disclaimers:
- AU means Alternative Universe therefore;
- this is a work of fiction. gawa-gawa, kathang-isip.
- i do not own or connected to any person mentioned in this story. i merely used them as characters only.
- i'm not a nurse or a doctor, i'm no way an expert at diseases or how hospital rules go. as i've said, this is fiction so let's just pretend.
- ENJOY!
~~~
You'd think for a girl, Maine would love flowers.
she hates it.
she has a favorite, sure, but she hates seeing them. especially in her line of work as a nurse.
she thinks they're pretentious. why give someone who's in the hospital a bouquet of flowers? anong silbi nun? gagamitin yung petals sa pagbibilang ng mga huling araw ng buhay niya, imbes na sa she/he loves me she/he loves me not? pangpabango ng kwarto, kung pwede namang gumamit ng air freshener? decoration, gayung paglabas mo ng kwarto e hindi mapagkakaila na nasa ospital ka? anong purpose ng bulaklak?
"ang sangsang na ng kwarto ni Mrs. Lenarez, kelan niya ba papatanggal yung mga bulaklak? nakakalat lang eh," reklamo niya sa kaibigang si Janine pagdating sa Nurses' station.
"ayaw niya ipalinis. hayaan lang daw dun. pabayaan mo na yung matanda, yun na nga lang kaligayahan tapos sisirain mo pa," sagot sa kanya. "isa pa, alam ni Mrs. Lenarez na hindi na siya magtatagal. let the flowers be the last thing she sees when her time comes. at least sa huling sandali ng buhay niya, maganda pa din ang kapaligiran niya."
biglang nalungkot si Maine. mga dalawang taon na din kase niya inaalagaan ang matanda, syempre na-attach na din siya kahit lagi siyang sinasabihan na hindi naman daw siya kagandahan. aray.
"ano na bang diagnosis? wala na talagang pag-asa?"
"sabi ni Doc, swerte na daw kung aabot pa sa katapusan," sabi ni Jan. "kaya nga araw-araw kong dinadalhan ng bulaklak eh. ang sarap kaya sa pakiramdam kapag nakikita siyang nakangiti."
Maine pondered over that then decided to bring the old lady flowers as well.
---
Mrs. Lenarez died ten days later. hindi na kinaya ng medication ang malalang sakit niya.
nakiramay si Maine at Janine sa pamilya nito dahil silang dalawa lang ang matiyagang sinubaybayan ang ina at lola nila. nasa sementeryo sila upang makipaglibing ng makatanggap si Maine ng tawag galing sa ospital.
---
they were supposed to be just headaches.
headaches that make him scream, lash out, see white spots and hurl up but just headaches. he didn't think it would serious. this extreme.
his head suddenly feels light as the neurologist, his old one, explains to him that he may have acquired the disease from his previous radiation, from when he first had a scare. he thought he was okay, that he wouldn't undergo through that again. lahat ay maling akala.
"Glioblastoma, Grade IV. i'm sorry to be blunt but you're already in the worst stage. Tisoy naman, i told you not to pursue this career dahil delikado na ang utak mo pero di ka nakinig. time and time again, i reminded you to take great care of your head pero pasaway ka," Doc Raph scolded then sighed. "I'm very sorry, RJ, but as much as i want to reassure you that you'll be okay, i cant lie to you. there's no known cure for your disease yet. yes, we can remove the tumor and the usual chemotherapy after that plus meds, but i'm not sure how long those can extend your life."
well, might as well accept it willingly.
"how long do i have left?"
"i'd say you're fortunate enough if you can still be here next year."
