19 Chapter 19: Turning point

Di woke up alone in the room, a hospital room.

Ah right, there was an accident earlier. Di tried to stand up. She took off the dextrose and tried to walk. It was painful, but she had to see Dave. She had to see Dave before he can get to Rica. Surely Dave is worried about her. She saw it in his eyes. He was already in the hospital when she was brought in. He indeed still cared for her. That means there's still hope. Dave still loves her.

And then Di reached the door. She saw Dave outside through the glass. He was facing the door of the other room, his back to her. She saw him crying by the way his shoulders were shaking. Is he crying for her? Oh poor Dave. He must be suffering not knowing if she'll be fine. And then Dave slid down to the floor still crying his heart out. Di saw the name tag on the other room, Rica Spencer.

Rica…

It was Rica's room. Dave looked really close to losing it. And then she heard him.

"Rica… I can't lose you… I can't…"

Di's heart was breaking. It was so painful watching Dave getting this much pain and misery for someone else. Dave is crushed.

Di couldn't take her eyes off Dave as Dave cried looking so weak as he sat on the floor. Di had never seen Dave like this… Her heart was squeezing in pain. She wants to take the pain away from Dave.

It's now time to accept it. She lost Dave to the woman in the other room. And it felt like she can never live the same way again.

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Dave couldn't bear to go near Rica, he would just look at her from the door's glass, but he can't get inside the room. He just couldn't…He just can't see Rica like that. His heart was going to give up beating every time he sees her looking like she's going to die. He can't take it anymore. He wished he can take her place. He wished he was the one hurt. There were times when he would spend hours just standing by Rica's door, watching over her, checking for any movement. But Rica did not wake up.

When Dave heard Di had woken up, he told himself he had to visit her. But his heart was in chaos. He knows the accident was probably Di's fault, and his anger might not be controlled. But Di was the woman he loved for the longest time. And he still cares for her until now. He might not love her the same way…But she's still an important person in his life.

Dave entered the room Di was in and sat beside her.

"I'm glad you're OK." said Dave

"But you'll be happier if Rica gets well, right?" said Di

There was no sarcasm in Di's voice. It was as if she was just stating a fact.

"I'm praying that she wakes up soon." said Dave

Di sighed.

"Do you blame me? Rica got into that accident while I was driving." said Di

"I did." said Dave, "Somewhere along the way, I did blame you. But I had to be reminded that both of you actually got hurt. Both of you almost died there. I can't blame you fully for that."

Di shook her head.

"You know I'm capable of hurting myself just to get what I want, Dave." said Di. "You should not be this merciful towards me. What if I planned that? What if I wanted to kill her and getting hurt with her is the only way no one will blame me?"

Dave stared at Di for a while.

"You won't." said Dave. "You'd hurt yourself… but you won't hurt anyone else. You're not like that Di."

Di's eyes started to moisten as her lips trembled.

"Yeah? You believe that?" asked Di

Dave nodded.

Di smiled at Dave.

"I think that she will be all right. Rica suits you very well. I will pray that she does wake up soon…I sincerely do."

Dave smiled.

"Yeah. I do too."

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Rica woke up to see her Mom sleeping beside her.

"Mom…"

Her mother woke up to her call.

"Rica. You're awake…let me call the nurse." said Gene

Gene stood up hurriedly.

"No Mom, just stay. You were worried?" asked Rica.

Gene sat beside Rica, her tears fell.

"Of course I was! I still am��Of course…"

"Stop crying Mom. I'm alive." said Rica

Gene held Rica's hand.

"I almost died when I heard what happened. I thought I'm gonna lose you." said Gene

"God is good. He knows I haven't spent time with you that much yet." said Rica

Gene cried harder.

"I just got to be with my baby daughter again… and then this happened. I was just… maybe it was my fault… I bring you sadness and misery…"

"Don't say that, Mom." said Rica. "Having you in my life again is one of the best things that happened to me. So don't ever regret returning, all right?"

Gene wiped her tears and squeezed Rica's hand.

"Umm, Mom, where's Dave?" asked Rica

"He's out there somewhere." said Gene

"Did…he ever visit me?" asked Rica

Gene nodded energetically.

"He would always look at you from outside. He was really worried about you. " said Gene. "He does that every day."

