A Broken Fix (AlDub/MaiChard Fanfic - AMACon2 Entry)

Chapter 9

Late Thursday afternoon found RJ walking tiredly towards Sebastian's private executive suite at St. Luke's Pediatric Unit. He just finished operating on Kathrine, the 11-year old girl with a benign tumor in her head. The operation was successful, the tumor safely removed and the little girl was now recuperating in the isolated recovery room – waiting to be discharged to her own private room back to her parents.

RJ was done for the day and was happy that he didn't have to do any rounds that night. He would need to check on Kathrine the following day though once she was awake to check on her progress after the operation. Other than that, however, he didn't have any other work for the rest of the week. Thank God for small favors such as that.

He quietly entered the Baste's suite and found it devoid of sound. Walking quietly further into the suite, he found his wife and son on the hospital bed, sleeping – Maine's arms around Baste and Baste's head on Maine's chest. He smiled at the picture of peacefulness that his wife and son was exuding at that moment.

If only everything could be normal again. If only I could take away Baste's sickness. If only...

Maine's eyes fluttered open when he sat down on the recliner beside the bed. He thought he was being quiet enough, wanting to take a nap himself. Apparently, he wasn't.

"Hi," he whispered, smiling tiredly.

"Hi," Maine replied, smiling timidly as well. "Kamusta yung operation mo?"

"Ayos naman," he replied, reclining back on his chair and closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

RJ opened his eyes again and looked at her. She was looking at him, teary-eyed and apologetic. "For what, love?"

"For blaming you, of all people, for what is going on with Sebastian."

He straightened up and reached for Maine's hand – kissing the back of it before clasping it in his. "I understand, love. And I'm sorry, too. You're a mom, dapat naisip ko kaagad yun," he told her, caressing her hand. "I've asked Sam to order a spinal fluid test na for him. Bukas siguro pwede ng gawin yun. Once we get the result for it, magkakaron na tayo ng mas malinaw na treatment plan para sa anak natin."

"I'm scared, RJ," Maine whispered.

RJ stood up and scooted closer to his wife and son, enveloping both in his embrace. He leaned down and planted a kiss on Maine's hair. "I know, love. Ako rin naman, eh. Pero nandito lang ako. Hindi ko kayo pababayaan. Nandito tayo para kay Baste, love. Hindi natin siya iiwan."

//

A week later and the results were in from Baste's spinal fluid test. He tested positive for the infectious prion protein, his S100 protein were abnormally high as well. Sam's readings on his EEG showed abnomal patterns too so in conjunction with his MRI scans, they now had a much better idea of what Baste had.

And it wasn't good.

"Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease," RJ said, his voice flat. He was in a phone conference with Patty and Sam. They were in Sam's office deliberating, after getting all of Baste's results from his tests. "No, that can't be right. Hindi pwede yun."

They both heard Patty sigh on the phone which was on speaker. "RJ, I need you to be a doctor right now and not Baste's dad. I know this would be hard for you to bear but I need you to look at the facts."

"She's right, pare," Sam chimed in, earning him a glare from RJ.

"Facts. Sige, let's talk facts," RJ replied, inwardly seething. "Una, sporadic CJD only occurs in patients usually ages 60-70 years old. Pangalawa, kung may genetic naman siya – e di dapat sa amin pa lang ni Maine meron na or even sa mga families namin nag-manifest sya, pero wala. Pangatlo, Baste's symptoms can also be a sign of another degenerative disease. Pang-apat –"

"RJ," Patty cut him off. "Sporadic CJD may be uncommon and rare in children but it doesn't mean that it can't happen. There are cases wherein sporadic CJD happened in children younger than Baste pa nga. Alam mo ito, RJ. Ayaw mo lang aminin at tanggapin because yes, Baste is of your blood," Patty continued, quite brusquely.

"Pare, Baste is deteriorating," Sam added, softly and carefully so RJ wouldn't bite his head off. "Just last week, he was stuttering more. Then his eyesight started to go blurry to the point na lagi na niyang hinihiling kay Maine na siya ang magbasa for him. He can't even draw and write anymore, ang mga muscles niya – hindi na nakiki-cooperate sa kanya."

RJ rubbed his neck then closed his eyes, leaning back on his chair. He started to massage his temples. "Then earlier this morning hindi niya nakilala si Yaya Pearl nung dumalaw dito," he said, quietly admitting to himself what Sam and Patty had been saying all along.

"A sign na nagsisimula na ang memory loss nya," Patty said. "Sunod sunod na yan RJ. Napaka-bilis mag-spread ng CJD, alam mo yun. We're lucky if we get, at most, 3 months with him, but sometimes – it only takes weeks, even days. Soon, he will go into a coma kasi hindi na kakayanin ng brain niya ang sakit. Then eventually, he will die. I'm sorry if I'm being blunt and callous but RJ – alam mo na ang lahat ng ito. You need to be prepared."

RJ then exhaled a shaky breath, his eyes tearing up. "I know, Patty. I know," he said, his voice cracking. "At nakakainis kasi wala akong magawa para pagalingin siya. Doctor pa man din akong naturingan."

"All you can do now is to make him comfortable as much as possible," Patty added.

"And you have to tell Maine," Sam said softly, to which RJ looked up, his grief-stricken eyes suddenly staring at Sam.

"Paano Sam? Paano?"

//

Late that afternoon, Maine was cuddling with Baste on his hospital bed, reading to him another story per his request.

"And the next morning, when the maid was cleaning out the fire, she found a lump of tin in the shape of a heart. The end," Maine closed the book and turned her head to look at Baste, who had his eyes closed. "Baste, baby?" she asked quietly, thinking that he might have already fallen asleep.

When she didn't hear a reply from him, she slowly straightened up to move and sit. She was about to get off the bed to fix herself some tea when she heard a faint whisper from behind her. "M-m-mo-mommy?"

Maine instantly turned around to see Baste opening his eyes slowly, struggling to sit up. She immediately propped up the hospital bed a little so that Baste could sit. The past few days, she started to notice that Baste was already having trouble moving. Even simple actions such as sitting was already a chore.

"I'm here, baby. Anong kailangan mo?"

Baste turned towards her voice and gave her a small smile, his eyes not exactly looking straight at her. "W-wa-wala na-naman p-po. D-dito lang p-po kayo s-sa t-tabi ko?" It was also getting harder and harder for him to talk.

"Oo naman, anak. Dito lang si mommy. Palagi," she choked out, a lump already forming in her throat. Maine hated seeing her son in this state. She hated that she couldn't do anything to take away the pain she knew he was going through. She felt helpless.

Baste continued to smile peacefully, closing his eyes once more. "N-nanaginip p-po ako k-kagabi. N-nakita ko po si L-lola R-Ro-Rosario. K-ki-kinausap n-niya po a-ako."

"Ssshhh... Tulog na anak," Maine shushed him, raking her hand through his hair, her tears flowing now. "Wag kang mag-alala, dito lang ako." Then she started to hum his favorite lullaby to help him sleep.

RJ lost his mom, Rosario, at a very young age to lung cancer. Sebastian never met her although he knew of her, given that RJ always talked about her to his son. Hearing Baste talk about Lola Rosario talking to him in his dreams though was enough to make Maine afraid of what that meant and what could happen.

Little did she know that that would be the last time she would speak to her son.

//