen, where he found someone eating an apple. Aunt Namtan. Right. She had come to visit them and had caught the siblings sneaking out just a few hours earlier. Thank goodness she promised to keep it a secret; otherwise, who knows how much trouble they would have faced from their dad?

"Good morning, Aunt," Pluem greeted her.

"Oh, good morning, early bird! But isn't it a bit too early?" Namtan replied, pointing at the large pendulum clock visible from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I just happened to wake up early."

Namtan nodded as she continued eating her apple.

"You know, you and Papa have the same habit of eating fruit first thing in the morning," Pluem observed, gesturing at the apple in her hand.

"Sibling things, you know. Our dad used to bring home so many fruits since we owned an orchard. Eating fruit in the morning just became a habit." Pluem guzzled water from the refrigerator while listening to his aunt.

After quenching his thirst, Pluem said, "You should rest some more, Aunt. You must be tired after all that travel."

"You have a strong aunt, Pluem. I travel here and there all the time. I would love to laze around, but I have some work, which is why I had to get up early. Alright, time for work. Get some more rest; you were up late last night." She ruffled his hair before leaving the kitchen.

Though she left Pluem felt a bit reluctant to after that nightmare. He wanted to check on New. He walked to his fathers' room and tried to open the door slowly to avoid making noise. Of course, it was locked. Locked meant his dad was beside his Papa, probably cuddling each other. A smile crept onto his face as he returned to his room.

....

"You know, boys, this was the surprise I had planned for you, but she arrived late. Why were you late, Namtan?" New asked, as they sat down for breakfast in the dining room. The moment the boys saw Namtan sitting at the table, their faces lit up with the surprise that Tay hoped for during their birthday party. New looked at his husband with pride, blissfully unaware that his boys had already met Namtan the day before.

Namtan, New's younger sister and the current CEO of the Teechapaikhun empire, sat across from him. Tay retracted his earlier statement; he might not be the male lead, but New certainly was.

"It wasn't my fault. I told you I would be late due to work, and it’s not like you were up late waiting for me. You literally massaged me and told me to go straight to my room when I arrived, not to disturb anyone. Wow! Can you really be my brother?" People think Tay and New bicker the most, but they should witness New and Namtan’s playful arguments.