Sheena's POV
The sterile scent of disinfectant stung my nostrils, a harsh counterpoint to the storm raging inside me. Gwen lay on the bed, a fragile silhouette against the stark white sheets. The rhythmic beep of the heart monitor had become the cruel metronome of my deteriorating hope. Each slow, sluggish beat scraped against my raw nerves. I was holding her hands while her family was beside me, like a crying mess now.
Colet repeatedly punched the walls as she's shouting for my fiance's name. Mikha's just looking at us, para siyang nakatulala at hindi makagalaw. While Aiah, Jhoanna, and Stacey were crying too. Paulit-ulit nilang sinasabi ang mga katagang, "Gwen, matulog ka na ha? Mahal na mahal ka namin." "Gwen, okay lang. Maiintindihan namin. Pipilitin naming intindihin."
Tears streamed down my face, blurring the harsh fluorescent lights into an ethereal glow. My hand, slick with sweat, gripped Gwen's, searching for a flicker of warmth, a spark of life. But her hand remained cool and unresponsive in mine.
"Please," I rasped, my voice thick with despair. "Don't leave me. We fought so hard for this..." I cried. Gusto kong tawagin lahat ng santo sa mga sandaling ito para bigyan ako ng pagkakataon na muli pa siyang makasama.
Alam kong hindi ako mabuting tao at alam kong marami akong pagkakamali pero hindi naman siguro tama na kunin ang nag-iisang pinagkukunan ko ng lakas. Mahal ko siya, mahal na mahal. Kung may kunin man, mas gugustuhin kong ako nalang.
The incessant beeping quickened, a frantic drumbeat against the crushing silence of the room. My breath hitched in my throat, a strangled sob escaping my lips. No. No, not now. We were so close. We had clawed our way back from the abyss, only to be teetering on the edge once more.
The monitor's shrill shriek pierced the sterile air. A flat line. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage. My vision swam, the room tilting at a sickening angle. This couldn't be it. This wasn't how our story was supposed to end.
Just as despair threatened to consume me whole, a faint sound, a mere echo against the deafening silence, snagged my attention. A flicker, a blip â a hesitant beat on the flat line. My head snapped towards the monitor, disbelief warring with a flicker of hope in my chest.
Then, another beat, stronger this time, followed by a steady rhythm. The harsh shriek of the alarm morphed into a beautiful, life-affirming melody. Tears streamed down my face anew, this time hot and stinging, tears of relief, of overwhelming joy.
Gwen's chest rose and fell with a shallow breath. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing a sliver of emerald green that swam into focus. A weak smile graced her lips, the most beautiful sight I had ever witnessed.
He made me my Gwenny back. She's alive!
I looked up with teary eyes, kahit ang mga kaibigan namin ay napa-atras dahil sa nangyari. Pero agad nila kaming dinaluhan.
"Sheena?" she rasped, her voice barely a whisper.
I squeezed her hand, the emotion rendering me speechless. But through the tears, a choked laugh escaped my lips. "You scared the living daylights out of me, you know that?"
A flicker of amusement lit up her eyes. "Seems like I have a knack for theatrics," she croaked, her voice gaining strength with each passing second.
Relief washed over me, warm and all-encompassing. We had cheated death, defied the odds. In that sterile room, filled with the beeping symphony of the heart monitor, our love story had been rewritten, not with a tragic end, but with a promise of a future, a future we would fight for, together.
"Gwen? Multo ka na ba? Please tell me you're real." Maloi said, kahit na pautal-utal ay alam ko ang gustong sabihin ng kaibigan ko.
My fiance smiled weakly. "Maloi ... I am real. I am still alive." she answered.
"Paanong ..." Jhoanna said but couldn't finish her words.
"I was in the middle of life and death. There's this man with a gold clothing and His face is as bright as the sun pero hindi ako nasisilaw. Tinanong niya ako kung gusto ko pang manatili pero hindi ko maintindihan." Gwen said, kasabay noon ang pagpatak ng luha sa mga mata niya habang tinignan ako ng matiim. "Ang tanging nasa isip ko lang nang mga sandaling iyon, paano na si Sheena? Paano na kapag iniwan ko ang mga kaibigan ko? Sino na nag mag-aalaga sa mga magulang ko pagtanda nila?" she smiled.
"Bebe ... mahal na mahal kita." that's the words I could only utter. I am looking at her, from a weak and seemingly lifeless Gwen into a stronger one na parang hindi dumaan sa sakit at maraming test.
"I know, love. Mahal na mahal din kita. Hindi ba sabi ko sa'yo, hindi kita iiwan? Andito ako, sabay nating tutuparin ang mga pangarap natin. Sorry kung pinag-alala kita ha?" she whispered habang hinahaplos at hinahawi ang mga buhok kong tumatakip sa aking mukha.
Colet smiled proudly as she approached us. "Tangina, iba talaga ang nagagawa ng pagmamahal. I am so proud of you two."