"From…outside?" asked Rica

Rica felt a sting of pain in her chest.

"Dave…I think that man is going through a lot because of the accident and I can really see he cares for you. He looked really pitiful. But all of us did… we were all worried of you. I should call the nurses to check on you." Gene went outside to call the nurse to check Rica up.

But Rica felt the urgency to know where Dave was. Rica tried to stand up. Gene tried to stop her. But she was standing more than a foot taller than her Mom. Gene could not do anything. Rica fell a few times and some wounds started to bleed again. But she still tried to stand up. She went to the door. When she was outside the room, the name plate on the room in front of hers caught her attention. And then from the glass of the door, she could see who was inside… It was Di. And there was Dave, sitting besdie Di…they were talking inside the room. And then Dave hugged Di.

Rica felt her heart had the most painful wound in her body. But at the same time, she felt numb, painful yet numb. Her tears were not flowing anymore. Maybe she had already cried all the tears she could. She just wanted to go home.

Gene looked around trying to find a nurse to help Rica back to her bed. Carl also saw Rica and went to help her. The nurse saw some blood and immediately called a doctor.

"What were you thinking standing up like that!" shouted Carl when Rica was safely back on her bed.

"Rica please stop making Mom worried, OK? Just lie still until you're better." said her Mom.

Rica could only hear their voices in a blur.

"Mom, I want to go home soon. Please take me home..." said Rica

"As soon as all your wounds were closed and the doctor says we can bring you home, we can already go home, all right?" said Gene "Your Uncle is so worried. He took the first flight back to San Francisco. He'll be here tomorrow." said Gene.

"That's good…I want to talk to him" said Rica

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Dave looked at Rica's room from outside. He learned that Rica woke up earlier. That made him feel a lot better. He opened the door to Rica's room but it wasn't easy. That fear…it's going to burst every time he sees Rica looking so weak. He will not survive if Rica dies. He just can't imagine living without her.

Dave sat beside Rica.

"If I can only take all the wounds, I would." said Dave. Dave touched Rica's hand and put it on his cheek. "You're cold. But you're alive…and my world can now continue to turn. Please get better. Please be all right from now on."

Rica woke up in the middle of the night and saw Dave beside her. She touched his hair but pull her hand away. This isn't right… She should stop doing this to herself. And there's only one way to end this. Everything should be settled soon.

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Samuel was worried sick. He immediately went to the hospital from the airport. He hasn't slept for the past days.

"You stupid girl, making your Uncle go through this in my old age!" said Sam crying "I didn't know what to do, if I can only instantly be here I would have done that, but I can't. The entire journey back here, I felt like the years of my life were slowly draining."

"I'm sorry, Uncle. It was an accident. But I'll be fine." said Rica

"I'm glad that you're OK. I don't know what to do if you're not." said Sam

Rica smiled. Sam looked like he got older because of what happened.

"Umm Uncle. Can I ask you for a favor?" asked Rica

"What is it?" asked Sam. "You know I will give anything to make you feel better right now."

"This is a very big favor and I need your help. Because I won't be able to bear it anymore, if you don't grant me my wish." said Rica

"Don't make me feel nervous. I just got relieved to see you safe and alive." said Sam

"Uncle, I want you to sign the contract with SkyRock. And I want you to dissolve the engagement as soon as possible." said Rica

"What?!" asked Sam "Rica, what were you saying?!"

"I had decided to go back to New York. I decided to take on Masters. I want to bring my Mom with me." said Rica "You can always go there for vacation to see us."

"Why all of a sudden?" asked Sam.

"Hmm…It's not all of a sudden. I've been thinking of giving Dave his freedom to be with the woman he loves. But I got really selfish. Having a second chance in life made me realize I had to stop just thinking of myself. Uncle, I know you want to help Uncle Andres and SkyRock. I know you won't let them down. I know you wanted Dave to marry me because you know I'm in love with him. But my heart…it can only take so much… And if we force Dave to be with me and but his heart is with someone else, I don't think my heart can survive that."

Rica can't help but cry.

Rica felt numb from pain…but that doesn't mean the pain had stopped.

"Uncle, I am still in love with Dave. And he did nothing wrong. He, in his own way, I think he tried to like me. And I want you to help him. But this love is killing me. And I need to move on. I need your help to give me a chance to live." said Rica.

