To Cherish You Forever

Chapter 5

It has been more than 24 hours now since Alden’s car accident. Still, he is unconscious. I visited him again. I read him his favorite book when we were kids. I was hoping he could hear everything we said to him.

Alden is the only sibling I ever have. My mom had difficulty conceiving. We were born when mom was almost in her 40s.

My parents got married 15 years prior to our birth. They tried every medical treatment available just to conceive us. When the treatment was finally successful, they were so ecstatic. They got more overwhelmingly happy when they found out we were twins.

Growing up as kids in a wealthy neighborhood, we were raised to live a normal childhood with no bodyguards like what most rich kids in our neighborhood had.

My dad came from a rich, hardworking family. His great grandfather started a fabric company. From there, it became an empire. They had some branches all over the country. They supplied everyone from the common clientele to the rich and famous establishments.

My father is presently heading the whole business. We are one of the leading suppliers of high-class fabrics for the clothing industry. My mom is helping him run the business. I knew that one day, it will be Alden’s responsibility to take care of the business. As for me, I am busy making my own name. I could join the family business anytime, but I refuse to do so. I just thought that taking such huge responsibility is not for me. Besides, I know my brother can take care of it. He was trained when he was 13. Dad would tag him along and showed him simple stuff at first at the warehouse. Then, at 15, he was learning about the accounts of the company. If there is anyone in the family who is good in handling our family business, it should be Alden.

Looking at him now so frail and and fragile is devastating. He was the life of any party. He is fun and friendly to everyone. He likes to do sports such as rugby. He even got a scholarship to a university because he is good at it.

I never imagined him looking like this. All we can do now is to pray a lot. The healthcare providers are doing their best to treat him.

Today, we are waiting for Mr. Richards to inform us regarding the accident. We just want to get an assurance that it was purely an accident and learn how he got into that situation.

Mr. Richards arrived on time. We were waiting for him at a small lounge area in the hospital. My dad requested for it. I am so moved that everyone was providing us with what we need.

“Good morning everyone. I am Inspector Clyde Richards. I am very sorry for what happened to your son.” He said sincerely.

“Thank you so much for coming here, Inspector. We truly appreciate what you did to save my son. My whole family can’t thank you enough. We are indebted to you.” It was my dad humbly stating his great gratitude towards Mr. Richards.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Sherwood. We are simply doing our job. We make sure in situation like this, we get to rescue the victim as soon as possible.” My dad was just nodding at him.

“Anyway, I came here to inform you regarding the investigation we did at the area. Before I start, did any of you know why Alden drove to that very remote area late in the night?” All of us shook our heads. I was expecting mom to know something but looking at her expression right now, she didn’t have a clue at all.

“Alright, we scoured the area carefully to check if there was any car involved in the accident. We ruled that out in the beginning. We saw a prominent skid mark on the road. We checked the car brake, it wasn’t working. So what happened was he would have driven fast and lost control of his brake. He tried to control but the winding skid mark from his tires showed that he lost any ability to control the car. He drove to the side of the road with all the grasses but didn’t expect that he would hit a huge tree. The front of his car was heavily damaged. It is a miracle that he survived the accident.” He said honestly. It is good that we heard from him exactly what happened.

“Thank you so much for your time, Inspector. We feel much better that some of our questions were answered.” My dad said. He really looked exhausted. He needs to rest. My mom was able to rest earlier. The doctor had to give her some medication as she had been crying without end.

“Mom, dad… do you have any idea why Alden went to that place? I never heard of it.” I can’t understand why he had to go there. Did he get lost or was he about to meet someone? What about his girlfriend? We barely spoke about her as we both got busy from work. I usually just asked about him and work. He never even mentioned her just randomly. Wait! Are they still together?

“Mom, how is Alden’s girlfriend? He was supposed to introduce her to us months ago then something came up with her. The days after that, Alden had been telling me in tidbits about what was going on with her. Then, slowly, he started to not mention her as frequently as before. I don’t want to think badly, but do you think she is the reason why Alden went to that remote place?” I had to ask in all honesty what had been nagging me since the accident.

“I am sorry, but Alden never mentioned going to that place either. The last time I heard about his girlfriend was last week. She had been in a facility to treat her depression. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the way Alden spoke about her. In fact, he sounded happy that she could get better treatment in that facility.” I was wondering what kind of facility she went to.

“Mom, is that a facility for the mentally ill?I really have no idea about her. Alden has still been secretive about their relationship. I don’t get it.” I voiced out loud what I have been thinking of their relationship.

“I am not sure if I understood him last time we talked. He told me that his girlfriend comes from a famous and wealthy family. I think they are trying to hide her issue with depression.” Her mom said. Well, it makes sense for the family to do that, but not for us. I mean, if she is going to be a part of our family, it is only right and proper that we know more about her.

