"She's fine but...," Dr. Maine said after treating Helena.
"Thank god!" I exclaimed. I felt relieved when he said she fine then came to realize that he said 'but'. Also, his face wasn't as happy as he should be. I started to felt nervous. Questions clouded my mind. Dr. Maine seemed to notice my confusion so he asked me to talk to him in his room.
"What?!" I gasped as I buried my face in my hands.
"I am so sorry. Amanda must have known about this. I suspected that she dissolved a cocktail of misoprostol and mifepristone in a bottle of water and let her drink it. Mifepristone is a medical abortive drug however when mixed with misoprostol, it has a higher chance of abortion. Amanda must have known," he explained.
My brain was aching both from exhaustion, anger, and emptiness. I couldn't help but sob at this cruel reality.
"Brad, you have to pull yourself together. I understand your anger and your thirst for revenge, but that's not what Helena needs right now. She needs your support, your care," he advised, calming the brimming explosive wrath inside me.
I stayed by her side. For three days, my parents and my sister, including my friends and Arabella, came to visit, giving Helena the tender care she needed. Her father flew all the way from Amsterdam when I told him the news. We tried to avoid any topics about her miscarriage but it didn't stop Helena from mourning.
She refused to eat as her body succumbed to the emptiness in her heart. Sheryl on the other hand played a great role in helping her out, given that she had the same experience.
"What do you want to eat?" I asked one morning after a week-long hospitalization. I decided to give up my apartment to buy the penthouse at the building where my office was. It was just two floors above my office so it's easier for me to take care of Helena without sacrificing my job. But the main reason was to give her a fresh start.
She shook her head. "I have no appetite," she said as tears freely flowed down her cheeks.
"Just a few spoons will do," I sighed. "Please, eat. You need strength. You must eat."
She stared blankly at the warm bowl of soup in my hands then looked away. She closed her eyes and filled her lungs with the morning air.
"Okay," she whispered before slowly opening her mouth. She grimaced when the warm soup touched her tongue. From days of food abstinence, it must have tasted bitter. After a couple more, she stopped.
"Honey, do you wanna go outside? Mom and Sheryl came yesterday to fix the garden," I urged. She looked at me and nodded. Slowly, Helena got up and walked outside as she held on to me for support.
"Oh, Helena! How are you feeling?" her father came saying when we found him in the living room, chatting with my father. They both stood and gave Helena a reassuring hug. She cried. Both our old man asked her to stop crying and told her to remain strong.
My mom was right. The garden did become her refuge. She nurtured the plants the way she should have nurtured our unborn child. As time flew, the garden grew. She even asked her father, an architect, to help her redesign it. The garden soon became self-sufficient, catering to biodiversity.
I joked with her one time that the only thing missing was trees. The following day, pots of bonsai trees were delivered--- to my amazement!
Whenever she opened her eyes to a new day, she greeted her garden first. Sometimes, I felt jealous. It's a silly emotion but I couldn't help it. She gave more attention to it than me.
"Where's Helena?" Keira's exciting voice, disturbing the tranquility of the garden. "Oh my gosh! Look at you, looking so young and so so feminine!" she gushed as they hugged each other tightly. Helena giggled at Keira's enthusiasm.
"Hi, what's brings you here?" I asked when Keira came, kissing my cheek. She waved her hand, gesturing me to leave. I raised an eyebrow as I put down the magazine I was reading.
"Sorry, honey! Ladies only. Soon, Arabella and Sheryl will be here. So, I guess you, boys, need to do some babysitting while we camp here in the garden," Helena replied.
"That's not fair! Honey, you didn't tell me about this," I complained. "Helena, honey~"
"Hi, kuya! Ate Helena, how are you?!" Sheryl screamed as she and Arabella with Saraknib in her arms entered the garden. After their warm greeting, Arabella and Sheryl went around the garden, touching every foliage along their way. They were both in awe.
"Goodness, Helena! You also kickass in gardening," Arabella blurted out. We laughed. Saraknib looked around the garden full of amazement, especially when he saw some butterflies fluttering above the flowers. He wiggled and mumbled words that only her mother understood.
The corner of my eyes caught Helena teary-eyed as she looked at Arabella and Saraknib. Her eyes were full of yearning. I sighed.
"So what's your plan, ladies?" I asked, diverting Helena's attention.
"Secret," they replied in unison.
"Hmmm," I groaned, "does that mean, we, boys can hang out, too?" I teased.
"Na- uh! Not on Saraknib's watch!" Arabella warned. "Right baby boy?! You take care of daddy and titos," she cooed her son.
The four women stared at me in a 'you- can't- win- this- argument' way. Helena took Saraknib from Arabella's arms and let him stood on the paved floor. The little man jumped, so delighted to walk.
"Walk, sweetie," she said as his tiny feet sauntered around.
Luke and the brothers came with shopping bags in their hands. Then, Keira and Arabella excitedly ran to them and took the shopping bags and came back to the garden, leaving them fell on the sofa, groaning in exhaustion. I chuckled.
"Women!" I thought. Men do crazy things only when they're in love with the woman.
"What's up?!" I greeted them as they laid on the sofa. "Need anything?"
Luke nodded. "W-water, please. Just water would be fine," he replied, swallowing to damp his dried throat. Shane gestured without even saying a word while Owen covered his face with a throw pillow.
"Did you enjoy shopping?" I teased when I came back with three glasses of water. I laughed out loud when they all stuck out their middle finger at me. I guess that said it all.
"Aaah! Never thought the water would be this delicious!" Shane exclaimed after drinking the last drop of his glass of water.
I chuckled. Then, Luke spoke with a rather serious voice that made me worried.
"Let them have fun coz we have an important matter to discuss," he said as we all listened.