Chapter 14: Prince Charming
#DS8Uncovered #LuMa #BearCouple #DaggerSeries
CHAPTER 14: PRINCE CHARMING
LUNA'S POV
I don't really know what woke me up. Maybe it was because I've been doing nothing but sleep for hours. Kahit nang bumalik ang pamilya ko kagabi para dalan ako ng dinner ay hindi ko magawang makisali sa kuwentuhan nila at nakikinig lang ako dahil talagang pakiramdam ko ay pagod na pagod ako. Nakatulog din ako bago pa sila umalis dahil ang huli kong natatandaan ay may pinapanood pa kami kagabi sa Netflix.
Still hazy from sleep, I look around the hospital room. Wala si Magnus sa puwesto niya at tanging ang laptop lang niya na nakasarado ang nandoon.
Inangat ko ang sarili ko paupo. I felt a small ache on my head, but it wasn't as painful as a few hours ago. Dahil na rin siguro iyon sa pagkakabagsak ko. Mabuti na lang talaga at matigas ang ulo ko.
Something on the bedside table caught my eye, and my forehead knotted when I saw two familiar food containers stacked above each other on it. I doubt the hospital will serve me food in pink containers, so I'm pretty sure that they're the ones I have back home. Magnus must have gone home to get some things, and he decided to cook food for some reason.
Inabot ko ang papel na nasa ibabaw no'n at binasa ko ang nakasulat doon.
I cooked this for you. I know you hate hospital food. In case you wake up and find this, I'm just at the billing department. I'll be back.
-M
I folded the note and put it inside my bag, which is on top of the table as well. Pagkatapos niyon at kinapa ko ang slot na nasa gilid ng kama at hinila ko iyon para maiangat ang maliit na collapsible table na nakakabit doon at nang nagawa ko na iyong ayusin ay kinuha ko ang mga container at isa-isang binuksan ko ang mga iyon. I couldn't help but smile when I saw what was inside.
Such a health buff. The first container contained chickpea and spinach stew, while the other was filled with what I'm sure were kale chips. Marami kasi kami niyon sa bahay dahil pinag-aalis ni Magnus lahat ng titsirya ko at pinalitan niya.
I'm addicted to chips. Bukod sa kape ay iyon ang pampawala ko ng inip. But one day, I woke up and all of my favorite chips were gone. My happier options were replaced by Magnus' healthier options. Nakaganti naman ako. Ako pa ba?
Sinimulan kong kumain at hindi nagtagal ay simot na simot ko na ang laman ng mga lalagyan. Masarap naman kasi talagang magluto si Magnus. He's what most women will call a complete package. He's kind, hardworking, rich, handsome, and he can cook. Swerte ang babaeng mamahalin niya balang-araw.
I ignored the pain in my chest. It's something I'm already used to. Even if I'm not used to it yet, I should be. I'm already being selfish by staying with him. Hindi ko na dapat dagdagan iyon.
With a sigh, I turned my body so that I could dangle my legs off the bed. Hawak sa isang kamay ang IV stand na dahan-dahan akong tumayo. I've been lying down for hours kaya ayoko ring biglain ang sarili ko. Thankfully, though, they already took out the vital signs monitoring machine, so I'm free to move.
I went to the bathroom first, and when I'm done taking care of business, I go out and walk towards the door. Pinihit ko ang seradura no'n ng bahagya para sumilip sa labas.
"Yes, Miss Luna?"
Muntik akong mapatalon paatras nang bigla akong makarinig nang nagsalita. Hawak ang tapat ng puso na nilakihan ko ang pagkakabukas ng pintuan. "For goodness sake, Nevan. Sa gulat pa ata ako mamamatay."
"Sorry po," napapakamot sa batok na paghingi niya ng dispensa. "Kailangan niyo po ba ng nurse?"
"Not really. May gusto lang akong bisitahin sana sa second floor."
Nilingon niya si Warrick na tinanguhan siya. Nevan looked back at me. "Hihingi lang muna po ako ng wheelchair—"
"It's okay. I want to walk." Nang makita kong nagkatinginan sila ulit ay nginitian ko sila. "You can ask the nurses if you want, but I'm really okay to walk."
My slight concussion is the least of their concerns when it comes to me. Maraming mas kailangang intindihin kesa sa bagay na iyon.
Warrick moved to go to the nurse station, which wasn't unexpected. Alam kong hindi iyon dahil sa wala silang tiwala sa salita ko kundi gusto lang nilang makasiguro na walang mangyayari na aberya. Malalagot kasi sila panigurado sa mga kapatid ko. Eh kung sana isang kuya lang ang pinag-uusapan namin. I have seven brothers who can make their lives a living hell.
After a few minutes, Warrick came back, and he was the one to open the doors for me. Both he and Nevan looked like they either wanted to offer me a hand to help me walk or to carry me towards the elevator. Pero mukhang mahal nila ang mga buhay nila dahil hindi nila ginawa alin man sa mga iyon.
