Chapter 38: Chapter 38

037

A spider web it's tangled up with me and I lost my head

Lauyton Diem Israel Elarde's POV

"I still hate you," Gem jotted her bottom lip. I placed the tray on the bedside table with her favorite chocolate cereal and milk. "I really do. Why do you keep on taking care of me? You should hate me, too."

"I love you, Diemllana," I told her with a smile on my face. "You are my beautiful daughter. How can I hate you?"

She pouted and glared at me. "I hate you."

Instead of feeling deeply hurt by what she said, I laughed. Well, I could now laugh at her everytime she said that. At first, I was saddened by the fact that my own daughter hates me because she saw me as a hindrance between her mother and Var's marriage. To tell you, I hated Gabriella at that moment because it was her fault my daughter grew up not needing me.

As time passed by, I realized she didn't actually mean it. She did, at some point. But, now, I could feel that she is just saying that because she doesn't know how to undo it. I could feel that she's starting to accept me as her own father.

"Do you?" I teased her.

"Hmp!" She rolled her eyes as she picked the bowl of cereal. "Daddy Var and Mommy aren't getting married because of you."

"You really want Var to become your Daddy?" I confirmed. I could never ask that directly because I know the truth would hurt me. "You don't want me to become your Daddy?"

Gem glanced at me. She blinked slowly while chewing the cereal. I wiped the sides of her mouth as she continued to stare at me.

"Do you love my mother?"

"If I tell you, I do love your mother," I sincerely replied. Gabriella is the only woman I have ever loved. "I'll get your consent to marry her?"

"No!" Gem protested. "You make her sad and I don't want her to be sad."

She crossed her arms and eyed me. "You make her really sad."

I chewed my words. "How did I make her sad?"

Gem sighed. She placed the bowl of cereal back on the table and faced me seriously. "You make her sad because even if she loves you so much, you cannot be together. And, that just makes me sad, too."

She bowed down her head. "Daddy Var loves my mother so much and they can be together now. I just want my mother to be happy with someone."

My lips parted but there were no words. I sat beside her and enveloped her inside my arms. She leaned her head on my chest as she played with my hands.

"So, if we can be together. Will you allow her to marry me?"

Gem shook her head. "You can't be together. I heard Mommy talking to Uncle Gabriel. She said she made some deal before that is why she left you," she explained. "Granny will help you become a surgeon if Mommy will leave you. She did, that is why I never got to know you."

Gem turned to me with her puppy look. "Now, I understand why she never told me about you or she wanted me to forget about you."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

I clearly know that Gab made some deal with her mother that is why she left me and her mother accepted me in their hospital. A lot of medical opportunities were given to me after that and she has something to do with it. Deep down, I know why she left. I waited for her because I want to hear her say she still loves me because my love for her never left. It grew.

It was also the reason why instead of wasting my time chasing her, I chased my dream because she sacrificed everything. I may have not known everything about it, yet I know that when she left, it was for me. She had done everything for me and I am so guilty for not even doing anything for her.

She is my everglow as much as I am her everglow.

"The deal was she should never come back in your life again," Gem stated.

"What will happen when we become together again?" I confirmed. "Is her mother going to ruin my medical career? Is that why Gabriella doesn't want to be with me again?"

Gem nodded as I watched her eyes blinked every second. "My granny will make sure you will never hold the scalpel again."

"She can't do that," I reacted though I saw how her mother was capable of doing that.

"You know she can do it," Gem replied. She enveloped her arms on my neck as she placed her chin on my shoulder.

"Then, it's okay," I replied. "I can find another job-"

"No!" Gem pulled away from me. She showed disapproval at me. "That is not what Mommy wants and that is not what you wanted. She begged granny for you to be where you are right now and she will not ruin it again."

"But, I want to be with you and your mother," I sighed in frustration.

"That is the reason why you make her sad. If you do that, if you sacrifice your dream to be with her, she'll be very sad because she wants to see you become a surgeon."

"The dream is her and you," I caressed Gem's face.

"You know what? Mommy told Uncle Gabriel that she never had an intention of coming back in your life nor telling you about me," Gem explained. "She thought that maybe when you become a cardiothoracic surgeon, then she'll come by to see you. By then, you would probably be with someone and you would have forgotten her."

"That is not true," I quickly said. I faced Gem and sincerely looked at her eyes. "I love your mother. It never faded away. It's still her after all these years and for the rest of my years."

"How are you going to be together, then?" Gem shoulder fell down. "You can't give up surgery. She'll be deeply sad. You don't want her to be sad, right?"

I nodded and kissed Gem's forehead. "We'll be together as a family, okay?" I assured her. "I promise you that. For now, eat your cereal and go to sleep."

"Make my mother happy," Gem ordered before pulling herself away from me and eating her cereal.

"I'll make both of you happy. How about that?" I told her.

She smiled. "Okay."

Gem finished her cereal, drank her milk, and brushed her teeth before I tucked her in bed. I covered her with the blanket and started singing a lullaby to make her sleep when she stopped me.

