I grabbed two hot noodle soup for Lem and Alice before I arrive at the hospital on an early afternoon. Lem texted me yesterday night and said Alice woke up, asking for me. I saw one faint smile from the patient and another from the attentive companion as soon as I entered the room.
“Lem, will you excuse us for a moment?”
Clementine looked at me for a moment before turning to the patient. "Sige. Alice, sa labas lang ako ha."
Matapos isara ni Lem ang pinto, agad akong tinanong ni Alice. “Anong nangyari sa’yo? Okay ka lang?”
Sya na ang nasa ospital, ako pa ang tinatanong nya kung okay lang ako. Baliwala naman 'tong pasa at sugat ko kung ikukumpara sa nangyari sa kanya. “Okay lang, ikaw? How are you feeling?”
She forced a happy smile at me. “Sakto lang.”
I let myself sit beside her and looked at her intensively as she adjusts her sitting position. Bumabalik na ang kulay sa mga pisngi nya pero medyo maputla pa rin sya at halatang kailangan pa ng pahinga dahil malamlam pa ang mga mata nya. Hindi ko alam kung nakalimutan ba nya na M.D. na 'ko o talagang nature na nya na itago ang lahat sa sarili nya.. maybe both.
“Your shoulder?”
“Okay nga lang.”
I can’t help but to roll my eyes on her. “Alice, kung hindi mo sasabihin ang totoo, pa’no ka magagamot ng maayos?”
She lowered down her gaze then bit her lower lip. “Masakit.. sobra. Lalo na pag ginagalaw..”
“I think they’ll have you wear arm sling when you get out of here and give you some pain killers or medicines, basta sabihin mo lahat ng nararamdaman mo sa doktor. Stay here for three to five days--”
Namilog agad ang mga mata nya at napatingi sa’kin. “Seryoso, kaya ‘kong magpahinga sa bahay.”
“I got everything covered, don’t worry. And if your ego is talking right now, please tell her to shut up.”
Yumuko lang sya sa’kin.
I knew that I shouldn’t leave her that night but I did, and this was the aftermath of that decision. The least that I could do was to pay her hospital bills and get out of her life. “I won’t be returning to school from now on.”
She looked at me, sorts of emotions flash across her face. Confusion, wariness, and the one I never thought I’d see: Pain. “Dahil ba ‘to sa nangyari?”
My mood drops at the sight of her gloomy face so I turned away. “No,” I’m continuously putting her into situations that upset her rather than what I was instructed to. Taking care of someone surely is a difficult task to fulfill.
