"I said I'm sorry! Please talk to me." Patrick begged, but Lesley pretended not to hear him. He was getting on her nerves with his non-stop apologies. After his prank, she started ignoring him as if he was invisible then he kept bugging her to forgive him. Thankfully their mother was not home yet. He almost kissed her.
It had always been like this. She was not that naive nor dense to not notice his romantic feelings towards her. But they can not go down that path. Even though they are not blood-related, she is still an adopted child by his mother. They still grew up together. So she can only see him as her brother.
Patrick followed her everywhere she went. He even went inside her room and laid beside her on her bed. He would not leave her alone until she forgave him. He was the type of person who would not stop until he got what he wanted.
"Have you really gone crazy? Get out of my room!" she shouted. Lesley sat on her bed and glared at Patrick, lying comfortably beside her like he owned the room. "Can you please leave me alone? I want to rest. I'm tired."
He pouted and acted pitifully. "Won't you forgive me?"
"Forgive you? You do this to me almost every day!" she angrily said, hitting his shoulder. "Get off my bed! Mom will come home soon. If she sees you here, she'll say I'm flirting with her son again."
Instead of getting off on her bed, Patrick grinned naughtily at her. "Then I'll say I'm the one flirting with you," he nonchalantly said, making her blood boil even more.
"Go away! Get out of my bed!" A series of blows from her hands hit his shoulders and arms. She also tried to push him down the bed, but he did not budge.
"Ouch! Hey, it hurts! That's enough!" His hands caught her wrists. "That's too violent. It doesn't suit you."
"I won't stop until you leave! Let go of my hands, Patrick!"
She thought he would not release her because of how tight his grip was, but he did. Patrick smiled and released her hands, then he chuckled.
Her eyes squinted at him. "What are you smiling about? Is something funny?"
He kept grinning for a few seconds then his tongue wet his lips. His eyes gave him a sultry gaze. "You called me Patrick. I liked it. You're finally learning. Please do it again. This time, say it with more feelings. Hmm?"
Her lips parted, and she shook her head in disbelief. "Please, stop! You're my brother! How can you talk to me like that?"
"I don't think of you as my sister, though."
"Patrick!"
"See? You just called me Patrick again. I feel like we're getting closer."
She covered her mouth. She called him by his name again. For sure, he will become more obnoxious and persistent because of it.
"That's because you're too pushy! You kept insisting, so I unconsciously said it. And so what if I did?" She glared at him then she folded her arms. "And don't be too happy about it. That doesn't mean anything at all. I don't know why you kept bugging me about it. It's just a name. It's not a big deal."
"But it is for me. Actually, you know what, except brother, you can call me by any name. You know why, right?" he said while smiling at her.
She looked away. She was disgusted by his grin. Of course, she knew why. How could she not when it was so obvious?
She felt very annoyed. She should make the word Patrick one of her taboos, so she would stop saying it. It only gave false hope to Patrick.
She felt her bed sink a bit as her brother sat down, so she looked at him again. "When are you going to leave m—"
She held her breath as he drew their faces closer to each other. She could smell his minty breath.
"What if I don't want to leave?" he seductively whispered.
Good Heavens! This guy is soo! Ugh! I give up!
Using her palms, she covered his face and gently pushed it away. She took a deep breath. She no longer had the strength to argue.
"Stop it, brother. Just get out. I want to rest, so please leave me alone. I just came back from a very stressful job orientation at MNA, so please, please, give me a break."
She is exhausted. Physically, mentally and emotionally.
Patrick slowly removed her hand from his face and then sighed. "Yes, I'm leaving. After all, you've already called me Patrick a few times. I'm quite satisfied now. I hope next time you'll call me baby."
"You wish!"
He winked at her and then finally stood up, leaving her bed. She watched him with a disgusted look.
Yeah, you're right. I should've called you baby. Big baby! Because you're a mama's boy!
"Ugh! But your punches were too strong. You've got heavy fists there!" He complained as he rubbed the arms and shoulders that she had hit earlier.
"It's your fault." She looked in a different direction to hide her face. She bit her lips before speaking again. "Just because I'm not part of your family, you kept doing these annoying things to me. You know. I'm trying my best to be a good daughter and sister, but you and mom just can't acknowledge me—especially you. You've completely stopped respecting me recently. It's making me angry. You weren't like this before."
