FIVE

FIVE

“What do you mean I have to pay? Excuse me, miss. I was driving carefully! Your brother suddenly crossed the road out of nowhere. It’s not my fault your brother was stupid enough to—”

“Finish that sentence,” I cut in sharply, my voice low and serious, “and you’ll be the next one lying here beside my brother’s hospital bed.”

I exhaled loudly, trying to steady my breath, before glancing at Thirdy, who had just stopped crying. There was a bandage wrapped around his head from the accident, but thank God it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared.

“L-Lyana, well, the thing is…” Auntie started hesitantly. “Th-Thirdy was kind of at fault. H-He crossed the road without looking, and then…”

“Oh? You heard the old lady herself,” the driver said smugly, his tone dripping with arrogance. I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing myself to calm down.

When I opened them again, I lifted an eyebrow. “You’re the one who hit my brother. And tell me, who’s the one in the hospital right now? Your car?” I shot back.

Auntie grabbed my arm, telling me to stop, but I ignored her. How was I supposed to pay for Thirdy’s hospital bills if he wouldn’t take responsibility? My brother’s the one who got hurt, and yet we’re the ones expected to pay? No way. Especially since… I didn’t even have money to begin with.

“Why don’t you ask your brother instead? He doesn’t look right in the head anyway, probably too dumb to lie,” the man sneered.

I closed my eyes again, trying not to explode. God, what an unbearable man.

“Sir, if you were the one injured and lying here, I’d pay you even if I didn’t have a single peso, if it was proven that my brother was at fault. But right now, it’s him who’s hurt, not your car,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Your brother’s an idiot, and now you’re blaming me? Unbelievable. I’m the one inconvenienced here, and you still expect me to pay? Nonsense!”

My eyes widened when he suddenly turned his back on me. I jerked away from Auntie’s grip and rushed after him, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving.

“You’re not going anywhere until you pay for what you did to my brother,” I said firmly, tightening my grip. He glared at me coldly, but I met his eyes with the same intensity.

He couldn’t just walk away. Where would I get the money for Thirdy’s bills? He couldn’t be discharged unless we paid, and the longer we stayed here, the bigger the hospital fees would grow. He could not leave.

I was about to speak again when he suddenly yanked his arm free. He shoved me so hard that I stumbled back and slammed into the side of Thirdy’s hospital bed.

“What the—!” I groaned, clutching my arm. Damn it!

The pain made it hard to get up right away, so I stayed there for a few seconds, gritting my teeth. Two nurses came rushing over, but I shook my head, refusing help. What if they charged me for that, too?

When the pain finally subsided, I looked up, only to realize that the man was gone.

“Damn it,” I cursed under my breath and stood up. I turned to Auntie, who just sat quietly in the corner. I sighed heavily. “Auntie, why didn’t you stop him?”

From where I stood, I could see her throat bob slightly as she avoided my gaze. I rubbed my temples, trying to keep my composure.

Then I turned to look at Thirdy, still unconscious from the accident. His head was bandaged, and so were his right arm and leg. The sight of him made my chest tighten, and a few curses slipped out under my breath.

“Lyana?”

I looked up again. “Yes?” I asked softly as Auntie approached me from beside Thirdy’s bed. She took hold of my right arm, frowning. “You did get the job, didn’t you?”

Instead of answering, I just let out a long sigh and looked back at Thirdy.

She seemed to understand because she sighed too, one after another. “So you didn’t get hired… I should’ve gone after that man, then. I didn’t know,” she murmured.

“Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll find a way to get the money. We need to get Thirdy discharged soon; the longer we stay here, the more we’ll owe.”

“D-Do you even have money?” she asked. I looked at her and shook my head slowly.

“I still have two thousand pesos left. Thirdy and I made a few sales,” she said.

“Auntie, if I take that, you’ll lose your capital for your next round of goods,” I interrupted.

“But what about the hospital bill? I’ll earn it back once this is over. What’s important is getting Thirdy out of here.” She opened her shoulder bag, took out her wallet, and pressed a few hundred-peso bills into my palm. “Take it. You said it yourself, it'll just cost us more the longer he stays. Stay here for now, I’ll try to get more money.”

“Auntie…”

“Take it, Lyana. You can pay me back once you find another job,” she insisted gently.

I sighed and finally accepted the money. “I’ll pay you back, Auntie. I’m sorry for the trouble, again. You’re already the one watching over Thirdy and now…”

She just gave me a faint smile and patted my shoulder. I looked away, embarrassed.

“I’ll go home first, Auntie,” I said. “I’ll get some clothes for Thirdy and a few things he needs. I’ll also stop by Jasrylle’s place, maybe she can lend me some money.”

“Alright. But come back right away, okay? You know how Thirdy is, he’ll look for you the moment he wakes up.”

I nodded in agreement, then looked at Thirdy again. He was still unconscious. I knew he’d throw a fit when he woke up from the pain, and Auntie wouldn’t be able to calm him down alone. I had to get back quickly.

The only problem was, where would I even find money? I lived in the slums, and like me, my neighbors barely had enough for themselves. They were kind, sure, but when everyone’s broke, even the kindest hearts can’t always help.

After saying goodbye to Auntie, I left the hospital. I couldn’t help but feel small as I walked out; everyone I passed looked rich, judging by their clothes. To make it worse, I was wearing something too short, I’d worn it earlier when I applied for a job at the bar… a job I didn’t even get.

I clutched the jacket tighter around me, it was the only thing covering my skimpy outfit underneath. Thankfully, Dr. Vallero had lent it to me earlier; otherwise, I’d have been even more embarrassed walking around like this.

My head was bowed, too ashamed to look up, so I didn’t notice the person walking toward me until I bumped right into him, nearly falling to the floor.

“Miss, watch where you’re going,” a deep, irritated voice said.

I immediately covered my chest, realizing my jacket had slipped open slightly, revealing the thin fabric of my dress beneath. I lowered my gaze and mumbled, “I-I’m sorry, sir.”

The man only frowned, still talking on his phone as he walked away.

“I told you, I want to pursue it. Why are you questioning my decisions? My wife and I already discussed this. I don’t care if it’s dangerous or not, we want a child. End of discussion,” he said, his tone firm before disappearing down the hall.

I froze where I stood, his words echoing in my head. Slowly, I turned to look back, but he was gone. My lips parted slightly as a nervous chill ran down my spine.

Then, almost without thinking, my hand reached for the pocket of the jacket. My fingers brushed against something, the calling card Dr. Vallero had given me earlier.

Dr. Vallero…

Would she… give me money?