Just A Dream : Fall for You

Chapter 7

“Hello! Ate Justine, kumusta ka na?” masiglang bati at tanong ni Simone nang pumasok ito sa kuwarto ng kapatid. 

“For sure bored na bored ka na rito. Alam mo Ate Justine sobrang sungit ng Professor namin ngayon. Nakakainis!” pagmamaktol at sumbong niya sa kapatid. “Patapos na nga lang at lahat ang term namin as second year may project pa na ibinigay sa amin. Pero alam mo po ba kanina may isang estudyante na nag-confess sa akin. . .” Simone paused for a second as she takes a sit next to her sister.

“At first, hindi ko alam ang isasagot sa kan’ya. But, I manage to turn him down in a way na hindi ko masyadong masasaktan ang feelings niya,” pagpapatuloy niya ng kuwento sa kapatid. “Alam mo naman ‘di ba Ate Justine na wala akong time para sa love. Because all I want right now is to graduate, at makapasa sa board exam. Para maging licensed Physician. . .” sandaling muling tumigil si Simone sa pagkukwento. “Kaya naman Ate Justine, h‘wag ka ng tatamad-tamad diyan. Please,” pagpapatuloy ni Simone na unti-unti ng nagiging garalgal ang boses. 

She exhaled deeply after swallowing the lump building up on her throat.

“Bumangon ka na riyan. Please. . . Ate Justine, gumising ka na,” her tears are now slowly flowing through her eyes. 

Hindi nito mapigilan ang umiyak at malungkot sa tuwing nakikita ang nakatatandang kapatid na nakahiga at tamihik na natutulog sa hospital bed nito sa nakalipas na limang taon.

“Ang tagal-tagal mo ng natutulog diyan,” Simone continue while trying her best to stop her tears from falling. 

“Hindi ka naman si Princess Aurora,” she chuckled. “Kaya sige na bumangon ka na riyan. Imulat mo na iyang mata mo. Miss na miss ka na namin nila Mama, ni Papa at ni Kuya. Pati na rin si Ate Arlene,” pagpapatuloy niya pinupunasan ang mga luhang walang tigil sa pag-agos.

Justine falls into a coma due to brain injury. She’s now into vegetative state ayon sa doktor ng dalaga. And in the past five years she hasn’t recovered consciousness, not even once. That’s why her attending doctor can’t say when she will wake up. Their family are told that Justine’s chance of recovering and gaining her consciousness is down to ten percent or less than that. But, they still believe that she will open her eyes soon. And, they will soon see her smile and laugh again.

“Sana lang talaga magising na si ate. Miss na miss na namin siya. Waiting for her to wake up this past five years is frustrating. May mga pagkakataon na nawawalan na kami nang pag-asa. But, we were hoping and holding on that she will wake up one day. And, after that magiging masaya na ulit kami. Simula kasi ng mangyari ang aksidente ay naging matamlay na si Mama. I know how painful it is for her. Kaya po Lord, nagmamakaawa po ako na gisingin N’yo na po ang Ate Justine ko,” Simone silently wished and prayed while she was massaging her sister’s feet.

Simone was doing it every time na binibisita niya ang kapatid. Siya ang nagsisilbing tila private at personal nurse nito sa tuwing nasa ospital siya. Dahil gusto niya na siya mismo ang mag-alaga sa nakatatandang kapatid.

“Good morning, Ate! Tingnan mo, oh! Ang ganda ng langit. Blue na blue. “masiglang bati ni Simone sa kapatid na para bang gising ito. “Diyan ka na muna, Ate, ha? Tatakbo lang ako saglit sa labas. I need to maintain my body condition since malapit na ang preliminary ng badminton competition sa campus. After that, kakain na ako ng breakfast,” paalam niya sa kapatid. 

It was always like this. Simone will stay at the hospital for the whole night. And, she will always talk to Justine. Because Justine’s attending doctor says that it may help awaken Justine’s unconscious brain.

“Ten to Zero, huh?” bulong ni Simone sa sarili habang naglalakad pabalik sa kuwarto ng kapatid. “Naniniwala ako na magigising ang ate ko. She will,” she added as she stares intently at the door of her sister’s private hospital room.

Nang buksan niya ang pinto ay kaagad niyang nakita ang kaniyang Kuya Keith at Ate Arlene na nakaupo sa tabi ng kapatid.

“Day off namin ngayon kaya naman naisip namin na bisitahin si Justine,” paliwanag ni Arlene bago pa magtanong si Simone.

