Forget-Me-Not

Chapter IV: Ate Phoebe

When the car came to a halt in front of the brothers' house, Ray and the man joined force to bring Raine inside. Phoebe followed their heels as they walked towards the staircase and ascended to the second floor. They entered one of the three bedrooms upstairs and laid him down on a brown medium-sized bed. Ray never once let go of his brother's hand during the past minutes of him being unconscious to ensure that the blood flow would be taken under control. Not only did his hand look numb but it also turned into a crimson red color, but he didn't show any trace of disgust nor irritation.

"Kuya, thank you so much for helping us. The thing is... I'm afraid I can't pay you for the fare and the disturbance we've caused.", Ray stated.

Phoebe immediately jumped in as she remembered she had her wallet in her pocket. "Wait! I'll pay for it.", she said, shuffling through piles of paperbills.

"No, no, no it's okay. You don't have to worry about the fare, just think of it as my help.", the man said.

Ray sure did find relief from the way the man performed the role without asking for anything in return. It saved him time from taking combat against the aftermath of what happened.
"I'm really grateful for your generosity, kuya."

The man cracked a smile. "Are you guys gonna be okay on your own? I know I don't have a say on this but I still consider taking him to the hospital."

"No, I can handle this, this has happened many times so I've already become used to it."

The man nodded. "Okay. So, I guess I'll be taking my leave now."

Phoebe walked him out of the house voluntarily, closing the door the moment the man got inside the car. She went back upstairs and entered the same room where the two brothers were. She stared down at the wounded wrist of Raine which was being held in place by Ray's hand. She had to help, she decided. Leaving them behind was the last thing she would do, not only because that would be inhumane but also because that would be a proof of being a useless friend, or friend-to-be, she guessed.

"How's the cut?", she asked.

Ray looked at her from his seat. "It's not that bad, the wound is shallow and it hasn't really reached the pulse area. The bleeding has also stopped.", he explained, the facade had been deprived.

Phoebe felt like thousands of thousands of thorns had been plucked out of her chest the moment she grasped the good news. She couldn't help but to heave a sigh, and the thumping inside her finally stopped and that took away all the unwanted troubling thoughts roaming her mind. She was not acquainted with neither of them, that was for a fact, but she was still a human person with the prudence and good judgement to know what was right and what was wrong.

She thought maybe a demonic entity like herself could still do something for humans when they were faced with tragedies and stuff. Phoebe used to wonder how it would feel like having a sibling, she never said she wanted to have one, but she was always curious. She knew all the dramas and lame things that happened around a family with more than one offspring and she hated the thought. However, after seeing the two and witnessing their bond, she became envious.

"Do you have first-aid kit here? I'll go get it.", Phoebe volunteered.

"It's in the third cupboard from the left in the kitchen.", he instructed.

Phoebe rushed out of the room, descending the stairs and heading straight to the kitchen. She leaned higher to reach the handle of the cupboard where she found a white transparent container with all the necessary first-aid materials. She opened it and found three pieces of clean towels inside, she grabbed the two then wet them under the faucet. After that, she went back to the room upstairs.