Chapter 4

Lirah hurriedly asked for help from her housekeepers. They were all staying in the mansion, and some of them lived in a house behind it, making it easy for her to seek assistance. They brought the unconscious man to one of the guest rooms in the mansion.

“He was shot, Hija!” Myrna said, one of the family’s housekeepers who helped raise Lirah since she was a baby. “I don’t think it’s right to bring him inside,” she added while tending to the man’s wound.

“But, ’Nay, he looks pitiful.” Despite her fear of the stranger, Lirah couldn’t abandon him. She saw that he needed help.

“What if he’s part of a syndicate, Bessy?” Kiray, Myrna’s only child and Lirah’s close friend, worriedly asked. They were almost the same age and had become like sisters.

Only the three of them remained in the room after calling the mansion staff to bring the man inside. Thankfully, some of them were still awake. Lirah and Kiray were the only ones besides Lirah’s father whom she trusted.

Lirah became anxious. She approached the man and observed him closely. He was unfamiliar, and he didn’t look like a local villager. Based on his appearance, he seemed well-off and not ordinary. He didn’t look like a syndicate or a thug either. He didn’t appear to be menacing. But what was he doing in their hacienda?

“He’s handsome, huh?” Kiray grinned broadly and moved closer to the bed. “Maybe we can keep him here. I’ll watch over him.” She was about to pat the man’s cheek, but she stopped when her mother spoke up.

“Stop that, Kiray! Go with Makoy and ask him to bring the doctor here. Tell him that the lady needs help.”

Kiray pouted. “I just wanted to take a closer look.”

“Hurry up!”

Lirah chuckled at her friend. She sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ll take care of him, ’nay.”

“All right, and I’ll get some water.”

Lirah took some clothes from Myrna and attended to the man’s wound. The bleeding had lessened compared to earlier, but it was still ongoing. Lirah looked at the man’s face. It was true what Kiray said; he was a handsome man. His slightly curly hair suited him well. She noticed that he was shivering, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. When she touched him, she winced as she felt the heat of fever. Fortunately, Kiray arrived with the only doctor in the village, who also served as Lirah’s personal physician, rushing to the mansion whenever needed.

The doctor immediately attended to the man. He said that the gunshot wound wasn’t too deep, so the man wouldn’t need surgery. He cleaned the wound and attached a dextrose to administer medication. Afterward, he instructed Lirah on what medications to give the man when he woke up. The doctor didn’t stay long and soon left the mansion.

“Thank you very much, doctor.”

“You’re welcome, Senyora.”

“Um, can we keep this a secret? Even from... my mother? I still don’t know who he is.”

The doctor hesitated. He pondered for a moment but then nodded to Lirah. “You can count on me. But please be careful, Senyora. You don’t know him.”

Lirah smiled faintly. “Yes, thank you very much.”

After escorting the doctor out, Lirah returned to the room. Myrna was still there, gazing at the man.

“I wonder who he is,” Kiray said, feeling sorry for him.

“Let’s not be too complacent. Once he wakes up tomorrow, we’ll send him away. You might get involved too, Lirah,” Myrna said, concerned.

Lirah sighed. “I’ll be fine. You two can rest now, ’nay.”

“Are you sure, Bessy? If you want, I can stay and watch over him,” Kiray said with a grin, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her mother quickly pulled her away.

“Stop it, Kiray! Look at him, barely conscious, and yet you’re still thinking of mischief.”

Lirah laughed. “It’s alright, Kiray. Who knows what you might do?”

Kiray playfully stuck out her tongue. “That’s not fair!”

Myrna glared at her. Then she looked at Lirah. “Alright, Hija. We’ll rest now. You too, don’t stay up too late with him.”

“Yes, ’nay.”

Mother and daughter left the room together. Lirah stayed behind to watch over the man. She took the blanket and covered him properly. When she was sure he was comfortable, she went outside to bring her book and closed the mansion’s door. Then, she returned to the room and settled on a small sofa nearby. She had to be up early tomorrow to face her new life in the city.

Lirah looked at the still-sleeping man. “You’re lucky. Whoever you are, you’re safe now. As for me? Tomorrow, I’ll be gone. I hope Ninong’s eldest son is a good person.”

Lirah sighed again. She lay down and covered herself with the blanket. Her mother and sister didn’t come home to the hacienda since they had a house in the city. That’s why she found solace here.

After a while of reading, Lirah started to feel drowsy. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The young man lying on the bed groaned. He slowly woke up and felt intense pain on his side. He winced but suppressed the urge to cry out.

“Where am I?” he asked himself.

The young man gradually opened his eyes and found himself inside a room. He noticed a large needle attached to his hand. Frowning, he felt his side and realized it was bandaged.

“What happened?”

His last memory was running away from men attempting to take his life. He saw a high barrier and desperately tried to climb it even though he was already bleeding. But he felt relief when he realized he was in a safe place. He clenched his fists. He knew who tried to kill him. They were probably thinking he was already dead. But they were wrong.

There, he heard a soft snore. He tried to sit up and saw someone sleeping on a long chair. He became alert, but he didn’t move. He tried to sense if the person would wake up, but the one lying on the chair remained still. So, he carefully stood up and removed the needle attached to his hand, leaving the syringe in the dextrose and stopping the drip.

He slowly approached the sleeping girl. He was taken aback when he saw her innocent face. She was the same girl he encountered earlier, whom he initially thought was his enemy. The room was dark, but he was sure it was her. Instead of being afraid of him, she even helped him with his wound. The young man gently caressed her cheek and smiled.

“Thank you for your help,” he whispered.

He groaned again. He looked around and realized he was in a guest room. He glanced at the girl who was still sleeping soundly. He would think later about how to repay her for helping him. He looked at the medicine on the bedside table. When he found pain relievers, he quickly took a few tablets and swallowed them. Then, he quietly left the room and even the mansion. He couldn’t stay in this place; they might find the girl. He was sure they were still looking for him, and they wouldn’t stop until they found him, even if it meant finding his lifeless body.

Besides, he had something to do tomorrow. The surroundings were still dark, and he could make it in time.