10th Kiss

"Ouch! Ouch!" Chito complained as I treated his wounds. I was applying medicine to his bruise, and I couldn't help but press down a bit harder than necessary. "Give it to me! Let me treat myself!"

He was trying to wrestle the cotton balls from me, but I shot him an annoyed look. When he saw that I was upset, he gave up on his attempt.

"Who told you to lie? Who said you should annoy him?" I questioned him while applying pressure on his injury.

"Why are you angry at me?" he asked.

"Because I'm irritated with you!"

"It was him who started it!"

"Why? If it wasn't him who started it, then you're probably the one who threw the first punch!" I argued. "Ugh!!! Just treat yourself!"

I handed him the medicine and a cotton ball.

"Wow, Arianne! It's the first time I've seen Joseph lose his patience," Jiro commented cheerfully, as if finding the situation entertaining. He glanced at Chito. "Dude, I'm impressed! You're my idol now! You're the only one who managed to tick him off."

They both laughed and high-five each other. Those two pranksters found the whole thing amusing.

"Tsk! Knock it off!" I said irritably.

"Sweetie, what exactly is Joseph doing here?" my papa asked.

"He just gave me a ride here," I explained. "I stayed over at their place."

"What?! You slept at their house, Arianne?" my papa exclaimed. I noticed both Chito and Jiro looking equally surprised by my statement.

"Uh, yeah," I mumbled.

"Ugh!" Chito muttered, glaring at me. I shot him a glare in return.

"Tell me, Arianne, why did Joseph actually bring you here?" Jiro inquired, nudging my shoulder playfully. He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously. It made me blush. I looked away, but it was the wrong move, as I caught Chito and Jiro exchanging knowing looks, waiting for my response.

"What?! Seriously, guys, nothing happened!" I insisted. My face turned even redder. I glanced at Papa and Chito, who were both waiting for my answer.

"Come on, Arianne, be honest. Did anything happen between you and Joseph?" Jiro pressed on. He nudged my shoulders, making me feel flustered. I looked in a different direction, but that was a bad idea too, as I saw both Papa and Chito giving me intense gazes, waiting for my answer.

"Hey, cut it out, will you? Of course not!" I protested. Chito seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, while Jiro chuckled. Papa, however, seemed rather annoyed.

"What on earth? Joseph's such a wimp!" Papa exclaimed.

"Papa!"

"Yeah, right. If I were him, I'd have knocked you up by now," Jiro teased, laughing. It looked like Papa didn't appreciate what Jiro just said, as he glared at him and jokingly tapped him on the head. "Why are you so mad, Papa?"

Papa gestured with his hand, as if saying, "Come here, Jiro." Jiro approached Papa, and Papa playfully tapped him on the head again.

"Ouch! Papa, come on!" Jiro complained, rubbing his head.

"Be quiet, Jiro. You're not my son," Papa said. "What was it you said about Arianne?"

"N-nothing, Papa. It was just a joke!" Jiro explained.

"Even so! Arianne is for-"

"Chito!" Chito interrupted Papa. Papa looked at Chito.

"Alright, I'm going back to the kitchen. You too, Jiro," Papa said, heading back to the kitchen.

After a while, we continued helping out at the restaurant. Chito also pitched in. I don't know what happened earlier. He said he didn't have a shift today.

I stepped out of the restaurant to call some customers, but I spotted Kristine there, Jiro's wife.

"Kristine! Why aren't you inside? Jiro's in there," I said. She didn't respond. Her expression changed, and it seemed like she was in immense pain. My gaze shifted down to her feet.

"K-Kristine, there's blood!!!" I exclaimed.

"Arianne, help me. It hurts so much. I can't bear it anymore!" Kristine pleaded with me. Panic surged through me. I didn't know whether to guide Kristine inside the restaurant or call for Jiro. She gripped my arm tightly, tears streaming down her face.

"Arianne, why are you--Kristine, your water broke! You're going into labor!" Chito said.

"Really?" I uttered. Oh no! I thought something bad had happened to Kristine.

"Arianne! Help me get her into the car. Let's go!" Chito instructed me.

"Huh? Okay! Okay!" I replied, assisting Kristine as she got into Chito's car.

"Hurry, Arianne! Use your strength. The baby could come any minute now!" Chito said urgently.

"Aren't you two done talking there?! Can I give birth already?" Kristine finally said, now seated in Chito's car. Frankly, until now, I still couldn't understand what Kristine saw in Jiro.

"NO!" Chito and I said in unison.

"Arianne, call Jiro! Quick!" Chito ordered me. "Kristine, you can't push yet. It's too soon. Something might go wrong with the baby. We're not at the hospital yet!"

Baby! Baby! I panicked even more upon hearing the word "baby." Oh no! What if something happens to the baby? I hurried back inside the restaurant.

"Jiro!" I yelled inside. Diners turned their heads to look at me.

"What is it?" Jiro replied.

"It's Kristine!!" I exclaimed, trying to convey what was happening to his wife, but I couldn't quite say it.