She decided to look in Patrick's direction again when the room became silent for a moment. She was surprised by how his face grimaced at what she said.
"Why do you look like that? What I said is true, is it not?"
His lips parted, and his eyes blinked in disbelief. He shook his head slowly.
"Les, you know that's not true. How could you thin—"
"I'm back!"
They were startled when they heard the living room door open.
"Pat! Is Lesley home yet?" Amanda shouted, who had just come home. They heard a couple of steps trailing from the living room to the kitchen. "Pat? Are you there?"
She could not explain the fear that suddenly enveloped her. Her heart raced like a horse on tracks. She remembered the intense beating she received from their mother when Amanda saw Patrick kiss her on her cheek a few years ago. She could never forget how hard she hit her that day. She thought she was going to die.
Her eyes widened at Patrick. She panicked and pushed him to the door. "Mom called you! Get out! Quick! She can't see you here!"
She was about to drag him out of the room when he stopped her.
"What now?! Mom is already in the kitchen, brother! Go!" she insisted. When she looked at him, she saw sadness in his eyes as he stared at her face.
"Why do you think like that?" he said in a very depressing tone. "Is that how you really feel towards me?"
"H-ha?!"
"Why did you say that I thought of you as someone else? Who told you I thought of you as an outsider of this family? Weren't we best friends when we were kids?"
She closed her eyes tightly. Her head suddenly ached because of the situation they were having now. This is not the time to talk about this.
"Let's talk about this later, please? Come out first," she pleaded, but there was no change in the expression on his face, and he was unshakable in his stance.
"I don't want to. Take back what you said first!"
Confused, she stared at him speechless. She could not understand what he was asking her to do. Why is he reacting like this?
Everything she said was the truth. Just like what her mother said to her years ago, she was not a family. She never will. She is just a pathetic kid who was left behind by her parents, who promised to come back for her but never did. Yes, nobody wanted her.
She let out a heavy sigh. She placed her hands on Patrick's shoulder and looked straight into his eyes. "Okay, fine. I'm taking back everything I said, and I'm not mad at you anymore. I forgive you. Will you come out now?" She knew he would not go away with a simple beg. So she said what he wanted to hear. His face cleared. "Really? Do you mean it? Did that come from your heart? "You bet! I swear! Now, please leave. Mom's calling you." She became breathless when he suddenly hugged her tightly. She was so shocked she could not respond to what he was doing. "Don't think like that ever again. Okay? You're making me sad. I just want to get your attention. That's why I tease you every day. After you turned fourteen, you became distant from me. I don't like it," he softly said while she was still in his arms. She expected her hands to push him, but her bones seemed to have softened. Instead of scolding him, the first thing that came to her mind was how light it felt. Nobody in her
She took the deepest breath she could before opening the notorious red door to the room of the infamous patient, V-03. Her chest was drumming loudly in nervousness as the door opened. She suddenly recalled everything Mrs. Dapit told her earlier when she went to her office to make her employment at the hospital official. Mrs. Dapit said all the scary things possible that might happen to her in this place. The grumpy woman obviously was not excited to see her come back. She had to hear all those horrible things that happened to the previous caretakers. Mrs. Dapit had no doubt she would end up like them. Dead or missing a body part. Wow. What a way to cheer her up and boost her morale on her first day? But it was not just the strictness of her supervisor and the violent nature of the patient V-03 that worried her. Mrs. Dapit a
More than an hour had passed, but no one had raised their white flag yet. Her eyelids had gotten heavier. Half of her face, which had been resting on the table, was already red and a bit swollen. She slightly lifted her head to check on V-03. She frowned when she saw him. My Goodness! He's still looking at me, unmoved, like a dummy. Doesn't he get tired? Unbelievable! He looks like he has no intention of eating his food unless she feeds him. She looks at her wristwatch. She is running out of time. It seems like she lost this battle. She now has no choice but to do as he says, or she will not be able to go home. She raised her head and sat upright. She took a few deep breaths before standing up and slowly walking towards V-03. She left a distance of three steps between them. Then she looked at him lazily. "All right, you won. I'm going to feed you. I'll do what you want, V-03, but I'm begging you, please, don't hurt me." She took one step closer. "I'll be nice to you, promise.
