Love Me Instead

LMI# 38: THE THING THAT MATTERS

Love Me Instead

Chapter 38: The Thing that matters

Grayson

MAHIGIT KALAHATING oras na akong nakaupo sa labas habang hinihintay 'yong doktor at mga kasama nitong nurse sa loob ng room. Tulala lang akong nakatingin sa kulay puting tiles na sahig habang tila blangko ang isipan.

Bumalik lang ako sa reyalidad nang may makita akong pares ng paa sa harapan ko. Napatayo ako agad nang makita ko ang suot nitong puting coat at stethoscope sa leeg.

"May I know your relation to the patient?" tanong ng doktor sa akin.

"I'm her husband, doc. How is she? Is she okay?" tuloy-tuloy na tanong ko.

"For now, I don't think she'll be okay for a while. We need to find a blood donor for your wife."

Natigilan ako nang marinig ang sinabi ng doktor.

Blood... donor? Why?

"Why do we need a blood donor, doc? I-I thought she's just having a fever."

Napatingin siya sa hawak nitong clipboard at napailing bilang tugon.

"This is not just a simple fever. Nang dalhin mo sa ospital ang asawa mo ay kapansin-pansin na ang pananamlay ng balat nito. At first we thought it's just a minor case of anemia, but after running some tests from her blood sample, we found rather unusual about the production of hemoglobin from her red blood cells."

I felt like my knees started to go weak while trying to clear my thoughts with unnecessary ideas.

"What... What do you mean about that?"

"Your wife is diagnosed with beta thalassemia major. It means there isn't enough produced hemoglobin, which is an important part of the red blood cells that supplies oxygen throughout the human body. It may cause shortness of breath, fatigue and in some case, death."

My thoughts were suddenly areplaced by worries. So that's why she's been insisting on staying indoors rather than going outside. And why she always tells me how sleepy and tired she's been.

And yet... I still made her go outside. I made her that way. I made her in that state. It's my fault. I almost killed her.

"I... I'm gonna give her my blood. Take mine as much as she need, if that's what it takes to make me see her again," I said in abrupt.

"HER VITALS are stable again so she'll wake up soon enough."

"Thank you, doc." He nodded in response before walking out of the room.

I held her hands and watched her sleep and finally rest. It's been hard for her and I didn't even think I was already tiring her out. I'm such an idiot.

I kissed the top of her hand and closed my eyes.

It scared me.

It scared me to death, thinking that that would be the last time I'll be able to talk to her. I wouldn't be able to take that as it is.

"Dessa?!" Someone came busting through the door, shouting Red's name in panic.

The moment she saw Red lying on the hospital bed, she immediately came rushing, crying on her like a kid who was about to lose her mother.

I know her, the name's Yara. She's her friend who covered up her secret when I caught them in the hospital. The one who claimed to have an illness and Red was there to help her.