Falling Irrevocably

21st

21st

"Ms. Lexington... we run some test on your body and it seems like we missed something on your last check up,"

It was the same doctor who attended at me when I got here three weeks ago. Ito agad ang bungad niya sa akin pagkapasok niya sa room ko. My brothers became attentive on what he's saying.

"There's still a fetus on your womb,"

Natutop ko ang bibig nung sinabi niya ito. Impossible!

"What?" Kuya Isaac said, confused.

The doctor apologetically smiled at me. Matapos ay sinabi niyang mas mabuti na magpa-ultra sound ako para masigurado. My brothers came with me, without asking anything.

Ako naman hindi mapigilan na maging masaya sa narinig ko. Is the baby alive? How can it be? I bled too much that day, imposibleng mabuhay ang bata sa nangyaring iyon.

"You better explain this to us," Mariin na sabi ni Kuya Psalm sa akin habang hawak ang kamay ko. Kinakabahan ang kapatid ko kasi medyo nanginginig ang kamay nito. I wanted to laugh but suddenly an image came to the screen that caught my attention.

Agad na nagpatakan ang mga luha ko sa nakita ko.

"It seems like you're carrying a twin but you lost the other one, a reason why you bleed," She pointed the bean shape image in the screen. "This is a rare condition and I could say that this baby is a fighter," Sabi nung OB-Gyne. Hindi pa rin maalis ang mga mata ko sa screen.

How can this baby survive those three weeks I've been sulking? Hindi ako kumain, nakakatulog lang kapag sobrang pagod sa kakaiyak. I even attempted to end my life. Tapos malalaman ko na lumalaban pa pala ang batang ito na nasa loob ko.

Parang tuluyan akong nabuhayan dahil dito. This is my second chance to take care of him or her. I've lost the other twin and I won't let it happen again.

May inayos sa machine yung doctor at hindi nagtagal ay may narinig kaming tunog. It's a tiny heartbeat.

"The heartbeat of the baby is strong, indeed, this one is a miracle after everything that happened to you,"

Narinig ko ang pagsinghot nung dalawa sa tabi ko. Tuluyan na akong napatawa dahil naluluha ang mga kapatid ko.

"Why didn't you tell us about this? Kaya pala nadatnan ka namin na ganuon kasi nawalan ka ng anak," Kuya Isaac said, his eyes still in the screen.

"What really happened to you, Den?"

Hindi ko sinagot ang tanong ni Kuya Psalm. The doctor decided to print out the images to give it to me. Then we got back to her office. Seryoso kong pinakinggan lahat ng bilin niya sa pagbubuntis ko. Kahit ang mga kapatid ko ay nakikinig din.

"Thank you, doc," I said. Lumabas na kami ng opisina niya para bumalik sa room ko.

"Who's the jerk father of your child?"

Sabi ko na nga ba at hindi ako titigilan ni Kuya Psalm dito. I silently shook my head to answer him. I can't say Chanler's name. And I won't.