Healing

"You never left my thoughts."

She never let go of the old man's hand. She pulled his wrinkled hand and put it on top of her heart. I faced her but I couldn't lay my eyes on her. I just couldn't. I felt the beating intensified and her shoulders began shaking. Teardrops started falling onto the old man's hand. Each drop felt heavier and heavier that it got through the old man and into me. She started mumbling words she couldn't finish saying. Should I?

Should I hug her? Should I even say anything? If so, what should I say? I couldn't believe what my eyes saw when I finally decided to take a look.

Remorse. Pain. Sorrow.

Her eyes vividly shouted everything she tried so hard to say with words.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

~ 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙲𝙷 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈 𝙾𝙽𝙴

Her hands wrapped around his neck but her eyes were somewhere outside that part of reality, somewhere outside that shop. Staring straight at the boy who was wiping his tears as he took his steps away from the place that crumpled his already broken heart.

A tear left her eyes and the guy she was hugging asked.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just happy to be here with you."

Days.

Months.

Years.

But the last picture of the boy wiping his tears outside the shop stayed in the back of her mind. No matter how hard she tried to wipe that memory off. It stayed.

One day she realized the injustice she was serving to the guy she chose

and to herself.

She left him and punished herself.

She left herself as well. She abandoned the avatar that caused permanent scars to the ones she loves. She drowned herself in her career and in the guilt from the past and lived thinking she deserve all the worst thing that could happen to her. She punished herself over and over.

and over again.

'til one rainy afternoon of March 4, 2031.

She was in her car.

Staring blankly sipping her hot black coffee.

Her phone rang.

"Dr. De Leon, we need you at ER6. Dr. Chan couldn't make it. He's out of town. We have a VIP patient."

"Sure. Going now." She put down her phone and went immediately.

She tossed the car key to the guard on duty like what she always does whenever an emergency occurs. The guard parks her car to help her save time. Straight to the disinfection chamber she went. Grabbed her favorite blue coat, wore her mask and gloves, and off she went.

"Chart?"

The nurse handed her the status chart and she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Name of patient: Joe Madrid"

She paused for a second. Her heart skipped a beat. Her hand was shaking for some reasons she can't explain.

She took a couple of deep breaths and went inside ER6.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

~ 𝙽𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚁𝚃𝚈 𝙾𝙽𝙴

~ 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚜

The old man pulled her head gently and laid it against his chest. And like a little girl reunited with her father, she wrapped him in her arms like she'd never let go again. He let his cane go. Along with his doubts, his worries, and his scars and hugged her back.

Time has its way of healing pain

And forgiveness heals its scars completely.

[𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍...]