Song: 1000x- Jarryd James ft. Broods

Stitch

Hindi parin ako makapaniwala sa nasaksihan namin kahit nakabalik na kami ng duty. Isang araw na ang nakalipas, pero parang sariwa parin ang lahat at hindi ko parin makalimutan ang nangyari. 

Every now and then—while doing some paper works—bigla nalang akong natutulala at iniisip ang naging kaganapan noong nakaraang araw.

We went to an illegal and dangerous place and I don't know what I should freaking feel about it.

Kaya naman nang magbalik kami sa duty, agad kong sinugod si Alex at binatukan siya gamit ang notebook na hawak ko.

"Aw! What the hell is your problem?" kunot noo niyang tinanong habang nakahawak sa kanyang batok.

"Maybe I should be the one asking you that. What the hell is your problem? Bakit mo kami dinala sa gano'ng lugar?"

Nakita kong inirapan ni Carmela si Alex sabay baling ng tingin sa akin. She gave me an encouraging look. Habang sila Kisha, Tim, at Nigel naman, nanatiling tahimik.

"What did I miss?" kuryosong tanong ni Yen.

"Mas mabuti nang hindi mo malaman, Yen. Maswerte ka at nakauwi ka na at hindi ka na nadala ng mokong na 'to sa lugar na 'yon." sagot ko.

Matalim kong tiningnan si Alex. Natawa naman siya ng bahagya habang isinasabit ang stethoscope sa kanyang leeg.

"You were bored! I just brought you to something fun!" maangas niya pang kinibit ang kanyang balikat.

"Fun doesn't mean we're going to do something illegal!" sibat ko sakanya.

"Illegal?" si Yen na mukhang gulong-gulo na ngayon.

Hindi ko siya pinansin at nagpatuloy nalang sa paghahanda ng sarili para sa magiging duty ngayong araw.

"You are not abiding by the rules, Felicity. We are not allowed to talk about it outside-"

I glared at Alex again.

"Seriously? 'Yan pa talaga ang inaalala mo? Anong pumasok sa isip mo para dalhin kami doon?"

"But you agreed! Hindi ko naman kayo dadalhin doon kung 'di kayo pumayag!"

He's got a point. We agreed. But do we even know what we've agreed on? No!

"Dahil akala namin kung saan lang! Malay ba namin na 'yon ang tinutukoy mo!" Si Carmela naman ang sumagot ngayon. Humalukipkip siya at masamang tiningnan si Alex.

"At malay din ba namin na gano'n ang definition mo ng 'fun'! Idadamay mo pa kami sa kalokohan mo!" sabi ko.

Alex pouted and pointed at our co-interns. "But they seem to enjoy it!"

Nilingon ko ang tatlo na inosente akong tiningnan. I raised a brow at them, as if I'm asking them if they really enjoyed.

"Slight lang," sabi ni Kisha at nahihiya pang tumawa. I rolled my eyes. "At isa pa, ang ganda din nung nasaksihan nating laban! Akalain niyong lumalaban pala doon 'yung pilot na nakikita natin dito sa ospital!"

I just hope we won't get in trouble for talking about that damn club outside its premises. Wala naman sigurong magsusumbong sa amin diba?

Nang dahil sa sinabi ni Kisha ay mas lalo tuloy namilog ang mga mata ni Yen. Agad-agad itong naupo sa tabi ni Kisha at nagsimula nang magpakwento. Nagpakawala ako ng malalim na hininga.

Well, about that... I still can't believe that Archer participates in that kind of thing. I know it's not my place to ask but I wanted to know if he does that regularly? I mean... isn't that too dangerous? Is he trying to endanger himself?

Natapos rin naman ang pagtatalo namin doon dahil nag-umpisa na ang duty namin. Habang nasa nurses' station at inuupdate ang iilang charts, nabigla ako nang salubungin ako ni Lucas. Napaayos ako ng tayo at nilingon siya nang batiin niya ako.

"Good morning, Dr. Donovan."

Agad na uminit ang pisngi ko nang dahil doon. I tried my best not to smile while greeting him back.

"Good morning, Dr. Kim."

"Have you checked on Aya Olivarez today? She's going to have her first cycle of chemotherapy tomorrow. I want to see if there's an improvement about her condition."

"Oh, I haven't but I can check on her now."

He nods his head. "Yes, please do. I'm sorry to bother you, Fel, but I need to assist in a surgery in a minute so I can't do it myself."

Fel?! He called me by my nickname?! So, does that mean we're on a nickname basis now? Ano close na ba kami? Nafo-fall ka na rin ba?

