Rj was in the bathroom when he thought he heard his bedroom door open. He was getting ready to leave for work. He thought that maybe Mama Ten peeped in to call him or that the helper brought in some of his things inside. He finished his business and went back into the room to tidy up before leaving.
As part of his daily routine, he fixed his bed before picking up the aircon remote control on his bedside table to switch the aircon off. It was only then that he noticed that Maine was curled up on his la-z-boy beside his bed. She was wearing a black shirt dress and her hair covered her face so he didn't notice her right away.
He brushed her hair from her face with his hand, tucking it behind her ear. He gently stroked her soft face. Even though the room was dimly lit because the blinds were down, he noticed that Maine's face was a bit flushed. He knew she didn't really like wearing make up so this surprised him. He held her arm which was on her lap when he felt how warm she was to touch. He immediately felt her neck and forehead and confirmed that she had a temperature.
He tried to wake her but she remained unconcious, sleeping. He flipped his comforter and arranged his pillows before lifting Maine off the la-z-boy and transferring her to the bed. Within minutes of covering her with the comforter, she curled up on her side and moaned. She was shivering.
Rj rushed out of his room get the thermometer from the medicine cabinet. He took Maine's temperature with an in-ear fever thermometer, 39.4. Without second thoughts, he rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a face towel and wet it and applied it on Maine's forehead. He got his thick winter jacket from the closet and covered Maine with it. He lay down beside her and cuddled her to share body heat. In a few minutes, Maine's body relaxed and stopped shivering.
"....ano yung last scene na kinunan nyo kagabi?......ulan?.....so nabasa sya?......basang-basa?.....nakapagbihis naman agad?......bakit hindi?.....susmaryosep!...... di kami papasok today.....oo.....ang taas ng lagnat e.....oo....andito sa bahay......sa Laguna kasi yung JFA sana.....oo.....dalawa kami.....nakakainis kayo.....sabi ko alagaan nyo e.....o sige.....bye!" Rj spoke to the crew at their taping. Rj had left the location earlier to attend to other matters while Maine had some more scenes to shoot. According to the crew, the last scene that was taken the night before had Maine running away from some people and getting caught in heavy downpour. The humid climate, plus her sweat, and the cold "rain" water gave her a fever.
Maine woke up the next day feeling woozy but thought that she could handle it. She developed a headache while on her way to Laguna. Her driver thought it best to take her to Rj's house since it was very near the location. She did not protest anymore when they arrived and Riza answered the door. She helped Maine up to Rj's room. Maine was more woozy with headache and now had a temperature. She fell asleep on the la-z-boy as soon as she entered his room.
Rj wiped Maine's arms and face with a cool towel to lower her temperature. Her fever seemed to reach a peak when she suddenly spoke out of her delirium, "J....Rj.....taping.....".
"I love you..." Rj replied and kissed her gently on the cheek. He continued wiping her down for a few more minutes. He let her rest while he sat on the la-z-boy to relax and watch over Maine.
He was distracted by the game he was playing on his tablet that he didn't notice Maine waking up. She turned to him and spoke, "....J.....Richard...." she said softly.
He turned his head and smiled at her. "How are you feeling?" He said as he stood up and sat beside her on the bed, taking her hand and gently stroking her face.
"....masakit...." she said, her face scrunching up a bit.
"...huh? Ang alin?...." he said, his voice full of concern.
"...lahat...."
Just then, there was a gentle knocking on the door. Rj stood up and went to the door. He went out and Maine closed her eyes again and curled up under the covers which she pulled ot her ear.
Rj returned and looked at Maine. "Love...."
Maine turned to look at him.
"Maine....dadalhin kita sa doctor, ha? Tumawag si Nanay...inaantay na tayo dun...."
Maine wanted to protest. She hated going to the doctor, she hated needles. But in her state, she just nodded as Rj bent down to lift her.
"Wait....bathroom...." Maine said as Rj pulled the covers off of her.
She sat on the edge of the bed and used her arms to steady herself. She was feeling light headed still. He assisted her to the bathroom door.
He fixed the bed while waiting for her but found it odd that the minutes were getting longer. He called out, "....Maine?"
No reply.
"....Maine.....okay ka lang?" He said again as he approached the bathroom door. He heard the faucet running as he turned the doorknob. Instantly, the smell of vomit hit him.
In the bathroom, Rj saw that the faucet in the sink was running so he shut it off. He found Maine sitting in one corner with a towel on her face.
"What happened?" He said as he sat beside her.
"....s.....suka...." She hesitantly replied between sobs.
"Shh....shhh...." He put his arm around her and pulled her to rest her head on his chest. He took out his phone from his pocket and messaged Nanay to update her of their situation – and a possibility of being delayed.
Maine suddenly leaned forward then stood up and vomited in the sink. Rj also quickly stood up to help her.
"Dun muna tayo sa room?" He suggested.
She nodded and walked feebly with him. They had not taken more than a few steps when she rushed back to the sink and vomited again.
They stayed in the bathroom for a while longer as Rj helped her change out of her shirt-dress and into his t-shirt and shorts. He lifted her and brought her straight-away to the car, positioning a towel and plastic bag on her lap as he sat her on his.
"Kuya sa Medical...." he told his driver.
At the hospital, Maine was immediately whisked into one of the cubicles in the emergency room while Rj spoke to Nanay, Tatay and the doctor. He explained what happened and why it took them a while to get to hospital.
Maine was whimpering behind the curtain so Rj rushed in and saw that the nurse was about to give her an IV to rehydrate her.
"Shhh....sandali lang yan.....shhhh...." He said as he bent down and rubbed her shoulders and arm for her to keep it steady for the procedure.
Because of her vomiting ordeal, she had become slightly dehydrated so it was a bit difficult to find a good vein.
"Ayoko.....ayaw...." Maine kept on repeating, sobbing as she was being pricked.
"Shhh.....malapit na.....shhhh......" Rj kept on reassuring her. Finally, the IV was in place.
"....Love....rest ka muna....." Rj said as he sat beside the bed.
".....taping..."
"Rest ka muna.....wag mo na muna isipin yun....."
"....."
"....natawagan ko na sila....."
Maine nodded and closed her eyes. The medicines that were given to her were kicking in.
