Chapter 01: Awakened
The birds were busy feeding their chicks. Trees were dancing along with the winds.
Today is Sunday - a quality time for every family to spend with each other. Most of the family were enjoying their quality time together, but some were not. Everyone is busy fighting their own battles.
In a private hospital, there was a woman who was peacefully lying on the bed as if she was only sleeping.
"Lala, you need to go home now. You need to rest. I can take care of her, I will call you if something happens."
"But, how about my granddaughter..." Diana looked at her granddaughter lying on the bed. The unease and anxiety were all over her face.
"Rest assured Lala, I will call you immediately if something happened. For now, you need to rest. You know that she would be unhappy if she saw you like that."
Napabuntong-hininga na lamang si Diana sa tinuran ng apo. Halos isang taon na ang nakalipas ngunit hindi pa rin ito nagigising. Hindi niya na alam ang gagawin, pinanghihinaan na siya ng loob sa bawat araw na lumilipas.
"Please Lala, Mom was worried about you and kept on calling me." Napakamot na lamang sa batok niya ang lalaki. Kanina pa kasi siya kinukulit ng kanyang ina. Ano namang magagawa niya, kung pati ang Lola niya ay matigas ang ulo?
"Alright, alright... I'm going home. I will come back later, okay?"
Diana gets her things and prepared to leave. Sumunod na rin si Charles upang ihatid ito sa ibaba.
He returned to the ward after watching the car leave.
Pagbalik sa kwarto ng pinsan ay napahiga na lamang siya sa sofa. Inilagay ang kanang braso sa noo at saka pumikit sandali. Tanging ang tunog lamang ng mga makina sa silid na 'yon ang ingay na maririnig.
Nang makapag-pahinga sandali ay lumipat siya sa upuan malapit sa kama ng pinsan. Napayuko na lamang si Charles at kinausap ang pinsan kahit alam niyang hindi naman ito sasagot. Subalit umaasa siyang naririnig nito ang mga sinasabi niya.
Sa tuwing siya ang magbabantay rito ay naging routine na ni Charles ang kausapin ang kanyang pinsan.
"Princess? How long are you going to stay like this? Lala was so worried about you. She's waiting. We are all waiting for you, so please... come back to us.
I know it's hard for you to accept everything when you wake up, but, we're always here for you. I know you're a strong and brave girl. Let me be selfish for now huh... I don't want you to let go. Wake up, princess. I can't bear to watch you like this any longer."
Charles was always crying silently. Afraid that his cousin will hear her cry. He talked to her endlessly, even repeating it again and again. He doesn't mind being tired. Working during the day, then taking care of his cousin at night.
***
That night is indeed peaceful. The dark sky is full of stars. Even the moon is shining brightly above.
In that room where only the sound made by the machines can be heard, she slowly opened her eyes as if the girl heard the pleading of her cousin.
Napakunot-noo ito.
Ilang beses na kinurap ang mga talukap ng kanyang mga mata. Nag-aadjust sa liwanag ng paligid.
Puting kwarto… mga medical equipments… at ilang gamit na nasa ibabaw ng cabinet malapit sa kama niya.
Dahan-dahan niyang ibinaba ang tingin sa lalaking nakadukmo na ang ulo sa gilid ng kanyang kama. Hawak nito ang kanyang kamay. Maingat niyang inalis ang pagkakahawak nito sa kamay niya upang hindi ito maabala sa pagtulog. Sa mga oras na iyon ay ramdam na ramdam niya ang panghihina ng katawan, pinilit niyang maka-upo sa kama subalit ayaw sumunod ng katawan niya.
Tahimik na lang itong tumingin sa bintana. Ilang minutong nakatulala sa kawalan. Maraming tanong ang tumatakbo sa kanyang isip ng mga oras na 'yon.
Hindi niya namalayan na kusa nang tumutulo ang kanyang mga luha.
Sunod-sunod ang pag-agos nito sa kanyang pisngi.
Hindi niya maipaliwanag ang sobrang lungkot na nararamdaman niya sa mga oras na 'yon.
Nagising si Charles sa tunog ng kanyang cellphone. Agad niya itong kinuha sa bulsa ng kanyang pantalon.
Alas dos ng madaling araw.
Napatigil siya sa kaniyang ginagawa nang maramdaman niyang parang may kakaiba. Agad-agad siyang napalingon sa gawi ng pinsan.
She made an eye contact with him.
