Chapter 28
Day 80: Dr. Damian Reyes Hospital
I woke up to the sound of people talking nearby. Iminulat ko ang mga mata ko at agad na sumalubong sa akin ang puting kisame. I tried to move, but I immediately felt the pain in my body. Para akong nabugbog kaya hindi ako makagalaw ng ayos.
“Doc, is there any other way to save her?” Parang nagpanting ang tainga ko nang marinig ang boses na iyon. It’s funny how he even came here to check on my condition. Save me? How pathetic.
“Anong ginagawa mo rito?” I asked calmly. Alam kong naagaw ko ang atensyon nila. I heard loud footsteps coming in my direction. Ilang sandali lang ay tumambad sa akin ang mukha ng doctor at ni Papa. Parang bumalik ang sakit at galit ko nang makita ko siya.
“Anak! You’re finally awake!” nakangiti niyang saad.
Lumalakas ang kabog ng dibdib ko. Gusto kong sumigaw. I badly want to stand up and slap him hard. I know what he did. He is fucking horrible. I couldn’t believe I had chosen to trust someone like him.
My hand formed a fist under the blanket that covered my body. Ramdam ko ang unti-unting pag-init ng bawat sulok ng mga mata ko. “You shouldn’t have come,” mariin kong sambit na naging dahilan ng pagkabura ng ngiting mayroon siya.
“Shiloah...” mahina niyang banggit sa pangalan ko.
“Get out. I want to talk to the doctor. Alone.” Nagkatinginan silang dalawa at halatang naguguluhan sa inaakto ko. Sa huli, sumunod din naman siya sa sinabi ko at iniwan kaming dalawa ng doctor. Narinig ko pa ang pagbukas ng pinto at ang malakas nitong pagsara.
“Mabuti naman at gising ka na, hija.”
Malumanay kong tiningnan ang doctor nang magsalita ito.
“Kamusta po ako, doc?” Mapait akong napangiti nang mabasa ko ang reaksyong umukit sa mukha niya. I already knew that something was wrong.
“You’re not okay, hija.”
Huminga ako ng malalim, habang pilit na pinapakalma ang sarili. Just by hearing that, I thought, Parang gusto ko nang umiyak. “Your liver is damaged due to toxics that have built up on it. We already know what happened dahil ipinaliwanag na sa amin ng Papa mo,” dagdag pa niya na ikinakunot lalo ng noo ko.
“What did he say?"
“That you’re suicidal and you constantly take painkillers without proper prescriptions from doctors.” Mariin akong napalunok. " He found Tylenol capsules in your drawer, Hija. That substance contains acitomenaphen, an ingredient in that product that can cause severe harm when—" I stopped him from talking.
“I know, doc. That’s why I used it for suicidal purposes. I am fully aware that it can be deadly.” Napabuntong hininga ang doctor at sandali pang napapikit ng mata. Marahil ay hindi niya lubusang maisip na ginawa ko ang bagay na ikapapahamak ko.
“You’re currently in a dangerous state,” aniya.
“What do we need to do? Doc, I want to live.” Napakagat ako sa pang-ibaba kong labi upang pigilan ang sarili kong maluha at humikbi. This is not the time to act weak and fragile. I need to survive. I have to.
“You can undergo a liver transplant, but we still have to find you a donor that would match your blood type and has a liver anatomy that would be suitable for donation,” napatango ako sa sinabi niya.
“How about my survival rate after surgery?”
“The surgery needs to be a success first, hija. Nasa kritikal na kondisyon ka kaya ipagdasal na lang muna natin na may dumating agad na mag-dodonate ng parte ng kanilang liver.” Hinawakan niya ang kamay ko at marahang tinapik iyon. “Fifty-fifty chances, hija, it’s either you surpass such a pace or—for the worst-case scenario...
