Unexpected Stranger

WW

"TIME OF DEATH 8:46 pm."

"No! Please tell me you're lying! That's not true! She promised me!"

"Jackson—"

"No, Kuya! Amelia is still alive, right? You are just pulling some tricks on me!"

"No, Jackson anak—"

"She told me she will come back to me, Mom! P-Pero bakit ganito? Bumalik nga siya sa akin, pero. . . hindi na tumitibok ang puso niya. . ." Jackson's voice trailed off as tears continuously poured down his cheeks.

My chest tightened at the sight of him and tears swelled in the gilid of my eyes. I tried to yakap him but I can't!

I can't hug Jackson!

No. . . No. This can't be.

I can't be dead!

"Jackson!" I tried to scream my man's name and mulat my mata, but I can't speak. I could feel the sweat on my noo. The sound of the makina echoed through the massive space and that's the only sound that can be heard inside the room.

I was making habol my own hininga, and I felt that my cheeks are wet because of the luha. My fingers are shaking, and the tightness of my chest won't just go away as I remember my dream.

Shit. It was a dream. A fucking bangungot! It wasn't real and I'm still here, alive and kicking!

At the realization that I am alive, my senses slowly calmed down, and I silently thank the heaven above.

The surgery was a success. And now, I'm here in what seems like the ICU.

"Amelia!"

I heard my mom's voice beside me, and before I could ikot my ulo to look at her, she already hugged me tight.

"We were super nag-alala! Why did you tago this to us ba?!"

"You could have died, Amy! What were you thinking?!"

They kept on telling me a lot of things, and I'm napagalitan why I didn't make sabi raw. Duh.

I tried to speak, but there's a goddamn tube in my mouth. I can feel it in my throat and it feels so fucking awkward and uncomfortable.

I can breathe on my own na!

They called the doctor, and the doctor checked on me, telling some things we need to put in mind before removing the tube.

When the doctors left, they bombarded me with questions again and even pagalitan me! My gosh. This is the thing that bungads to me when I wake up? Damn. So maingay!

I can't take it anymore!

"Of course, I can't sabi this to you because you might tell me that I'm just nag-iinarte again! You always invalidate my feelings, so why should I sabi my condition to you?"

They were natahimik, and Aile just stared at me. She was tahimik since they came here, just looking at me with fear in her mata as if she was afraid about what happened to me.

I looked at my mom, and she was just staring at me with pained expression. Guilt flashed in her eyes and her mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to say something but don't have any guts to do so.

"A-Amy—"

"Remember when I make sabi to you that something is wrong with me so I want to seek tulong? But you just said that I'm nag-iinarte!

"So I was seeing a psychiatrist in a patago way because you wouldn't let me see one! You always invalidate what I feel just because I didn't follow the path you wanted for me!"