Napatayo siya dahil sa gulat at pati ang cellphone ay nabitawan niya na dahil dito. Ilang ulit niyang kinusot ang mga mata, hindi makapaniwala sa nakikita niya sa mga oras na 'yon.
It feels like a dream. A very surreal dream.
"You're awake!" he gasped.
It looks like he saw a ghost, because at that moment, she is looking at him. He wants to embrace his cousin, but the thing that caught his attention - isn't the fact that she's wide awake after being in a coma - but the way she's looking at him.
She blankly looks straight at him. Like her eyes that once were full of life, turned into nothing. It was lifeless. Her soul was trapped in a complete darkness. An abyss where no one can get away.
The heavy atmosphere and the unbreakable silence are interrupted by the creak of the door.
Pagbukas ng pinto ay ang eksenang iyon ang tumambad sa nurse. Sa oras na 'yon kasi ay kailangan niyang i-check ang lagay ng pasyente. Nabitawan pa nito ang hawak na medical records dahil sa nangyari ngunit dali-dali niya itong pinulot at lumabas upang tawagin ang doctor.
***
Nang makabawi mula sa pagkagulat ay agad tinawagan ni Charles ang ina upang ibalita ang nangyari.
Tahimik lamang na pinapanood ni Yesha ang mga nangyayari sa paligid. Pinili niyang manahimik kahit ang daming tanong ang gumugulo sa isip niya ng mga oras na 'yon.
The room was slowly filling with people in white garments. Soon enough, it was crowded. They assisted her and gave her a thorough check up. From time to time she was brought into different rooms to run some tests on her body.
Diana, Charles and his parents were nervous about her condition. Matapos marinig sa binata na nagising na ito ay nagmadali agad silang pumunta sa hospital. Muntik pa nga silang pumunta na ang suot ay ang pantulog dahil sa pagmamadali.
"How is it?" Diana nervously asked the doctor.
The chief doctor looked at them, then smiled. In a relaxed tone, he consoled them, "All of Miss Seiri's indicators of health are normal. I can say that all of this can be credited towards her body foundations. Therefore, despite being in a dangerous situation, as we checked thoroughly there aren't any huge issues with her body now. She may feel that her body is weak, stiff and even her throat was uncomfortable, rest assured that all of it are normal. After all, she's been lying down and sleeping for so long."
"Thank goodness!" tila ba nabunutan ng tinik si Diana sa mga narinig niya sa Doctor.
"Later on, I'll arrange her for a complete rehabilitation plan. Therefore, you need to take care of her and be sure that she takes it step by step. You don't need to be impatient since she really needs to properly recuperate. But I believe she will be able to recover quickly."
All of them focus on her. It's her turn now. Despite feeling her throat dry, she forced herself to speak.
"Can... can I... ask... so-something?" Halos pabulong na tanong niya. Agad namang lumapit si Diana sa apo upang daluhan ito.
"What is it? Do you need anything?"
Napapikit si Yesha. Humuhugot ng lakas para sa sarili. Pagdilat ay napalunok muna siya bago magsalita muli. Nagtatanong ang kanyang mga mata na tumingin sa kanyang Lola. "What am I doing here? And... where's Mom and Dad, even... even Ate Yassie are... not here."
Parang isang bomba ang sumabog ng bitiwan niya ang mga katagang iyon. Napa-takip na lamang si Diana sa kanyang bibig. Labis-labis ang sakit na nadarama niya para sa nangyayari sa apo.
Gulat na nakatingin si Charles sa pinsan. Pati ang tiyahin at tiyuhin nito ay naawa sa kalagayan ng pamangkin.
"You don't remember what happen?" Tanong ng doktor pero tanging iling lamang ang sinagot ni Yesha.
"What are your earliest memories with your family?"
"My family and I were on a vacation. I... I remembered that we went to the beach. We went boating and I almost drowned. That's why they rushed me to the hospital."
"Then? Anything after that?"
Umiling siya upang sagutin iyon. "I don't remember anything after that."
Napa-higpit ang hawak ni Diana sa kamay ng apo. Napa-iwas naman ng tingin si Charles.
He knows.
He remembered everything that happened. But it seems his cousin forgot everything that comes after that.
"Since all of her tests were normal, It must be that the patient was having post-traumatic amnesia. Where it is a state of memory loss for her caused by the accident. It's not permanent, but in some cases it lasts for days, weeks or even months before the patient regains her memories. My advice, don't force her to remember. Stress can cause a disruption for her to remember and recover quickly. But we will run some tests again with her to assure you."