Chapter 17: Enemies

Chapter 17: Enemies (Wattpad)

Part I:

The both of them finished the book several minutes ago, and now they were eating peanuts from the cafeteria. The seemingly harmless objects – plate and peanuts – had taken more than 20 minutes to be approved by Pete Johnson. Again, purely because of ‘security measures.’

Tristan was wholeheartedly convinced that Reeya won’t hurt anyone now. She had somehow gotten closer to him than she had to the other doctors, and vice versa. The vice versa was really the daunting part, because it’s a rare thing that a patient could be so special in the eyes of a doctor, albeit an in-training. 

To be overly special.

Looking at her now, having that angelic smile, on her delicate face, he knew he was in deep trouble. Something’s going to give, sooner or later. Most probably the latter.

“Can you do that thing where you throw the peanut up in the air and then catch it with your mouth? That always frustrated me.”

He laughed, “That actually makes two of us.” Then an idea, “We can practice ‘till we’re both good at it, you know.”

And so, the two inhabitants of room 572 let the children within them dominate after a long time. Theirs was a well-deserved break from everything they’ve been under.

Both were blissfully unaware of the pair of eyes watching from the outside.

5 hours later

“And then she – ”

“What? Gave you a horse, a hectare of land, and a Porsche? Well, congratu – ”

“Gab.” Tristan scowled at his friend. What is wrong with him? Tristan wasn’t convinced that the attachment to her was a hindrance to making her feel better. On the contrary, it helps quite a lot. Gabriel is still opposed to the whole thing.

Why couldn’t he just that everything’s amazing? Perfect, even? Tristan was utterly confused. He’d never seen Gab disagree so much on something.

“What?” Gab asked, his eyebrows together. The younger companion was in Doctor Redwood’s office, lounging on the couch. But a person could easily tell by his body language that he wasn’t relaxed – his shoulders were stiff, and his back was ramrod straight. This was so unlike before, when he would be totally at ease whenever and wherever they were together.

“She’s getting better, I feel it. Even the lab result shows the exact same thing!” Tristan countered, “I’m really sure about this. What are you against, anyway?”

 For a number of seconds, they just had a stare-off. But this one has more weight to it – one was trying to dissuade the other; who clearly wasn’t giving in.

“Tristan…” Gab started to say. He intentionally used his friend’s given name to let him know that’s he’s dead serious. No nicknames this time. “Sometimes, things aren’t always what they mean. Maybe you’re only seeing her get better – ”

“There is no maybe, Gab. I know she’s getting better, and I – ”

“Who are you to say that?” the other suddenly spat at him. Tristan was completely taken by surprise by his burst of temper, and opened his mouth to say something, but Gabriel was in a rant.

“You just see what you want to see – you don’t even know what she’s thinking. You don’t even know if she is thinking! You don’t know anything!”

He bellowed the last sentence. Tristan remained rooted at his spot, chocked to the core. 

He had never, ever seen his closest friend this enraged. Sad, frustrated, yes. Even a little bit angry. But not like this. This was one side of him he had yet to discover. 

Voice low, he said, “Listen, Gab – ”

“No, Tristan. You listen!” he shouted vehemently, standing up from his desk chair, with his knuckles terribly white, “You expect too much! You don’t even know where you’re going! She isn’t feeling better – you just feel that she is! For all I know, you don’t even exist to her – ”

“What is your problem?” Tristan threw his clipboard on the floor, all the papers attached scattering on the floor of the office, “You haven’t even talked to her, okay? You don’t tell me what to do! I don’t need you to tell me anything, so shut up!”

Breathing hard, Tristan kept on clenching and unclenching his fists, his thoughts in a hurricane. He can’t even look at Gabriel. He was afraid and too angry that he’d start shouting when he tried to. 

With his heart pounding, he turned around and left, without saying another word.

Part II:

All friendships undergo strains. That is regarded as a universal truth; how can you call a person your ‘friend’ in the first place if you haven’t undergone rifts together?

Right now though, Tristan was wondering whether this particular struggle would somehow rip his bond with Gab. The encounter several minutes ago had seemed too much. Too vivid and hurtful in many ways. Gabriel was the only one he had shared everything with. Theirs was a strong friendship.

What happened had the young man questioning the said strength.

He looked up and saw the well-kept, pristine wall. Almost everything – 80% probably – you see in the Macquarie hospital are white. Dull, empty white – exactly what Tristan was feeling at the moment.

There were nurses and a few doctors walking and rushing to where they need to be, and he just sat on one of the chrome seats lined up along the hallway. He can’t even summon the least of his energy to get something for his parched throat, or his rumbling stomach. He just sat still, thinking about lots of things all at once.

