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DS8Uncovered #LuMa #BearCouple #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER 47: MEMORY

LUNA'S POV

"We want to be completely honest. Your cancer is progressing rapidly. But we were preparing for this, Luna. I assure you that none of us is giving up hope, and we really want you to do the same. We're going to make some changes to your treatment plan, and it would be best that you minimize some of your responsibilities because your body needs a lot of time to rest."

I was released from the hospital just this morning. I'm finally free from the oxygen attached to me. I still feel weak, but I feel better than I did almost a week ago. I could have stayed longer in the hospital, but I asked them to send me home.

Kahit anong sabihin ay iba pa rin ang nasa bahay. I just want to be in a familiar, comforting environment. I'm tired of constantly waking up for people to check my vitals, constantly undergoing tests, and having doctors stop by to tell me things I already know. I'm grateful for their help, but I want to rest and have a moment to just think.

"Are you okay?" Binigyan ko ng maliit na ngiti si Magnus at tumango lang ako bilang sagot. "Gusto mong umakyat na?"

Hindi pa rin nagsasalita na umiling ako. Naglakad ako papunta sa sofa na nasa reading nook at naramdaman kong nakasunod sa akin ang lalaki. Umupo ako roon at nag-angat ako ng tingin sa kaniya nang nanatili lang siyang nakatayo.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. You're just too quiet." Dumaan ang pag-alala sa mga mata niya at sinapo niya ang pisngi ko. A smile still on my lips, I lean on his hand. "Are you really okay?"

"I am now."

"I'll get you some food."

I shook my head, then reached for his hand to pull him close. I patted the space beside me. "Stay here with me."

Just like I expected, he didn't deny me what I was asking for. He took a seat, but he didn't stop there. He pulled me closer until I'm sitting on his lap.

"You're going to spoil me. Baka hindi na ako matutong umupo sa kahit saan dahil hahanap-hanapin ko 'to," biro ko sa kaniya.

"Good."

"Parang kailan lang parang gusto mo akong isako at iligaw, samantalang ngayon ang clingy mo na."

"Walang parang. Gusto talaga kitang isako at iligaw noon."

Mahinang napatawa ako. "Eh ngayon?"

He leaned down so that he could brush the tip of his nose on mine, earning him the habit of mine that seems to be his favorite. Nangingiting tinapik niya ng daliri niya ang kumunot ko na ilong. "Ngayon kung pwede kitang itali sa akin para kahit saan ako magpunta nandoon ka, ginawa ko na."

"Tama nga ang kasabihan."

"Kasabihan?"

"Kapag may tiyaga, may ma-i-in-love talaga."

He chuckled. "I don't think that's how the saying goes."

We both shared a laugh, which feels good. Going home was the right choice. Alam kong hindi lang ako ang hindi komportable kundi maging siya. It's not like the hospital is a place to relax.

"Are you ready for tonight?" he asked me after awhile. "We can move it to another day if you want."

"I've waited long enough. I'll be fine, Mags."

I wanted to see my father, but I didn't want him to see me in the hospital. Hindi ko gusto na ang unang pagkikita namin pagkatapos ng ilang taon ay iikot lang sa sakit ko. I would rather that he doesn't see me that way.

"What exactly happened to him? Is it okay to tell me?"

Wala kasi siya noong mga panahon na dumating sila Kuya Thorn. He was needed at Quetzal for a few hours to solve an issue, and he hurriedly went back to me when it was done.

"Out of all people, you're the only one that I don't keep secrets from, hubby bear." With the way his eyes flashed, he seemed to like what I said. "You know that my parents serve in the army, right?"

"Yes."

"Most people there either come out as heroes, or they would come out as someone they're supposed to be protecting people from." Nilabas ko ang cellphone ko mula sa bulsa ko. I opened the image that I had asked Kuya Trace to send me. "This is a picture of my parents with their army friends. They took it when they were at their base." I swiped the screen and showed her a photo of three people. "These are my parents with their closest friend. Her name is Laura Hale. She was a soldier, just like my father. Papa met her first before my mother."

"Is she..."

"Dead? No. But I wish she was." His eyes were filled with surprise, and I couldn't blame him. "I'm not the kind of person who will wish that kind of thing for another person and mean it. "She's on my shit list the way Zachary is in it too."

Dumilim ang mukha niya. "He's on mine as well." Nag-iigting ang panga na huminga siya ng malalim. "What did she do?"

