The Gift of Tears (Casa Fuego Series #2)

End

Ending this story feels surreal to me because I've had this rough plot since 2017 and now we're here! Thank you for reading all the way here. Your private messages are really uplifting. As I end this story, may you always treasure your life. Not everyday is a bad day. Always choose to live happily. The gift of all our tears will be worth it in the end.

Epilogue

I woke up in a white bright room. Kumunot agad ang noo ko nang nasilaw sa liwanag. I felt Tita Lucia move and ran towards me.

"You're finally awake," she sighed out of relief.

Nakuha ko kaagad na nasa hospital kami. Pinasadahan ko ng tingin ang mga nakakabit sa aking kamay. My head is throbbing a bit but the immediate instinct was Avery.

"You were unconscious for days. You passed out in the airport. Kaya... dinala kita rito sa States para maipagamot ka-"

"What..." halos mapabangon ako roon.

She closed her eyes and held my arm. Namamaga ang kanyang mga mata, tila umiyak ng ilang araw at alam kong dahil sa pag-aalala niya para sa akin iyon. She looked and feels like my Mom. They really resemble each other.

"Mas makakampante ako kung dito ka sa States magpapagamot. It's already a late case and their equipments here are better. You will undergo bone marrow transplant in the next months."

I inhaled. She did not consult me about this. Gusto kong bumangon at magprotesta ngunit wala akong lakas. Ang aking katawan ay parang tuluyan nang dumepende sa higaan. Mariin akong pumikit at bumuntong hininga. Tita Lucia held my hand and kissed it, tears were in her eyes.

"The bone marrow transplant is risky. The transplant may be successful, but some do not survive during remission. However, the survival rate is high. Cullen, I still want to try... We will try, right?" she sounded hopeful.

Tumulo ang luha sa aking mga mata. I wanted to go but now that I am awake again, I feel like I was given a second chance to live. Tears rolled down my face, my body did not have the energy to move.

"Tita, I've had a long dream..." nakangiti kong sinabi habang lumuluha.

"What is it?" naiiyak na rin si Tita.

"I dreamt of Avery," I smiled though it was painful. "She was trying to wake me up. I said I was too sleepy but she kept on waking me up."

Humagulhol si Tita sa aking kamay. Nakatitig lang ako sa kawalan habang inaalala ang napakahaba kong panaginip. The moment Avy cried in my shoulder asking me to wake up, I opened my eyes to reality.

"She did not want me to sleep," I said under my breath.

"That's right. She's right. We will have your bone marrow transplant next month and you will recover. It will be a long process. It will take years before you fully gain your strength again. But we will do it together, right?"

"I want to see her..." humikbi ako.

"Cullen, listen to me. Kung uuwi ka sa Pilipinas nang ganito ang lagay mo, do you think you can save and help her? Do you think you can make things easier for her? You will only make him worry. Hindi ba't mas maganda kung babalik ka roon na maayos ka na?"

Nilingon ko siya na para akong natauhan.

The truth is, I want to live more.

Maybe I just made myself believe that I wanted to go because I was so tired. I had nothing to live for anymore. I forgot to live for myself. But deep down inside my heart, I hoped, hoped, and hoped to live more.

I realized that I have always had something to live for. To live for myself was enough reason to keep on going. At ngayon, nadagdagan ang rason ko para mabuhay muli. I now have Tita Lucia and Avery.