At the hospital…

The voice, sweet as caramel, reverberated in the air. "Where's Chen Linyun?" It came out hoa.r.s.e.

"He's on his way, Jinxu…" Teng Man Rui answered back nonchalantly while trying to smoothen the fringes on her blanket. She was a lot calmer now than a few minutes ago, the moment the sleeping beauty finally opened her eyes.

Teng Man Rui was reading a book when all of a sudden a weak faint voice called her. "Man Rui…"

It was almost inaudible.

At first, Teng Man Rui did not hear. "Man Rui…" She repeated and grunted.

The lady whose name was called got alerted and at once stopped all her activities. She shot a powerful glance towards the direction of the bed, from the couch where she was situated at the moment.

Her eyes couldn't have widened more and would have popped out if it could when she saw and understood what she saw.

Voila. A pair of familiar almond eyes were staring back at her.

"Jinxu…" Was all Teng Man Rui could utter. She scurried towards the bedside and sobbed heartily. "Jinxu… You're awake…" She breathed in between sobs.

"Mhmm…" The patient affirmed, still devoid of energy.

Teng Man Rui pressed the b.u.t.ton on the wall to call for the doctors and nurses. Afterward, she proceeded in calling the family members one by one, when she was interrupted by the same feeble voice from before.

"I'm thirsty…" Xue Jinxu tried to sit up by propping an elbow behind her on the surface of the bed.

"No, no Jinxu, don't move yet! Stay still, please lie down." Teng Man Rui panicked. Her tears were still rolling profusely down her cheeks. "I'll fetch you a gla.s.s of water." She mumbled while doing the deed itself.

She pressed another b.u.t.ton at the side of the bed which automated the bed to incline at an angle.

"Here." She pa.s.sed on the half-filled gla.s.s of water to her.

Xue Jinxu leaned on one side and drank a little from the gla.s.s. "Thanks, Man Rui."

"What day is it?"

"What happened?"

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"Where's everybody?"

While wiping her tears of astonishment, Teng Man Rui laughed curtly. "One at a time, Jinxu."

She relayed what had happened to her friend.

After the orientation, Xue Jinxu's face was unreadable. "I'm just glad I survived. Where's Guangxi?"

"In the other room. He's sleeping. It's two in the morning."

"Oh."

The two ladies jolted back when the door suddenly flew open. It revealed a panting Chen Linyun. Face and neck covered with sweat, and with heaving breath, he called her name.

"Jinxu."

"Love."

It was in staccato. In between breaths, he spewed out the words of validation he had been telling himself over and over again while he was driving towards the hospital. "You're awake."

Even before he could catch his breath completely, staggering, he rushed towards the wife who was becoming even more blurry as he came nearer. Why?

He blinked several times.

He was crying out of relief.

Actually, it was the same reaction Teng Man Rui had before.

Ever so gently, he wrapped her in his warm embrace. "You scared the s.h.i.+t out of me. Don't do that again." The warm envelope of his arms communicated what he could not ever relay fully with words. All his worry, fear, anxiety vanished and transformed into a relish of pleasant emotions mixed with a tang of relief, joy, and praise.

He could not believe his eyes.

Chen Linyun stroked her head and cheeks amorously, rea.s.suringly, without tearing his gaze from her flushed countenance – a very welcome sign that's she's alive and well. He treasured her as if she's the most precious ent.i.ty in the entire universe as if nothing could ever compare to her existence. In fact, in his eyes, she was.

As her eyes laid on the sight of her husband crying for her, she felt a million needles p.r.i.c.k her heart. She, too, ended up crying.

"I'm sorry."

She laid her palms on his cheek, and with her thumbs, wiped away his tears. "Oh, Chen Linyun, please don't cry… Honey!"

The husband grabbed one of her hands and kissed her palm.

"I'm sorry I wasn't careful. It must have been hard on you all this time!" She wrapped her arms around her neck and buried her lovely blus.h.i.+ng face on the nook of her husband's neck. She wailed. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm here now. Take refuge in me. I'll be by your side again."

"En. As long as you're healthy, Jinxu. I can take anything."

Without interrupting the sweet, solemn moments of the couple, Teng Man Rui silently slipped out of the room to give them their privacy.

The couple stayed in each other's warm embrace for a while, as if making up for all the lost time and for all the negativity that the past days brought upon their rather harmonious life.

A few minuted had gone when the doctors and nurses came and checked on Xue Jixnu, and the other family members arrived as well.

Everyone was elated with the turn of events. They were laughing and smiling and crying happy tears.

Everyone loved Xue Jinxu dearly.

Father Xue was silent, but his countenance couldn't have hidden the mixed emotions he was going through deep inside. He wouldn't admit it, but his daughter was his favorite among his children.

Mother Xue went hysterical, and cried rivers of tears, but calmed down eventually, and now she was smiling ear-to-ear while brus.h.i.+ng Xue Jinxu's jet-black hair. She stared at her daughter in amazement, pondering deeply of miracles that could happen in real life.

Xue Guangxi also entered the room in a wheelchair. Being the culprit, he went straight to Xue Jinxu, already wailing like a child, sniffing his snot which was flowing with his tears. Mother Xue pa.s.sed on some tissue paper to him.

As apologetic as he was, he could only bow his head in front of his sister. He couldn't look at her in the eyes. Tears continued to flow from his eyes.

"Xu-jie. Wuhuhuhuhu!!!" His wailings intensified. "I'm sorry. I am deeply sorry. Please forgive me, Xu-jie…" The boy was red in the face as if his face would have exploded from the crying. His eyes were swollen. His cheeks were swollen, and he was nearly choking with his own saliva while gasping for air. His face was a mess from all the tears and snot and sweat combined, but he did not care. All he cared for right now was his sister's forgiveness.

Xue Jinxu's heart melted from the boy's apologies. "Guangxi, stop crying. Look at you! I'll forgive you if you promise me you'll learn from this experience, and change for the better, mhmm? I know that it's an accident, Guangxi. I'm not angry or mad at you, so stop crying…" She said mildly while coaxing him.

Sniffing, he bobbed his head repeatedly, his puppy eyes wide as if convincing the lady on the bed of his sincerest intentions. "Yes, Xu-jie, I promise. No more playing around. I'll try correct everything – my life, my mistakes, my future! I owe you that Xu-jie!"

"No, you owe it to yourself, Guangxi. And to our parents as well. Just be a good boy, a good person. Be responsible. It's for you too."

"En, I know. I'm really sorry, Xu-jie…" He trailed off. The guilt was still in his system. Most probably it will stay there for a long time, perhaps even for a lifetime.

Xue Jinxu laughed mildly, trying to lighten the already heavy atmosphere. "Too bad I'm still bed-ridden. Otherwise, I would have knocked your head hard with my knuckles just to call it quits. Hahahaha! I'm kidding, of course. You'll always be my favorite baby brother."

The lady was smiling and laughing. She was happy despite the accident. Her audience was in a complete daze. Oh, how they missed her laughter, and her smiling face – dimple showing and her almond eyes smiling with her.

She's back. She's really back, wide awake, alive and happy, with a shroud of serenity emanating from within her.