Always Be With You

#22 - Stone

Sunday
April 1, 2018

"Hold still..." I sat on the edge of the bed as the nurse slowly took the bandages off. It stings, like your hair being slowly plucked one at a time before leaving a rash.

My shoulders have been experiencing abnormal weight addition ever since I got into medication.

The moment those bandages were stripped off, I could feel my arms being unusually light.

"Anything I should know before getting discharged?"

The nurse turned around as she was about to leave the room. "Make sure you keep your girlfriend close to you," she smiled a bit, then left the room.

I sat in silence the next few minutes in disbelief, staring at the now empty and clean bed right beside me. There was someone there some time ago, someone I know.

"You're going to let me hold this bag around all day or are you going to bring it yourself?" With her arms crossed, Dawn glared at me.

"You don't have to come all the way here just to get me you know? More importantly, don't you have something—someone else to be more worried about? Because as far as I'm concerned, she was getting in your head. Maybe making a lunatic out of you."
I was referring to, of course, Luna. The fact that she was discharged yesterday—earlier before I do, somehow—had me worried all day and night.

Knowing that, well, I have to admit that she's all alone at home now adds more to my anxiousness. I may only know the circumvent section of her story, but God I know the true tragedies were even worse.

It would make the most of senses if she's not taking care of herself well. That does sound mean, typically coming from me.

But then again, one does not simply bounce right back after that.

"Here's your change of clothes."

"Thanks." It was a green checkered sleeved shirt with collar, proper. I've been having mass amounts of laundry to do lately, but thanks to Dawn who volunteered to take good care of me, that became a solution.

Sometimes I wonder how does Shane prefer Denise over her? Any guy would admit it's a stupid decision.

The curtains that surround my bed are now isolating me from the rest of the room. I carefully took off my shirt and started dressing. "Must be difficult all yourself?" Dawn's shadow from outside could be seen standing.

"Come again?"

Dawn sighed. "Living all yourself in the city. Now that you're getting discharged and still in need of care, no one's there to look after you." She explained, sympathy in her tone.

"Thanks but, I'm alright. I get that you're concerned but please, I'll manage."

"You don't have to force yourself. Know your limits that there are times you can't handle everything on your own."

I opened the curtain and approached Dawn who was leaning by a wall. "Even if I do reach my limit, will I stop?" I rhetorically bluffed.
"You know I won't."

Dawn gave out a worried look. Her eyes wrinkled and her lips showcased a tiny smile. "You'd go more than a mile for her, won't you?"

"Do you even have to ask?" I broadly smiled. When it comes to Luna, I'd go more than a mile. Even the whole boulevard, the entire road, the entire journey across the world. Well, that was overexaggerating. But from the way I see things when it comes to her and our relationship, there's no reason for me to sit by and witness her in difficult times and chaos.

She's always there for me, and in return, I would like to do the same. I know that anyone wouldn't be able to be there for someone a hundred percent, but at least, I'd try to be there for her when things get rough especially.

Such as now.

I continued to chant prayers and wished for my wounds to heal quickly so that I could mend to Luna afterward. I am aware of the fact that pain such as what she had gone through wouldn't just be buried away, but at least easing the burden and being a shoulder to cry on is what I could do.

"She's still not talking to you, isn't she?" Dawn started the engine, completely aware of my presence but ignoring my question.

We continued along the boulevard with silence concealing the questions in my head, they won't get answered anyhow, she wouldn't. After all, even when Luna knows that Dawn has been taking care of her ever since she locked herself in her house and getting hospitalized, her stone heart towards Dawn remains unchanged.

One would say that Luna's making things up on her own as to believing Dawn as at fault while in reality, well, I'd say fate has its own way of doing things.

"So you took her home and what? Did she just halt you from entering her house and leave you at her doorstep?" I tried asking once more, but still, not an answer or a word from her mouth. All she did was sticking her hands on the wheel and eyes up the road seeming to deafen the remaining world around her—including me.

Dawn clears her throat and tucked her mouth in. She started acting fidgety once we stopped by the traffic light before the turn to Luna's house. Her hands on the side of the wheel and planted her forehead right on the top, sighing. "She's going through a lot, I don't blame her." Her first few words came to life.

"It doesn't matter if she wouldn't forgive me, I could understand that. No, don't talk some sense into her, that's not going to help."

"Why shouldn't I?"

The lights went green, cars in line to our right throttled away followed by others. And us? Well, we stood our ground.

"It's, green?"

"Oh right." She panically shifts.

The street was empty despite being before noon. You would usually see the neighborhood being lively knowing it's a Saturday where children would cycle together and adolescents going for a morning jog. "Don't think about me, think about her instead." Dawn blurted all the sudden. Her tone and expression shifts.

Perhaps she realized that just in front of us is Luna in her sleeping robe, standing behind the open window of her room. The gushes of wind unveiled her presence behind the curtains. Her hair was messy and her eyes were droopy. That was the moment I realized that she had become really thin.

The standing Luna shifted her gaze, presumably right towards our car going towards her. I smiled and waved my hands from inside and waited for a response.

She smiled back, climbed out the window.

Then she took the leap.