"Dear, take a breath. Breathe," Papa said, helping me inhale and exhale.

"K-Kristine!! S-She's going into labor!!" I stuttered. Jiro and Papa both looked frantic upon hearing what I said.

"What?! Why are you still here? I'll leave you two behind! The baby's about to come out!" Chito shouted from outside. We hurriedly rushed out. Chito handed the car keys to Papa. Papa caught them and quickly took the driver's seat. I sat in the front while Jiro, Chito, and Kristine were in

the backseat.

The car immediately started moving.

"I-I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! THE BABY'S COMING!" Kristine cried out, tears streaming down her face. I felt close to tears too. Jiro looked pale. He had no idea what to do.

"You know your due date, right? You should've gone to the hospital when you started feeling stomach pains," Chito scolded her. "Remove your panties. I'll check how many centimeters you are."

Jiro protested immediately.

"Hey, what are you doing?! Arianne should do it," Jiro said.

"Arianne, look. The baby's head might be coming out. It's more critical," Chito advised. I gulped and trembled. "Don't hesitate."

Jiro helped Kristine lower her undergarments. I quickly glanced... and gasped.

"Yes! Yes! Chito, the head's already out!"

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Chito muttered, his curses heavy with uncertainty.

"Papa, hurry!" I told Papa.

"All right. I'm driving as fast as I can," Papa said.

"Kristine..." Jiro's voice trembled as tears welled up in his eyes. He looked extremely pale.

"We need to help her deliver, Arianne. We've learned this before, right? I believe you can do it," Chito encouraged me. I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the situation. I wanted to cry. I was nervous because I hadn't been assigned to the delivery room even once since becoming a

licensed nurse, so I was anxious.

"But Chito, what if--"

"I-I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Kristine screamed again.

"Arianne, do it! If you don't, she might lose her strength," Chito urged. We were stuck in traffic on our way to the hospital. It seemed that Kristine might not make it to the hospital before giving birth. "It's for the baby."

Baby

Baby

I took a deep breath. For the baby. I wouldn't let anything happen to the baby. So, I did everything I'd been taught. I thought about what we were trained to do. It all came down to timing. "When I say push, push, Kristine, okay?" I said. She nodded.

"Go ahead. Push, Kristine."

She pushed immediately.

I instructed her to push several times. Jiro was cheering Kristine on, looking paler and paler as if he might faint at any moment.

"Keep going, Kristine... PUSH!!" With that, the baby came out, crying immediately.

"Baby..." Kristine whispered before closing her eyes.

"Kristine, no! Don't leave me!" Jiro cried out. Chito smacked him.

"For heaven's sake, be quiet! Your wife is just sleeping! She's asleep from exhaustion," Chito snapped.

I held the baby in my hands. Chito gave me a cloth that Kristine had brought with her. I wrapped it around the baby. I didn't mind the blood on me anymore. I wrapped the cloth around the baby's body.

"A boy. It's a boy, Jiro," I said, glancing at Jiro, but he had already fainted. Tears welled up in my eyes uncontrollably.

"Arianne, are you okay?" Chito asked, concerned.

"Yes!" I replied, nodding. I remembered my own child. We hadn't even known the baby's gender because I had a miscarriage during the third month of my pregnancy. I looked at the baby. He seemed hungry.

"You did a very good job there, Arianne!" Chito said, patting my arm.

"We're here," Papa said. He immediately went inside the ER to ask for help. The nurses on duty came out with two stretchers—one for Kristine and one for Jiro. I handed the baby over to a nurse so they could tend to him and place him in the nursery.

I breathed a sigh of relief as they were taken inside. I felt Chito wrap an arm around me.

"I'm proud of you," he said. I smiled at him.

"Hello, baby," I whispered. We were outside the hospital's nursery room, and I couldn't take my eyes off Jiro and Kristine's baby who had just been brought out. Papa had brought me fresh clothes when he returned from home. Their baby was incredibly adorable. They hadn't named him yet, mainly because Jiro was still unconscious. Kristine was fortunate to have been able to breastfeed their child.

"I have already talked to Kristine. She said you could take the baby for breastfeeding again," Chito informed me.

"Okay," I said happily. My gaze remained fixed on the baby. We entered the room and approached the nurse on duty. She carefully handed the baby to me.

"Hello, baby," I murmured as I gently accepted the little bundle.

"He likes you," Chito said, smiling, noticing that the baby didn't even cry when I held him.

I held the baby securely yet tenderly in my arms, not wanting to let him fall. My attention shifted to the front, and I was surprised to see Joseph there. He seemed to be on duty, dressed in a white uniform. He was talking to a nurse. He glanced up and caught sight of me.

His lips slightly parted as his gaze locked onto mine. He continued talking to his colleague, but his eyes were fixed on me. There was an expression on his face, something inquisitive and searching. His eyes then shifted to the baby I held in my arms.

His gaze softened, and he managed to put a subtle smile before walking away. I knew... I knew what Joseph was thinking because I... I was thinking the same thing... about our baby.