UNSEEN WORTH

***

INFINITY sadly looked at the closed door of the ICU.

They say: that God doesn't give you a problem you can't overcome.

She believes that. God knows that she is strong, and she can overcome this. But she is also praying that God could give challenges one at a time. Because if He gives it one after another, she's not sure if her heart can handle it.

"Infinity, can you rest first? You haven’t slept even a blink!" the old lady said.

She is Manang Carmen the person who cared for her husband from when he was still a toddler. She is considered his second mother.

"I-I'm fine, Manang Carmen."

"You are fine? You're too pale!" Her intonation got a decibel higher. When the old lady doesn’t have any response, she sets aside her cane and walks slowly to her side.

"Have you eaten?" She gently asked.

"I-I'm not hungry." She is trying her best to make her voice steady.

She hasn't eaten all day but she doesn't feel hungry at all.

“Infinity! You are stubborn! Do you think Elroy will be happy with what you're doing?”

One of her husband’s pet peeves is her, not eating or starving.

"Well, he's not here! Why hasn't he woken up and get up from that bed yet? He should stand up from there and scold me! HE SHOULD STAND THERE AND SCOLD ME!” Her tears came quickly.

The old lady immediately hugged her. Comforting her to one of the darkest times of her life.

It has been 4 days already. But the situation has not changed yet. And it is getting worse.

“Go home. Go ahead please, just rest. Your husband won't be happy that you won't stop crying.” She said while still comforting her.

"I don't want to sleep, manang. I'm afraid…I'm afraid of losing Elroy forever. I'm afraid that when I wake up I won't be able to see him or even touch him. I don't know…I don't know if I can handle it"

Her tears kept on falling while she was in the arms of the old woman who also serves as her mother.

And she is crying those words as if it is her saving grace. That her life depended on her calling his name. Well, that's true. He is her lifeline.

"Do you think your husband will let you cry all day? W-When he wakes up you will be scolded over and over again because you did not eat on time." The lady is trying her best to persuade her to eat.

Infinity bit her lip to stop herself from crying.

She is in so much pain. She should think positively, she should be strong at moments like these. Because she knows that the people around her draw strength from her. Even her husband. But she is also not excluding the fact that he can leave her anytime.

Just the mere thought of losing him she feels like thorns are hugging her.

She is unable to breathe freely, and the thorns are all piercing her.

Even if he would scold her over and over again, it was okay. He just…just needed to wake up.

"Go home. Go ahead please, take a break. Elroy won't be happy to see you doing this. I'll take care of things here." The old lady continued to persuade her to take a rest.

"You don’t need to worry, I am okay."

The old lady looks at her so intently. She has been testing this woman since Elroy introduced her as his wife.

She took Elroy as her own. She is more peculiar than Elroy’s real mother when it comes to his relationships.

She gave tests.

All of the ladies Elroy introduced to her failed her test. They are all after his wealth and power. None of them are for love.

But this lady in front of her proves to her that she loves Elroy as himself. Not his money. The young lady in front of her right now did everything for her husband when his family abandoned him for choosing her.

She passed her tests with flying colors.

"You are like your husband, both of you are so stubborn! That’s why you get along so well! Oh shaaa… what else do you want? Coffee? Candy? Biscuits? At least eat, put some food on your stomach."

A smile formed on Infinity’s face, and she touched her still-flat stomach. Put some food on her belly? Only if manang Carmen knew. She’s sure the old lady would be the happiest person for her and her husband.

As she held her tummy, memories of the past kept repeating in her head as if it just happened yesterday. How she wished she could return to that moment and stay there forever.

She wiped away the tears and faced her.

"I'm fine manang. If you are hungry buy whatever you want."

The old lady let out a sigh. She is already giving up on her stubbornness.

"I'll leave you here for now, Infinity." She said before walking slowly to get some food and leaving Infinity alone.

She stood up from the seat and peered inside the room.

She saw him, lying in the hospital bed motionless. Various cords are attached to his body. He also has an oxygen tube attached to his mouth.

The rising and falling of lines on a monitor beside him is what gives her hope. That's her sign that her husband is fighting.

"Dad." She whispered. She’s getting insane, she is smiling while crying. Thinking of her husband’s possible reactions when he heard the news. "Wake up, please."

Her tears flowed again. Infinity touched the mirror at the door as if she could also touch his face.

"Y-You promised you would never leave me. Get up, please. Please.” Her every plea was swallowed up in sobs.

She keeps on saying that he should wake up already over and over again. Thinking that maybe he could hear her every cry and think about waking up.

But suddenly her tears stopped falling… as well as her world.

When the monitor beside him flat-lined.