Joke lang!

At dahil tinawag niya ako sa nickname ko, does that also mean I can call him by his nickname as well? Can I call him Luc?

Wait... is his nickname even Luc? Ang iksi kasi ng pangalan niya. No one even calls him Marc, even if that's his first name.

Hay! Sige na nga. Love nalang...

"It's fine, Luc—I mean, Dr. Kim," I giggled. "I'll keep you updated once I check on her."

"Sure. Thank you, Fel."

Hindi ko na maitago pa ang ngiti na gustong lumandas sa aking labi. I pursed my lips so it won't look too obvious.

Tumango siya sa akin pagkatapos niyang may pirmahan. He smiled and tapped me on my shoulder.

"I'll see you around." aniya at humakbang na patungo sa surgery rooms.

"Okay..." sabi ko sa ipit na boses dahil pinipigilan ko talaga na mapangiti.

Tsaka lang ako tuluyang nakahinga ng maayos nang mawala na siya sa paningin ko. I turn to look over my shoulder, kung saan niya ako tinapik kanina. I crazily smiled and celebrated over that one simple gesture.

Grabe! Parang ang sarap 'wag maligo mamaya ah?

I squealed and continued doing some charts without removing the smile off of my face.

Nang matapos ako, agad naman akong dumiretso sa kwarto ni Aya upang gawin na ang inuutos ni Lucas sa akin. Habang bitbit ang chart niya, mahina akong kumatok sa kwarto niya at sumilip.

At first, I was expecting her nanny or her mother to welcome me. Pero nagulat ako nang si Archer ang nakita kong nakaupo sa silya malapit sa hospital bed ni Aya!

He was typing something on his phone when he raised his gaze at me. Kahit ata siya ay nagulat nang makita ako.

"I-I'm just going t-to... check up on h-her," I stuttered. "I-Inutos lang kasi."

I wanted to curse myself so bad at that moment! Why the hell did I even stutter? Siguro ay dahil biglang sumagi sa isip ko ang nangyari nung isang araw at nahihiya ako na nahuli niya pa akong nakikinood don!

I know... it's the most unlikely place to see me. Kahit ako, hanggang ngayon, naiinis parin kung bakit ba kami biglang napunta sa lugar na 'yon. I don't think I'll get over it anytime soon! 

Bwisit na Alex!

Archer nods his head. "Okay..."

Tumango na rin ako at lumakad na patungo sa kapatid niyang mahimbing na natutulog ngayon. A blanket is wrapped around her body. I smiled when I saw her hugging the bear that I gave her tightly.

Sana lang talaga hindi mag-play biglang iyong recording na nasa loob ng laruan na 'yan! Baka tumakbo nalang ako palabas para isalba ang sarili sa kahihiyan kapag nangyari 'yun. Nandito pa naman din 'yung pinag-uusapan namin sa recording na 'yon!

Habang inaassess si Aya, hindi ko naman maiwasang mapasulyap sa kapatid niya. He's still typing something on his phone when I glanced at him. Hindi nakatakas sa mga mata ko ang sugat sa may bandang cheekbone niya. It doesn't even look like an ordinary bruise, it needed some stitches.

Ngumuso ako. Should I tell him that putting on some ointments won't help with his open wound? Why isn't he even asking for some medical assistance gayong nasa ospital na siya?

May sugat din sa gilid ng kanyang labi. Mukhang ginamot niya na ito dahil mukhang nag-hihilom na ito. The only problem that I see now is the open wound on his left cheekbone. Hindi naman gaanong malaki iyon but it still needs to be stitched up!

Agad akong napaiwas ng tingin nang bumaling siya sa amin. Nagkunwari akong may ginagawa sa kapatid niya para hindi niya isipin na pinagmamasdan ko ang sugat niya.

Why are you even so bothered, Fel? Choice niya naman na sumabak sa laban niya na 'yon at 'yang sugat na mayroon siya ngayon ang naging parusa niya sa ginawa niyang iyon!

I mumbled a curse and shake my head, hoping that this will help in removing all these annoying thoughts in my head.

After checking on Aya, I opened her chart and updated her records. Dahan-dahan kong isinara ang chart niya at tiningnan ang kapatid niyang occupied parin sa cellphone ngayon.

I bit my lip and squinted my eyes a bit, thinking about what I should do next.

My job with Aya is already finished and instead of leaving, here I am, frozen in place in front of Archer. 

There's just really something about what I've witnessed last time that made me so damn curious. I wanted to ask him but I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do.

Kung hindi pa siguro nag-salita si Archer, 'di ko na mamamalayan na ang tagal ko na palang nakaestatwa doon.