“Kuya Keith, a-” Simone cut off what she was supposed to say.

“Okay lang ba na sabihin ko sa kanila na nakita ko kagabi sila Kuya Sean at Ate Jean? O, huwag ko na lang sabihin?”  tanong niya sa sarili.

“What is it? May problema ka ba? O, baka naman may gusto ka lang ipabili?” tanong ni Keith nang ilang segundo na ang lumipas na walang imik ang kapatid.

“I think, it’s better to tell them,” usal ni Simone sa isipan nang titigan niya ang kapatid sa mata.

“Kasi Kuya Keith, Ate Arlene. Last night. . .” she trailed off as she shut her eyes. “Si Kuya Sean at Ate Jean. Nakita ko sila kagabi. Nakasalubong ko sila,” she confessed. Still her eyes are closed because she’s afraid to see their reaction.

“Iyon lang ba? Nagkita rin kami kagabi,” Keith said with his stoic face and monotone voice.

“Saan?” curious na tanong Simone nang ibaling niyang muli ang tingin sa nakatatandang kapatid.

“Sa class reunion namin,” mabilis na sagot ni Arlene nang makita niyang kumuyom ang kamao ng nobyo.

“Puwede bang huwag na lang natin silang pag-usapan,” Keith suggested as he keep his eyes at his twin sister.

Katulad ni Keith, ang atensyon ni Arlene ay nakatuon kay Justine na tahimik lamang na nakahiga sa kanilang tabi. Arlene knew how hard the situation is for Keith. After all, magkakaibigan sila. Pero ano ang nangyari? Nagkawatak-watak sila. At para kay Keith kasalanan iyon nina Sean at Jean. Sila ang may dahilan kung bakit nagkaganito ang kapatid niya. At wala siyang ibang dapat na sisihin dito maliban sa dalawa. Maging ang bunsong kapatid na si Simone ay malalim ang hinanakit at galit sa dalawa.

“Nandito pala kayo,” a woman’s voice cut them off from their thoughts.

“Dra. Quentine,” they said in chorus as they saw who entered the room.

Napailing naman ang doktora sa narinig. 

“How many times should I tell you that you can call me Ms. Maggie. Do I even need to spell out my name to the three of you?” kunot-noo nitong sabi sa kanila.

Nakangisi namang humingi ng paumanhin ang tatlo sa doktora.

“Anyway, there is something that I want to tell your parents. And, since nandito na rin naman kayo, I think, I should also inform you about this,” sabi ng doktora na naghatid ng kaba sa tatlo.

“I’m planning to conduct a Functional MRI on Justine next week. I don’t know if familiar kayo rito. Or if you even heard about this,” Dra. Maggie Quentine continues in a formal tone.

“I heard and seen it before from those medical dramas I’ve randomly watched,” mabilis na sambit ni Arlene. “fMRI, or what they called Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.” 

“Wherein, different areas of the brain will be activated through visualization of different activities while fMRI was ongoing. It was visualizing the blood flow responses in relation with the cerebral activity. A high technology MRI photographing method,” Arlene continued as she speaks like she was reading an invisible book in front of her that gains a wide and triumphant smile from Dra. Maggie. “Thus, whenever what you read or dream you saw, the blood flow changes in your brain when receiving an external sensory stimulus and being read as an image,” pagtatapos ni Arlene. 

“As expected from Arlene, even though she was an elementary school teacher she still knew this kind of stuff and complex matter,” puno ng paghangang usal ni Keith sa isipan.

“Sa pagkakatanda ko, there is a case wherein there is a man who is diagnosed that he has no consciousness at all for almost seven years of being in a Vegetative State,” Simone said after Arlene, as she remembered one of the lectures from her Professors. “And when he underwent fMRI, he was able to correctly answer yes or no questions,” she added as she tried to recall everything. “Thus, they conclude that he has consciousness and suspected of being aware on what was happening on his surrounding, like he could hear and understand what does the people around him are saying or talking about though he couldn’t move his body,” dagdag pa niya na nagpamangha sa doktora.

“So are you trying to say to us Dra. Maggie, that Justine may have consciousness? Am I right, Dra. Maggie?” Keith asks, frowning as he analyzes and calculates what the ladies in front of him have just said and talked about.

“Tama kayong tatlo. There are already case studies and researches about it. Functional MRI was becoming the diagnostic method of choice for learning how an injured brain is working,” Dra. Quentine said as she stared at her patient for the past five years. 

