“Go ahead. Do everything for her,” Zed replied. He saw me coming, so he met me halfway and pulled me to a corner.
“Don’t worry. Ara will be alright. She just needs close monitoring.”
I pulled out my phone from my bag and called Tim. He didn’t pick up right away, so my anger escalated. I was already shaking -- aggravated by that sore spot in my heart.
“Look at what you did. Do you really think this is the best time to drop your bomb on her? Ara is dying, Tim! She’s in the ICU, and the doctors are attending to her right now. If Ara is not going to make it, you will never see your son. And what’s ironic about it? Your son looks exactly like you!”
“Ara has given birth already?” Tim confirmed, shaken by the news.
“What do you think? Can’t anything happen to her after picking the best time to shatter her heart?”
Zed snatched my phone away because my face had turned beet red already. And perhaps because he also saw that my lips were already quivering. He knew how much Ara meant the world to me, and I could never bear to see her hurting.
“Dear, you don’t have to do that. If one chooses to cheat, you can never stop them no matter how many times you nag. You can’t force him to stay if he falls out already. It wouldn’t be healthy for both of them anymore.”
You can’t force him to stay if he falls out already. This statement took me aback for a second.
I placed my hand on Akimbo and glared at him. “Then let me ask you. How would you react if ever you find me cheating? Would you let go of me easily?”
Zed looked at me but didn’t answer. I suddenly realized that I took my own bait. And because I reacted this way to Ara, I couldn’t expect Zed to remain calm as well. Guilt then wrapped my conscience, so I didn’t talk anymore. However, I broke into a silent cry.
“Ara is strong and a positive thinker. She’ll get through this,” said Zed after he allowed me some time to vent out my mixed emotions. I wondered how much more trauma I could endure.
After the nurses wheeled Ara into the ICU, Tim arrived. His eyes were red, and it gave us a clue that he was crying.
“Can I see Ara?” Tim asked.
“No. She’ll get worse once she sees you,” I replied, glaring at him.
A bitter cry escaped from Tim’s mouth, no matter how much he apparently held back his emotion. And at that moment, I concluded he really loved Ara, only that he had succumbed to how Maezy changed his world. Yet, no matter how sorry he may be, the damage had been done. And I didn’t think Ara could forgive him. As far as I knew, Ara was the type of person who never looked back to whoever she put behind once she made up her mind.
“But at least let me see my son,” Tim begged, and I melted. How could I say no to a father?
We accompanied him to the nursery and watched him staring at the child. Then, his eyes lit up, and you could see the joy he felt inside.
“My love, dad can’t wait to hold you in my arms!” said Tim. He stared a little more, smiled, then laughed out loud as he watched the baby's movement.
"Look at you now, my love, how fast you grow! But I’m sorry, son. Dad can’t hold you all the time.”
Tim then broke into a sob as he traced his hand on the glass. He was no longer ashamed that we were watching him. The instant shift of his emotion - from laughing to crying - sent my heart into a mess. And at that moment, I wondered if regret ever occurred in his mind.
The nurse then went out and called him, “Sir, how are you related to the child?”
Tim looked up, glanced at us for a while, then back to the nurse. Then, finally, he smiled and said, “I’m the father.”
“Okay, sir. Come inside and change into a gown so that you can hold him.”
Tim froze for a while and let out a peal of soft laughter, but tears fell like torrents from his eyes. His face then beamed as the nurse lead him inside.
I couldn’t understand how I felt while watching him. Though I hated him for what he did to my best friend, my heart softened as I saw the joy and sadness in his eyes. And I couldn’t help myself from seeing through him the emotional struggle Zed would experience once he knows the truth.
Zed then led me to the ICU. We watched Ara through the glass window. Seeing that many drips on the IV stand, including the blood bag, I got frightened that something may happen to her. Not only those IV bottles but also those flickering numbers from the screens of tiny machines and the digital tracing of Ara’s heartbeats on the monitor.
And while I was sniffing in my tears, the doctor came out. She smiled -- perhaps because she still remembered that I was the one who cried by Ara’s side when she did that vaginal exploration in the room.
“Ara is stable already. I just want her to be closely monitored. So you may take a rest for now. The nurses will inform you if ever they need something.”
I heaved out a sigh, relieved that Ara had already survived the critical stage. And because I was already too exhausted, I decided to drop by the nursery before going out.
We were still a few meters away from the nursery when I saw Tim talking to a woman in a white coat. She must be a pediatrician. We hurried towards them so I could ask about the baby’s status.
“He’s surprisingly fine. He even sucks well,” the doctor said. “But what I am worried about is that the mother refuses to see him.”
The pediatrician confirmed what Zed had told me earlier. I looked up subconsciously, and my eyes fell on Tim.
“I can’t trust that he will be fine under Maezy’s roof. And since Ara has entrusted him to you, I also believe he’ll be in good hands. But may I see him any time?” Tim may sound sure of what he said, but his tears were flowing endlessly. And I wondered why he hinted that he couldn’t trust Maezy.