Chapter 14
1060 Words
Chapter 14
Elise's POV
Suddenly, I jolted awake, my eyes flying open. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I instinctively clutched my stomach.
"Vomit here," my mom said firmly. I doubled over, heaving up everything I had eaten yesterday... The bitter, sour taste lingered in my mouth, making me gag. My mother handed me a bottle of water, and I rinsed my mouth. "This is so draining," I murmured weakly.
"You know, child, I really don’t understand what got into your head to make you drink like that," Mom scolded me, her voice a mixture of frustration and concern.
"Mom, please, can you pass me my glasses?" I pleaded, my eyes squinting in the harsh light. She quickly handed them to me, and suddenly, everything came into focus. I was in a hospital.
I noticed the bandage on my right hand and the small cuts on my other hand. "What happened last night?" I thought to myself, desperately trying to piece together the events.
"Mom, what happened, and who brought me here?" I asked, confusion flooding my voice.
"You and your stubbornness," Mom replied without missing a beat.
"Mom!!!" I exclaimed, annoyance creeping in.
"Rooh— I mean Mayor Agapito brought you here to get the glass shards out of your palms from that broken wine glass," she explained.
It was then that fragments of last night began to sink in, but everything was still hazy.
"Oh, so you remember now?" Mom teased, her eyes narrowing.
"Ayy! You talk too much, Mom!It's making my head hurt even more," I complained, pressing my palm to my forehead.
"Here, take this for your hangover," Mom said, handing me a tablet and some water. I quickly took it.
"Mom, isn’t there a doctor or a nurse around? I want to get this IV out," I said, my frustration bubbling over.
"They just need to finish the iv dextrose; it has antibiotics and painkillers in it," Mom replied.
Her words sparked a mischievous thought in my mind, and I reached for the flow controller to speed up the iv dextrose drip, but Mom caught me and adjusted it back to its original setting.
"Mom," I whined.
"Just bear with it; you asked for this," she said, her tone a mix of exasperation and maternal love.
"Why did that guy even admit me in the first place?" I grumbled in irritation.
"And you’re blaming him? You should be thanking him instead!" Mom shot back, her voice rising.
"Fine, fine..." I sighed, adjusting my position and closing my eyes, hoping to drift off again.
Bored in my room, I decided to move to Lolo’s room. Mom and Aunt stepped out for a bit to run an errand, so I took the opportunity to keep an eye on Lolo.
"What a strange situation, Lolo; we’re both tied down," I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Don’t we both hate the smell of hospitals? Come on, let’s get up!" I encouraged him.
"Ma’am, I’ve been looking for you; I’ve been going back and forth to your room," the nurse said as she approached. "I’m just here to change your bandage."
"Sorry, miss, I didn’t inform anyone or leave a note; it completely slipped my mind," I said apologetically.
"That’s okay, ma’am," she replied with a smile, and start to dress my wound.
"Can’t this be taken off yet?" I asked the nurse, my impatience showing.
"Has your bill been settled, ma’am?" she questioned.
"It’s settled," a handsome man with a cold, masculine voice interjected as he approached, holding a paper and my familiar backpack in the other hand.
I furrowed my brow. He looked familiar... Where had I seen him before? Why did he have my backpack? Why was he the one settling my bill? Where was that guy? My mind raced with questions.
"Oh, looking for Daddy Mayor?" my brain teased, and I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
"You can’t answer your own questions," he said, smirking.
I was taken aback. Was he reading my mind?
"Oh, there you go, ma’am; it’s all done. Just stop by the nurse’s station for your medication prescription," the nurse chimed in.
"Okay, thank you," I replied.
"Agapito asked me to settle your bill," handing over the paid bills and signed clearance. "And he also asked me to give you this," he continued, handing me my backpack.
"Thank you, but I don’t have any cash right now; I can’t pay you," I said, feeling embarrassed.
"You can pay Agapito," he replied, turning to leave.
"Well, wow," I muttered to myself. "Where have I seen that icy guy before?" I wondered. Maybe I had crossed paths with him somewhere.
But my deep thoughts were interrupted as Mom and Aunt walked in together.
"Good thing they’ve taken off your restraints," Tita joked.
"They just did, Aunt," I replied, still feeling groggy.
"It’s beautiful at the plaza, especially by the park," mom said. "They’re having a tree lighting ceremony this afternoon," she added.
"They're only doing the tree lighting now, at the end of the Christmas season?" I questioned, surprised.
"It was a last-minute decision by the mayor," Aunt explained. "There was a shooting incident at the municipal hall two months ago, and his office got hit," she continued. "That’s why he hesitated to continue with the yearly lighting."
At Aunt's words, I couldn’t help but feel anxious for that guy. I couldn’t explain why. "Oh no, I’m getting too attached to him," my mind scolded me.
"You might want to join your cousins and nephews," Aunt suggested. "They’re coming over later."
"What? I don’t have anything to change into," I replied, feeling a bit panicked.
"What’s in that backpack?" Mom pointed at the bag on my lap.
"My laptop," I answered, but then I realized something was off. I opened it, and to my surprise, it wasn’t my laptop inside. I pulled out the contents one by one: a denim jumper shorts, a loose white t-shirt, a baseball cap, and a pair of white socks and shoes. And a simple note. "Please be there..." My heart raced. It wasn’t just the note; it was the handwriting. Why did it look so familiar? WHO ARE YOU REALLY, MAYOR AGAPITO? A big question loomed in my mind, one that had been unanswered since our paths first crossed.
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