"When is Mommy coming back?" She whispered in a raspy voice. "I missed her."

"Mommy will be back very soon," I told her, though I am not really sure about Gabriella coming back soon.

It's been more than a month since she started working on Gwen's case. The entire country was watching when she waged a fight against the Vice President of the country. It blew my mind and I couldn't understand why she was suddenly helping her bitch sister to the point that she's going to risk her own life. She hated them. But then, they are family. I guess, you can never really turn your back on your family.

I hated the idea. I clearly expressed my disapproval even though I don't have any right to do that. I am just terrified of what will happen to her. She's going against the second highest man in the country. Yes, it is for justice but justice and the law fuck up nowadays and I hate to admit it but it only favors those who are in power.

It's not an easy path and what will happen when she loses? The people around her can manipulate evidence if they really want to frame-up her sister. They've been into hearings and up until now there is still no progress except that Gwen is really the culprit. All the evidence pertains to her. Honestly, Gab will lose.

She's still fighting and I could sense she was trying to delay everything because up until now she still doesn't know who killed the Vice President's son.

Gab took the risk and I could only pray that what she's doing is worth fighting for rather than being with her daughter.

It didn't only change her life. It wasn't only Gab who became an instant celebrity by going against the Vice President. Every day, there were headlines published with her name on it. It affected Gem's life and people around her started questioning her, too. Some of her friends started to turn their backs on her because they believed her mother was fighting on the wrong side.

The Vice President seems to get the sympathy of every citizen in the country. Some people doesn't even want Gab to fight and she's been receiving hate from stupid people who doesn't even know the truth.

But what is the truth when even Gabriella doesn't know it?

Should I now believe that her sister really did it?

"She didn't call today," Gem sadly said. "Daddy Var, too."

"Don't worry, Daddy Var is taking care of your mother. And, she'll go tomorrow, okay?" I fixed the loose hair behind her ears. "Go to sleep."

"Is she okay?" Gem asked, concerned. "I am so happy she helped Aunt Gwen but it's taking her long."

"Mommy is doing her best to help Aunt Gwen," I said. "So, just trust her. Okay?" I said, though my words betrayed me.

I trust Gab and I know she can do it but I don't trust the people around her.

"I want everything to be normal," her voice broke. I laid my back beside her. She leaned closer and hugged me. I heard her cry and I hated myself because I couldn't do anything but to hug her. I couldn't even say that everything will be back to normal soon because that would be a lie.

As much as I wanted to curse Gabriella, she's just doing her job. However, it's affecting Gem's life, too. She lost the will to go to school because some of the students criticized Gabriella and it's just too painful for her to hear it. She wanted to fight them but she can't because she knows that it would ruin her mother's reputation.

Honestly, Gab being away with Var, gave me a lot of time to be with Gem and prove my worth as her father. At first, she didn't like the idea of being with me and I had to calm her down everytime she had a tantrum because she didn't want to be with me. I remembered she starved herself because Gab left me with her. Gab and Var even had to fly back here to talk to her and knock her sense. She's being stubborn and yeah, a bit of brat, but what can I say? She's my daughter and it wasn't her fault that she didn't grow up with me.

I tried hard, really hard for her to obey me, to see me as her father and not her doctor. I did every little thing that she would appreciate. I was so close to giving up but she's so worth it, like Gab.

It took her months to finally see me and finally opened up things with me. This is probably one of the advantages of Gab's taking her sister's case because I had the chance to spend everyday with Gem. But, the disadvantage? It will slowly kill her daughter.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" I muttered. "Do you want to go to the mall? We can buy--"

"No," she said. "Let's just stay home and wait for mommy. Plus...I hate the people." she added. "Mommy will win the case, right? She will prove to them that Aunt Gwen didn't kill the Vice President's son? I didn't come from a family of killers. Uncle Gabriel also didn't kill your mother, right?"

"What?" I asked, confused. "How did you know that?" I looked at her. She was already wiping her tears as she bit her lower lip.

"My classmate told me that I came from a family of killers," she sighed. "They told me Uncle Gabriel killed your mother, that is why he lost his license for years. Is that true?"

"Gem..." I stood up from bed. Gem got up, too, looking at me, waiting for confirmation. "You didn't come from a family of killers, okay? Uncle Gabriel made a mistake but he didn't mean it. It just happened and he already paid for it."

"But, still...he killed your mother? That is why granny also wanted to ruin your medical career because you ruined Uncle Gabriel's medical career. Mom helped you--"

"Ssssh!" I stopped her. "Listen to me. Don't listen to them. Uncle Gabriel didn't kill my mother." I stood up and picked the jar with my mother's heart. It was given to me by Gabriella when she left and it was only years after that Gabriel told me it was my mother's heart.

"This is my mother's heart," I showed it to him. "It's already dead, not beating and as you see it it's sick, right?" I told her as she looked at it. It wasn't her first time to see it. "My mother was sick and Uncle Gabriel did everything to save her but he's not God, he's a human and humans make mistakes, okay?"

"Was it a mistake? He didn't mean it?" Gem confirmed.