They've known me for years. I might not be as big and scary as my brother, but that doesn't mean that I'm all bark and no bite. Just like I always say, I'm a Dawson.
Nang makarating sa second floor at makalabas kami ng elevator ay binalingan ko sila. "You don't need to stay guard here at the elevators. Pwede niyo naman akong samahan."
They have been briefed about the hospital's request. Pero wala naman akong kailangan na itago sa kanila ngayon. I'm not scheduled today for anything, so for all they know, I'm really just visiting a friend. Isa pa ay kung hindi ko tinatago ay lalo silang hindi maghihinala na may tinatago ako.
I stopped at the infusion center, and I gave Warrick and Nevan a smile. "Ako na lang ang papasok ha? I have a friend inside."
Parehas na napatingin sila sa plaque na nasa pintuan at pagkatapos ay halos magkasabay na tumango sila. I turned to the door and entered the room.
Gumuhit ang ngiti sa mga labi ko at kinawayan ko ang mga taong nadaraanan ko. I know most of them. Pero ang pinakapakay ko ay ang taong nasa dulo ng kuwarto na hindi pa ako napapansin.
"Early bird ka na naman Ella."
The eleven-year-old looked up in surprise, and her already bright face turned brighter at the sight of me.
"Pupunta ka pala ngayon Ate Luna!" Tumulis ang nguso niya at inangat niya ang ilan sa mga nasa kandungan niya. "Hindi ko pa po tapos 'yung sabi kong gagawin ko na customize po para sa'yo."
Humila ako ng upuan at tumabi ako sa kaniya. Itinuro ko ang kulay dilaw na beaded bracelet na hawak niya. "Iyan na lang ang akin. You know I like the color yellow."
Nakangiting ibinigay niya iyon sa akin at kaagad ko namang sinuot iyon. Hindi ko na mabilang kung ilang bracelet na galing sa kaniya ang meron ako sa bahay. Kada magkikita kasi kami ay binibigyan niya ako no'n.
She eyed the IV pole beside me and the hospital gown I'm wearing. "Okay ka lang po?"
For a moment, I found it hard to answer her. Here we are in the infusion center, where she's attached to an IV line that is basically poison to the body because chemotherapy might be used to kill cancer cells, but it's also targeting healthy cells.
The first time I met her, she had long, beautiful hair, and now that's all gone. She's even thinner now. She's an eleven-year-old child with leukemia. She's here fighting for her life just like the rest of us, and yet her heart is so pure that she's even asking me if I'm okay when none of us are.
"I'm okay, Ella," I told her with a small smile.
Mukha namang nakuntento siya sa sagot ko dahil nakangiting binalikan niya na ang paggawa ng bracelets. Binibigay niya kasi iyon sa mga pasyente. She said that it's called friendship bracelets, and she wanted to be friends with everyone here. Kasi raw hindi na siya nakakapasok sa school kaya wala na siyang kaibigan.
I first came here to the infusion center not because I needed to receive treatment but because I just wanted to see it. I was trying to prepare myself because by the time I come here to receive care, that means it's my last option.
I'm receiving trials and targeted therapies. They're all basically oral medications targeting my cancer cells. Nabigyan ako ng option na iyon dahil posible pa para sa condition ko. Of course, they have side effects, but not as much that I would have needed to go through if I'm receiving chemotherapy. One of those side effects is fever, which is why I was running a fever these past few days.
There was no reason for me to keep coming here, but I couldn't stay away. Lalo pa nang makilala ko si Ella at ilang mga naging malapit ko na kaibigan dito. Though they're not scheduled today.
Sinipat niya ang buhok ko. "Sabi mo po last time baka magpagupit ka. Buti hindi po."
"Lagi kasing pinapansin ng mga kapatid ko." I touched my hair, which is hanging loose. "But I made a promise to you that I would keep it long, didn't I?"
"Bagay po kasi sa'yo. Mukha kang princess."
"Asus. Kapag pinagtabi tayong dalawa di hamak na mas mukha kang princess. Ako para mo lang akong tagapaypay."
Napuno ang kuwarto ng hagikhik niya. It was such a sweet, precious sound. Nagtama ang mga mata namin ng ina niya na si Emma at binigyan ako ng babae ng nagpapasalamat na ngiti.
Habang abala siya sa ginagawa ay pinagmasdan ko ang paligid ng kuwarto. I'll be seeing more of this room from today on. Hopefully not because I needed treatment here, but because this is the solution that my doctors thought of.
Since lagi naman akong may binibisita rito ay maigagaw naming ikubli ang mga naka-schedule ko na appointment sa kanila. If I go to them directly with Dagger men in tow, it will raise a lot of questions. Pero kung may dadalawin lang ako rito ay hindi nila kukuwestiyunin iyon.
