"Take a rest, Andrea. Frida is here." I heard a lonely voice owned by my sister.
I slowly opened my eyes even though I felt my eyelids were too heavy. I tried to roam my eyes around and all I can see was white and blue. The bitter smell of hospital disinfection descended upon my nostrils.
As my sight got clear, I saw Frida sitting next to my bed who looked so lost and Auntie Julie was on the couch busy patting her laptop. I closed my eyes and tried to relax but the sound filled with the silence apart from my heavy breathing and the sound of a monitor that is often heard in hospitals that indicates life. I slowly opened my eyes again, blinking in trying to sharpen the hazy images before me. I glanced around and I can't imagine what might be the reason why Auntie Julie is staying here at the hospital.
Frida's face lightened upon noticing I woke up. "Are you okay? Oh, you're awake?" she disconcerted. "Mom?"
"Yeah!" Auntie Julie answered sparingly.
"How long have I been here? Who brought me here?"
"You were sleeping for one day. A young boy called me using your phone that something bad happened to you," she said with her worried eyes. Maybe, it was Asher she's referring to since I was with him that time, "I can't believe you shut down with that incident."
"Take a rest for a while, Andrea," Auntie Julie suddenly said with full of authority but not in the tone of voice she used to order me, it was a gentle and calm demeanour before she stood up and left the room.
My gaze went back to Frida. I want to ask what happened to Asher but I can't find the right words to ask. So, I decided not to.
"If you were asking about that boy, mom told him to go home and prepare for school," she spoke up as if she read my mind. "Don't worry, he will be visiting you any moment."
I shut my eyes, trying to remember what had exactly happened. Then it all hits me like a slap. The memory of it all starts to occupy my thoughts.
I saw it. The boy jumped off to rescue his toy. The cold air hits my face as I tumble to the ground.
Some panicking, some remained still because of what had happened to the young boy. I heard one lady scream, the nanny. A scream that panicked everyone.
Crashed. The pain jolted throughout my body. It didn't hurt as much as the realisation that I fall witnessing an incident that made me woke up from the past.
I was still alive but Ciara and mom died.
The ball rolled down and sprang on the road, exactly how the child lost his toy. Noreen tried to get the ball and mom who was looking for us. Mom went after her and suddenly a huge vehicle approached that was lost of control. Out of the blue, mom and Ciara died.
At a young age, I witnessed how cruel the world is and began questioning why I saw it. I witnessed that after a happy moment, a sad moment interfered that ruined the day.
I saw people start to surround them while me, staring blankly and endless tears running in my eyes.
"Are you okay?" a lady went near me, the one who called the emergency hotline to seek professional help.
Another lady was telling me, "Hold on, you'll be fine".
I didn't want to hold on. My mom died. Ciara died. They died in front of my eyes. I watched how they died and I don't have any single strength to do anything I can.
Who brought me here? Who asked to play in the playground? Out of impulse, my hand travels to my face, pressing the throbbing area on my right temple.
I felt an invisible scar and flinched at the pain starting to cry.
Frida tried to calm me down but I was trying enough to try to get up. Once I stepped on the cold, white tiles, I instantly fell back onto the bed. My knees wilted. My body was engulfed in pain as if objecting to my decision to stand up. I lay there pathetically, waiting for the pain to wash away. I removed the thing attached to my arm, I don't know what it is called.
"Calm down, Andrea. I'm here. Here I am, your sister," Frida said gently and tried to ease me with her warm voice. Then suddenly, Auntie Julie went back holding a basket of fruits.
"Auntie," I whimpered.
Auntie just stared at me which made me cry harder and kept on telling her how sorry I was. I was sorry because her precious child was lost. My mom lost because of me. I dragged them to go to play in the playground. It was my fault. I was too selfish.
Staring at the ceiling, brightened with white fluorescent light. Probably waiting for some assistance from the hospital personnel.
"Here, try at least to eat this," Auntie Julie gave me a peeled apple. I stared at it contemplating if I will accept or not. "Don't you dare not to accept it?"
"Auntie," my voice cracked, a sign that I cried hard.
"Just eat, Andrea." So, I decided to calm my nerves and started to eat as she said though my eyes are painful and swollen. I can't bear another reason to hate me because of my hard-headedness.