“Doctor?” asked a familiar, worried voice. Tristan looked to his right, and as he expected, Nika was there, standing with two clipboards – hers, which was neon green, and an orange one, which was broken in two, with papers hastily arranged to look presentable.

“I have your things.” Biting her lower lip, she hesitantly handed the orange one over to him and he received it with unfeeling fingers. 

Great, I have to buy another one.

As he heaved a mighty sigh, the nurse came to sit beside him. It was clear that she knew what happened inside Doctor Redwood’s office, and was bothered by it. Nika appraised Tristan up and down with a critical eye and vaguely said, “You okay?”

“Not really.” was his response, accompanied by a shake of his head. Things were starting to go out of hand for him.

“I, uhmm…” Nika tried to say something, unsure on how to proceed, “Your office was quite, uhm – well, it took a while to clean.”

Oh yes, that one, too. My day is just perfect, Tristan thought, his inner voice dripping with sarcasm. He almost forgot about the unnerving scene he found just – hours ago? He forgot the precise time already.

“Nika, that’s only between us, okay? Just us. I don’t want anyone to worry.” More importantly, he didn’t want anyone to investigate. The director of the hospital would surely issue a complaint against the security agency they were currently paying, and Tristan didn’t want to cause real trouble. 

It was crystal clear that the person who came in his office wasn’t there for a pleasant visit.

“Tristan…I think is totally absurd, but don’t – don’t you think you have, you know, enemies?” She really couldn’t believe the words she said herself, but she had to know. Nobody can be sure, and it’s general knowledge that Doctor Devon lives alone.

He blinked rapidly. Enemies? His brows knitted together in confusion. I don’t have enemies, I didn’t do anything!

“I honestly don’t know.” He replied wearily, unable to say anything more. He was drained.

“I don’t like what I’m feeling. Not at all.” The nurse thought out loud, “The moment I saw your office, I knew there was something really, really wrong. How could they pass by the guards?”

            Tristan remained silent, and the both of them settled into a troubled silence.

Chapter 16: Honey blossoms

Chapter 16: Honey blossoms (Wattpad)

“Careful. Don’t walk too fast.”

“I’m not walking too fast.”

But Reeya was walking like an eager kindergarten on her first field trip. It’s natural to assume she haven’t been outside for days, maybe even weeks, as there wasn’t enough manpower from the hospital to supply eyes to see and hands to manage and help. 

They were on the same place where Tristan had been with Mrs. Worthe when she gave him the idea of books. Was that days ago? Tristan was losing track of time, to be honest.

The garden was perfect and peaceful, especially more so today. It seemed like it was waiting for them before it showed its splendor in full display – birds inside the dome were heard chirping form the treetops and honey blossoms and other kinds of flowers were in bloom. Tristan couldn’t even name some of them.

The only uncommon sound was their voices and the crunch of their footfalls on the gravel path. Tristan actually lent his patient his pair of loafers for the walk – he couldn’t bear the thought of her walking barefoot before him.

So now, by that amusing turn of events, he was the one walking without anything on his feet. It’s for a good cause, he told himself.

“Don’t you want to sit down?” he asked Reeya on his left side, finishing her cookies and cream-flavored ice cream. Tristan finished his in a manner of seconds.

“No, later.”

He simply nodded his response, knowing she understood. He knew her behavior now would drastically change later, just like what happened the last time. Tristan didn’t want that to happen again today. Or ever.

He was making discreet observations without his clipboard, listing all the things he could see, and hoping they’re ingrained enough inside his head for him to remember later. At least, there are things that do make sense.

Reeya, the modest ray of sunshine that she is, already finished her ice cream and was walking in no particular direction, seeing everything from the left, right, and above. He never really got a good look on her face until now, and the soft light falling on her features helped. 

Her hair that wasn’t even cut properly looked different in the open. It was more…more of a hairstyle. It made her look pretty, but whatever her hairstyle is, in Tristan’s eye, she still looked good.

Probably because of the food she was able to eat these past few days, she acquired a look of good health and she seems lively. She is lively. Even with her hospital gown, he could see that she has a slim, lithe figure. He enjoyed looking at her and knowing he was the one who has brought about these wonderful changes.

“Aren’t you tired?” she asked casually.

“A little, yes.” Then, as if on cue, when they both turned around a corner, they saw an empty bench.

“D’you want to sit for a while?”

“Yes, I was actually waiting for you to ask that.” The statement was punctuated with a sweet, timid smile and she walked towards the said bench. He was left behind a little, slightly taken aback by the smile, but he recovered enough to be able to move towards her and sit.