"My parents came out of the army, and they built Dagger. Hale came out of it, and she joined the same crime organization that Dagger wanted to destroy. She was part of Obsidian."

His eyes widened. He knows the story about Tiara. He also knows how even Lia's parents had a small part in the organization back in the day, though it wasn't as significant as Tiara's biological father's role in it.

"Obsidian is the worst, Mags. They will kill anyone who gets in their way. My father is exactly that. Papa was proving to be a huge disturbance to their operation. But Laura Hale is a different kind of crazy. I guess if she's going to choose between money and the person she always wanted to be hers, the latter is much more important to her. After all, she was willing to kill anyone who would take him away."

"What?" he whispered. "That's... that's fuck up. Is this why you've been quiet? Why didn't you want to talk about it?"

"Partly, yes. The truth is, this is just speculation. Dagger already has proof when it comes to her involvement with Obsidian, and that's enough to put her behind bars, but they still want to get some answers, and she's not giving it to them."

"I don't get it. Alam ng ama mo ang kaugnayan niya sa Obsidian, hindi ba? Was she holding him prisoner?"

"No, she wasn't."

"Then why didn't he try to come back?"

"My brothers claim that my father suffered severe injuries. He was in a coma for years. He woke a few years ago. He doesn't remember Hale's involvement with Obsidian. I don't think he even remembers the Obsidian. There are holes in my father's memories. Kahit pagdating kay Mama ang naaalala niya lang ay iyong pahuli na. When she was at the last stage of her illness. But he does remember his children. Sabi ng mga kapatid ko matagal niya ng hinihiling kay Hale na makita kami. But Hale saw an opportunity, and she managed to make him believe that we would be in danger if he contacted us. That they should first eliminate the problem, which is the Obsidian. My father has the sharpest mind I've encountered in my life, but he was in a vulnerable state, and Hale was known for being one of the best psychological operation specialists back in the army."

"Are they..." He swallowed, and it's obvious that he didn't know how to ask what he wanted to ask me. But I already expected it because I had thought about it. "Are they together?"

"Based on what my brothers told me, they're not. It doesn't mean that she's not trying."

Silence stretched between us as he absentmindedly traced soothing circles on my back. Isinandal ko ang ulo ko sa dibdib niya at hindi ko mapigilan na pagmasdan siya. Inangat ko ang kamay ko at idinampi ko ang daliri ko sa pagitan ng mga kilay niya na nakakunot dahil sa malalim na pag-iisip. He caught my hand and kissed my fingertip, which made me smile.

"What are you thinking about?" I murmured.

"How messed up this world is. I've experienced some, heard and read about the others, and a week ago I watched you face that monster, which was worse than when I was in the hands of one." My chest tightened, remembering how he almost lost his life because of the serial killer who has been terrorizing Lucienne's life before. "In a perfect life, none of you would have gone through all of this. You, your brothers, and your sisters-in-law."

"Life isn't perfect, Mags, because people are not perfect. Life's greatest lessons are often given in the most cruel ways. It throws you things you don't expect. We struggle, we fight, but life continues to go on. I'm not saying that we should all go through hardships. That easy is impossible. But life is life, and we deal with what we have to deal with." Inangat ko ang magkahugpong namin na mga kamay. They fit perfectly. "It's okay if we don't have the perfect world, as long as we have the perfect hands willing to hold us when we need them."

HINDI KO ALAM kung ilang beses na akong nagpalit ng damit at kung ilang beses ko ng sinisipat ang sarili ko sa salamin nang makapili ako ng isusuot. Samantalang si Magnus na kanina pa nakapagbihis ay nakahiga lang sa kama kung saan halos matabunan na siya ng mga damit ko na inilabas ko mula sa closet.

"How do I look?" I settled on a casual white and green striped dress. Dito lang naman sa bahay mag-di-dinner kaya ang weird naman kung ayos na ayos ako.

"You look beautiful."

Pinaikot ko ang mga mata ko. "Iyan na lang lagi ang sinasabi mo."

"Lagi ka naman kasing maganda."

Naiiling na babaling sana ulit ako sa salamin nang bigla na lang may humaklit sa bewang ko. I let out a shriek as Magnus and I fell to the bed on top of all the clothes.

"You look great, LA. It doesn't matter what you wear."

Umikot ako para magawa kong ipatong ang mukha ko sa dibdib niya. "I don't want to look sick."

