2 Minutes, 23 Seconds

2' 19"

Waking up on a hospital bed is one of the worst things Van could think of experiencing. He hated the hospital ever since he found out that he was sick, and now he is in one.

Eury...

His eyes widened and he tried to sit up faster than lighting, a futile effort for his body. The throbbing in his head did not help.

He looked around the room as careful as he possibly could, as he was still dizzy. His cousin was there, looking at a different direction. Outside the window, it was dark already.

He remained lying down, ignoring the twisting feeling in his stomach. He felt exhausted and his muscles ached all over. He really overdid it this time. He glanced at his trembling, bony hands and saw that his knuckles were badly bruised and cut.

He winced at the pain, not even knowing where it exactly came from.

Eury... Where is she?

He tried to get up yet again but the door opened and in came Nina, Ivan's girlfriend, catching him.

Ivan turned his attention to Van when Nina's eyes widened. They quickly came to his bed to aid him in sitting up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ivan asked sternly, through gritted teeth. He looked distressed.

"Tell you what?" Van asked with a grunt. He actually doesn't want to talk about him. They should talk about Eury instead. Where was she? Is she okay? He wanted to ask.

"Punyeta, Eric." His voice rose a bit, causing his girlfriend to try to calm him by holding his arm and rubbing it. Ivan's nose flared as he kept himself in control. "If your doctor hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known!"

Van did not flinch at his cousin's words.

"Does Mama know?" Ivan asked.

"You're stressing him out, Ivan," Nina whispered beside him as she continued to calm her boyfriend.

Van remained mum. He could only think of his baby girl. Fear still crept in his veins. Baby girl...

He was reminded again of how useless he is. He couldn't protect her. He wasn't there when she needed him.

Eury doesn't deserve to suffer, more so for and because of a dying man.

His eyes stung as impending tears glazed his dull-colored orbs.

"Where is she?" His voice was now raspier.

As if on cue, Duncan entered the room with his fists balled, hair all tousled, eyes bloodshot.

"I talked to Eury's attending physician." His voice was low and carried a tone Van did not like one bit.

Duncan, on the other hand, had too much going on in his mind. He had too much on his plate, so many things to take care of.

The image of a bloody Stacey was still etched in his thoughts. He had rushed her to the same hospital they were currently in, as it was the nearest. It was a good thing that he was quick and he drove fast.

He let the doctors and nurses do their job while he felt the worst. He could only rely on other people to save his beloved. His fury made him drive his fist to a wall by his car in the parking lot when he went to get a change of clothes. His dear Greta's blood was smeared all over the passenger seat.

Saying his heart was broken is an understatement.

And now, he planned on keeping Stacey's suicide attempt to himself. Van couldn't be stressed any more; he'd had too much to deal with already. He was still his patient and he had to make sure that Van doesn't get any worse, as he wasn't even on medications. Although, it was not guaranteed especially with what he found out just a while ago.