Hi. This is the last chapter for Crawl Out of Love. Next one's the Epilogue. Enjoy reading!
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Chapter 45
Family
Agad akong dinaluhan ni Iain nang buksan ko ang pintuan ng banyo. I made sure to look fine as much as possible. Naghilamos ako para hindi mahalata na umiyak ako. Though I think it was useless. Namumugto ang mga mata ko at namumula ang ilong. Anyone could easily tell I cried. Binawi ko na lang sa ngiti. I can fake happiness for a while.
Nilapitan din ako ng nurse at inalalayan sa hospital bed. Iain adjusted it so I can sit and relax my back.
"Did you move too much? Bumukas ang sugat mo sa braso," the nurse asked.
Hindi ko iyon sinagot. Hindi rin naman siya naghintay pa at agad nang ginamot ang sugat ko. Ang isa pang nurse ay inasikaso naman ang pagpapalit ng bandage sa malalim kong sugat sa binti. It was a nasty cut so it had to be sutured.
Tahimik lang si Iain. Nang igala ko ang tingin sa kwarto ay wala na si Pablo o si Sophia. They must have left already.
"Huwag ka masyadong gumalaw, okay? Para rin mas bumilis ang paggaling ng mga sugat mo," sabi ng nurse nang matapos sa ginagawa.
Tinanguan ko na lang.
"I'll give you another shot of painkillers tomorrow. Rest well for tonight."
Nabalot ng katahimikan ang kwarto nang maiwan kaming dalawa ni Iain. I glanced at him for a bit. Hindi ko mabasa ang reaksiyon niya. It's like a mix of anger, concern, pain and longing. I can't quite pinpoint what's the most overpowering.
Tumikhim ako at mabilis na nag-isip ng pwedeng sabihin.
"Magkaka-peklat kaya ako?" I asked, pertaining to my cuts.
Iain's dark hooded eyes bore into me. Huli na nang narealize ko na napakawalang-kwenta ng sinabi ko. I mean, it's relevant but not very timely. Ano naman kung mag-iwan nga ng peklat ang mga sugat ko? It's not like it'll affect both of our lives so much.
He sighed. "Are you okay?" he slowly asked. Ang tono niya'y puno ng pag-iingat.
"I'm fine. My broken arm and foot will heal eventually. Pati na rin ang mga galos ko," I smiled.
Lumapit siya at naupo sa tabi ko.
"Yeah but I meant... are you okay? You were ambushed. Experience like that takes a while to sink in. I'm worried about you."
Napawi ang ngiti sa labi ko. Iain's right. Hanggang ngayon ay hirap pa rin akong iproseso ang mga nangyari. To think that some people want to hurt me is terrifying. Ang maranasan iyon... it's traumatic.
"I'm just glad I'm alive," I replied.
Pinasadahan ko ng tingin ang sarili. I was hurt physically. Pero sigurado naman akong maghihilom ang lahat. I'm just not sure about the fear it left me. Sa tingin ko'y matagal bago ako maka-recover doon... I will be too afraid to go out. Kahit may mga bodyguards ay siguradong matatakot pa rin ako. And maybe it's true that the ambush hasn't sunk in yet dahil mas naiisip ko pa ang naging pag-uusap namin ni Mrs. Uvero.
Yumuko ako nang maalala ang pabor na hinihingi niya. I've already thought about it.
It's true that Iain and I could easily live our own lives if we're not together. He's got opportunities everywhere to keep him busy. May pinapatakbo rin siyang kompanya na nangangailangan ng oras at atensyon. Me, I have my own issues to deal with. I have personal affairs to resolve. Ang dali-daling magpakalunod na lang sa sarili kong mundo. Ang dali-daling sarilinin lahat ng problema.
BINABASA MO ANG
Crawl Out of Love (COMPLETED)
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