Something crossed his eyes, but he immediately locked it away. Maingat na pinalis niya mula sa mukha ko ang buhok ko at inipit niya iyon sa likod ng tenga ko. "Like I've told you a million times, you look beautiful. But it will be better if you look happy than nervous."

Nagpakawala ako ng malalim na hininga. "Fine." Ngumuso ako. "And you haven't said it a million times." You're exaggerating."

"Then I'll make sure to do exactly that."

Minsan mahirap talagang hamunin si Magnus kasi parang willing siyang totohanin lahat kung gugustuhin niya. Hindi na ako magtataka kung papaulanan niya ako ng sandamakmak na compliments mula ngayon. Who am I kidding? I love it.

"I don't want to worry him, Mags. Kapag nalaman niya ang tungkol sa sakit ko. It will hurt him—"

"Don't worry about that."

"But—"

"Of course he'll worry. Of course, it will be painful for him. But he's your father. It's his responsibility." He gently placed a finger on my forehead, then he traced it down my eyebrow, the bridge of my nose, my cheek, until it stopped on my lips. He was watching me closely, and it felt like he was memorizing every inch of my face. "You don't need to keep it all inside you again, LA. You don't need to cry silently. You don't need to bear the pain by yourself. You need to get used to the fact that you have an army of people behind you now."

"I wasn't that alone. I have you, remember?"

"And you will always have me."

I wish I could say the same. But it feels like the wrong thing to say.

As always, it's like he could read my mind. Yumuko siya at kinintalan niya ng halik ang noo ko. "I will always have you too. No matter what."

"Mags—"

"It takes more than the end of life for a person who occupies our heart to disappear from it. "Because of the way in which I love you, you will remain by my side even if I am unable to continue this." He swallowed the lump in his throat and cupped my cheek. "Even if I can't touch you like this, even if I can't see you, hold you, hear your voice calling me, and even if I can no longer feel your soft lips on mine."

I don't want to lose this. I don't want him to lose me. So please... just a little more time. Just give me a little more time to be with him.

Hindi ko alam kung gaano na kami katagal sa kinaroroonan namin. Wala pa sigurong kikilos sa amin kung hindi namin narinig ang cellphone ko na tumunog. My heart thudded loudly and I gave Magnus a small smile knowing that he could feel it.

He sat up, pulling me with him. Magkahawak ang kamay na pumanaog kami ng bahay at sinagot ko ang tawag para sabihin kay Kuya Domino na siyang tumawag na pababa na kami sa family penthouse ni Magnus.

It didn't take long before Magnus and I were inside the elevator. He didn't let me go, even when the doors opened, revealing my family waiting for us. Naramdaman kong humigpit ang pagkakahawak niya sa akin kasabay ng pamumulo ng luha sa mga mata ko.

He guided me forward but I couldn't look away from the man standing with the rest of my brothers. Each step I took felt heavy, and each step pushed me to the edge of the control I was trying to hold on to.

"Papa, I'm not going to get married."

"Why not?"

"Because no one can be like you."

"Well, little moonbeam, your Mama is the only one in the world. We're all uniquely different. But someday, you'll find the one that you will love the most for everything that he is, and I'll hate him for it."

Maybe that memory was what triggered my confusion. It was silly. I doubt he was serious about saying he'd hate the person that I would fall in love with. My brothers don't hate Magnus, but that doesn't mean they don't give him grief for being married to their little sister. But for some reason, when my father turned and looked at Magnus and me, an unsettling feeling hit me.

I love my mother. I missed her terribly. But losing my father was a different struggle. We shared a bond that was different, the way my brothers have a different one with Mama.

I've run to my father countless times. He'd look at me with adoration, saying that only a father could give his children a lot more than that. So, I know instantly. I saw the difference in the instant he met my eyes.

I looked at Kuya Thorn, my vision blurred with tears. "Kuya..."

Nagsalubong ang kilay niya. "What's wrong?" Kaagad siyang lumapit sa akin. "Are you in pain?"

"Kuya... has he... has he ever mentioned me?"

"What?" naguguluhang tanong niya. "What do you mean?"

Tumingin ako sa direksyon ni Papa na nakangiti pa rin sa amin. He turned to Kuya Gun and his lips moved, saying something that I couldn't hear. The way Kuya Gun paled was enough confirmation for me.

Maybe... maybe this is the work of heaven's sense of humor. He's one less person who I needed to hurt. You can't hurt someone who...

"He doesn't remember me."

_________________________End of Chapter 47.