To Have and To Hold (complete)

Chapter 27

Everything went into overdrive after Gabriel collapsed at Louisa’s feet. Matthew, Miguel, and the two young men carried him to one of the sleeping mats spread out on the floor while Ramon fired off instructions at the other men and women who were now looking on with pained expressions to gather the necessary items that Miguel had requested. Once Gabriel was settled in his temporary bed, Matthew examined the wounds on his chest and leg. There were also several bruises and scratches on his chest, legs, and back.

The largest wound was the one on his chest, which started just below the collarbone and extended down to his left side. The one on his right leg ran from his inner thigh all the way down to just above his knee. Miguel was relieved when he saw that, although they looked quite ghastly, they did not go beyond the dermis and were lacerations not puncture wounds. They would still require stitches, but at least no surgery would be required; he was, after all, a veterinarian and not a surgeon. Stitching wounds, he could handle, but surgery on a human being was another thing altogether. His main concern now would be to prevent infection, and since Gabriel seemed to have been in the cold water for quite some time, pneumonia.

Confident now of what he was faced with, Matthew started to get up on his feet to ask Louisa, who he knew was hovering behind him, to get his medical kit when the said item was thrust in front of him. Looking up, he saw Louisa’s stoic but pale face staring at Gabriel’s motionless form, the medical kit dangling from her extended hand. He took the proffered kit and went to work, cleaning Gabriel’s wounds and slapping large bandages on them to staunch the bleeding. He would start stitching them as soon as Gabriel’s wet clothes were removed.

“I need your help in getting Gabriel out of these wet clothes. He’s starting to shiver and I can’t stitch up his wounds when he’s like that. Can you get him some warm, dry clothes?”

Louisa nodded and left him to gather the requested items. Matthew smiled at his friend’s composure; Louisa’s always been good at handling crises. Yes, she would often scream her head off when agitated but after the initial shock was over she would always revert back to her usual calm and sensible self. There would be tears, he was sure of it, but they would come later, much later. After the crisis had been irrevocably averted.

Louisa came back with a bunch of clothes and they proceeded to strip Gabriel of his soaked ones. It was only when they reached his undergarments that Louisa turned over the task to Matthew and busied herself with gathering the discarded shirt and pants. As soon as Gabriel was dry, Matthew turned his attention to his wounds.

Louisa was not the squeamish sort but she still could not bear to watch Matthew stitching up her fiancé’s gaping wounds. She left quietly and searched for her father. She found him at the far corner of the gym talking with Miguel.

“How’s he doing, Louisa? Is he still unconscious?” Ramon asked.

“Yes, Papa. Matthew’s stitching up his wounds now. We need to get him off the floor. Do you think we can ask the men to get a cot or a folding bed?” Louisa said.

“I’ve already asked them to go to the health center and get a couple of the cots there. They’ll be returning soon, I’m sure.”

Louisa nodded then turned to Miguel. She noticed that he was also shivering in spite of the layers of clothing that he had on – proof that he was also exposed to the cold rain for a long period of time.

“What happened out there, Miguel? Why didn’t he call me on the sat phone?”

Miguel shook his head and smiled weakly at Louisa. “He wanted to call but when we saw how dangerous our situation was, he didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily. I did try to stop him from going into the water, but…well, you know Gabriel, once his mind is set on doing something it’s impossible to dissuade him from it.”

“Couldn’t you get the yacht close enough to the boat? Did you have a hard time finding it?” asked Ramon.

“We were able to spot the boat immediately, but the waves were really vicious and it kept being swept farther out into the water. It took us a while to get near enough to throw them a lifeline. They were able to tie the rope securely to their boat and we were just about to pull it closer to the yacht when a huge wave crashed upon them and capsized the boat. It was a good thing that they had already tied the other rope I’d thrown them around their waists otherwise the men would’ve been carried off to sea,” Miguel paused as he took a sip of hot coffee.

“But why did Gabriel have to go into the water? Why didn’t the men just swim to the yacht?” Louisa asked.

“Well, the two men were too tired to swim for us. We saw them go under a couple of times. The waves were also getting deadly. Gabriel dove in to help the men get close enough to be pulled up.”

