He's Gone

*Naomi's POV*

"Anong sinabi mo kay Dra. Guevarra? Discharged??" Tanong ni Mama pagpasok niya. "I told you, hindi ka pa magaling."

"Ma, I'm fine."

"We've talked about this." Sagot ni Mama. "If you're okay, naaalala mo sana siya."

Nathan's face changed nung narinig niya yung mga salitang yun.

"Are you still going to force me with the therapy??"

"Yes!"

"I've had enough, Ma. Ayaw ko siyang maalala."

"But you have to. Hinihintay ka niya."

"I don't care." He said. "Maghintay siya hangga't gusto niya but I won't undergo therapy for her."

"Ayaw mo siyang maalala but you want to get discharge? Para saan? Para makasama si Ivy??"

"Of course, Ma." Sagot niya. "Mahal ko si Ivy. Dapat ko lang siyang makasama."

"Si Theia ang mahal mo. Siya dapat ang makasama mo."

"Ma, naman--"

"Bakit ba ayaw mo parin maniwala na importante siya sa'yo?"

"Ma, please."

"Do you even think na kapag hindi mo siya naalala, hahayaan kitang makasama si Ivy?"

Nate sighed.

He hates this conversation more than we do.

"Ayaw niyo ba ko maging masaya?"

"Makinig ka naman sa'min oh." Sabi ko. "Theia is your happiness, remember?"

Si Theia lahat yun.

But he wasn't listening.

He was so focused on the fact that he loves Ivy. Siya lang ang nasa isip niya ngayon.

"I lost Ivy once dahil kay Nicole and now you want me to lose her again because of Theia??"

He didn't say Nicole diba?

We were both taken by surprise sa sinabi niya..

"Ulitin mo nga yung sinabi mo, Nathan."

"I--"

"Anong karapatan mong isisi sa kapatid mo yung paghihiwalay niyong dalawa??"

"I'm sorry.."

"Didn't you noticed na kasalanan niya kung bakit kayo naghiwalay?" She said. "Dapat inintindi niya yung sitwasyon ni Nicole. Dapat kasama mo siya nung mga panahong yun pero anong ginawa niya? Iniwan ka niya."

"Pinili ka niyang iwan despite of what we're going through." Sabi ni Mama. "She left at the time when you needed her the most tapos sasagutin mo ko ngayon ng ganyan dahil sa kanya?"

"It wasn't her fault.."

"Kung hindi kasalanan ni Ivy, kasalanan na ng kapatid mo?"

"Ma, that's not what I meant." He said. "Please listen to me--"

"Bakit? Nakinig ka ba sa mga sinabi namin?" She said. "I'm giving you two options, Nathaniel. Either you undergo therapy para maalala si Theia o madidischarge ka ngayon at ibibigay mo lahat ng oras mo sa kanya."

"But that's so unfair.."

"Naging unfair ka rin kay Theia dahil sa paglimot mo sa kanya."

"Ma, please.. paano naman si Ivy?"

Bakit puro siya lang yung iniisip mo?

Paano naman yung taong nasasaktan ngayon kakahintay sayo??

"I don't care. Ipagtatanggol ko ang anak ko at si Theia." Sabi ni Mama. "Now choose. Kasi kahit anong piliin mo sa dalawa, I'll make sure you'll end up choosing Theia."

******

*Ivy's POV*

"Ai, nandito ka na pala." Sabi ni Tita pagpasok niya sa office. "Akala ko mamaya ka pa bibisita?"

"Inagahan ko po kasi may exam kami ngayon."

"Really?" She sat on the couch in front of me. "Pinuntahan mo na ba siya?"

"Not yet, Tita."

Hindi ko pa siya ulit nakikita pagtapos nung nangyari pagkagising niya.

Sa totoo lang, natatakot ako.

"I've already given him the paperbag you brought last time." Sabi niya. "I was really curious nung nakita kong ngumiti siya."

"It was nothing, Tita." I smiled at her. "Thank you po ulit."

"Anytime, dear." Ngumiti siya pabalik. "I guess it's a good thing na nandito ka."

"May nangyari po ba?"

"His parents wanted him to get the treatment pero ayaw niya." Sagot niya. "Maybe you can encourage him to do so."

"Treatment for?" I frowned. "May problema ba po sa kanya?"

"For his amnesia."

Ayaw niya?

"Why not? Kailangan niya po yun diba?"

"That actually depends on him."

"He will not fully recover if he doesn't undergo theraphy, right?"

"You don't really need to worry about him, Ai." Sabi niya. "His test results were great."

"What do you mean, Tita?" I was confused. "Paano po yung theraphy?"

Her eyes wandered around the room and back at me.

"I think there might be a way for you to understand this."

She stood up and went to her table. Pagbalik niya, may dala siyang maliliit na wooden blocks.

"Lex brought her toys last time kaya nasa akin pa." Alexa is her 5 yrs old daughter.

She aligned the blocks horizontally on the table na nasa harapan ko. There were 5 in total.

"Here." I looked at the blocks. "What did you noticed when you saw him the day he woke up?"

Naaalala niya ko. Nung kami pa.

"Naaalala niya lahat diba? Lahat lahat." Kumuha siya ng isang block sa gitna at inabot sakin. "Except dito. Si Theia."

"So in other words..."

She nodded.

"Nathan forgotten her completely."

He remembered everything except.. Theia?

