Every Tick of Serendipity ( Ruler of Fate Series #3 )

KABANATA 54

Kabanata 54

The fifty-fourth tick

The sound of the flipping papers... Along with the scratches of every stroke coming from the tip of the ballpoint pen... And some low and deep breaths near me... All of them started to circle around my head until I slowly felt the cold breeze coming from the AC and the soft mattress that my skin was touching.

There was a man... Writing on a small table not far away from me. He was so focused on what he's doing that even though I already rose up na from bed, didn't catch his attention at all.

At first, my vision was so blurry that I had to squint my eyes and rub them a lot of times. Nang luminaw ang mga mata ko, doon ko na tuluyang napansin na si Ace 'yon.

He was biting his lip, clenching his other fist, and gulping endlessly, like what he was doing was too difficult for him.

My head tilted as I watched him for a few seconds, my head still not processing what was happening. Unti-unti kong nilibot ang tingin ko sa bawat sulok ng kwarto bago ibalik ulit sakanya ang mga mata ko.

My forehead creased before I opened my eyes a little bit.

I was about to call him if it weren't for the dextrose that was connected to his pulse. Sinundan ko ng tingin ang linyang 'yon hanggang umabot sa dulo — the top steel where the bag of the transparent liquid was hanging.

That made me blink my eyes repeatedly and gulp excessively. Slowly, my head turned downward until I saw the patient's bed that I was sitting on.

"Wait..." I gasped and held both of my cheeks before I brought my gaze back at him. "Why am I here and you're there, huh?!" I asked, which startled him a bit.

Kaagad akong napatakip sa bibig ko nang mapansin ang pagngiwi niya. He even held his chest, which made me to baba kaagad mula sa supposedly na bed niya.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I yelled quietly before rushing to him.

Umupo ako sa tabi niya at hinawakan ang kamay niyang nakahawak pa rin sa kaniyang dibdib. "W-What are you feeling? Should I call the d-doctor? Help ba kita humiga sa bed? Or—"

"I'm fine." He said, which cut me off from panicking.

I shook my head, stood up, and was about to head straight to the door, if it weren't for his hand that held my wrist — hinila niya ulit ako paupo sa tabi niya.

"W-We should get you checked, Ace! I'll be back naman, oki? Wait mo lang me here. B-Baka mamaya something happened to you na and we d-don't know about—" Napatigil ako sa pagsasalita nang tignan niya ako pabalik.

I gulped, "It..." mahinang tuloy ko nang mapansin ang maliit na ngiti niya.

"I'm fine, really." He said, before patting my head. "Stop overthinking and just eat... Hmm?"

My eyes slowly went down to his other hand. Hawak no'n ang isang sandwhich na mas lalo niya pang nilapit sa'kin. It was already open and ready to be eaten.

I pursed my lips before quietly taking it from him. Dahan-dahan akong kumagat do'n habang ang tingin ay nasa mga hita pa rin namin. I was bowing my head while munching the food inside my mouth as he started combing my hair with the tips of his fingers.

I cleared my throat and sniffed my runny nose. Saglit akong tumingin sakanya bago kumagat ulit sa sandwhich na hawak ko.

Patagal nang patagal, palabo na rin nang palabo ang mga mata ko. Even breathing was hard for me since I was both eating and crying silently. Ace didn't say anything but to pull me gently closer to his side. Sinandal niya ako sa balikat niya habang patuloy pa rin ang kamay niya sa paglalaro sa bawat hibla ng buhok ko.