Kali just received a call from the front desk that a janitress asked to see her in her office. She sneered when she heard who it was. "I am busy right now, but let her in. I'm sure she wants to see me to hand in her resignation. I can make time for that." "Okay, Ma'am. I will tell her to come in." "Thank you." She put down the phone and put away the laptop on her desk. Then she heard three faint knocks on the door. "Come in." Slowly the door opened, and Lesley's head peeked. "Good evening," the young lady greeted before entering her office. Kali smiled widely. She could no longer wait to sign Lesley's resignation papers. "So, how may I help you, Miss Madrigal?" "Y-yes." Lesley swallowed before continuing. "Uhm, I just wanted to say tha—" "Wait!" she interrupted while she raised her right hand. "Let me guess. You want to leave, right?" She did not wait for Lesley to answer and assumed that the girl was giving up her job. She stood up and took a couple of documents from th
She has a broad smile as she walks and greets everyone she passes by. She is now officially an employee in MNA. She can not wait to be friends with people in this hospital. And even more, she can not wait to go to V-03 right now. While riding the elevator down to Basement 1, she caught up with two female nurses who stood in front of her. The nurse on the right pressed the B1 button, the same floor she was going to. "Excuse me," she said, gaining their attention. "Can I ask a question?" The two turned around to face her and smiled. They looked friendly enough. Since they seemed to be working on the same floor as her, where the special patients are held, they might be able to answer some of her questions. "Sure, what is it?" the woman at the right kindly replies. "Uhm, where do I go if I need to ask about B1 patients? I just want to know the name of the one assigned to me and how old he is." She smiled shyly. "I'm sorry, I'm just new here, so I don't know." "Oh, girl. That is top s
A few weeks passed. Lesley and Bangs became even closer to each other. The more Lesley spends time with him, the less she feels lonely. She felt like she had a new family. One that she had been longing for. She loves the feeling that Bangs is giving her. The feeling of being wanted and needed. These are the emotions she never experienced with Amanda, no matter how much she yearned. From childhood until now, she has never tasted a mother's or family's love. But for Bangs, she is like his light in his dark, cold and sad world in MNA, as if she is the most important thing in his life. "Bangs, I'm going home. Behave yourself while I am gone, okay?" He did not answer, but there was a trace of frustration on his face. "Don't be sad. I will come back tomorrow." She laughed softly at his long face. It has already been a while, but he is still not used to seeing her go home. She smiled while she waved her hand. "Goodbye! Be good." His black eyes followed her to the door until she w
"What kind of patients are there here?" she weakly murmured to herself as she recalled what happened earlier. This hospital seems to have more secrets than she thought. She could not forget what the man had said. It sounds impossible, but after her disturbing and frightening experience earlier, it might all be true. She shut her eyes tightly and bowed dejectedly. She is so tired. I want to go home... She heard the sound of the elevator opening. She heavily sighed before she stepped outside. She was on her way to her locker when she saw an old man crying in a corner. She wants to ignore it because she is dying to go home now, but she can not endure his loud sobs. She has a soft spot for elderlies and children. "Excuse me," she called while slowly approaching him. The old man did not seem to hear her. He was wearing a blue polo and black pants. Both his hands are covering his face while facing the wall. "Sir, do you need help?" she asked, trying to sound as friendly as possib
"Les... Les... Lesley! Get up, or I will kiss you!" Lesley sighed in irritation. Patrick had been tapping her on the shoulder non-stop. He returned to her room a few times to remind her that they would be late for school, but she kept ignoring him. She had no desire to go or get up. She only wanted to sleep all day. She lazily opened her eyes and then looked around the room. She blinked to clear her blurry sight and looked at Patrick, who was scowling. "What are you still doing here?" she asked, lacking in tone. "Why are you not getting up yet? We will be late!" She forced herself to sit up and brushed her palms over her face. "Didn't I tell you that you can leave without me?" Patrick folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, staring intently at her face. "I thought you wanted to maintain your position as a dean's lister? We have tests today. Are you going to miss it? Why?" he asked suspiciously. With that question, the events of the night in Ward 511 played again in her mind.