“That’s really sad and disappointing, mom. At least, he could have informed us of what is really happening in his life. It is not like this that we are left wondering why he went to that place late at night.” I complained. It is not fair. We could have done something for Alden.

“It is alright, Alya. We need to focus on the present. It is too late for blaming. I hope you understand that.” I understood my mom fully well. She is right. We have to focus on the present.

A week has passed since Alden’s accident. He has not woken up yet. However, some vital tubes like his tracheostomy was already removed. What is left is his feeding tube. He still needs an oxygen supply. The nurses regularly change his IV fluid. The good news is the doctor already cleared him from any critical condition. They just need to keep monitoring his vital signs every now and then.

As for me, I had to work remotely. I had to guide my team. Fortunately, they are quick to pick up what I want them to do. So far, the work is good. It’s only Alden that we are waiting to get conscious. In addition, I have been hoping that his girlfriend would call any time soon to check on him. There is no way to contact her. Alden’s celphone got broken during the accident. We also contacted Alden’s co-workers and former classmates to see if they knew about his girlfriend. I find it strange that none of them knew about her. I even mentioned her name to them, but none of them ever saw or heard of her. I am still wondering why Alden never introduced nor just mentioned her to any of his friends. Now, I doubt if his girlfriend is even real. There is no trace of her at all. We didn’t even get to talk to her just by phone.

Another week has passed and Alden still hasn’t woken up yet. It would take a month before he finally opened his eyes. I was there doing my paperwork in his room. Yes, he was moved to a private room after almost two weeks in the ICU.

When he opened his eyes, I was working in a corner with my small table. It was around 10 am. The doctor just came half an hour ago to check on Alden.

“Al..Alya?” I was so surprised that Alden is awake and calling my name. I stay rooted in my spot. I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was just hallucinating. I stood up and went next to his bed.

“Alden? How are you feeling?” I finally found myself speaking up. I had to touch his face to make sure it is really happening.

“I’m thirsty.” That’s all he ever said. I immediately pressed the buzzer to alert the nurses on duty. A nurse came immediately.

“Where is the doctor? My brother is already awake. He said he is thirsty.” The nurse immediately notified the other nurses. Two more nurses came in to check on my brother.

“Ma’am, we already called the doctor. He is coming any minute from now.” Assured the nurse.

I saw the look of confusion on my brother’s face.

“Please don’t talk right now. Calm down. They are just checking on you.” I touched his hand and squeezed it lightly to make him feel better. It did help. Looking at my brother right now, he really has lost a lot of weight. He had a slight scar on his upper right forehead.

“Okay.” That’s all he said. After they checked his vital signs, the doctor came in.

“Excuse me doc, just give me a minute, please. I need to call my parents.” I informed the doctor who just nodded his head. He went to ask the nurses about their assessment of the patient.

“Mom, dad… please come to the hospital immediately. Alden is awake. He just woke up like 5 minutes ago. I had to excuse myself to call you. I didn’t want him to worry more. He already had a confused look on his face earlier,” I said continuously.

“That’s great news! We are on our way, Alya. Please stay beside your brother.” I didn’t waste my time going immediately to my brother’s private room. I saw his doctor asking him some questions.

“How is everything, doc?” I nervously waited for his answer. I was looking back and forth between him and my brother.

“Are your parents on their way? I would like to discuss everything in detail with you and your parents. Your brother’s vital signs are normal.” I sighed in relief and smiled at my brother.

“Alya, when are we going to leave here? I still have to go to school. Our coach is waiting for me. What day is it anyway?” I was looking at him dumbfounded. I was about to say something to him when the doctor slightly touched my elbow.

“Alden, you need to go slow. You need to fully recover first.” The doctor informed him. Alden just nodded his head.

“Alright, doc. I follow whatever you say.” My brother did two thumbs up. I wonder what’s wrong with him. He is acting like a kid right now.

My parents arrived 15 minutes later.

“Mom, dad! I miss you guys. How are you doing?” It is ironic that he asked them that. He was the one who got into a critical condition.

“We are so happy that you are fine, son.” It was my dad. He got teary-eyed. My mom was also crying. Tears began to flow from my eyes. Finally, he is awake. We have been waiting for this day to come.

The doctor informed us that my brother needs to rest. We can continue talking later. The doctor left the room first. He will see us after half an hour. We stayed for a while until my brother went to sleep. Good thing he didn’t ask anything. He just mentioned his head was hurting. My mom told him to just relax. Actually, we all got a worried look on our faces and couldn’t wait to hear from his doctor.