"Yes, it was a mistake," I agreed as I placed the jar on the bedside table. "And, we can only say that Aunt Gwen killed her when she's already convicted."

"But, all the evidence are --"

"Do you believe in your mother?" I asked and she nodded. "Then, believe that she is going to prove the innocence of your Aunt Gwen, okay?"

"I am scared," she enveloped her arms on my neck. "I worry about Mom and Daddy Var. They are working -- oh! Mom is calling!" She reached for her phone and answered it with a happy face.

"Mom!" She almost cried. "I missed you. Are you okay? When are you coming home? Please, come back home. How's daddy Var?" She quickly asked.

I heard Gab chuckled but it was a weak one. I felt it. What is happening? Is she okay?

"I'll be home soon, okay? I am great, sweetie. How are you doing?"

"I am fine, too," Gem replied. "Dr. Elarde is taking care of me and he's great. You can marry him."

"What?" I mouthed. That's a sudden change of mind and I don't know if she's serious. Well, that's great. Only if Gabriella would allow it. She still has the final say. I think I need to talk to her mother. This time, I will be the one.

"What? Are you changing your mind?" Gab replied, surprised.

"You can marry him just come back, okay?" Gem pouted.

"Yes, sweetie," Gab replied. "Is your Daddy Loud with you?" She asked. "Can I talk to him?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"I love you, sweetie. Do you know that?" Gab added.

"I love you, too, mommy!"

Gem gave me the phone and patiently waited for her turn again.

"Loud..." Gab's voice was calm but wasn't stable. I could feel she was about to cry from the other line.

"What is happening?" I panicked.

"Nothing. I just want to sing you a song," Gab told me. "I know you miss my voice, right?"

"Gab, what is happening?" I asked again. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, I received a text message from Zack. I picked up my phone, read the message, while still waiting for Gabriella to say something.

Fr: Zack

I come to pick you up. The copter will be there in five minutes. Be ready!

Before I could ask Gabriella about Zack's strange message, she started singing.

"Oh no I see...a spider web it's tangled up with me and I lost my head..." I raised my brow and was so confused while listening to her. Why is she singing the song? What do you mean by that?

"And thought of all the stupid things I said. Oh no what's this...a spider web and I'm caught in the me..."

Why is she suddenly singing a Coldplay song? What is the title of the song again? Wait...that song is titled, Trouble.

Fuck! I closed my fist and calmed myself. She's in trouble. Damn!

"Aww, you still have a great voice," I commented. "I missed you," I bit my lower lip and stopped myself from crying. "I love you, Gabby. You know that, right?"

At that moment, I knew she was really in trouble because she told me, "I love you, Loud."

And, she would never tell me that unless she knows she's dying.

"I have to go now," her voice broke. "Take care of Gem, okay? I'll see you soon. Bye!"

"We need to go!" I told Gem as soon as the phone hung up. "Get Scalpel now!" I said as I looked for things to defend us in case of emergency. I only have my medical tools and I guess this scalpel can somehow help me. I should have bought a gun.

Gem was already carrying her dog when I hurriedly pulled her out of the unit. "Wait, where are we going? Are we in trouble?"

"Uncle Zack will pick up--"

"Wait!" Gem ran back and she came back with her bag. She put the jar with my mother's bag on it and pulled it on her back. "You can't leave your mother here and I know we are in trouble."

We stood up outside the elevator, waiting, but I decided to take the stairs. I don't know but I could sense someone is spying on us. I looked around. It's clean but my heart suddenly jolted and now I sensed trouble. We need to get out of this place.

I don't know what had gotten me but I decided not to use the elevator. I felt like death was waiting for us inside the elevator. It's instinct yet it's the only thing I could trust now.

I carried Gem while she carried Scalpel. She was shaking uncontrollably, maybe sensing the danger as it approached us.

"Why are we running?" Gem started asking as we ran to the rooftop. I locked every door that we had passed so they wouldn't be able to follow us.

Damn! I ran upstairs as fast as I could but there were still ten floors before we could reach the rooftop. I prayed hoping Zack was already there.

"Footsteps..." Gem whispered as we heard loud footsteps running with us.

"They're following us..." She whispered.

I stopped to remove my slippers and ran barefoot until we reached the last floor before the rooftop. Luck was already out of my way when two men harshly opened the door.

I immediately put Gem down and told her to run.

"No, I won't leave you," she protested.

"Listen to me. Run! That is an order. Uncle Zack is already at the rooftop!" I pushed her away as she started crying, not wanting to leave.

She screamed when the two men pulled their guns.

"I said, run!" I yelled.

"I will wait for you!" Gem shouted as she climbed the stairs.

It happened so fast that all I wanted to do was stop them from getting Gem. I know it was Gem that they wanted and not me. I don't have a gun and my scalpel isn't used to hurt people but to save lives and I was born to save lives so I did what I had to do.

I took the bullet.

It pierced deep into my skin as I fell down on my knees. The gun shot rang in my ears yet I clearly heard Gem scream, DADDY!

And, I would gladly take another bullet just to hear her say those words again.