“But how did Gabriel come by those wounds?”

“While we were pulling up the two men, another huge wave came crashing down and carried Gabriel a ways off. We actually thought we’d lost him and it took us about half an hour before we found him hanging on to the capsized boat. He must’ve been hit by some of the debris that was floating around us; some of which were really sharp, metallic objects. I was so relieved to find him that I didn’t even notice he was wounded until we pulled him up and we saw that he was bleeding.”

Louisa would’ve continued questioning Miguel had the men carrying the cots and other medical supplies not arrived. She immediately excused herself and directed the men to place the cots against the wall at the far end of the gym. Miguel and Don Ramon followed her and helped the men transfer Gabriel’s still unconscious form from the sleeping mat and onto the cot. Louisa had planned on taking one of the cots for herself so she could be near Gabriel to care for him during the night but seeing that Gabriel’s legs dangled at the edge of the short cot she decided to forego her own comfort and gave up her own cot. She the two cots placed end-to-end to better accommodate her fiancé’s 6 foot 2" frame. Her sleeping bag would be more than enough. She wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink anyway, not until she’s assured that Gabriel would be okay.

The storm had slightly abated by nightfall and the people were finally able to relax a bit. A few of the men went back to their houses to survey the damage while the rest helped Miguel and Don Ramon crank up the generator. Hot soup and pre-packed meals consisting of rice, eggs, and longganisa were later distributed by Yaya Seling and, Mang Tino. Matthew and Louisa took turns looking after Gabriel who seemed to be getting worse in spite of the medication that was coursing through the I.V. that Matthew had acquired from the health center.

By midnight, Gabriel’s fever was so high he had to be sponged down with cold water every few minutes. Matthew wanted to get Gabriel back to the mainland now that the storm had finally subsided, but the yacht had sustained major damage during their rescue mission and needed repairs. Their best recourse would be to have a doctor sent to the island to look over Gabriel properly. Miguel tried to contact their people in the mainland but had not gotten any response until early the next morning. The news that they gave him was not very encouraging either. All roads leading to the pier had been blocked by several large trees that were uprooted or knocked down by the storm. Clearing operations would not be finished until at least another day. They would have to get by on their own until help could be sent their way.

The next two days were very trying for Louisa. Gabriel’s fever went up and down. And even after regaining consciousness, he was still in and out of it most of the day. Only Matthew’s assurance that Gabriel was receiving the proper medication to ward off infection and pneumonia calmed Louisa’s fears. Thankfully, by the middle of the second day, Gabriel’s fever had broken, and was even fit enough to sit up. By nightfall, he was eating solid foods and had jokingly even asked for ice cream. His movements were still limited because of the stitches. It was only on the morning of the third day that he was able to get back on his feet.

All through this time, Louisa never left his side, excusing herself only to attend to her personal needs. She slept very little and was very exhausted herself yet she would not let anyone else attend to Gabriel, her guilt about what happened to amplify her genuine concern for her fiancé. She said as much to Gabriel during one of their walks around the beach.

“I’m really sorry about your accident, Gabriel. I should not have let you go out there on that crazy rescue mission.”

Gabriel smiled and pulled her close, leaning slightly on her shoulder as they walked. The stitches on his right still stung every now despite healing quite well.

“You did not ask me to go out there, Louisa. I volunteered, remember?”

“I know, but still I should have stopped you.”

“As if you could have,” Gabriel chuckled, nudging her playfully. When she stiffened, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “Stop worrying about it, okay? I’m fine now and the men were saved from a watery grave. I don’t regret coming here to lend a hand to these people,” Gabriel winced, a sharp pain coursing through his leg when he stepped on a small pebble.

“How’s your leg? Does it still bother you much?”

“Nah! Matthew did a great job with his stitches, considering that he’s a vet. I’m really glad he was there to patch me up. There would be scars for sure. You don’t mind having a scarred husband, do you?”

Gabriel’s teasing tone could not mask the pain with every step he took and Louisa could tell by his pronounced limp that he was tiring from their walk. Spotting a clump of rocks, she diverted him there. Gabriel sighed in relief as he sat on one of the flat rocks, his right leg carefully stretched out before him. Louisa sat beside him and handed him a bottle of flavored water that she had fished from her canvass tote.

