A Day in the Night Sky

Kabanata 37

Spin

I woke up in a hospital room. Ang unang-unang dumating sa aking isip nang magkamalay ay si Chaos. Pero wala akong sapat na lakas para bumangon.

"Yna? Yna! Doc," pagmamadali ni Daddy.

Agad na dumating ang doktor at tinignan ang vital signs ko. I couldn't understand any of it. The only thing that mattered the most to me was Chaos's condition.

Binigyan nila ako ng tubig pagkatapos. Tumingin ako sa pinto at nakitang maraming mga guard ang nakaaligid maging sa mga bintana.

I was so weak. But I forced myself to sit.

"Yna, darling, please lie down. 'Wag ka munang uupo."

I didn't listen to him. Kaya nang pinilit kong umupo ay agad na sumakit ang ulo ko. Wala akong ibang nagawa kundi ang manatiling nakahiga na lamang.

Walang nagsasalita sa amin. Narito si Tita, Daddy, at si Manang. Pero pinapakiramdaman lang nila ang mga kilos ko.

"How's Chaos?" I croaked.

Walang sumagot ni isa.

"H-How's Chaos?" I whispered.

"Don't concern yourself muna, hija—"

"How is h-he?"

Dad sighed. NIlingon ko siya sa aking gilid at nakitang problemado ang kanyang ekspresyon. My chest almost hurt from its loud beating.

"Nasa ICU siya. He was shot two times. Mabuti at hindi tumama sa spinal cord. Nagpapagaling siya ngayon."

I remember seeing him lying on his own pool of blood. Pagkatapos noon ay wala na akong maalalang kahit na ano.

Somewhere, I could still here the ringing gunshots near me. Hindi ko napansing nanginginig na pala ako at kayakap ko si Daddy. This seems so much like what happened then.

But it feels different.

I'm stronger now. And I have to fight now. Hindi pwedeng maulit ang nangyari noon. I refuse to be weak again. They fought for me back then. Ngayon, ako naman.

Pinilit kong pakalmahin ang aking sarili at pumikit nang mariin bago ko binukas ulit ang aking mga mata at tinignan si Daddy.

I am worried about Chaos. Pero kahit gaano ko pa kagustong makita siya ngayon din, alam kong hindi papayag si Daddy. At ayoko na ring manlaban pa. I am too weak.

To hear that he's safe calmed my heart a bit. Lubos kong pinagpapasalamat sa Panginoon 'yon.

And besides, there's one thing I'd like to know, too.

"S-Si Miguel?" nanghihina kong tanong.

"Nahuli siya. Sumuko agad siya nang malamang may nabaril sa pag-aakalang ikaw 'yon," Daddy whispered.

His hug for me tightened. Nag-init ang sulok ng aking mata. Is this real?

"Nasa New Bilibid na siya ngayon," hinarap ako ni Daddy at malungkot siyang ngumiti. "It's over now, darling."

The tears gushed out. I couldn't believe it. After years of being chained to the past, this is it. I'm free. We're all free now.

"It's over now," he whispered. Over and over.

Hinaplos ni Daddy ang aking buhok habang umiiyak ako. Nagtagal kami sa ganoong posisyon. The sense of time was lost, replaced by the pure but subtle need for silence I never knew mattered up to this point.

Nagdaan man ang panahon, ganoon pa rin ang sakit. Hindi naibsan. The years I spent in different places, meeting different people and experiencing different things, were all distractions for the pain I kept behind my mind and heart.