“Do you know why I braided my hair?”

The sudden question came out of nowhere that he was caught off guard. Again. Uncertain, he replied, “Uhm, you used to do that a lot?”

“Yes, you’re right.” She nodded, while the doctor was still struggling to catch up, she sped on, “I used to do that a lot when I was in highschool.” As she was speaking, her fingers unconsciously came up to the tips of her hair.

Tristan’s eyes followed, and his thoughts turned on rollercoaster mode.

Reeya – no, Tristan reprimanded himself – a patient with a damaged mind able to recall bits of pieces from their past is not a lost cause. They can be healed, and there’s a good chance it will be permanent. He has a lot of work to do, but he’ll be up to it. He has to be.

Also, it would be useful if he knew more about her past. It would definitely include a lot of paperwork and raised eyebrows – what with the restricted files, or even censored ops involved.

To hell with everything, he thought as he mentally added it to his lift of findings. He’ll think about everything later, when he was alone in his home.

“Tristan, did you like highschool?”

Again, he scrambled for an answer, “Well, not really.” he said, “People used to talk about me behind my back and some of the girls were, uhm.”

“Uhm?”

The girls were really creepy, Tristan wanted to say. And for him, Valentines was the worst, “The girls were just weird.” he supplied lamely. He had the feeling that the statement didn’t suffice.

“They probably just wanted you to notice them every now and then,” she mused, looking at a honey blossom, “girls like that feel insecure.”

A faint smile spread across his lips and some of the awkwardness and tension left him. It’s become really easy to talk to her.

He responded with, “What made you say that?” And the answer came in an instant;

“I know how they feel,” a pause, and then, “But I didn’t chase after the guys at my school. My friends would think I’m crazy.”

The smile faded from Tristan and was replaced with an apathetic expression. He didn’t like the irony of Reeya saying the word ‘crazy.’ He just couldn’t stand it.

“Did you like someone at your school before you came here?”

An uncomfortable feeling clouded over him, but he tried to reply normally. “A few. I’m not really good at dating and I can’t figure out what a female really wants – I mean – well, that was in highschool. I think – I hope – I learned new things. Like, like these days. So, yeah. Yeah.” He grimaced at the end of the sentence, hating himself.

But Reeya giggled. She was facing him and a huge smile was on her face. The light falling on her made her look like an angel.

My angel, Tristan thought.

It was only a moment later that he realized what he was thinking, and he desperately wanted to gut himself like a fish.

“That’s a shame. Your fist date must’ve been horrible.” 

“Her name was Arianna.” he smiled, the memories amusing him, “I think I did well – it was a long time ago, but I remember buying her something. Everything was fine, but then my buddy showed up.” He gave a little laugh, recalling Anna’s face.

“What did your friend do?”

“Whenever we went, he joined. He didn’t seem to grasp that we were on a date and I didn’t have the heart to tell him point-blank.”

“And your date?”

“She was too mad to say anything.” He laughed again, the merry sound cheering him up even more.

“That was really mean.” she said, a smile etched on her face. ‘Do you still keep in contact with her?”

“God, no. That would be chaotic.” And that was way back in highschool; where the carefree and the daredevils slowly grow up. But even then, there was the inescapable truth that some things are meant to fall apart from the beginning.

Reeya nodded her head and stared out at the garden. He couldn’t keep his eyes away from her, and it bothered him deeply. Yet, at the same time, it made him feel utterly complete. He didn’t understand it and that pestered on him; he was one person used to understanding.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked again, still staring ahead.

“Anything.” He meant the word literally. It was one of the most cliché hyperbolas there is, but the young man would ran to the ends of the earth just to give her anything she’d want.

Her smile widened, then she faced him. “Can we have more ice cream?”

Tristan couldn’t stop his laugh. It seems that if frappuccino was for him, ice creams were her thing.

“Of course. Cookies and cream, but back to the room, agreed?” headed more notes to his mental clipboard. It’s getting wearisome for him to associate what he should say, and what he should put in his list of things to check on, but he kept trying. For her, he would.

“Agreed.”

That smile of hers was beginning to grow on him, of that he was completely sure.

Chapter 15: Order from chaos

Chapter 15: Order from chaos (Wattpad)

What the – 

Tristan was totally gobsmacked as he stared open-mouthed at his doorway. Millions of thoughts and possibilities were running through his head, all at once.

Who did this?!

In a trance, he walked into his office. Or what remained of it; everything seemed to be in rubble. Pieces of his legal papers were on the floor, littered practically everywhere. Even his mahogany desk was upturned, and his lampshade obviously beyond repair.