"Look at this." Inayos niya yung mga blocks na natira. "Kapag ganito na ulit yung itsura, mapapansin mo pa bang may nawawala?"

Umiling ako bilang sagot.

"This is what it looks like to Nathan." She gestured the blocks. "Inside his head, it's complete. His family, friends, all of his memories. Everyone and everything is there but with one exception, Theia."

"Syempre kung hindi mo naman napansing may nawawala, hahanapin mo ba?" She explained. "Kaya naiintindihan ko si Nathan. Cause in the first place, sa point of view niya, nothing's missing."

"But what about the memories he lost?"

"That was the tricky part. We couldn't persuade him." She replied. "Hindi niya alam na may kulang and it's stopping him from wanting to remember."

"Isn't that bad for him?"

"It wouldn't actually be a problem." She said. "Apart from his wounds, he doesn't care. Amnesia is not one of his concerns kaya hindi yun makakasama sa kanya."

"Does that mean it's okay not to remember her?"

"If Nathan choose not to, then yes." Sabi niya. "Like what I said, it depends on him. Some patients were the same. They voluntary chose not to remember."

"Ano pong mangyayari kung hindi niya inalala?"

"He can go on with his life."

He can continue a life without her.

Finally, it's possible.

"Ai." Napatingin ako kay Tita and she was staring at my hand. I was holding the block too tight.

"Sorry, Tita."

"That's fine." Sabi niya. "You seemed distracted. May problema ba?"

"Wala naman po. Kabado lang siguro sa finals mamaya."

"I know you'd do well."

I smiled in return.

"So, do you mind telling me what happened?" Her tone changed.

"Tungkol po saan?"

"Hindi ka mukhang nagulat na nakalimot si Nathan."

...

Hindi ko namalayan na mas lalong humigpit yung kamay ko sa hinahawakan ko.

******

*Alec's POV*

"Love, what do you mean??"

"Nathan asked for his doctor's consent para makauwi na siya."

"Pero bakit siya uuwi?" Tanong ko. "He's going to receive treatment for his amnesia, right?"

"He was supposed to.."

Supposed to?

"But?"

"Ayaw niya, love.."

"What??" That took me by surprise. "Pero bakit?"

"Nalaman niya kung para saan yung therapy." She slowly spoke na parang ayaw niyang sabihin yung rason. "He said he doesn't want to remember her.."

Ayaw niyang maalala si Theia???

"Hindi yun pwede, love." I insisted. "Siya ang buong buhay ng kapatid ko. Hindi tayo pwedeng sumuko."

This cannot happen.

"I thought we're going to do what it takes para maalala niya si Theia?"

"Gagawin naman talaga natin lahat." Naomi sounded frustrated as well. "We tried to convince him pero ayaw niya talaga.."

"Wala na ba tayong pwedeng gawin?"

Kahit ano..

Kahit ano basta maaalala niya lang si Theia...

"I still don't know.. kinausap nila Mama si Nathan. They're trying to persuade him to atleast take meds."

"Pero hindi ganun ka-effective ang meds." Sabi ko. "The worst case, baka may side effects pa yun na makapagpalala ng kalagayan niya."

"His doctor said the same thing kaya sinusubukan parin naming kausapin si Nathan."

"My god.. love.."

Paano na yung kapatid ko..?

How could I tell her?

Paano ko sasabihin sa kanya na ayaw siyang maalala ng taong mahal niya??

"I thought you knew what happened.."

"No." Sagot ko. "How can I? Ngayon lang rin tayo nagkausap."

"Akala ko sinabi nila Charm sa'yo kaya ka nagalit sa kanila."

"They didn't. I got mad kasi hindi nila sinabi sa'kin yung pagpunta nila sa ospital." I explained. "But what do you mean? Paano nila malalaman? Did you tell them?"

"Hindi." She sounded confused. "Hindi mo ba talaga alam?"

"Ang alin?"

"I'm not sure kung totoo 'to. I might be wrong, love." Sabi niya. "But they were just outside the room the exact same moment na kinakausap namin si Nathan tungkol sa therapy."

I let her words sink in..

"Then she.."

"Yes." She said. "They probably heard what we were talking about. Narinig yata ni Theia, love.."

"Narinig niyang ayaw siyang maalala ni Nathan?"

Narinig niya yun lahat tapos nagawa ko pa siyang kausapin ng ganun kahapon?

I remembered that her eyes were red na parang kakaiyak niya lang. But I was too focused on what they did kaya binaliwala ko lahat.

Si Charm.

Ayaw niyang makausap o makita ko si Theia. Hindi dahil ayaw niyang mapagalitan ko sila kundi dahil sa  nangyari.

That proves they heard everything.

Charm did what she could to protect her pero sinaktan ko lang siya lalo. I shouted at her. Got mad at her. Almost cursed her dahil sa pagsisinungaling nila sa'kin.

Tapos... Ayaw lang siyang maalala ni Nathan???

Guilt rushed over me habang inaalala yung pag uusap namin kahapon.

"What??"

"Pero.. pero nandyan lang siya kanina.."

"Nathan?? Nate???"

"Sh*t!"

"Love??"

"I'm sorry, love. Nakalimutan kong nandyan ka." I can hear her breathing. "Alec, anong gagawin ko??"

"Love, calm down." I said. "Ano bang nangyari?"

"He was sleeping when I left his room para kausapin ka pero pagbalik ko.. wala na siya.."

"What???"

"He's gone.." She repeated. "Nawawala si Nathan."

"..."

******