The Patient

8. EVERYTHING

Mindy turned away from the window as their plane began its ascent.
"Might as well sleep like this sister of mine ," she said to herself as she noticed Weenie already comfortably positioned in the seat beside her and fast asleep. "All the roller coaster of physical and emotional stresses of the previous weeks must have caught up with her..." thought Mindy, as she lovingly gazed at her sibling. And planning and organizing this sabbatical trip to Boracay must have cost her even more strength , so I must let her be, for now at least...
Mindy smiled as she settled the airline provided small pillow on her back and spread its pair , a small cotton blanket on her lap and legs. Soon , she too was asleep, and reliving the time she awoke from coma...
Mindy's eyelids fluttered upon hearing several unknown voices from the periphery of her unconciousness. As she gained her slowly clearing vision , she found Keith, looking so stunned and oblivious to his soroundings as he massaged her arm , her shoulder and her brows.
...was he crying, too?
Then she focused on the face of the owner of the voice talking to Weenie, and heard him saying ,
"We are your cousins,
Our father, Dominggo Morgarojo , your uncle Doming , have been looking for you for so long and only now have we traced your whereabouts through the news of the accident in the social media."
Weenie was looking from one to the other person in the room, unsure of how to respond. " We were not told of any relatives, neither from mama, nor from papa's side."
" I didn't get your names, please tell me again ?" Mindy murmured, as all eyes reverted to her.
"Oh, you're awake , thanks God!" Weenie cried and pressed Mindy's hand tearfully.
"Yes , and I had the most amazing dream," Mindy slowly murmured.
"A dream?! A dream! You were unconcious for two days! I thought I will be alone in life! I was so frightened! Never ever do that to me again!" Weenie cried as she scolded Mindy amidst smiles and tears.
Mindy patted Weenie's hand to console her beloved sister, and smiled tentatively at Keith and the other visitors.
"Hush, Ate Weenie, we have our cousins now, and there's Keith, too, not just us two, you see..." then she turned to face their visitors,
" I have met all our parents
in my dream, and was informed about you... but I have forgotten your names... can you tell me again?"
" I'm Quirico, call me Rico for short, and this is my sister Reggie , Querygma for long. Our father is your mother's elder brother, Dominggo Morgarojo." said the taller man, whose arm was being held by the young woman of Mindy's age.
"It seemed that your parents marriage caused a rift between our parents, and your uncle Manuel, my father, was too young then , to look for your parents eventually. But even before he died, my father told me to continue looking for his Ate Corazon and her family..." explained the other young man who was standing on the other side of the young woman. He was about Keith' s age and build and looked like the younger version of Dominggo Morgarojo in the picture Mindy had seen among her patient's
belongings.
"By the way, I am Monico, I came to the hospital the day before uncle Doming died. I am a lawyer and now the keeper of our grand parents' last will and testament. We will be reading this as soon as Mindy gets well... so, get well soon.. cousin Mindy!"
" So do we wish you to heal real soon, too, cousin Mindy! But we have to attend to our father's funeral arrangements first , " inserted their young woman cousin Reggie.
"Yes, and speaking about which , we have to leave now, Reggie, Monico , and I will inform you later , cousins Wena and Mindy when and where the internment will be." said Rico . "And wishing you a real fast recovery, Mindy, and don't worry about anything anymore, your hospital bills are already settled."
At this, the brother and sister left with their cousin Monico.
Weenie and Keith stood looking confused and overwhelmed by the overload of information given them just a few moments ago. They were still processing these as they marvelled at Mindy's quick acceptance and appreciative response to these new informations...
"What do you mean, you have met them all already, Mindy? Why this is just the first time I've met them now! " Weenie quizzed her sister.
" You, who was in coma for two days? How, where and when have you met them and their parents too? " seconded Keith, who seemed as confused at the unfolding events.
"I must have had an out of body experience , Ate Weenie,.." And Mindy related to her dearest sister Weenie, and to her faithful boyfriend, Keith , what their father and mother, and her siblings ( their uncles Dominggo and Manuel) appeared to have revealed to her while she was in her unconcious phase....
" And that's it, Ate Weenie, Keith , they are all our cousins,   apparently , and everything will be all right now.... EVERYTHING!"
(*£*)