"Nasaan po si Prince Charming mo, ate?"
Nilingon ko si Ella. "My husband? Kasama ko siya pero may kailangan siyang gawin eh."
"Nag-away na naman po kayo?"
I pouted playfully. "Hindi naman kami laging nag-aaway. Pinapasakit lang namin ang ulo ng isa't isa minsan." I hesitated when I thought of something. "Pero parang galit nga ata siya sa akin ngayon."
"Okay lang po 'yan."
"Okay lang na galit siya?"
Tumango siya. "Kasi kung wala po siyang reaksyon sa kung ano pong pinag-awayan niyo, ibig pong sabihin wala po siyang pakielam sa'yo. Kung galit siya ibig sabihin mahalaga ka sa kaniya. Kapag worried po kasi tayo minsan lumalabas po iyon na parang galit tayo kahit hindi naman. Parang si mama sa akin at sa kapatid ko."
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Pakiramdam ko ay nilulunod ako ng iba't ibang emosyon. She just delivered something big to me so casually, and she didn't even know.
Marahang tinapik ko ang likod niya. "Alam mo, Ella? Dapat maging presidente ka. Kaya susunod ka palagi sa mga doktor mo para gumaling ka na agad, ha? I will introduce you to someone who's running for president. Malay mo someday ikaw na ang i-e-endorse niya."
Namilog ang mga mata niya. "Talaga po? Sige po!" Her smile wavered a bit after awhile. "Kailangan ko po bang hintayin na gumaling muna ako bago mo po ako ipakilala sa kaniya."
Hold it together. Don't make a scene here, Luna. I shook my head at the same time that I swallowed hard to take out the lump in my throat. "Next time dadalin ko siya. Promise."
If she could have jumped up, she would have. She gushed excitedly, throwing me a lot of questions about the person I would introduce to her.
Ella is the kind of person who gets excited about everything, but at her age, she's surprisingly interested in politics and the environment. Minsan na niya akong kinuwentuhan tungkol sa ilang mga kilalang politiko sa ibang bansa o dito man sa Pilipinas na kilala bilang environmentalist.
"Why do you like the environment so much, Ella? Bukod sa obvious na nakatira tayo rito?" tanong ko sa kaniya.
"Kasi po kung mapapaganda natin ang environment maraming sakit po tayong maiiwasan. Ayoko pong magkasakit ang baby brother ko at saka iyong mga baby na ipapanganak pa lang."
"Ate si Prince Charming mo!"
Sinundan ko ang tingin ni Ella at sa gulat ko ay nakatayo nga sa pintuan ng kuwarto si Magnus at nakatingin sa amin.
"Sana mahanap ko rin ang prince charming ko, Ate Luna. Gusto ko katulad ni Kuya Magnus na kapag nakatingin sa akin, kita na agad na love niya ako."
KASALUKUYAN akong kumakain ng inaabot sa akin ni Magnus na mansanas na hinihiwa niya sa maliliit nang bumukas ang pintuan at pumasok ang isang lalaki na naka lab coat kasama si Dra. Inoferio.
The man smiled at me, and I noticed that he wasn't wearing his ID. Kung suot niya iyon ay kita na agad kung saan departamento siya kabilang.
Lumapit sa akin ang lalaki at kinamayan ako. "I like how we met last time rather than now that you're here in the hospital, Luna."
I rolled my eyes. "Para namang hindi tayo sa ospital madalas magkita."
Mahinang tumawa lang siya at bumaling siya kay Magnus para kamayan ang lalaki. "Mr. Aquillan."
"Cuevas," Magnus said as his own form of greeting.
We met Galen Cuevas at the restaurant the last time because he needed to talk to me about the result of the test. Hindi ko magawang pumunta sa kaniya dahil at that time, hindi ko pa alam ang gagawin dahil sa Dagger na laging nakasunod sa akin.
Magnus suggested the idea of meeting outside the hospital. Alam niyang kailangan ko agad makausap si Gale tungkol sa resulta ng mga test ko. I already received a copy that night that my situation with Dagger started. Which I think was the reason why Magnus was trying to drown himself in alcohol.
Bukod pa ro'n ay kailangan ko ring ipaliwanag kay Gale ang magiging set up namin na mas naging komplikado. One look at the department he's in, and Dagger will question why I'm going to him. And then there's the other thing. May isa pang malaking dahilan na maaaring maging rason para mapaghinalaan kami.
Galen Cuevas is Mireia's ex-boyfriend.
Mireia is aware of his work, and Gale's father was also Naynay's oncologist. Our lives are too entangled.
We have so much to think about. So much is changing. Again. Sometimes it feels like that's the theme of the story of my life. Change.