Samuel sat down. Did he have it all wrong? From the time he saw Dave's concern over his niece five years ago, to the time Samuel confirmed that his niece indeed had feelings for Dave, he had been sure that the two will make a good couple in the future. But was he wrong? Did he cause his niece's heart to be shattered?

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Dave tried to visit Rica at home a few times that week, but Rica was not receiving any guests. And it was making Dave impatient. He needed to see Rica. He needed to make sure she's OK. He…just wanted to see her.

Dave saw his phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Dave, This is the company Lawyer. Samuel Spencer…he is now here in the conference room of SkyRock. He went here personally. You need to get here now." said the Lawyer

Dave ran towards the conference room and composed himself outside before coming in. He saw Samuel, shook his hand and sat in front of the older man.

"You went here personally. I am surprised." said Dave

"And the surprise does not stop there." said Samuel. Samuel handed Dave a folder.

Dave browsed through the paper. This was the contract he had been asking Samuel to sign. Why is Samuel returning the contract to him? And then at the last page, Dave stopped when he saw what he did not expect to see… It was Samuel's signature!

"You signed the contract?" asked Dave.

Dave is confused. Why did Samuel sign it? The wedding has not yet happen.

"It's a surprise isn't it?" asked Samuel

"But I thought the shareholders wanted to make sure we'll deliver our commitments through marriage." said Dave. "The wedding hasn't happen yet."

"That was true. And that didn't change. But I told them that if two years down the line, SkyRock does not deliver your commitments, I will resign as CEO of the company and give up all my shares." said Samuel.

"What?" Dave stood up and had to calm himself by breathing deeply. "You're taking a gamble, a very big risk. You threw everything you had at stake for SkyRock." said Dave.

"And that means you have to deliver. That means you can't fail." said Samuel

"But why do you have to make this move? Rica and I are getting engaged as soon as she gets well. And we'll get married soon after that." said Dave

"Do you like my niece?" asked Samuel

"What? That question is so sudden…" said Dave a little embarrassed.

But Samuel continued to look at Dave expecting an answer.

"But… I am most fond of your niece. I…I think it's best to tell her first before anyone else how I really feel about her." said Dave trying to hide his awkwardness.

Was he right after all? Samuel can't help but think that Rica might have given up too early. Dave seem to be really rattled by this.

"Well then…I told you that my niece is precious. I have decided that it's wrong for me to use her for business purposes. There won't be any engagement anymore." said Samuel

Dave felt like a thousand pounds was out on his shoulders. The engagement is off? He is not getting married with Rica? What is Samuel saying?

"Does Rica know?" Dave asked

"Yes, of course she knows. She was the one who asked me to cancel everything." Said Samuel.

"No, It can't be. Why will she cancel it? Where is she? I need to talk with her." said Dave

Dave's mind and heart was in turmoil. He can't let this happen. Why did Rica want to end the engagement?

"She left this morning. She decided to study outside San Francisco. And I think that's a good idea so that she can start anew." said Samuel. "Well now. Everything is settled for SkyRock. Please don't make me lose my shares."

Samuel smiled and walked out of the room.

Dave could not believe it. Rica left? Just like that? She left without talking to him? She canceled their engagement without telling him why! Dave started running out but his lawyer stopped him.

"This is not the time to go out, Dave. We need to call a shareholders' meeting soon. The good news has to be shared." said the Lawyer.

Dave pushed the Lawyer aside and run to follow Samuel. Dave saw Samuel by the elevator. Dave blocked Samuel's way.

"Please, tell me where she went. I need to…I need to see her, I need to talk to her." said Dave.

"Let me give you a piece of advice, Dave." said Samuel, a bit roughly. "And this is something that you need to take whether you'll like it or not."

Samuel sighed.

"SkyRock is on your shoulders now. Do you think Andres can still perform as CEO? He will not be able to do it anymore, and there's nobody else who can do it except you. If you leave now at this critical timing, everything you worked hard for, everything your father ever did, everything I sacrificed for in FlyAir, will just go to some incompetent Vice President, do you get it? If you leave now, it's not just SkyRock which will fall, but also all my shares in FlyAir…and Rica's. I've given you too much time to talk everything there was to talk about with Rica. Time has run out. Now, do your part. Be the business genius people say you are. Make SkyRock grow." said Samuel

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Belle and Carl are both shocked at what was happening.

