"MISS, ANO'NG ROOM number po si Mr. Steele?" tanong ko sa babaeng nurse sa nurse station. Dito sa ICU ako itinuro ng receptionist sa lobby nang itanong ko ang daddy ni Zeke.
"Immediate family member po ba kayo, ma'am?" balik-tanong sa akin ng nurse.
I stammered. I was torn between telling her yes and no. Alam kong hindi niya ako papayagang makita ang pasyente kapag sinabi kong hindi, but I really need to see him.
"Vee?"
Mabilis akong umikot nang may tumawag sa pangalan ko, and fortunately, it was Sage.
He was holding a grocery bag with a frown on his brows. "Are you looking for dad?"
Tumango ako. "I heard what happened."
Huminga siya at tumango din, though I didn't miss the exhaustion and wariness coming out of that sigh.
"Mag-isa ka lang ba?" tanong niya habang lumilinga-linga na
