30 Days with Fina

Special: Alternative Ending

From the author:

When I was writing this book, I wrote the ending when I reached the better half of the story. 30 Days with Fina has a message I want to send to my readers, a message that came from my personal experience. I figured that since this story is somewhat my own, I could put in a little more to what message I originally intended to tell. And so this alternative ending was made.

This alternative ending contains two different point of views that are shown in the original but only one is highlighted. The reason I didn't use this is because I wanted to show a much more positive ending for Jellane and Fina's story. Why this ending is slightly negative compared to the original, you decide.

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30 Days with Fina by JellOfAllTrades
Alternative Ending
Day 30

It was in the early hours of dawn when I woke up from a dream, a dream wherein Fina is with me and is healthy. It was a good dream and I partly wish it was true. If she was healthy, I would invite her to Manila because she always wanted to see the capitol city and I would tour her to the Ocean park and in Luneta. We might even go see the National Museum, I know she would love that.

Taking her cold hands into mine, I look at Fina's face and saw her sleeping. Though I noticed that her chin is somewhat bloated. I frown, maybe its from the drugs or the oxygen mask. I should ask the doctor.

I stare at her for a minute, taking the bloatness in. If she gets fat and gets a double chin, this would be what she looks like. I purse my lips, not really my type, but if its Fina we're talking about, I won't mind at all.

I squeeze her cold hands and suddenly felt that there's something wrong. I stare at Fina's chest and realized she's not moving. My heart starting to pound, I tried to feel for her pulse. Nothing.

"Fina?" I stood up, blood pounding in my ears. This can't be happening. "Fina? Gising ka muna, please?"

"Jell, bakit?" I hear Tita Nani's groggy voice from the couch.

"Tita, patawag po ng doctor?" I asked. "I think there's something wrong."

Tita Nani stood up and quickly left the room while I continued to try and wake Fina up. Shaking her cold hand and calling her name. "Fina, gising ka muna, please? Fina."

When the doctor came, I stepped away and let him do his job. He checked Fina's pulse and removed Fina's oxygen mask and listened--or maybe feel her breathing, I not exactly sure what he's doing. After that he took his stethoscope and used it on Fina.

Maybe it was denial but when he said to the nurse to prepare the defibrillator, my breathe hitched and my eyes grew wide. They won't use that unless the patient's heart has stopped.

The nurse dashed out and returned within a minute, in which the doctor has decided to perform CPR. At the nurse's return, she brought with her another doctor and the machine that I always see on movies when a character is in a near death situation. And seeing that now, in real life, to be used on Fina, I only grew terrified.

They attached those wires on Fina and the machine's screen light up. We waited for Fina's heart rate to be shown but all there is on the monitor is a flat line. Nothing.

They applied the pads on Fina's chest and shocked her, but the line didn't rose nor fell. It remained flat. They shocked her another time but it was useless. Turning away, blood pounded in my ears and I tried to block away the noise. Tita Nani's sobbing, the doctor pronouncing Fina's death at 5:26 AM and Tita Nani's pained howling for the death of her daughter.