What Becomes Of Us (An Anthology)

Rare Star - 2

Allen walked in the room and found Mae holding Ethan's hand and silently crying at his bedside. Colleen had just left to get her friend some clothes.

It's been three hours since Ethan's fainting incident in front of the condominium building. Allen applied initial treatment until the ambulance arrived 10 minutes later. They took him to the hospital conscious but lethargic and Allen recommended several tests to be done to properly diagnose what he suspected.

He walked slowly behind her. Allen reached out his hand wanting to touch her, to hold her, to comfort her but argued against it thinking that first, they just met that morning and second, he decided that after taking her son as his patient earlier that he would keep their relationship in a professional level no matter how much he was attracted to her.

["And third and most important of all, buddy. She is married. Yup. Keep it professional, Allen. Good plan."] He thought.

"You need to rest, Mae." He said softly as he walked to the other side of the bed and checked on Ethan.

Mae wiped her tears and turned to look at him.

"You need to rest too." He repeated.

"Allen..." She said, sounding like she was relieved to see him. "Thank you. For everything."

"Just doing my sworn duty." He smiled. "We're still running some tests which will take a few more hours and we have to keep him here for twenty four hours for monitoring."

"Okay. Thank you, Dr. Reacher."

["Her eyes look so sad. Where's that vibrant spark this morning?"]

"Allen, remember? We're friends."

["Friends? I thought the plan was to keep it professional? *facepalm*"]

"You saved me and my son. Yes. I guess we are friends." She gave him a small smile and he felt a little tug in his heart.

"Do you need me to call someone to help you here?"

"It's okay. Colleen will be here soon but she can't stay. She has to fly to Hong Kong for a business conference."

"How about..." He hesitated.

"Yes?" She smiled at him.

["Stop looking at her smile, Allen. She's married. You're going to get yourself in trouble."]

"Your husband?" He saw her smile fade and eventually turn into an expression of indignation.

She looked down and glanced at Ethan. "I don't have a husband. I was never married."

["Great! She's not married."] He thought, so relieved he almost smiled. ["And you upset her. Step back, Allen. "]

"Boyfriend?" He asked.

[Damn it! Stop pushing your luck.]

She looked up at him then shook her head. "It's just me and Ethan." Mae answered softly.

He saw sadness in her eyes and he wanted to kick himself for asking the questions.

"I'm sorry, Mae. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay. You just asked the obvious questions. It's nice to finally get that out of the way too."

["Now what? You're going to smile? Don't be too happy, dude. Get out now before you totally throw yourself out of line."]

"Okay. I have to go. I'll be back later with the results. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"I would if I had your number." She smiled.

He smiled back. "Of course. I'm sorry." He said as he got his phone from his pocket.

["What? Stop. Don't give her your number. PROFESSIONAL, man. She can ask the nurses to send you a message instead."]

"You really should stop apologizing. You've done so much for us already."

"Okay. Sorry. I mean. Okay. Here is my number. " Allen showed Mae his phone. She took out her cell and encoded his number. She then dialed it and let his phone ring twice.

"And that's my number. Thank you, Allen."

["Man, you're hopeless. You got her digits and you're over the moon? Wipe that silly grin off your face."

"You're welcome. Always welcome." He smiled at her before he turned to leave the room. "And get some rest, Mae. Doctor's orders." He grinned and continued to walk out.

"Thank you, Doc Allen," Mae sighed after he left the room. "You are really a God-send and you seem like a really nice guy which is why I should stop being friends with you. You're too good to be dragged into my mess."

***

Allen read and re-read the results. His heart pounded in his chest and every step he took towards Ethan's room grew heavier and heavier.

He was one who always sought to be right but that time he truly wished he was wrong. Sadly, as usual, he was right.

He told the nurse that he will tell the patient's Mom the news himself.

He took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He waited for a response but there was none. He knocked again and when there was still no answer, he pushed the lever down to open the door.

He found Mae and Colleen crying and hugging each other. It looked like Colleen was saying goodbye to her friend.

He stood there for almost a minute before Colleen finally noticed him.

"Uy, Doc!" She called wiping her tears away

"Hi." He answered.

He saw Mae sniff and wipe her tears away before turning to face him.

"Doc Allen." She nodded politely.

Allen felt his heart sink when she looked up to him with those tired and sad eyes.

"Mae, I... I have the results. I need to talk to you about them." He said softly.

"Doc, bakit ngayon lang? I need to go. Girl, I can stay naman if you need me. I can take the next flight in the morning."

"No. It's okay. Alanganin na yun. Morning na din start ng conference di ba? I can handle this." Mae reassured her friend with a weak smile.

"Ugh! Girl, sure ka? I'm really worried about you and Ethan."

"Stop worrying. We'll be fine. Ako pa ba?"

"Sabagay. Sige." Colleen gave Mae another tight hug. "Call me anytime, okay? Tsaka sina Nanay and Tatay kung may kailangan kayo, andyan lang sila ha?"

"Okay. I'll call you. Wag na natin abalahin sina Nanay at Tatay, they've done too much for us already. Nakakahiya na. Sa'yo na lang ako di mahihiya."