"Wow…He just realized that he loves her and can't live without her. And now she's gone just like that?" said Belle, trying to understand what happened.

"There was definitely something wrong. Dave, the last weeks, was everything a doting Fiancée should be. What happened to change Rica's heart that way?" asked Carl

"And another thing that makes me confused is Di. She just called this morning saying she's leaving for New York tonight. It seems she was also letting Dave go." said Belle.

"That's weird. I thought one has to let go to make the other happy. But both women ended up letting Dave go after the accident." said Carl.

"How about you, Carl? Are you all right?" asked Belle

"The truth? Of course I'm not OK. Thinking that Rica is getting married to my best friend who also loves her, that's something I've already accepted. But Rica leaving like this? I wasn't prepared for this." said Carl

"This is a crazy world. And Dave couldn't even look for Rica could he?" asked Belle

"He can't. The shareholders of both SkyRock and FlyAir will guard his every move now until the contract is done. He should be very careful. He needs to makes sure the commitments will be delivered. He can't afford going around the country to look for the woman he loves. That's going to break SkyRock and FlyAir." said Carl

"And Rica?"

"I'm afraid Dave has to let her go…" said Carl "He has absolutely no choice but to bury his heart."

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Dave was driving himself to exhaustion by making sure his day and night were filled with meetings with shareholders and with the different teams in SkyRock. He would sometimes also meet with Samuel for status reports. But never in those meeting was Rica's name mentioned. It was as if there's a silent agreement between Dave and Samuel that mentioning Rica's name was a bomb that will cause an explosion.

Dave would arrive home very late at night because of work. He doesn't meet Carl and Belle religiously anymore every Wednesday night. He didn't hear them complain of his absence and that somehow comforted him that the two best friends he had in this world understood his situation.

Dave went to his bedside drawer where he used to keep the ring he was supposed to give Di. He already gave that to Di at the end of their relationship. But instead, what was there was a new ring. It was supposed to be the ring that he will give Rica on the day of their engagement party. He was ready then, ready to give her his promise, ready to face the future with her, ready to take a risk in everything that life has to throw at him as long as she's by his side. He was ready to give her everything, His everything…

But it all ended when he hasn't even told her yet how he feels.

Was he too slow? Could he have just said it when they were on the car on the way to the noodle house? No. She would have been too distracted about his confession to pay attention to her Mom. Could he have confessed when she met with his parents? Or maybe when he drove her home? Would she have believed him that he loved her after all the pain that he made her go through? He wanted to prove himself first to her, to make her feel loved before he told her about how he felt. He wanted Rica to see how sincere he was. But was he too slow?

And now, she will no longer hear what his heart was longing to say. Because she's gone…

She just left…

Without even a single good-bye...

It's been a month since then, and Dave still had all these thoughts every night. When will he stop thinking? When will he get tired of the pain in his chest?

Dave opened the gift Rica gave him on his birthday a few years ago. It was after the elevator incident. He never got to wear it. It was a blue necktie with horizontal patterns…

He wasn't even able to wear it in front of her.

"Even the thank you…I haven't even said my thank you for this. I really sucked." said Dave, tears now uncontrollably falling from his eyes.

Will he be like this forever? Until when will his heart ache over the woman he lost?

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It was the voting for the new CEO. The atmosphere in SkyRock was tensed. There were a few candidates for CEO. There was the oldest of the Vice Presidents, there was also the Vice President who stayed by Dave's dad side for the longest time, there was a young Vice President who they all knew just got up there because of connections. And of course, Dave.

On an achievement standpoint, Dave will only need to compete with the Vice President who always stayed with his Dad's side, that man knows the business inside out.

But Dave had a chance on this.

Dave had increased SkyRock's sale like it never did before. The past six months of his track record had never been achieved by anyone else. Plus, he was the only person who was able to come up with a solution to prevent SkyRock from falling.

The votes were casted. And when the votes were counted, the company Lawyer made the announcement

"From this day on, SkyRock's new CEO is…David Lopez!"

Everyone seemed to be in agreement on the result and nobody questioned Dave's win.

Dave made a sigh of relief. Everything was as expected. Everything, from now on, will be the way it should be.

He will make SkyRock soar!