Something More

Rebirth

Monday morning...

Christian Anthony's POV:

As fast as wildfires, yesterday's wonders have just hit national headlines.

I was reading a broadsheet this morning at Imee's bedside, she still remains unconscious. It has a headline in the frontpage states: "Miracle Recorded: Host Bleeds After Consecrated by the Priest". The news story depends on the testimonies of the children who receives the first communion yesterday. Then one witness in the news article was able to theorize that the miracle has something to do with the "lady in the wheelchair who also glows with the host"...which it was Imee Therese Villaflor.

"...hnnng..."

Suddenly, Imee moans. Startled, I flip the newspaper out of my hands and quickly checked if she's waking up.

"Imee! Imee! Please...wake up!"

"...hnng...ow! My head!" Her blind eyes opened and emoted.

"Imee! Are you okay?!" I asked her worriedly.

"Huh? Why are you asking so worriedly about that? Of course, I'm okay! Hehehe!" Imee smiled and giggled, as if there's nothing happened to her. "By the way, where are we?"

"Where back in the room, Imee. You've been out cold for a day."

"Oh, I see." Imee's tone of voice became serious. "So...is the kids okay? They have received their first communion?"

"Yes, they received it." I quickly replied so I could ask her another one. "But...umm...Imee, there's something I wanted to tell you. It's about yesterday..."

"I know about it, Anthony." Imee replies back firmly.

"Huh? What do you mean about that?"

"I hear your voices while I was talking to Father God." Imee explains. "I saw...one huge host...on the top of the chalice...light shines from the host. Then, after a few moments, the host begins to beat like a heart...until it morphs into a heart itself...then...the blood gushes down from it...filling the chalice."

"Yes, almost the same thing happens here." I told her about my side. "As Father Jean raises the host and the chalice, the host begins to become red...and there's something in it that drops into the chalice. But not before your body begins to glow as bright as the sun...but the light doesn't burn our eyes. And that's when you fainted on my shoulder. Can I ask you then, is there something you did to make the host bleed?"

"Nope, I don't. I just helped Him by praying to Him." She answers quickly. "I tell Him about my frustrations about people who didn't go to a Mass and perhaps...that was the best way God has replied to me."

"Hehehe! It's not only God, Imee, who do it. It was you also." I refuted back. "You continued to help me in gaining my faith and hope to Him. But I wonder if...even it's already known in newspapers...I wonder if people will turn out to go back to the church."

"...pffft...hehehe!!!" Suddenly, Imee bursts into laughter.

"Hu-huh? Wha-why are you laughing at me?" My face blushed in embarrassment. "I'm trying to be serious here!"

"Hehehe...I'm sorry. It's just...pffft...you're so ironic!" Imee calms down before explaining. "You are grateful to me about helping you...but still you have doubts. Come on, could you please give me and God a chance?"

"Sure, why not?" I ended up with a wink to her.

"Tok! Tok! Tok!"

Suddenly, I hear a knock on the door. I stood up from Imee's bedside and quickly opened the door...there I saw a tall man standing before me...he wears a whole body uniform with violet buttons, with a shoulder cape and a linen wrapped around his waist.

"Oh! Good day, sir. What can I do for you?" Without any hesitation, I bowed down my head to the man in adoration.

"Well, I would like to know if there's a certain Imee Therese Villaflor who lives there. I just want to have some like to with her." The man humbly replies. "Oh! I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Reynaldo Miguel Tiroda, I am the Archbishop of our Metropolitan See."

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Sir Archbishop. Come on in, she's here." As I guide our guest inside, I called Imee. "Imee! You had a guest for today. It's the Archbishop."

"Oh!" I saw Imee's face smiling as I offered my seat to the Archbishop so he could sit down at the bedside and talk to her.

Imee Therese's POV:

"Hello, Imee." The Archbishop greets me.

"Yes. Hello, Your Excellency." I humbly replied. "I suppose that you want something from me to talk about."

"Yes, certainly. It's about the miracle that happened in your church yesterday...I just want to investigate whether the miracle is true or not. Now tell me, is there anything...or anybody you know who could manipulate such miracle?"

"Nope...nobody manipulates with such." I simply replied.  "It is simply God who do it...as an answer to my prayer."

"Are you telling the truth, Ms. Villaflor?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. I'm telling the truth. Even if I will be undergoing a lie-detector test, I will tell you the same answer. If I lie, it would be in violation with my responsibilities as a cathecist of this church...and I could commit a mortal sin to my Father God, to whom I believe, love, and adore so much. Also, if I lie, my little assistant Anthony will be angry and knock senses off my paralyzed body."

"Hehehe! You're pretty clever and intelligent, milady." The Archbishop seems impressed with my defense. "Tell me, how strong do you believe in our God?"

"As hard as a rock, Your Excellency. He saved me from death after I fell into a 40 foot cliff, being choked by a tree branch and left paralyzed, and being blind as well. Because of my faith, I was trusted by God and His Mother...to be His servant to this city and its people to return to His faith...and also...to help my little assistant Anthony to regain hope and strength through God. I offered my lifeless body...my frail heart...my blind eyes...and my strong soul and will to the Lord...so He could perform miracles in this place with me as His instrument."

"Very well said, milady. Now I know why Jean told me that you are a holistic person." Archbishop complimented me as he stands up and about to depart me. "But it doesn't mean that your miracle will be verified for a short time. Expect criticisms...but I believe that your devout faith will stood strong in the end."

"Yes, Your Excellency. I leave it to your hands. I accept your decision if it is true or a fraud...but for me...it won't be matter at all...as long as it would be a better way for people to return to the arms of the Church."

The Archbishop doesn't replied to me anymore...as I hear the door of my room closing...leaving me and Anthony once again.

"Wow, Imee! You look great out there!" Anthony praised me. "You've done a great job dealing with the Archbishop!"

"Of course! I will defend my stand no matter what! Hehehe!" I changed the tone of my voice as like I'm boasting. "Don't you know that if I'm still healthy and strong, I should have been land in a job as a lawyer? Hehehe!"

"Yeah, right! Then you used my name during your defense!"

"Huh? What's wrong with that?" I grin at him. "I mean you're a policeman...so if I lie, you will arrest me and charge me with perjury!"

"Hehehe! You're testimony is not under oath!" The day ended with another dose of laughter.