"I love you, girl. Ingat kayo ni Ethan ha?"

"I love you too. Ikaw ang mag-ingat sa byahe."

After kissing Mae's cheek, Colleen ran to Ethan's bedside and kissed the little boy's forehead. She then tapped Allen's shoulder and signaled him to join her outside.

"Doc, kakapalan ko na ang mukha ko ha? I know di naman tayo masyadong close aside from the few times that you joined my husband and I for dinner at home before he left for the States after that halos di na tayo nagkikita. Alam ko din that you just met Mae and Ethan but as of now, wala na talaga akong mapagbibilinan sa kanila eh. I really worry about them kasi maliban sa akin and my parents na nasa province, wala na talaga silang maaasahan. Silang dalawa na lang talaga. Kaya sana, Doc, kung okay lang pakitignan-tignan naman kung ayos lang sila please."

["I will, kahit di mo pa sabihin, Coleen. Wait. Silang dalawa lang? How about Mae's family? Guess I'll find out later."]

"Sure. No problem. We're all friends here. I can do that," Allen said.

"Thank you, Doc. Sobrang bait mo talaga, gwapo pa. Mas gwapo nga lang talaga ang asawa ko sa'yo." Colleen added.

"Di ako kokontra diyan." He smiled. "You're welcome."

"Sige, Doc. I really have to go. Ikaw na ang bahala sa friend natin ha?"

"Sure, Colleen. Ingat."

After Colleen ran off, Allen took a deep breath before opening the door back to the room.

"Binilin na ba ako ng Nanay ko sa'yo?" Mae smiled at him. It was a polite smile, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

He smiled back, his was more of a relieved smile because he didn't have to start their conversation with "I'm sorry".

"Yes. Okay lang din. I was going to do that anyway kahit di niya sabihin."

She threw him a surprised look. "Why?"

["Yes, Allen, why?"]

"Because we're friends. We agreed that much, right?"

"You don't really have to do what Colleen asked."

"I don't but I want to."

"Why? Bakit gusto mo?"

"Because we're friends di ba?"

"You wouldn't want to be friends with me. Magulo ang buhay ko at dahil dun malamang magugulo din ang buhay mo. Tama nang si Colleen na lang ang ginugulo ko."

"Mae, I really want to be your friend and after what I'm about to tell you, you'll need one beside you. Can I be that friend?"

"I guess."

"Umupo ka muna, Mae." He said softly.

She did as Allen said and sat on the side of the bed.

"This morning when Ethan fell unconscious for over two minutes, I suspected a few things and when I checked him, I decided to have some tests done to be sure."

"And?" Mae asked quietly as she looked at him with anxious eyes and wrung her hands.

"I first heard the murmur while we were waiting for the ambulance, when we got to the emergency room, I ordered an ECG, Chest x-ray and Pulse oximetry tests done on top of the regular blood tests and urinalysis to check his condition."

"ECG? Why, Doc? Ang bata pa ni Ethan."

"Yes but we needed that test to be sure."

"To be sure of what?" She took a deep breath to prepare for his response.

"Ethan has congenital heart defect. Normally, it is diagnosed earlier on during infancy but in Ethan's case since it is less serious, ngayon lang nagpapakita ang mga symptoms. Hindi masyadong nahalata because most of the symptoms may be associated with his age and weight. When he fainted earlier it meant that oxygen didn't reach his brain. His heart may have been working too hard to pump blood in his systems. That was the first sign and then I heard the heart murmur."

She felt her head spin for a few seconds. She rested her forehead in her palm and sighed.

"Don't worry too much, Mae. From what I saw with Ethan, he can win over this. He is a strong boy. We need to run further tests to determine just how much of a problem we are dealing with but I think he can get through this, Mae." He reached out to touch her shoulder gently.

Her shoulders started racking with sobs and tears flowed down her face. "What do I do now? Allen, what do I do?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

He sat beside her and placed a palm over her hand. "It's going to be okay, Mae. You just have to be strong for Ethan. My dad is the best cardiologist in the country, pwede tayong magpatulong sa kanya. And I will help you take care of him. Okay? Not just as his doctor but as your friend. It's not just you and Ethan anymore because you have me now. You have friends."

"I can't let you do this. This is too much, Allen."

"I want to do this, Mae. Not just for you but for Ethan especially for Ethan. Let us help you. Let me help you."

She sighed and looked straight into his eyes. "You don't know what disaster you're getting yourself into. I cause nothing but trouble for people who get close to me. I will disappoint you." Mae sobbed and shook her head.

["She's right. You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Allen. This is not part of the plan."]

He stared back into her eyes and held her hand tight. "I don't think you have the ability to disappoint me. If you do, then that would be on me because I'm the one pushing myself into your life. My life has always been this perfectly laid out plan that I followed until today. I don't know why but I believe that I am meant to be a part of all these with you and Ethan. Just give me the chance to be your friend at least. Let me get in that mess with you." He smiled and she saw the sincerity in his eyes.

She finally nodded her head and said, "Okay but don't say I didn't warn you."

"I know." He smiled and he knew from that moment that it may not be part of his plans but he was right where he should be.