The One To Blame (II)

08:30 P.M. 

San Miguel's Hospital. 

June 21st, the year 2018. Thursday. 

The knife exertion was so deep through the side that it can damage the organs in no time. The blood can also poison her in no time. A nurse tore off that part of the jacket and stared at the thin, red lines that were creeping up from the skin. Carmela closed her eyes, as she was always correct with her instinct.

Margo's vital signs were declining. Carmela saw that her left arm fell at the corner of the bed, hanging from the air. The monitor beeped louder, her heartbeat became slower than usual. She squinted her eyes as something caught her eye on the wrist. 

Carmela grabbed a hold of her arms, rolled up the sleeves of the jacket. She found a deep, inscribed figure on her nerves. The blood oozed out, and Carmela shook her head, gasping, bewildered about the letter. The nurse quickly saw the cut and furrowed his eyebrows. 

It's the letter 'X' alphabet.

Carmela released the arm as the nurse took an observance with it. 

"It pierced through the nerves," he whispered, and closed his eyes. He shifted his eyes to the other nurse. They observed the wound much further.

"We need to talk about this to the doctor," the other concluded. Carmela scrutinized Margo's breathing. It was slowing down now, and it felt like she was holding on for a minute before her last breath. 

The ambulance car halted in front of the emergency door of the San Miguel's Hospital. They hurriedly came out. The nurses from the emergency room ran in a haste towards the ambulance. They helped them hoist the stretcher that was holding Margo Monteverde. 

Carmela was the last one to climb out of the ambulance. Tears trickled down as she saw the nurses shouting questions. When she decided to follow them, someone took her arm and faced her. 

It was Marcus. Carmela glanced at him and unclasped her arm immediately from the grasp.

"Marcus, I need to go. Margo is dying," Carmela mumbled and Marcus opened his mouth. But before he could say anything, Carmela ran over to the glass door and pushed it. 

The medical staff rolled wheels of the stretcher that was holding Margo in a corner. She sprinted towards there until a staff halted her from going inside the room. 

She gave up as she saw they were working on Margo. The staff closed the door while she was looking through the glass window. She panted, seeing that they were reviving Margo with a defibrillator. Another doctor did some turns on, compressing the section of her heart to bring back the beating on it. 

The nurses were working with the wound, and they anxiously asked the doctors how to do it. Carmela turned her back around the emergency room and howled. She sat down on the benches and held her head in between her hands. It leaned over her knees. 

She sobbed uncontrollably as she heard footsteps from the hallways. Marcus stopped in front of Carmela as she looked up and still cried the pain from her heart. 

"What... what did Margo do that made her deserve like this, Marcus?" Carmela asked while her shoulders were shaking. Her lip quivered as Marcus exhaled and licked his lips. He opened his mouth and said something.

"Carmela, I called our friends. So we can talk about this issue with...," Marcus cut off. Carmela knew he couldn't say the name of Katrina because she was the one reason Margo was there. They all knew what she whispered to Margo that night in the Queen's Bar. It felt like she could kill anybody that time when her eyes were blazing like a fire in rage, with no water that could ease it. 

Carmela chuckled as she uttered, "Don't tell me you also tell Katrina about her dying." 

Carmela averted her eyes from the floor and looked straight at Marcus, who nodded at the same time. Carmela cackled and wiped the tears hastily from her face. 

"You really know how to make me angry, Marcus," Carmela reprimanded, glaring at him.

"We've known each other for 9 years. I know what you were thinking about right now, Carmela," Marcus weighed in his words. Anytime now, Carmela would erupt like a volcano. 

"Guess what I am thinking about right now, Marcus. And I will not despise you," Carmela muttered back. Marcus sat down one seat away from him and cleared his throat. Carmela stared at him, emotionless, while clenching his jaw.

Marcus shifted his eyes towards her and said, "I know you are blaming Katrina now, so hide nothing from me. I can also read your mind and thoughts by looking at your expressions." 

Carmela chortled. Her rude laugh vanished when she saw several people turning around the corner. They searched for the two of them. Marcus also tilted his head from Carmela and looked over where Carmela had her eyes on. 

Mina ran over loudly towards them and stared at the emergency doors closed. Zoey, who was also wearing sweaters, followed him. She sat down beside Marcus and asked what was going on inside. 

Matthew emerged from their sight. He darted his eyes to the room while staring at Marcus and Carmela. Abbey tucked her hands on her jacket as she sat down beside Carmela. 

Carmela looked down as she saw Katrina's baffled face and observed what was going on.

"What happened to Margo, Carmela?" Abbey asked worriedly. 

Carmela shook her head, closing her eyes as the tears were on the verge of falling down her cheeks. She hoisted her right arm and covered the upper part of her mouth. She can't control the pain surging from her heart and into the surface. Everyone looked at her with puzzlement as Abbey patted her back and Mina sat down beside her and Marcus. 

They all looked at one another as Katrina asked. 

"What happened?" Katrina's voice expelled through the solitude of the hallways. It made Carmela glared in her direction. Carmela's eyes took aback Katrina and opened her mouth as if confused by her attitude. Mina grimaced, but Carmela was the one who wouldn't back out without a fight. 

She fumed from her seat and faced Katrina. All of them except the two scratched their heads. They both stare into each other's eyes. Katrina looked at their friends and back at Carmela. 

Carmela inhaled a lot of patience first before confronting, "Why are you here?"

  Katrina opened her mouth, thought about the call from Marcus, and voiced, "Marcus called me. And I'm worried about you and Margo, so I came over here." 

"Oh really? You're worried about Margo?" Carmela asked back sarcastically, chuckling. Matthew's puzzled by Carmela's actions. He didn't seem to know what's happening. They both look at what will happen as Katrina nodded. 

"Yes, I'm here for you, Carmela. I am your best friend, right?" Katrina responded. Carmela shook her head as soon as Katrina said that. 

"You are not here for me. You are here to check whether Margo died, right? So you can be the star of the year without her being your competition," Carmela retorted back. It made Katrina frozen at her place. She didn't even know what Carmela was talking about. 

"What are you talking about, Carmela?" Katrina inquired. 

Carmela guffawed, retrieving a piece of paper out on the backside of her jeans. She unfolded the piece while her hands were shaking and threw it at the foot of Katrina. The bloody letters were still visible. 

Katrina stared at the piece of paper and read those crimson letters on it. Carmela whimpered as Katrina gasped and put her hand over her mouth. 

    'Margo Monteverde's death day will come before the dawn of Friday, I swear.' 

The entire group of friends, except Marcus, gasped at what they saw. Katrina fell down on the floor as Carmela composed herself before saying anything. 

"It is Thursday today, Katrina. And Margo will be dead before the dawn of Friday," Carmela mumbled as Katrina looked up from the paper to her. The emergency doors opened in a blast. All of them turned their heads to the doctors. 

She ran over to the doctors, who were drooping their head down as if signaling that Margo was dead.