"Is there a problem? You need something?" tanong niya na nagpabalik sa akin sa katinuan.

Napakurap ako at niyakap ang chart nang mas mahigpit. I pursed my lips before opening it again to ask him what's been bugging me. Hindi ko na napigilan pa ang sarili. 

"Can I... ask you a question?"

He nodded once. Umayos siya nang upo upang mas ituon ang atensyon sa akin. Binitawan niya ang kanyang telepono at inilapag iyon sa lamesa sa gilid ng hospital bed ni Aya.

I gulped when he rests his elbow on the arm chair to play with his lips. Naestatwa ako nang sandali dahil hindi ko alam kung paano ko ba sisimulan 'to. I'm not even sure if I'm doing the right thing! But I'm extremely curious! At sa tingin ko kung hindi ko malalaman ang sagot ngayon, ilang araw akong hindi makakatulog!

"What were you... doing in that... place?" I asked slowly.

"What place?" pag-mamaangmaangan niya.

"You know what I mean. I'm sure you saw me."

He squinted his eyes a bit to try and pretend like he's thinking of an answer. Ngumunguso pa siya at mukhang nasa wisyo pang mang-asar.

"Hmm... anong araw mo ba ako nakita? I've been to many places this week. I couldn't remember. Madalas din kita nakikita dito sa ospital kaya 'di ko alam kung anong lugar ang tinutukoy mo."

Bumagsak ang balikat ko at nawala rin ang mahigpit kong pagkakayakap sa dala kong chart.

"Let's cut the crap here, Mr... Archer," his name alone doesn't sit right with me. "I'm pretty sure you know what I mean. What were you doing there?"

Agad na nagbago ang itsura niya. Kung kanina ay nasa mood pa siya mang-asar, ngayon nag-seryoso na. Umalis siya mula sa pagkakasandal sa upuan at itinungkod ang magkabilang siko sa kanyang hita. Tinagilid niya ang ulo habang nakatingin sa akin. 

"Maybe I should be the one asking you that. What were you doing there?" he emphasized the word 'you' and pointed his index finger at me.

Just look at how fast the tables have turned! Ako ang dapat nagtatanong niyan tapos agad niyang naibalik sa akin 'yon?! Parang kailangan ko tuloy sagutin 'yan para sagutin niya din ang tanong ko!

"Uhm... wala lang. Nagkaayaan lang kami ng mga... kaibigan ko."

He raised a brow like he's not sure if he should believe me or not. Tinagilid niyang muli ang tingin sa akin, mukhang hirap parin paniwalaan ang rason ko. 

"Really? Sa ganoong klaseng lugar pa talaga kayo nag-kaayaan? Anong trip niyo?"

I pouted and shrugged my shoulders. Should I tell him that it was Alex who took us to that place? Hindi ba't magkakilala sila? Pero naisip ko... ayaw ko rin namang isipin ni Alex na nagsusumbong ako. I even remember the host telling us that we are not allowed to talk that club outside that place.

Ugh! So annoying!

Hindi naman siguro ako mapapahamak dahil ako itong nag-initiate ng usapan na ito 'no? Hindi naman siguro niya ako isusumbong?

"Hmm... we like to discover new places. So... back to my question. What were you doing there?"

He smirked. Seriously? May balak ba siyang sagutin ang tanong ko? 'Di ba niya napapansin na mukhang 'di ako makakatulog ng ilang araw kapag 'di niya sasagutin 'tong tanong ko?

Nang hindi siya sumagot ay pinagpatuloy ko naman ang tanong ko.

"What were you doing and why... are you fighting?"

"Trip ko lang." pabalang niyang sagot.

I rolled my eyes. Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin pagkatapos para naman makita niyang seryoso ako sa tanong ko.

"Ano nga?" I asked impatiently.

"Why are you so curious?"

Hindi ko din alam...

"Well, maybe because that's the last place I'd imagine we'd see each other."

"Me, either. That place isn't for you."

"Exactly. So, why are you there?"

He chuckled. He must've noticed how persistent I was with this. Gaya nga ng sabi ko, 'di ako makakatulog nang ilang araw pag 'di niya masasagot ang tanong ko. Kakainin ako ng sobrang kuryosidad!

"Just letting off steam."

Finally! Sinagot niya rin!

Napakurap ako. Tinagilid ko ng bahagya ang ulo ko at nagtanong muli.

"By... fighting?"

"Yeah. Is there a problem?"

