Laurice panicked at the sight of the welcome arch of what seemed to be a known city of the north. They were fastly approaching one of the most populated provinces in the country and it was bothering her to some extent.
"Pull over. I'm not going with you!" She yelled hinting her utter refusal and then glared at the man maneuvering her car. He seemed to be stubbornly making decisions out of his own and she doesn't like it. Besides, she have already promised her return to a certain someone. Laurice thought she could not afford to let him down. But putting that aside, she was more adamant about the direction they were currently heading.
In bold letters, the arch reads:
"Welcome and Mabuhay! You are now entering ..."
No! It can't be!
Laurice had an inkling that something is to happen to her if they continue on with this journey.
"G-go back now!" She commanded in a rather shaky voice as Eduard kept the vehichle moving without looking her way once.
But finally sensing the nervousness in her tone, Eduard briefly retrieved his gaze from the road, casted a glance at his cousin Laurice over his shoulders and was downright stunned by her troubled expression. His heart nearly shattered at the very sight of her. Laurice's eyes were now glistening in unshed tears as she shivered slightly in her seat.
"P-please, Eduard. I wanna go h-home." She whispered desperately this time, almost losing half her voice while clutching her tightened stomach as if she was in pain.
What the?! Was she feeling sick somewhere? They've only been driving for a few minutes but Laurice already looked pale and was now panting heavily as she gasp for air. Her gaze was begging for his mercy.
Eduard has literally no time to comtemplate on why the woman was reacting this much as he alarmingly pulled the car over to the side of the road and took a complete stop.
Damn his insensitivity but he was not anticipating this outcome at all.
"Are you a-alright?" His voice shook as he loosened his seatbelt and then checked up on her the next taking the liberty to unfasten her own seatbelt.
Laurice puff some air in discomfort and could not reply to him for a second.
"God, Laurice you're as white as sheet. You c-can't breathe? Are you hurt somewhere? Are you sick? C'mon, talk to me please? You're scaring me." The ever so calm and collected side of him clearly vanished in thin air. Eduard probably looked more horrible than her as he wiped the sweat off her face using a handkerchief with his trembling hands. He also rummage inside the glove compartment built into the dashboard hoping to grab someting but halting midway when he finally noticed that it was his cousin's car instead, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
What is he searching for anyway? As if anything can help Laurice with her circumstances at the moment.
The quiet bothered Eduard as he shot Laurice with a worried look, panicking all the more at sight.
!!!
"Don't you faint on me, Laurice. Keep your eyes open. I'll call for help." His tone was firm as he stare down at her. Reclining her chair to a more desirable state, he called his assistant immediately over the phone. He had him tail at them with his own car and was fortunately close behind them during the entire duration.
Turning off the engine and his phone simultaneously, Eduard focused on tending to Laurice with his deliberate hands. He was no expert but he knew first aid and he was thought at an early age how to care for the sick and elderly.
An onset of attack may be one of the hardest to deal with during an emergency situation but he can atleast give it a try. He massages Laurice's temple gently and applied the right pressure on her palms to help ease the tension that was building inside of her and to distract her from further suffering the symptopms of a panic attack while muttering: "Breate slowly and deeply."
"Good. I'm here. Don't be afraid."
'You can overcome this, Laurice.'
Eduard tried to comfort her with words that is pretty unlikely to come out of his mouth. He was not the affectionate type nor the expressive one to begin with, but towards the people he cherished, he exerts more effort, no matter how minimal it seems, to make them feel that they're being taken cared of.
"You're doing fine. That's right."
Reassuring Laurice that he's right beside her so she could recover fast and avoid any recurrence of an attack, Eduard talked nonstop to reiterate his presence.
However, as flashes of images flood his own mind, Eduard could not help but feel emotional himself so he quickly diverted his attention somewhere else as they patiently waited.
'Be good and calm down. Don't let it get you.'
Eduard reminded himself to put his heart at ease.
...
It did not take long before Eduard's assistant came to their rescue, tapping his fingers to call their attention as he peeked at them from the opened car windows. He also got company with him, probably the reason why it took awhile for him to catch up to them as he called an emergency hotline for help.
"Sir, they will see Ms. Laurice now." Eduard's assistant uttered softly so as to not alarm the both of them.
"Hmm."
Eduard returned his glance as he responded and peeked at Laurice beside him. Her eyes were tightly shut but she seemed to have regained some color on her face and was breathing evenly at the moment.
Eduard sighed but wasn't totally relieved.
It was his carelessness that brought this matter to her.
Such a miscalculation on his part.
Afterwards, they let the medic take her vitals and monitored her condition thoroughly with some equipment. Good thing it wasn't actually necessary to send her to a hospital or any health institution. But they were specifically asked to have her sleep the rest of the day and rest properly and not forgetting the most important advice out of all.
'Keep her company.'
Atleast don't leave her alone until she stabilizes completely.
The medical attendant left them shortly after some precautions but offered to notify them immediately incase of further emergencies.
Both Eduard and his assistant bid them thanks and farewell and have decided to send for Laurice over her own place.
Walking back towards the vehicle, both men halted as Cedric spoke.
"Sir, i'll take the wheels."
And he'll have the rest of the matters managed accordingly, he chided to himself.
Cedric, Eduard's assistant muttered under his breath while keeping a good stare at his superior's back. He was worried about the young miss but furthermore, he was anxious towards his own young master who looked just as disturbed and unwell, obviously.
If his guess was correct, then his boss must have been triggered by the incident that caused him to remember his own mother who past away years ago, his birthmother who seemed to have had a similiar disease with the young miss, only worse.
"It's been so long since you've had another episode. Please take care of your health, sir." He humbly forewarned. Clearly, he noticed the changes in his own boss which the medic failed to realize themselves.
Eduard thought his mild palpitations will come unnoticeable but his assistant could tell without even checking his blood pressure.
A moment of silence followed as Eduard contemplated.
"Cedy, i'm alright. There's no need to fuss."
He replied without looking back at his assitant but his tone sounded reassuring enough. His goal as he addressed his assistant with his nickname was simple, 'put him at ease'. They were of the same age and basically grew up together. Their bond was needless to say, goes far beyond that of a superior and a servant.
Cedric: " ... "
If his master says so, then his will be done.
Cedric can only observe on the sidelines.
"Yes. Then i'll be on my way, sir. Please drive safely."
He prompted after hearing his reply before turning to his back to leave. He was to drive back on convoy still towards the young miss's residence.
"Hmm."
What a worrywart Cedy truly was.
Eduard silently collected himself as he uttered a short prayer.
At that instance, Laurice momentarily opened her eyes and mulled over the situation. She was slightly giddy but have regained back a little energy when she overheard the two men's brief conversation from inside. It registered clearly through her still muddled head and could not help but fall curious.
Was Eduard sick?