Encounter (Onze Series #1)

04

"A-ah, Mom, Kuya, si Jared pala. Kaibigan namin," pagpapakilala ko may Jared. Hinawakan ko ang braso ng nanay ko at ako na ang gumalaw nito na para bang kumakaway sa kanya.

Napangiti si Mommy. "Oh? Jared, maraming salamat sa pagsama kay Valerie, pati na rin sa mga kaibigan nila ni Claire. Sabi niya, ang laking tulong mo raw lalo na no'ng araw na naaksidente si Claire."

"Walang anuman po. I'm glad I could help," sagot ni Jared, his voice steady yet sincere.

"Ikaw ba 'yung lagi niyang binabanggit sa amin?" biglang sabat ni Kuya, nakataas ang kilay habang nakatitig kay Jared.

I almost choked. "Ha?! Kuya, hindi ko talaga siya 'lagi' binabanggit!" Pag depensa ko.

Zoe and Lorraine exchanged mischievous looks.

Jared, on the other hand, was completely unfazed. "Mukhang madalas niya nga akong banggitin," sabi niya, may pang-aasar sa tono niya.

I glared at him. "Ang kapal?!"

Bago pa ako makapagprotesta pa, may mahina kaming narinig mula sa kama.

"Ugh... ang ingay niyo."

Napalingon kaming lahat kay Claire. She was awake!

"Claire!" halos sabay-sabay naming sigaw, lahat nagsisiksikan papalapit sa kama niya.

"Huh? Anong nangyayari?" she muttered, her voice weak but stable. "Ang sakit..."

Agad kaming nag-alala. "Wait lang, tatawagin ko ang nurse," sabi ni Lorraine at mabilis na lumabas ng kwarto.

Nakahinga kami nang maluwag nang dumating ang nurse at siniguradong okay si Claire. Ilang minuto lang ay medyo bumalik na ang ulirat niya.

Pero bago pa tuluyang mawala ang tensyon, biglang bumukas ang pinto. It was Claire's mother. Kasama niya ang nakababatang kapatid ni Claire. Dahil dito, kami naman ay lumabas nalang muna para mabigyan ng privacy ang pamilya ni Claire. Mom talked to Claire's mother first about her condition lalo na't hindi naman masasabi ni Claire 'yon dahil kagigising niya lang rin naman.

Habang nasa labas kami ng kwarto, lahat ay tahimik, tila nagpapakiramdaman pa rin. The relief of seeing Claire awake was still sinking in, but at the same time, we knew this was just the beginning of her recovery. Zoe stretched her arms with a sigh, Lorraine kept glancing at the door, and AJ busied himself checking his phone. Jared, as usual, leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed but attentive.

Moments later, my mom approached us after speaking with Claire's mother. "She'll be fine," she assured us with a small smile. "Pero kailangan niya ng oras para makabawi."

We all nodded, understanding what that meant. They decided na ilipat rin ng hospital si Claire malapit sa Taft para madali naming mapupuntahan since nagrerecover pa rin siya.

And just like that, time moved forward.

The next few weeks blurred into hospital visits, quiet moments spent keeping Claire company, and late-night study sessions where our usual hangouts were replaced by the sterile scent of antiseptic and the steady beeping of hospital monitors. Slowly but surely, Claire regained her strength, her usual energy returning bit by bit.

Somewhere along the way, things shifted.

Jared, who once barely tolerated me, had become a more constant presence in my life. It wasn't even a grand, dramatic change—it just happened. He's just there.