Agad akong umiling. Sa totoo lang, wala namang problema. He can let his anger out by any means. Hindi ko lang inexpect na sa illegal underground fighting niya gagawin 'yon. Siguro iniisip ko na pupwede namang sa punching bag sa gym niya gawin iyon. Ngunit naisip ko rin na baka tao ang trip niyang gawing punching bag.

I've noticed how badly injured his opponent was. Aakalain mong nabawian na ng buhay dahil sobrang duguan na siya. That's also the reason why I wanted to attend to that man just to check if he's still breathing.

My mouth parted. Now I'm curious about the reason why he's angry! Damn it!

"Hmm... wala naman. Madalas ka don?"

"Will it turn you off if I say that I am?"

"Huh? Bakit naman ako ma-tuturn off?" I asked curiously.

Mas lumaki ang ngisi ni Archer. His cold and playful eyes locked with mine. Kahit na may ngisi sa kanyang labi, alam kong seryoso ang aura niya ngayon. I don't know him that much but I can tell it by his face.

"Mabuti nalang pala at hindi ako madalas doon."

"Huh?"

"I don't fight for nothing, Felicity."

"So, what was the reason why you're there?"

Kung kanina, malamig pa ang mga mata niya. Ngayon, naiba na ang itsura nito nang dahil sa pag-tawa niya.

"You sure are a nosy person."

I scoffed. "Yeah, you could say that since I also get that a lot."

"I don't want to scare you if I tell you the reason why."

"I won't."

Whoa! So persistent, Felicity! Talagang gagawin ang lahat para lang makatulog ng maayos!

"I'm a gangster."

I gritted my teeth because I'm 100% sure he's joking! I can see it in his eyes! Kung seryoso siya, malamig ang tingin na ibibigay niya sa akin. E, hindi! Kaya sure ako na 'di siya seryoso!

"You're joking."

"Of course, I am."

I rolled my eyes again at him. I give up. At least he took time to answer my curious questions. I guess that's already enough.

"Okay, fine... if you don't want to answer that, I just want to tell you that I'm here if you need someone to talk to when you're frustrated."

His eyes widened a bit, halatang di inaasahan iyon.

"Just... don't punch me okay? Compared with your opponent, baka isang sapak mo lang sa akin, 50-50 agad ang lifespan ko."

Archer burst out of laughter. Somehow his laugh made me laughed, too.

"I won't do that." aniya.

I pretended to sigh in relief. "Ah, thank God!"

Our atmosphere turned silent for a moment. I should be leaving now to check on my other patients but I feel like he still has something to say so I stayed.

"Thank you." He said after a moment of silence.

My forehead creased. "For what?"

"For simply... offering. I kind of didn't expect that from you."

Sandali akong natigilan sa sinabi niyang iyon.

Life, even when he seems privileged, must be so tough for him. Maybe a part of this was when his father got remarried. He's already an adult when that happened. His father got married to a much younger woman and had another baby. Siguro nahirapan siyang tanggapin na nagkaroon  ng bagong pamilya ang ama niya.

I'm not sure... it's just my conclusion.

Archer is just so mysterious. He's like a puzzle with a lot of missing pieces. And I feel like he's also that kind of person who doesn't care if he's missing some pieces of himself.

I smiled at him. "I hope that'll be the last time I'll see you in that place."

He smiled back at me. "You, too. It's not a good place for you. It's too dangerous."

I nod my head. "I'll keep that in mind."

Tatalikod na sana ako nang may maalala naman ako.

"Oh! And by the way," habol ko. Umangat ang isa niyang kilay. "Is that okay?"

Tinuro ko ang pisngi niya kung saan siya may sugat. He scoffs.

"I'll be fine."

"But... it doesn't look fine to me."

"Tell me about it, Doctor."

I sighed. "An ointment isn't enough to help that wound to heal faster. It needs to be stitched up."

"Sure. I'll take note of that."

"Do you want me... to help you... stitch that wound... up?" medyo may pag-aalinlangan ko pang tinanong. 

Bumuka ang bibig niya. He must've find me annoying now. Bakit ko nga ba pinupush? Paano kung ayaw niya naman pala?

Maybe I should stop. Kung ayaw niya, edi 'wag! 'Di ko naman ipipilit. 

"Or I can just call a nurse to help you with that. If that's what you want." bawi ko sa sinabi kanina.

Tatalikod na sana ako kahit wala pa akong nakukuhang sagot mula sa kanya. Pero agad rin naman akong natigilan nang mag-salita siya.

"Okay."

Kumunot ang noo ko at dahan-dahan siyang nilingon muli.

"Okay, what?"

"I'll let you do it."