The Code of Aries ?

(25) Have It All

"Gelo!" I call out, instantly making him stand from his seat to look at me.

"Did you just arrive? Where's mama? Is she—"

"Where the fuck did you go last night?" Gelo angrily asks, surprising me. "You know that mama isn't in her best condition. You shouldn't be leaving her alone like that. Or you could have at least told someone about it so someone could check on her from time to time. That's what you usually do when you go to work, right?"

'"I was...I..."

"What if I didn't visit her this morning? Do you know how long she's been unconscious, you idiot?!" Gelo continues to say to me, making me look down at the floor and clench my fist in frustration.

I wanted to defend myself at least, but there was nothing to defend. But just as I was about to say that I was sorry, someone suddenly pushed Gelo away from me, making my eyes widen in shock. I looked up to see who it was, and to my surprise, it was Aries.

"Are you seriously blaming him? Do you think Dom purposely wanted this to happen to his own mother?" Aries defended, which was something that he didn't have to do for me, but he did.

"And who the fuck are you?" Gelo asks in annoyance. He continues to stare at Aries, but then he glances back at me before realizing that we are both wearing our college uniforms.

"Wait, you were with this guy the entire night? Oh, I get it now. You got so hooked up with this rich pretty boy you didn't even—" Before Gelo could even finish his sentence, Aries suddenly grabs him by his collar, surprising not only Gelo but me too. Despite their height difference, Aries looked like he was ready to throw a punch.

"You think this situation isn't hard for him? You seriously think scolding him like this would make it any better? Acting like this is all his fault...you don't know what Dom has done for his mother, so stop insulting him," Aries angrily says, making Gelo look at him with shock.

The two of them became quiet, but before I could even pull them apart, Aries eventually let go of Gelo, making Gelo fix his shirt and look at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I got a little heated. It's just that mama—" Gelo suddenly stops and massages his temple before going back to his seat. I understand Gelo's frustration, especially since we grew up together and mama has taken care of him more than his own parents. This is why we're like brothers, so I fully understand why he's this worried.

"What happened to mama?" I finally ask, making Gelo sigh and look down at the floor, his expression making me feel nervous again.

I waited for Gelo to answer me, but his silence only made me even more anxious. I almost grabbed him by the collar like Aries did to him earlier, but the door to my mother's room suddenly opened, revealing a doctor and a nurse.

"Are you the immediate family of the patient?" the doctor asks, and Gelo and I quickly step forward.

"I was the one who brought her here, but this is her son, Domingo," Gelo says while gesturing at me, and the doctor nods his head and faces me with a much more serious expression.

"I will say it to you now so we can discuss this further. Your mother had a mild heart attack. After further examinations, we found out that she has coronary heart disease," the doctor explains, and as soon as he says it, everything around me stops.

"This is a serious matter, but it can still be prevented with the right medications. We'll have to move her to a private hospital since we don't have enough equipment here for observation. Her stay here will be covered by her health card, but the rest would be..." The doctor continued to explain the situation to me, but for some reason, I couldn't understand him anymore.