Borrowed Time (completed)

15. ablation

"Okay ka lang? Kamusta pakiramdam mo?" Rj asked Meng as they sat outside her house.

"Okay naman. Nabigla lang ako sa tanong ni Tatay. Nakakahiya."

"Don't be. Ganun lang yun kasi protective sya sa yo. Di naman sya over-protective tulad ni Mama, diba?"

"Hindi naman."

Rj took Meng's hand and played with her fingers.

"Bakit nanginginig yung kamay mo?" Meng asked as she looked at Rj

"I'm nervous..."

"Saan?"

"Kung papayag kang maging girlfriend ko?...Kung okay lang sa yo na ganito ako, may sakit sa puso? On borrowed time..."

"Wag ka ngang ganyan" Meng admonished him. "Lahat naman tayo on borrowed time e..."

"Sabagay...pero Meng, no pressure. I just want to let you know that I love you and that I am willing to wait..." Rj said as he squeezed Meng's hand before intertwining his fingers with hers.

Meng inhaled deeply. "...kamusta nga pala ang results nung pagbisita natin kay Dr. Villa?"

"Tumawag nga sya kanina. He's scheduled me for a cardiac MRI the day after tomorrow to determine kung saan mismo yung mga scarred tissues. Eto o..." Rj shows Meng information about ablations on his phone. It explains what to expect before, during, and after the procedure. Meng reads it quietly for a few minutes before returning the phone to Rj.

"...lalagyan ka ng IV bago yung MRI..." Meng looked at Rj and brushed her fingers through his hair.

"Yun lang"

"Anong oras ba yung punta mo sa hospital?"

"Morning...sasamahan ako ni Ninong..."

"At least may kasama ka. Try kong dumaan bago ako pumasok sa school..."

"Hindi. Pumasok ka. Kasama ko naman si Ninong e"

"Sure ka?"

"Yes" Rj smiled at Meng and lifted her hand to kiss it.

"Subukan kong makapunta agad pagkatapos ng school."

"Eh pano yung shuttle?"

"Magpapa-relyebo muna ako...ginagawa ko naman yun dati pag may project o exam ako e"

"Okay...salamat"

---

"Sige, pumasok ka na. Nagpapahinga lang ata e. Mamaya-maya kakain na tayo. Dito ka na mag-dinner ha?" Sam says as he welcomes Meng into the condo.

"Opo Sir..." Meng says as she makes her way to Rj's bedroom.

"Tito nalang..." Sam smiles

"Tito..." Meng nods as she pushes the door open. Rj is lying in bed watching TV. "Hi. Kamusta?"

Rj pats the bed so Meng sits facing him.

"Okay naman."

"Di mo naman pinahirapan si Sir...Tito Sam?"

"Hindi naman...ata..." Rj chuckles.

"O, so kelan daw ang procedure?"

"Day after tomorrow" Rj's smile fades. "...sa totoo lang, natatakot ako" He says softly.

Meng takes his hand.

"Ngayon pa lang ata ako ma-o-ospital na may gagawin sila sa akin na ganito..." Rj begins to tear up and gags. Meng is quick to catch his vomit with the trashcan she picks up nearby. Ninong Sam hears the commotion and enters the room.

"Okay ka lang, anak?"

"Natatakot po daw sya sa ablation..." Meng explains as she gives Rj some tissues to wipe his mouth.

"Relax lang, anak. Andito naman kami. Di ka namin pababayaan."

Rj nods. "Thank you"

---

Rj changed into the gown that was on the bed when he checked into the room he was going to stay at at the hospital. Although generally considered as a minor operation, Dr. Migs wanted Rj to stay overnight so that he could be monitored more closely. Also, Dr. Migs was already imagining how Tita Rose would react since he and Sam had to tell Rj's parents about the procedure.

"Pati...brief?" Rj called out from the bathroom.

"Opo...lahat po...at yung opening po nya ay sa likod..." Nurse Ana replied.

Rj soon stepped out of the bathroom gingerly holding on the back of the gown while carrying his clothes. He hesitantly handed them to Meng as Nurse Ana tied the back of the gown securely. She then guided him to his bed.

"Anong oras yung last mong kain kagabi? Last na inom ng water?" Nurse Ana asked as she took notes on Rj's chart.

"10:00pm..." Rj replied.

"Okay. Babalik ako. Kukunin ko lang yung pang IV mo." Nurse Ana said. Rj looked at Meng who was seated on the couch beside the bed. Meng stood up. She distracted Rj while Nurse Ana attached his IV by talking to him and telling him jokes. Rj was also partly distracted by the vein finder that Nurse Ana used to find the right vein for his IV line.

"Sir Richard..."

"Rj"

"Rj, alam mo naman siguro na sa may singit mo ipapasok yung catheter for ablation?"

Rj nodded.

"...kailangan kitang i-shave to prepare the area. And since hindi ka pwedeng gumalaw after, nag-prescribe na rin si Dr. Villa na palagyan ka ng foley catheter..."

Meng bent down and talked to Rj. "...lalabas muna ako..."

"...no...stay? please?" Rj said as he tightened his grip on Meng's hand. "...pwede?" Rj looked at Nurse Ana who was standing on the other side of the bed.

Nurse Ana smiled and nodded. All throughout the procedures, they held hands as Meng sat on a chair she pulled close to Rj's bed. She rested her chin on her free arm and talked to him while Nurse Ana worked.

"Ang weird ng feeling..." Rj said when Nurse Ana said she was done and was fixing the blanket over Rj's lower half. She checked the collection bag once more after collecting her supplies and leaving the room.

---

Rj's ablation took almost six hours to complete because Dr. Villa and his team wanted to make sure that there were no other blockages and scars that they missed. And because Dr. Villa knew of his anxieties, he was put under general anesthesia so he was sleeping when they wheeled him back to his room.

"He has to lay flat on his back for the next few hours to make sure that his wound heals properly. He should wake up on his own in a couple of hours..." Dr. Migs told Sam, Gordon, and Meng who waited for Rj to return to his room.

"...bababa muna kami ni Gordon, Meng. May gusto ka bang kainin?"

"Wala po. Thank you po."

"Dalhan ka nalang namin ng sandwich at orange juice?"

"Kayo pong bahala. Thank you" Meng said as she stood by Rj's bed. Gordon and Sam left the room and Meng was left alone with Rj.

Meng settled down on the couch and took out some of her school papers. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were the heart monitor beeping and the bubbling of the oxygen regulator on the wall panel above the bed.

A while later, Rj stirred a little so Meng stood up and held his hand while caressing his head. "Rj...Rj...." she said softly as Rj's eyebrows slightly furrowed. "...X..." she said and Rj's eyelids fluttered open. "Hi...nakabalik ka na sa room mo..."

Rj nodded then he said, "Meng...salamat..." very softly.

"You're welcome..." Meng replied as she caressed his cheek.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened.

"IKKI! IKKI BOY!"