Claiming Your Heart Sage Villangca

20th Chapter

Sheremee's POV

One. Two. Three...

I kept my pace. Counting the seconds as my breathing slowed.

I heard him. And I kept on hearing him calling my name.

And God help us all. My Sage is crying.

He keeps on crying as he held my cold hands.

I want to squeeze his fingers as a sign that I'm hearing his pleas and cries but I can't. My body won't allow me to.

My brain is still working but my heart.

It's beating in a slow rhythm, parang bumibigat.

My breath was stuck and my lungs aren't working anymore.

Dun na ko naiyak.

That's all I can do, make my eyes water in such agony and helplessness.

Then I heard it or should I say felt it.

Out of nowhere and in an unexpected split second it stopped.

My heart stopped beating.

I heard the machines sing in a very high pitch.

All noises mixed together.

Yohan's, Sage's Mother, my brothers...

But the most hurtful sound was not really their cries. . .

Not their words..

Not their regrets...

It's the pain..

It's the unfairness of being left behind...

It's Sage's. Sage's scream as he calls my name over and over again, as if it's going to make me breathe again.

~*~

Saab's POV

Nasa labas ako ng ospital.

Waiting. Listening.

It's what I do whenever I was about to do my job. Soul fetcher ika nga ni Seth.

Soul fetcher, sometimes eater when I craved to. Kidding, I don't eat souls, I just take them.

Naghintay pa ko ng ilang segundo, dahil nararamdaman ko ng malapit na.

When I heard the waves of cries from the second floor, I took it as my cue to appear.

I walked through the halls, went inside her room where she lay there in the white painted iron hospital bed, laying there so still, lifeless and way too beautiful for a dead person, which makes me smile in the weirdest way.

I walked closer, watching her intently...

"Kukunin na ba kita? Dadalin na ba kita sa lugar kung saan tayong dalawa na lang?"

I ran my fingers on her icy cold cheek.

She's dead. Really dead.

"I guess you wouldn't like that Shemie. You don't love me...not as much as you love your family."

Tama. Kaya ko nga siyang kunin at itago para lang sa sarili kong kagustuhan, pero, shit, she wouldn't like that, she will definitely hate me if I do that selfish shit and I don't want that.

"I really like you Sheremee Rui, and do you know how I treat people I like?"

"I bring them back to life..."

I touched her pale lips with my fingers...

I already miss those lips...

And I'm going to feel them again.

~*~

Roen Sage's POV

It's not the end of my sufferings. Dahil nang dalhin ang katawan ni Sheremee sa morgue ay dumating si Reina Mountbatten, ang nakatatandang kapatid nila Embree at Jeremee.

"I'm going to fucking kill you Villangca! Itaga mo sa bato yan! Papatayin kita!" nakasandal lang ako sa pader at tinatanggap ang mga salita niya, sampal at galit.

Tumutulo lang ang luha ko, iniisip kung bakit ganun pa siya nawala. Sa masakit na paraan pa.

"Reina, tama na. Please." awat ni Embree na mukhang hinang hina na sa nangyare.

Sinampal siya ng kapatid at saka dinuro. "You don't have a say on this Embree! Dahil kayo rin! May kasalanan rin kayo! If only you..." hindi nito natuloy ang sinasabi ng yakapin siya ng dalawang kapatid.

"I'm so sorry Reina. We're sorry!" galit na sabi ni Jeremee, bumagsak si Reina sa sahig habang nakatakip ang dalawang kamay sa mukha, nun ko lang napansin na nakacorporate attire pa ito.

Nang makitang wala ng lakas si Reina ay saka palang lumapit sakin ang mga magulang ko. Pulang pula ang mga mata ni Papa, habang si Mama ay di makapagsalita.

"Roen, kailangan mong asikasuhin ang mga anak mo...at ang katawan ni Sheremee." maingat na sabi ni Papa.

Napalunok ako at pinalis ang mga luha ko.

"Nasa NICU ang Lolo at Lola mo anak." pahabol ni Papa,

Napabuntong hininga lang ako at saka lutang na iniwan sila sa waiting area ng ER.

Habang naglalakad ako paalis dun ay ramdam ko ang galit nila sakin, ng pamilya ni Sheremee, ng mga kaibigan niya, nila Yohan, Avey, Trike, at pati na ng sarili kong kapatid na si Jaren.

They all hate me. But no one can hate me more than I hate myself.

Wala man sa sarili ay nakarating ako sa NICU, sa waiting area nun ay nakaupo ang Lolo at Lola ko, umiiyak si Lola habang tinatahan siya ni Lolo.

"Hindi ako makapaniwala Rienzo. Napakasaklap naman ng nangyari sa batang iyon..."

"Wala tayong magagawa sa kapalarang iyon Sabina, sadyang nakakawindang lang talaga ang sinapit ni Sheremee." nanginig ang boses ni Lolo sa sinabi niyang iyon,

"Hindi ko matanggap, parang apo na ang turi ko sa kanya Rienzo! Hindi ko matanggap!" humagulgol na si Lola at dumukmo sa balikat ni Lolo,

The guilt killed me instantly. Hindi ko na sila kinausap at nagdiretso ako sa hagdan malapit sa kanila, patungo sa huling palapag kung nasaan ang morgue.

"Roen!" tawag ni Lolo pero hindi ko pinansin,

Maging ang mga bantay sa labas ng morgue ay hindi ko pinansin at nagdiretso ako sa malamig na storage kung nasaan si Sheremee.

Naabutan ko siya doon, nakatapis lang ng puting kumot. Lumapit ako at hinawakan ang pisngi niya.

She's still beautiful. Sobrang ganda niya parin.

"Shame. Isn't it?" sabi nito mula sa likuran ko, hindi ako lumingon.

Ang gusto ko lang ngayon ay ang gumising siya. It's all I fucking want.

"I can make that happen." malalim ang boses nito ng sabihin iyon,

That got my attention.

"But there's a price to pay, and humans can never afford." mapaglarong tugon nito.

"Kahit ano...ibibigay ko, kahit ano...isasakripisyo ko." may halong pait ang bawat salita ko, dahil sobrang sakit. Ang mahawakan siyang ganito kalamig, hindi ko maipaliwanag kung gaano kawasak ang pakiramdam ko.

Naramdaman ko na lang ang paglapit niya sakin, ang lamig ng hininga nito ay tumatama sa batok ko.

"What is it that you love the most?" nangilabot ako sa bulong nito,

"My wife..." tugon ko, ng buong paghihinagpis.

"Hmmm." sambit nito, "And if I ask for your death?"

I couldn't care less, 'cause fuck who would? If you're already dying inside, would it make any difference if I die for real this time?

"Consider it sold." I replied, kissing her cold hand one last...time.