ALYA
After days of not hearing from Julian,I decided to drive to his condo and check on him in person. Little did I know that what I would find there would be the biggest surprise of my life.
Upon reaching the condo,I got the spare key card Julian had kept with me out of my pocket and unlocked the door. Silence is what welcomed me. There wasn't a sign of life in Julian's condo.
"Julian!" I called out. "Hello, anybody home?!" No answer.
I walked around,looking for something or anything like a clue to where he could be. That's when I heard it.
Sounds of struggle and agony were coming from the second floor. I ran to Julian's room and found him half dead.
He was laying in front of the bathroom,face red as a tomato,unmoving with a big shirt pressed against his chest. He was in the brink if death over what,I don't know. In panic,I pulled out my phone and pressed the SOS key,"Hello, Apartment 85,there is a man who is about to die. Bring the ambulance,now!" I shouted into the phone unable to construct clear sentences anymore. The agent on the other side kept talking but I had had enough with them,so I turned my concentration to Julian.
I could come up with an idea of how I would get him up,so I kept holding his head in my lap,"please don't leave. Not today my boy." I cried but Julian was only swinging between consciousness and unconsciousness.
I think I heard him saying Adrien a few times but nothing else. The time for questions will come after he has recovered.
He looked dehydrated and starved. I wondered what could have happened that he was in this situation! Did it involve Adrien?! But he seemed like a nice guy,a gentle man even. Is he even aware of what has become of Julian?!
I rested Julian's head in a pillow and got a bottle of water from the dispenser in one corner of his room and tried poring it in his mouth but most of it poured out. I also got a wet towel to cool his body with as it was burning up.
By the time the paramedics showed up, Julian had passed out completely. They placed him on a stretcher and secured him before rushing out of the condo with him.
"You need to follow us to the hospital. Call any of his close relatives and inform them of his current situation." The female paramedic hastily told me what to do before following his fellows.
I quickly grabbed my handbag and ran after them,was let into the ambulance and we drove off to the main referral hospital.
"Patient male,age 30,named Julian Olivarez. Vitals unstable,we should connect him to oxygen right away." The male paramedic said.
They placed a gas mask over Julian's nose and read out his vitals. I held his hand the whole way to the hospital while begging him to stay with me.
It was scary.
When we reached the hospital,I jumped out of the ambulance and followed the paramedics into the hospital. He was received and forwarded to the emergency ward where I wasn't allowed to continue.
I gave the necessary information to the hospital reception and signed the documents offered to me. He had given me the right to take over in case of any emergency. I handed back the forms and then called his little brother,Zius. He picked up in the third ring and I spoke without a care in the world of he heard me or not. I was in no shape to care about that on this eventful day. "Listen child,tell your mama to come to the referral hospital right away if she wishes to see him,even for the last time. Julian is in ICU right now and his condition is not promising at all." Beep. I hung up.
I then called my husband next. He didn't answer the first time but called me right after I had hung up;" Hey wife,tell me,what happened? Is the boy okay?!" He asked in a concerned voice.
I broke into tears.
I couldn't bring myself to utter a word,he knew right away that nothing was alright. I wasn't alright and so was our boy. "Tell me where you are honey,I'll come meet you there."
"I—I am at the referral hospital right now. Our boy is in critical condition and now admitted into ICU. I'm so scared honey. What are we gonna do? What if something happens to our boy?" I continued crying while asking him.
I heard the sound of something banging on his side of the call, probably a door followed by jiggling keys. "Calm down,wife. Let's keep him in our prayers and hope for the best. Let's try thinking positively for now,okay!"
I nodded.
" Okay."
I saw doctors walking out of the ICU and ran to them," How is my boy? Please tell me,how is Julian doing?" I asked,practically begging them to update me with at least any kind of good news.
" Mr Olivarez is currently on life support. We medically induced a comma to allow his body to rest up and recuperate naturally. He was low on the vital nutrients for sustaining life,had you gotten there later than you had,Mr Olivarez would be a gone by now. So we've done our part,the rest is up to him. Let's hope for the best." The doctor said.
My legs couldn't hold me up any more. I fell onto my knees in front of the ICU and sobbed. I stayed there,praying to all gods and spirits and all deitys grand and small to give Julian another chance to life.
I don't know how long I knelt for but I know it was long enough for my legs to become numb.
I was pulled into a gentle embrace,secured by the strong arms which I knew like the back of my palm. " You're doing a good job,wife. Keep praying,lean on me for support while you pray for our boy. They will surely answer to your prayers." Massimo,my husband whispered in my ears. He kept caressing my head while I silently cried. Eventually,I dozed off after a while.
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I jolted awake when I realized that I had actually slept and left Julian all alone. I was frantic, trying to get to him and see if he's still in comma.
I saw an old woman and a young man in his twenties in the lobby. I walked towards them and greeted them. "When did you get here? Has it been long?"
"No dear,we just got here not long ago. Where's my son? Where's my Julian?" It broke my heart to see her she'd tears before even hearing about her son's current situation. I couldn't bring myself to break the news to her because I was shattered on the inside.
Julian was like my own son,and he knew it. I feel terrible that I failed to protect him.
I couldn't be there for him when he was going through something like this. I don't even know how long he must have been in that situation before I went and found him on the verge of death.
Massimo came and wrapped his hands around my small frame like the human fort he is; "Julian is currently in comma. He is on life support. That's what the doctors said." He told them.
I couldn't bring myself to look at those two people. I couldn't take it anymore so I asked my husband to take me away from them. I didn't want to be overwhelmed with sadness and grief.
I know they weren't good to my sweet boy Julian and now they probably regret every single insult and any form of abuse they inflicted on my little boy. He had broken ties with them especially Maria Goretti,his mother but kept in touch with Zius,his little brother by nine years.
Right now,being around these two would rouse other emotions I don't want to feel. So I let my husband carry me out of the hospital into the SUV truck he came driving. I used his shoulder as a pillow and rested my head on it.
"Do you think he'll be fine?" I asked under my breath.
"He will be fine,my love. Our boy is a fighter,this is another one of those battles he was destined to fight. He will emerge winner,trust me. Hmm!" Massimo comforted me,but I couldn't shake off the image of Julian laying lifeless in his condo.
"Yes,he is a fighter. But this battle didn't give him a chance to fight. Julian looked like he hasn't had a drop of water in over a week,not even any food. What exactly do you think happened to him?"
Massimo just shook his head,unable to answer that question. He instead hugged me and kept me there.
After about forty minutes,we drove home so that I could get proper clothes and a few other things we would probably need for as long as I plan on waiting for Julian. Which is till he regains his consciousness.
We got to my house and called my sister to ask her for help to take care of my children while I am away.
With me having to take over for Julian and watching him in hospital,and my husband being my designated driver,we would barely have any time for our kids.