Wonderful Unknown

Chapter 10

A/N: Team Buzz Lightyear rin ako pero pikit muna tayo.

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Roxy quietly fussed over the sleeping toddler, careful not to wake him up as she wiped the dried tears on his face with a damp facial tissue.

It took almost an hour for Aiden to calm down after they inserted the IV. The utter look of betrayal on his face when Roxy did nothing to stop the nurse would have been comical, had he not screamed “Daddy” at the top of his lungs as soon as the needle pierced his skin.

Her toddler might not like her too much at the moment, but at least his fever was starting to go down.

The beige privacy curtain separating them from the other patients slid open. A whisper of cool breeze slipped through the gap, and she tugged at the navy blue coat that her boss handed her in the car to ward off the chill.

“Ate Rox, may na-book na po ‘kong Grab,” Nica whispered, mindful of the sleeping kid. 

The hospital only allowed one companion per patient in the ER. Since there were seven people before them on the awfully long waitlist for a semi-private room, Nica and her mother, Isay, opted to go home.

“Nasaan si Mama mo? Para makapag-thank you man lang ako,” she said, trying to peek behind the curtain. 

“Ay nag-CR po si Mama. Pero pinapa-abot niya.” The girl handed her a white paper bag. “Ham sandwich and mineral water, in case magutom ka.”

The simple act of kindness brought tears to her eyes. She took the bag and gave the young girl a hug. “Thank you, ha. Kasi hindi mo pinapabayaan si Aiden.” She drew back, and squeezed Nica’s hands. “Promise, pag nakaluwag-luwag ako, may bonus ka sa ‘kin.”

“Gawin mo lang yung make-up ko sa next competition, okay na,” the teenager grinned.

It was almost midnight, but the steady stream of people in the emergency room did not wane. The noise would have definitely woken up her son, who was a light sleeper like his father, but he seemed too exhausted after the night’s events.

The curtain slid open for what was probably the fifth time in the last hour, and she stood up from the monoblock chair, thinking it was either a nurse who would check her son’s vitals or an admin personnel with more consent forms to sign.

He was the last person she expected to slip inside the small space.

Caught by surprise, she asked, “Bakit ka bumalik?” 

“I never left,” Pablo answered quietly. “How’s Aiden?”

They both looked at the sleeping toddler.

“Hindi na inaapoy ng lagnat,” she shared, relief washing through her, as she ran her fingers through Aiden’s hair. “Bakit hindi ka pa umuuwi?”

They barely spoke during the drive two hours ago, both steadfastly ignoring the elephant in the room.

Pablo was on his wireless earphone trying to get ahold of his Ninong and handling business matters. Meanwhile, she just kept to herself, constantly checking her phone and anxiously waiting for updates from Nica during the 45-minute drive. 

The engine was still running when she opened the door and slipped out of the car, to her boss’s dismay. She honestly thought that he just drove back to the club.

“That’s not what you wanted to ask,” he said matter of factly.

She swallowed thickly and averted her gaze. Roxy didn’t have enough time to wrap her mind around everything that happened, much less dissect her feelings about that night’s revelation.