She watched Gabriel surveying the tranquil scenery before them and at once felt the familiar surge of pride at having such a brave, indomitable, and compassionate man for a fiancé. Surely, she still needed a lot to learn about him. However, what little she knew now was enough to make her fall for him – fast and hard!

The past three days had shown her that what she felt before for this man was nothing compared to her recently developing feelings for him. The initial physical attraction now seemed too shallow and trivial, a young girl’s infatuation. Going through that ordeal made her realize that she had reached the point of no return – she had finally given her heart away completely and could not imagine life without him. With tears now threatening to fall, she threw her arms around Gabriel’s waist and hugged him tightly. Gabriel chuckled at her sudden display of affection.

“Now, what did I do to deserve this? Please tell me so I can do it more often.”

“I’m just so happy that you’re here with me, that nothing bad happened to you.”

I don’t know what I’d do without you!

Gabriel returned her embrace then gently pulled away to gaze down at her, his eyes reflecting the same emotions she was feeling.

“I’m the one who should be happy at having you here with me. I don’t know if I’d have survived had you not taken so good care of me,” he said, lowering his lips to hers in a soft, chaste kiss.

When he started to move away, Louisa reached up and kissed him with a hunger that surprised even her. All the pain, the fear, and the guilt that she had been feeling for the past three days were wrapped up in that fiery kiss. Gabriel did not tarry in returning it with the same fervor. It took a while for them to douse the flames of passion and return to gazing at the gradually setting sun, their arms still wrapped around each other, unwilling to let go of such a sweet moment.

“It’s really very beautiful out here, isn’t it? This place definitely has the makings of a fantastic resort, don’t you think?” Gabriel quietly asked.

Louisa nodded and smiled up at him. “Yes, it is. And now it’s even more special to me.”

This is the place where I realized that I really am in love with you, Gabriel Montoya and that you’re the only man for me.

“I think we should have our wedding here and have Angelo assess the possibilities of this place,” Gabriel said matter-of-factly.

Louisa looked up in surprise, not sure if he was jesting or not.

“Are you sure? Don’t you think it’s rather too, uhm, how should I say it, ‘provincial’? The island might not be able to accommodate all your guests.”

“Actually, I’d rather have a very private wedding. Just family and very, very close friends. I won’t even invite distant cousins, just the ones who really matter.”

“But what would your parents say? Do you think they’ll agree to your plan?”

“I’ll make them. It’s my wedding after all, not theirs.”

“But we haven’t even set a date yet,” Louisa protested.

“Well, then, why don’t we set a date now? I’m okay with tomorrow,” Gabriel said, kissing the tip of her nose. Louisa laughed and pinched his cheek playfully.

“Hah! Are you trying to scrimp on the expenses? Don’t go cheap on me, Señor Montoya!” she replied good-humoredly. Gabriel laughed and hugged her.

“That, I would never do, my dearest! Nothing but the best for my beautiful, prickly rose. When we get back to Manila tomorrow, our first order of business is to hire the best, the most expensive wedding planner.”

Louisa pushed away from Gabriel and turned to him in all seriousness.

“I don’t need an expensive, extravagant wedding, Gabriel.” All I want is you.

Gabriel nodded with the same gravity. “I know, dearest. And that’s why I thought we should have our wedding here. Simple but elegant. Just like you. We’re going to have the most beautiful beach wedding ever.” Gabriel replied and kissed Louisa’s upturned face.

After a few minutes, as the sun finally met the horizon, Louisa got up and brushed the sand from her pants.

“I think we should be getting back. It’ll be dark soon and we don’t want to go on tripping on some loose rocks,” she said, extending her hand towards Gabriel.

Gabriel looked back at the slowly darkening landscape, a strange melancholy emerging in his greenish-gray eyes.

“This really is a beautiful place. I wish we could stay here forever,” he sighed.

After a couple of seconds, Gabriel turned to Louisa, took her hand, and quietly let her lead him back towards the village.

Had Louisa known right then that a more deadly storm was coming their way, she would’ve granted Gabriel’s wish in a heartbeat and stayed in that simple, quiet fishing village for the rest of their lives.