11. For You, I Will

The echo from the hospital's speaker bounced from one wall to another. The name Dr. Garcia has been called over and over, requesting her presence in the emergency room. Wails from families of recently deceased patients tortured Valerie's ears. How long until she too, joined the mourning hearts?

Nathaniel never left his wife's side. He knew it would only be a few days or hours before Maria succumbs to her dwindling heartbeat.

"Mom, please open your eyes, I'm not ready yet," Valerie begged as she clutched her mother's frail arms. Tears streamed down her face as she gazed at her mother's attempt to hang on to life. Her brother had not made it to San Ignacio yet. Which was probably why her mother kept holding on.

"I don't understand why Sheldon continued to ignore my calls," Valerie complained, just as Nathaniel held out a cup of noodles for her to eat.

"I know he and Mom never had a good relationship, but our mother is dying, for Christ's sake!" she added, voice quivering and tone higher than her normal, unable to hide the bitterness in her heart.

Nathaniel laid his hand on her shaking shoulder and rubbed it gently in an attempt to give her comfort and remind her that she was not alone. Valerie stared up at him, her eyes begging. "Can you go visit Sheldon and try to bring him here?" she asked, knowing all too well what her husband's answer would be.

Nathaniel barely had the strength to keep his stance. If there was one thing he hated most, it was seeing his wife cry. He cleared his throat and answered, "Okay."

His wife's eyes slightly lit up as a forced smile graced her quivering lips. "Thank you, Nat," she murmured, then focused back on her mother.

Sheldon was a very hard nut to crack. That was something Nathaniel had always known. The man seemed to have kept a grudge against his mother. Although Maria did her best to pacify Sheldon's temper and relentless demeanour, it was never enough to root him in one place or keep him out of trouble. Sheldon always got himself into fights, especially when he was a teen. It was a miracle that he even passed as a guard for a maximum-security prison, without losing his temper in the process. "I will leave for San Fernando tomorrow," Nathaniel whispered to his wife. No matter what the outcome would be. He was determined to bring Sheldon's sorry ass back to San Ignacio.

***

(West Wing, San Fernando Correctional)

Mark finally got a signal bar on his phone. Immediately, he dialled his wife's number. The old voice of his mother-in-law greeted him when his call was answered.

"Rebecca is that you? Where is Jasmine? Look, I may not be able to come home tonight, the weather is bad. I can't risk driving in this kind of downpour."

Mark narrowed his eyes and then frowned when the person in the other line replied. He had a hard time understanding what was being said because the voice was muffled with static sounds, and he could barely make out his mother-in-law's words.

After a full minute of talking and torturously trying to comprehend what the person on the line was saying, Mark decided to end the call. He resolved to send a text message, hoping it was enough for his wife not to worry. Jasmine tends to be a worry-wart, which often causes a few arguments between them.

"It's alright, lad, she will understand," the warden assured him upon seeing the unstable and relentless movements of the young guard inside his office.

After what felt like an eternity. Harold emerged from the office door with Melinda trudging behind him, carrying a tray with three cups of coffee and a plate of biscuits.

The warden eyed the young woman when she laid the tray on his desk, his gaze, questioning and moving from the tray to Melinda.

Melinda understood what the warden was thinking. So, she explained the status of their meal by saying, "The delivery was not made today. The pantry has nothing left except for these."

"It's nine in the evening, Melinda, none of us has had our dinner. How can you expect us to survive the night with these?" warden Protacio asked while spreading his arms over the tray, to express his irritation.

The young secretary did not give a reply; she, instead, bowed her head to avert the glare that Warden Protacio steadily threw at her.

"Now, now, Protacio, a cup of coffee and a few pieces of biscuits may not suffice, but it's only for a night. It won't get us killed." Harold said softly, pitying the young woman who had been nervous about the food, long before she or Harold even stepped inside the office.

"Whatever," the warden replied while waving his hand, signalling Melinda to take her to leave.

The young secretary smiled in Harold's direction, then to Mark, and lastly, the warden, before she left the office.

Protacio reached for a cup of coffee and then asked the two guards to take their own. The pregnant silence between them was suddenly interrupted when Mark's phone rang. Immediately, the young guard took his phone out of his pocket and smiled when he saw his wife's number appear on the screen.

"Hello, hello Mark?" the woman on the other line screamed. She was told by her mother that Mark was having problems hearing the person on the other line.

Mark took to his feet and without saying a word, he stepped out of the office before answering his wife with, "I'm sorry Jasmine, I don't think I can come home tonight. The weather is..." before Mark could finish his words, his wife interrupted him with, "It's okay, I understand, I wouldn't want you to risk driving in this weather anyway. My mom is with me. You don't have to worry."

"Are you sure?" Mark prodded worriedly.

"Yeah, don't worry," Jasmine answered.

Mark was about to end the call when he suddenly asked, "Did you like butterflies when you were a little girl?

There were a few seconds of silence before his wife suddenly laughed. It's not just a burst of simple laughter but a full-blown one.

"What's so funny?" Mark asked, confused by his wife's reaction.

"Well, I don't know; I mean, I called this man a while ago, and he couldn't wait to get off the phone, clearly annoyed by my simple inquiry, and then, he all of a sudden took an interest in my childhood and butterflies."

Mark scratched his head and wanted to prod his wife to answer, but the line suddenly got disconnected. Upon checking, Mark's phone lost its signal once more.

Mark was headed back inside the office when he saw Melinda in the corner of his eyes. He felt sorry for what transpired between them. He did regret taking advantage of the young woman, but he can't give up his marriage for a simple fling. He threw her a smile, and she smiled back, but there was sadness in the way her eyes gazed back at him. What they had may have been brief, but Mark knew, she did develop feelings for him.

Turning his back on her, Mark silently swore, never to indulge himself in such things ever again. Not only for the sake of his marriage but for the woman, whose heart he might break.

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