Falling Leaves

Chapter 7

Now

Apo opened his eyes in a well-lit room, enveloped by a calming mix of citrus and vanilla. The softness of the bed is quite foreign, and the sheets aren’t that thick to shield him from the blazing AC. His back feels numb and tingling, but he could feel a bump from behind, like there’s a tiny pillow inserted in between. He feels light-headed, probably he slept too much.

“Apo?”

A familiar soothing voice made him turn his head. It was Nanny Yok.

“What happened?” Apo said in a whisper as his throat seems really dry. Just by then, he noticed the white drapes hanging across the massive window. And above him was a pole of dextrose packs.

“You collapsed yesterday evening. Why didn’t you tell me the bruise festered? You could’ve avoided a bigger infection.”

“Internal?”

“Yes, darling.”

Apo sighed. He averted his gaze towards the window that is half-open. The sun shone brightly along with the swaying branches of trees outside. “Today’s a good day. Where’s Mile?”

“I sent him home to sleep. He was here the whole night. He didn’t even blink an eye and was all over you.”

Apo was clueless how to react to what he heard. Then he remembered the plane tickets, the reason why his heart feels so down and heavy. Even more so, his eyes hurt from all the crying he did from last night, but it seems like he’s about to cry another 5 buckets if he isn’t fighting them back.

“I think I want a divorce.”

He himself was surprised that his alter-ego forced his mouth to say that. His heart started to beat ruthlessly against his rib cage. His mind went almost blank if not for the subtle touch Nanny Yok gave him in the arm.

“I know you. You don’t usually mean what you say when you’re mad.” Nanny Yok sighed. “Do you think you can survive if you lose Mile?”

Apo felt a lump forming in his throat. The idea himself makes his insides turn, with all the knives and needles swirling around his stomach that will leave him bleeding forever. Losing Mile? He wouldn’t even want to dream or think about it. It’s like a virus, deadly enough to kill his organs in a snap of a finger, a nuclear bomb ready to wipe out his first, second, or third lives if the concept of multiverse and multilives existed.

“No, I can’t survive. I will not survive.” Apo sobbed. “That’s why when I saw the plane tickets, I almost died in shock.”

“You mean the tickets to Alaska?”

Apo looked up to his Nanny. “You knew about the tickets? You knew about his plan on leaving me?”

“Leaving you?” Nanny scoffed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mile make any decision that doesn’t benefit you.”

Apo frowned. He doesn’t get any word Nanny Yok said. “Nanny, could you be a bit clear?”

Nanny sighed. “He found a laboratory in Alaska that is currently undergoing an experiment on sterile males. They want to find the slightest chance that steriles can produce even one baby. It has been going on for 3 years now. Yesterday morning, he received an e-mail, an invitation of some sort, if he could come and witness the ‘unveiling’ of the 112th experiment of that la-“

Apo’s tears were pouring out from his eyes. He could not believe what he’s hearing. Mile was actually trying to find a way for them to conceive a child. “Is that true? He wasn’t p-planning on leaving me?”