---
A smile, wider than the brightest Baguio sunrise, stretched across my face as I watched Gwen walk down the aisle. It wasn't a traditional white gown â that wasn't Gwen's style. Instead, she wore a cascade of flowing, emerald green fabric that shimmered like sunlight dappling through leaves. Her hair, usually a fiery mess of curls, was tamed into a loose braid adorned with white lilies, the same flowers that dotted the aisle. But it was her eyes that truly stole the show. They shone with a vibrancy I hadn't seen in years, a testament to the hard-won battle she'd waged against her illness.
A year ago, that aisle walk seemed like a distant dream, a cruel mirage shimmering in the desert of our reality. Gwen had been diagnosed with a debilitating illness, one that threatened to steal her from me, from the life we'd envisioned together. The world had shrunk to the sterile walls of the hospital room, the rhythmic beeping of machines the soundtrack of our days. But Gwen, ever the fighter, had clung to hope with a fierceness that mirrored the love burning in her eyes.
We fought. We cried. We laughed through the tears, stealing moments of normalcy in the face of the storm. The support we received was overwhelming â friends, family, even strangers touched by our story, rallied behind us. But it was Gwen's unwavering spirit that truly amazed me. Even on her weakest days, a spark of defiance flickered in her gaze, a silent promise that she wouldn't give up.
And she didn't. The grueling treatment, the relentless cycle of hope and despair â she weathered it all. Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, the tide began to turn. The color returned to her cheeks, the spring back to her step. The doctors, once guarded in their prognosis, started to speak with a newfound optimism. It was a long, arduous journey, but Gwen emerged from the darkness, forever changed but undeniably stronger.
As I saw her now, standing at the altar, the embodiment of resilience and love, my throat tightened with emotion. The officiant's words faded into the background, a mere formality compared to the vows that burned in my heart. When it was my turn to speak, I took a deep breath, willing myself to keep my voice steady.
"Gwen," I began, my voice thick with emotion, "a year ago, I never thought I'd see you standing here, looking like the most radiant goddess this side of heaven. You fought a battle no one deserves to fight, and you emerged victorious. Your strength, your courage â they inspire me every single day."
A tear escaped the corner of Gwen's eye, but a radiant smile bloomed on her face. "We fought it together, Sheena," she said, her voice soft but resolute. "You were my rock, my anchor through the storm."
My gaze swept over the gathered faces â our families, beaming with pride; our friends, their eyes shining with happy tears. In that moment, I felt a profound sense of gratitude, not just for Gwen's recovery, but for the love that surrounded us, a love that had seen us through the darkest of times.
We exchanged our vows, promises whispered from the heart, a testament to the enduring power of our love. As I slipped the emerald ring onto Gwen's finger, a perfect counterpoint to the sapphire one adorning mine, a cheer erupted from the crowd. We sealed the vows with a kiss, a kiss that spoke of a love reborn, stronger and more precious for having weathered the storm.
The ceremony ended in a flurry of congratulations and well wishes. As we mingled with our guests, accepting their heartfelt wishes, Gwen squeezed my hand. "Thank you, Sheena," she murmured, her eyes sparkling. "For everything."
I leaned in, brushing my lips against her ear. "Always," I whispered. "We did it, Gwen. We beat the odds."
The rest of the day was a whirlwind of laughter, dancing, and stolen kisses under the cloak of the Baguio twilight. Surrounded by our loved ones, we celebrated not just our marriage, but the triumph of life, love, and the indomitable human spirit. As we slow-danced under a canopy of fairy lights, Gwen nestled her head against my chest.
"Remember that time you told me the stars over Baguio were our own private fireworks display?" she murmured, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
I chuckled, the memory warm and familiar. "How could I forget? You said they were a reminder that even in the darkest nights, there's always light to be found."
She tilted her head up, her eyes searching mine. "We were pretty lost in the dark for a while, weren't we?"
"We were," I agreed, tightening my hold on her. "But we found our way back to the light."
"I love you." she said.
"I love you so much." I replied. "Do you love me more than every sunsets?" I asked jokingly.
But Gwen being Gwen, she took it seriously. Tinitigan niya ako mata sa mata. "I love you and I will always love you more than every sunsets." she replied.
I kissed her forehead habang nakangiti sa kawalan.
Sobrang mapagbiro ng buhay 'no? Minsan hindi mo alam kung ano ang mangyayari. Katulad ng kwento namin ni Gwen at kwento ng barkada.
Who would've thought that this torpe Colet would have the courage to tell Jhoanna the Things She'll Never Know?
Who would've thought that once upon a time, on that one Midnight in December, Aiah and Mikha would fall for each other?
Who would've thought that in between principles, taboos, and social standards, Maloi still counts for Stacey's 90210 genuine smiles?
and finally, who would've thought that Chasing Sunsets would be big deal to me if it's Gwen who's I am with?
This is our story, this is our Series of life. Where we fought so hard with the things that we're achieving now.
"Gago tulala ba 'yan?" Mikha whispered.
"Kinasal lang, sabog na." Colet commented.
"Hayaan niyo na, iniisip niya lang kasi na matatali na siya." Maloi butted in.
I turned around and saw my friends smiling at me. Beside them is the love of my life. I couldn't asked for more. This is the life I've always dreamed of.
I smiled contentedly.
See you in the next sunset.