Justine was her first patient since she became a licensed doctor. Kaya naman ganoon na lamang kalapit at espesyal sa kaniya ang dalaga. Alam ni Dra. Maggie na hindi madali ang naging proseso ng operasyon ni Justine ng araw na iyon. Dahil siya mismo ay kasama sa tatlong na doktor na nag-opera sa sa dalaga. Aside from her brain injury, Justine also had broken bones, lalo na sa kaniyang paa na siyang naipit nang husto matapos siyang masagasaan ng rumaragasang motor. Her ribs are broken too dahil sa sobrang lakas ng impact ng pagtama ng kaniyang katawan sa pader. All in all, Justine’s life that day was at the most critical state. Matatawag nilang himala na naisagawa nang maayos ang operasyon ng dalaga sa kabila ng kondisyon nito at ang ilang beses na pagtigil ng puso nito sa pagtibok. Iyon nga lang hindi masabi kung kailan magigising ang dalaga.

“That’s why I want Justine to undergo fMRI. And if she may really have her consciousness. Then her chance of waking up will increase, instead of zero. That’s why I want to talk to your parents to get their permission. And when they are available, even the three of you,” she said as she averted her gaze from Justine to the three of them that were also staring at Justine. 

“That’s all. So, if you would excuse me. May iba pa akong pasyente na kailangang puntahan,” Dra. Maggie added before she left the room.

Hearing those words from a doctor somehow gave them hope and strength to keep holding on and believe  that in no time Justine will open her eyes. That she will wake up from her long deep sleep.

Kinagabihan ay nagpasyang umuwi na muna sila Keith, habang si Simone ay nagpaiwang muli ospital para bantayan si Justine. Their parents agreed to let Justine undergo fMRI right after they heard the news from Keith.

On the other side, Sean began acting weird the next day.

“Is it because of what happened last night? Is it because we saw Simone? Kung ‘yon nga ang dahilan, hindi ko masisisi si Sean kung bakit siya nagkakaganyan,” Jean questioned herself while she silently watch Sean study.

“Sean, are you alright? Namumutla ka at saka parang wala ka sa sarili mo kahapon pa. Dahil ba ito kay Simone? Dahil sa sinabi niya kagabi? O, dahil kay Justine?” sunod-sunod na tanong ni Jean.

Hindi na niya napigilan ang sarili na huwag magtanong. Nag-aalala siyang baka bumalik na naman ang binata sa dati. Sa dating Sean na itinapon ang lahat ng mayroon ito matapos ang aksidenteng yumanig sa kanilang mundo.

“Wala lang ito. Huwag mo na akong alalahanin pa. Teka, hindi ka pa ba mali-late sa trabaho mo?” Sean answered and questioned her as he turned around and face her.

“Sean, hindi ako aalis hangga’t hindi mo sa akin sinasabi ang totoo,” Jean said slowly. She was almost whispering at him while she caress Sean’s face and fix his messy hair.

“I’m sorry. Pinag-alala na naman kita. It was just that. . .” Sean paused for a second.

“Alam ko na ako ang may kasalanan kung bakit nagkaganoon si Justine. Kasalanan ko ang lahat. Kahit na anong pilit kong kalimutan ang nangyari ay hindi pa rin ito mawala sa isip ko. At habangbuhay na iyong nakaukit dito sa alaala ko,” nakayuko at malungkot na pagpapatuloy ni Sean.

Jean then cupped his face making him look at her straight into the eyes.

“Sean. Wala kang kasalanan sa mga nangyari, okay? Ako ang may kasalanan. Dahil kung sana’y binilisan ko lang ang pagpili ng regalo na ibibigay mo kay Justine. Hindi ka sana natagalan ng husto. Kaya Sean, huwag mong sisihin ang sarili mo, okay ba?” she contradicts him to lighten up his mood and erase his guilt. Ang konsensyang patuloy na nagsisilbing bangungot nila. 

“Sige na aalis na ako. Mali-late na talaga ako sa trabaho. Initin mo na lang ‘yong pagkain kapag kakain ka na,” she said before she quickly kissed him on his lips. “See you later,” she added before she step out on his apartment.

Matapos nilang makita si Simone ay nagpumilit siyang sa apartment na muna ng nobyo magpapalipas ng gabi. Dahil gusto niyang makasiguro na magiging maayos ito, at para iparamdam at ipaalam na hindi ito nag iisa. Na nasa tabi lamang siya ni Sean.