Love, Take it Off

SIX

"Kung balak mong magpakamatay, you really picked the worst place to do it." Mahina pero may halong pagbabanta sa tono ng boses ni Zereid. His arms crossed and a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Pinasadahan ko siya ng tingin. Zereid's gaze was sharp and watchful, as if he were assessing the situation unfolding in front of him. I took him in from head to toe, internalizing how relaxed his posture was, a huge difference to my own state. The pain reminded me of the wound, probably stitched more times than I could count.

Napangisi ako. At least, alam kong hindi siya galit. More irritated. Probably.

"What a charming way to welcome someone back to the land of the living."

I winced as I attempted to sit up in the hospital bed, ang amoy ng alchohol at ng humidifier ang nagpagising sa akin. Napahawak agad ako sa tiyan ko. Ang parteng sinaksak ni Yesenia. My muscles felt heavy, a great reminder for me kung anong nangyari.

"No way. Mas pikon na ako ngayong gising ka." Sambit niya habang nakakunot ang noo niya.

"What happened to Yesenia?" I asked, my voice hoarse and raspy.

"And you asked about her before checking on your own health? Now that's fucking love," he shot back, rolling his eyes dramatically.

I let out a heavy sigh, the only gesture I could muster in my current state.

"No one was caught because I called our private doctor before things got out of hand," he continued.

Right. We had a private doctor on speed dial, someone who specialized in discretion of our health. The hospital room around me was bright and unexpectedly warm, the faint beep of the heart monitor providing an unsettling reminder of my fragility. I shifted slightly, the sheets crinkling under me. Napatango agad si Zereid kung nasaan ang IV drop ko.

As I glanced at the IV drip hanging beside me, the idea of death washed over me. Each drop felt like a lifeline. Death was an unwelcome thought I didn't want to entertain. What haunted me even more than my own life fading away was the thought of Yesenia. I couldn't shake the idea of how devastating it would be for her, especially if my parents reacted the way I feared they would after I was gone.

Napailing ako sa sitwasyon ko, feelings bottled up inside me, and this was the last thing I wanted to think about after escaping death.

"Hindi ka naman nahimatay?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood with a joke, though the heaviness in my chest made it difficult.

"Kung gusto kong mahimatay dapat sa harap ng hapagkainan ko pa ginawa. I sensed what that girl was thinking. I watched her walk back and forth anxiously around the garden before she entered our house before the dinner started, her movements restless. I caught a glimpse of her slipping something behind the bushes-a knife, buried deep among the leaves."

"So you're saying you know she's planning to kill someone?" I asked, my voice low. I shifted slightly in my bed, trying to get a better look at Zereid's reaction.

His expression shifted from amusement to seriousness, his brows furrowing. He looked past me, as if imagining the scene playing out in the garden.

"Oo pero hindi ko naman akalaing ikaw ang sasaksakin niya. Though, honestly, I was hoping she'd aim it at her dad, considering how much she struggled with everything that happened in our family dinner the last two days."

Two days? The realization struck me hard.

"Damn, I had no idea a knife wound could knock me out for so long," I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Yeah, well, Yesenia's back at her house now, after all that chaos. Her family rushed home as soon as they could. But I'm sure hindi ito papalagpasin ng parents natin," Zereid said, glancing around the room as if expecting them to appear.