In the haze of confusion, he suddenly remembered his most valued possession in the room.

“No!” he moaned as he tiptoed towards his fish bowl. It was now in splinters and the pebbles and algae were on a wet area of the floor. With his features crumpled in concern, he carefully knelt down, tried not to slip and scooped up his two goldfishes.

He didn’t even mind the rest of the mess in the room. He promptly grabbed a plastic bag and ran to the sink. When it was filled with enough water, he put Harry and Ron inside.

“What the hell…” he wondered to himself. His eyes swept the room once again. Who would do something like this?

He licked his lips and turned his gaze back to the fishes. No one, no one, messes with Harry and Ron and gets away with it.

Relief flooded him once again as he saw both of them swimming inside the cramped space. But as he squinted and leaned closer, he saw there was something wrong with Ron’s fin.

“Son of a b – ” Tristan fumed, his hands turning to fists. His mind was a complete mess – Ron, his office, his papers, the possessions and money now wasted, ice creams – 

His topaz eyes nearly went out of their sockets.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered under his breath. Reeya was waiting for him, he just knew it.

He drew in an agitated breath to calm himself. Okay, first things first.

Fix the mess. Truth be told, Tristan didn’t want anyone to be involved in this. He had a really bad feeling about it. The less people, the better. He had to know who was on the root of this before he could tell anyone. He snapped his fingers when the perfect person popped into his mind.

He fetched his phone from his pocket and started dialling. Then it picked up.

“Hello?”

“Nika,” he hesitated, “can you do me a favor?”

Laughter met his ears and for a moment, he forgot all that’s bothering him. It’s really good to have friends. 

“What is it? And should I call you rainbow now?” she asked. Tristan groaned inwardly at the word. He’ll worry about that later.

“Listen. I have to get ice creams at the hospital cafeteria and I really can’t leave with my office…” 

“In a mess?”

He took a second to have a quick look around and responded to her on the phone, “Well, yes. Something like that.”

“Oh, okay. That’s a piece of cake. I’ll come by in a minute – ”

“No, actually you should know – ”

“It’s fine! Go get the ice creams for Reeya and don’t worry ‘bout your office. I’ll take care of it.”

He slowed down, “How did you know it’s for her?”

Again, she laughed, “It was pretty obvious. I’ll ask for your keys from maintenance.”

Biting his lip, he relentlessly thanked the nurse before hanging up and locating his white coat. The pockets where shoved out, but thankfully, he found his wallet under the cabinet, open. At least the money was still in it. His credit cards, insurance cards and everything else were all gone. Even the receipts that he kept were nowhere to be found.

Rolling his eyes, he donned his coat and went to the door, leaving Harry and Ron on top of his makeshift table with a note for Nika. Bless that girl, Tristan thought, he owed her an awful lot.

Doctor Tristan Devon was nearly flying through the ward and still, he couldn’t get to 572 fast enough. He’d left her alone more than he’d initially intended.

At last, he skidded to a stop in front of her door. Tristan was about to come in, but his hand froze in surprise when he saw Reeya. His eyes widened in wonder and incredulity.

Reeya was reading. And it’s not just that – goodness, it’s not just that – sje was also braiding her hair. Braiding her hair.

His jaw was on the ground as he twisted the doorknob and opened the door. He forgot about the whole credit cards fiasco.

She was already three-fourths through, and he noted, with a little disgruntlement, that she didn’t even have something to tie it with.

But still, she looked really pretty.

A very timid smile was on his lips as he stepped towards her. The calm façade actually hid his panic and the fact that his very molecules were stirring like crazy.

“Reeya?”

She raised her eyes to him, and then came her smile. “I had nothing else to do.”

“It’s fine! Just fine,” more than fine, he wanted to say, “are you ready to go to – ” Tristan suddenly stopped. With his eyes wide, he just realized he’s the biggest idiot ever in this facility.

He forgot the ice creams.

“I – er – ” Tristan stuttered, as Reeya fixed her gaze on him. She seemed amused and concerned at the same time, but most of all, she looked utterly normal that it was almost scary.

Doctor Devon wasn’t scared at all. He was just cursing his stupidity. In a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “I forgot your ice cream.”

After a single heartbeat, Reeya laughed a little bit, let go of her hair and said, “I’ll just wait until you come back.”

With a quick glance on the book on her lap, he nodded soundlessly, too amazed to say anything more. “I’ll only be a minute.” And for the second time this day, Tristan walked out of the room, tongue-tied.