Nabago ang lahat sa araw na iyon. When I was called into this same hospital to discuss what was supposed to be just an annual wellness checkup. Then it was followed by tests after tests that only confirmed their suspicions.
That day had propelled my life to change drastically. The way I see everything became different. The way I take in life became something unfamiliar to me. Everything changed in a way that I didn't want to.
But my heart was a different case. What it needed was to stop evolving, even though what I wanted was the opposite. To stop moving forward... to stop changing. While I can't stop it from its course and from loving the way it already has, I could stop it from wanting what it shouldn't anymore. From wanting a future with him where the love I have will be returned.
"I'll make this quick. We'll meet at the infusion center next week anyway," panimula ni Gale na humugot ng malalim na hininga. He kept the volume of his voice low so we wouldn't be heard outside, though I doubt Warrick and Nevan would while the other doctor stood by the door. "B-cell follicular lymphoma usually responds well to treatments, even though—"
"Even though it's not curable and I'm just delaying the inevitable," I continued.
As always, his expression remained gentle and patient. "It is not usually curable. That doesn't mean it's never curable. I told you that before."
"I know and understand that you mean well. I know you want me to keep believing that I will get better. But Gale, my mother, died because of that same cancer. I admit that I was hopeful before, but I'm slowly waking up. The medication didn't work. Ano pang klaseng wake up call ang kailangan ko?"
He glanced at Magnus before training his gaze back at me. "Your recent tests showed that your chosen treatment needs more help."
"I'm not going into chemo," I declared firmly.
"I understand it could be daunting, but it could really help."
According to research, B-cell follicular lymphoma was supposed to be a slow-growing cancer. It wasn't supposed to be the aggressive kind. Most people with it lived more than twenty years. And though rare, there are some cases where patients are considered completely cured. Something that Gale is hoping for me. But of course, it couldn't be trusted. No kind of cancer should be. At any moment, a non-aggressive cancer could turn into a hostile one.
"I know there are a lot that have become better because of chemo. I understand that there are a lot of success stories. But I also knew people who all went through it and didn't survive. They all died, not like themselves. That includes my mother." There was a brief pause when it became hard for me to speak through the emotions grappling with me. Kinuyom ko ang kamay ko na walang IV line hanggang sa halos maramdaman ko na ang pagbaon ng mga kuko ko sa palad ko. "I don't want to experience the same thing. I'm begging you not to make me experience the same thing. I don't want to die not looking like myself and not feeling like I'm still me. I don't want to see myself in the eyes of the people I love and not recognize who I am. So no. If I'm going to die anyway, let me die as the person that I know."
Silence shrouded the room, and it took every bit of my strength not to burst out crying. Not yet. There's no reason to cry yet.
I felt a warm hand take mine that is balled into a fist tightly. I looked up and I saw Magnus opening my hand so that I wouldn't hurt myself. He laced his fingers through mine and he held on it tight as if he knew it's what I needed.
"Find a way, Cuevas," Magnus said directly to the other man. "There must be some other way."
"It could be the only one."
"Even you don't believe that. Dahil kung iyan ang pinaniniwalaan mo, sa umpisa pa lang dapat hindi na ikaw ang naging doktor ni Luna. You know she's looking for a doctor that is willing to try for alternatives. Are you saying now that that's no longer you?"
Gale looks defeated as he sighed. "I just want the best for her."
"And so does she." Magnus squeezed my hand. "So do I. But I'm not going to force her into anything. This is her life. It's her body. She's the one fighting for her life. It's not our decision to give her the kind of fight she doesn't want in the first place. Let her choose her own battlefield because she's Luna Alondra Dawson-Aquillan. Alam niya kung anong laban ang kaya niyang ipanalo. Chemotherapy is not the fight she wants."
It took a moment before Gale responded. Sa kabila ng kasalungan niyang kagustuhan ay nakakaunawang tumango siya. "We'll do combination therapy. We'll start with a series of low-dose immunotherapy. Hindi natin bibiglain. We'll keep it at the minimum. But we'll up the doses for the oral medications. The side effects might be stronger. I need you to be careful so the incident of you collapsing wouldn't happen again."
I directed a grateful smile to him. "Thank you, Gale," I whispered sincerely.
Not many would understand my choice, some would even say that I'm being stupid. But I just can't subject myself to that treatment yet. Maybe not ever.
It was never about vanity. It's not because my body would change. That I would either lose weight drastically or gain more of it. It's not because I will lose my hair.
It's because I've seen what it does. Even my mother, who was the strongest woman I have ever met, who loved us so much that she wouldn't want to leave us, begged my father to let her die.
"I can't do this anymore. Just... just let me go. Do something, please! I can't. I'm so tired, Nikolas."
Not one of my brothers knew. None of them heard. But I did. For years, I carried that with me.
Her voice was so full of pain and anguish, begging not for her life to continue but for it to end.
_____________________End of Chapter 14.
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