I was about to finish the fruits that Auntie gave me when I was interrupted by a loud bang on the door.
Came into my view were Dad, Mrs Chua and the man I used to see when I visited Cobygy.
My attention drifted back and forth to Mrs Chua and the man, if I'm not mistaken, his name is Calvin. Now I realized that Calvin's face was familiar because he was somehow resemblance to Mrs Chua. Calvin has an innocent face but is a handsome man, with light black hair and mesmerizing hazel eyes same as Mrs Chua.
"Andrea," Dad called my name and walked near me. "I'm glad to see you okay."
"Yeah," I responded.
My whole body seemed to stiffen when I was caught off guard and Dad suddenly hugged me. If my memory says it's true, this is the first time he hugged me. My heart melted and I regretted everything I did.
The worst thing I did to my Dad was when Frida was falsely accused of stealing away someone's boyfriend, together with Amber, we invade someone's privacy and exposed how bad that boy was to drag someone in his mess. In short, we hacked someone's account. Dad was furious back then and cover us.
Auntie Julie then snapped me out of my deep thought asking whether I was okay, almost forgot that we have visitors. I told her I was even if it was a complete lie.
Mrs Chua cleared her throat. "I heard from Asher and your friends that you are in the hospital when I visited your school. So we came to visit you."
"Thanks," I faced Dad. "Dad, I will get discharged as soon as possible, right? Anyway, I'm totally fine."
"They will -,"
"They need to run some test," Auntie Julie butted in that making Dad stop what he was going to say. Test? For what?
" Don't worry. It is just to make sure that you are totally fine," Dad continued.
"But, I'm okay. I just. I just lost my consciousness."
Mrs Chua and Calvin stayed for a while to look for me while Dad and Auntie Julie went out to see the doctor. Frida went home and will meet an important client the preparation for her wedding.
Mrs Chua opened a topic and somehow lightened my mood. Calvin, on the other hand, tried to keep the pace but he kept on checking his phone, waiting for something important business.
"I first saw her when she went to Cobygy's shop and she was Sheldon's classmate," Calvin answered when Mrs Chua asked us how we met.
"Oh, I see. I'm glad that you met Calvin," she paused. "What's your plan after graduation? Are you going to take any business-related course?"
"Ah," I doubt if I will tell what course I want to take instead I answered the safest one.
"It's okay, that's normal." I do not know if it is normal to be pressured about something that I'm passionate about. Thinking that I took an ABM strand when my heart belongs to the STEM strand made me saddened. I kept on instilling in my mind that the field of specialization or major subject is only the difference. Core subjects were talking about was just the same, just the different approach.
"Remember that I am here for you. We are here for you. I am your-" Mrs Chua's statement was interrupted when a series of voices barged into the room. They just calmed down when they noticed that someone aside from me was inside.
"Hello," they all greeted. I smiled a little bit at their foolishness.
"What brings you all here? Is the hospital allowed so many visitors? This is all so sudden," I can't help but ask. They are all here, Amber, Asher, Joshua, Robin, Ken and his girlfriend, Lila.
"It hurts, my dear," Amber overly reacted. "Anyway, power of connection?"
Mrs Chua chuckled which made us all see her. "Go for it. We'll just step outside."
"Thank you Mrs Chua and Calvin for visiting me."
"No worry, little sis." My eyes widened with Calvin's endearment. He chuckled. "See you."
I don't know what to say. I was clouded with different thoughts. My mind went back to reality when Amber snapped her finger in front of my face.
"Why?" I asked innocently.
"Nothing, my wild imagination go away," Amber acted weirdly.
"Answering your questions earlier," Robin meddled. "Asher kept on pestering us and didn't manage to concentrate in every discussion thinking that your ---"
Asher put the apple inside his mouth to prevent from spilling all the beans. We all laughed at his epic moment. It's kind, so cute.
"Huh, I'm telling the truth."
"I will kick you off this room."
"But."
"Enough!" Amber stopped Asher and Robin from throwing words at each other.
"I am dying to know the truth, what's the score between the two of you, Andrea and Asher?"
Asher and I met each other's eyes which made the two of us laugh while they left them questioned even more.