Jump Then Fall

VII. Kulay Rosas ang Medyas

Rain clung to the windows of Leni's house in Naga, soft but persistent, like the kind of warning no one listens to until it's too late.

Inside, the lights were still on.

Her staff had already gone home. The house was quiet except for the faint rustle of papers and the occasional cough she tried (and failed) to suppress.

Leni sat at the dining table, laptop open, glasses slipping slightly down her nose. A stack of documents lay beside her, half-reviewed. Her hand trembled just enough to make her pause, but not enough to make her stop.

"Just a few more," she murmured to herself.

Another cough. This time harsher.

She pressed a hand against her chest, closed her eyes briefly, then kept typing.

Work didn't stop just because she was sick.

So neither would she.

Then, the door opened abruptly.

"Ma'am—" her house staff barely had time to announce before he was already inside.

Bongbong.

Still in his polo barong, slightly wrinkled from travel, hair unsettled, eyes sharp and searching.

Behind him, a small medical team filed in quickly, carrying equipment, murmuring to each other in hushed urgency.

Leni looked up, startled. "What—"

He stopped a few feet from her.

For a moment, he didn't say anything.

He just stared at her.

Pale.
Exhausted.
Still working.

Something in his expression darkened. "You're sick," he said flatly.

Leni blinked, trying to process. "How did you—"

"Aika told me," he cut in. "Pumapasok ka pa rin daw sa office pero nagtatrabaho ka pa rin dito."

She sighed, closing her laptop halfway. "I'm fine."

"Fine?" he echoed, incredulous.

As if on cue, she coughed again, longer this time, enough to make her grip the edge of the table.

His jaw clenched. "That's your definition of fine?"

"Bongbong—"

"You've had fever for two days," he said, voice rising. "Two days, Leni. And you didn't even think to tell me?"

She straightened, defensive despite the weakness in her body. "It's just a fever. Galing lang 'to sa biyahe. I've handled worse."

"That's not the point!" he snapped.

The room fell silent.

Even the doctors paused.

Leni stared at him, surprised.

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing once before stopping in front of her again. "You flew back from Taiwan sick, you refused to rest, and you're still working like nothing's wrong?" he said, each word tight with frustration. "What exactly were you planning to do? Collapse first before you admit you need help?"

She frowned. "Don't exaggerate."

"I'm not exaggerating!" he shot back. "You're burning up."

One of the doctors stepped forward gently. "Ma'am, can we check your vitals?"

Leni hesitated, clearly annoyed, but Bongbong didn't even wait for her answer.

"Check her," he said firmly.