"Ate! Ate!"
Samantha shook Ayisha's shoulder.
Ayisha groaned and pulled the blanket over her head.
"Ano ba?" she mumbled. "Pagod yung tao. Mamaya may pasok pa ako."
"Ate, si Mama!"
The irritation vanished instantly.
Ayisha sat upright.
"What happened?"
"The doctor has been trying to call you."
Ayisha frowned.
"But my phone is—"
She stopped.
Her eyes widened.
The Do Not Disturb setting.
The one she had turned on after seeing Simon's messages yesterday.
"Fuck."
She grabbed her phone from the bedside table.
The screen lit up.
Missed calls.
Messages.
More missed calls.
Her stomach dropped.
"Sam, stay here."
She hurriedly dialed Simon's number while pulling clothes from her closet.
The call connected almost immediately.
"Ayisha—"
"Simon, I need to get to the hospital. Now."
She pinned the phone between her shoulder and cheek while changing.
"I'll be there," Simon replied without hesitation.
The call ended.
Ayisha quickly finished dressing.
Behind her, Samantha twisted her fingers together.
"How did you know something was wrong?" Ayisha asked while putting on her shoes.
"I asked for the doctor's number before."
Ayisha paused.
Samantha looked down.
"In case you were busy at work."
A pang of guilt hit her chest.
"The doctor called me earlier. He said you needed to be there as soon as possible."
"What else did he say?"
Samantha shook her head.
"Nothing."
A loud knock echoed through the apartment.
Ayisha grabbed her helmet.
"Stay inside."
"I will."
Before leaving, she squeezed Samantha's shoulder.
Then she rushed out.
---
Simon was already waiting outside.
The moment she climbed onto the motorcycle, he started the engine.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
The morning traffic blurred past them.
Finally, Simon broke the silence.
"Why didn't you check your messages?"
Ayisha tightened her grip on the helmet.
"I was busy."
A beat passed.
"What did the doctor say?"
Simon hesitated.
"He said he needed to talk to you."
Her stomach twisted.
The feeling only grew stronger.
---
The moment they arrived, Ayisha jumped off the motorcycle.
She didn't wait.
She ran.
Through the entrance.
Past the reception desk.
Down the familiar hallway she had walked hundreds of times before.
Her mother's room came into view.
She pushed the door open.
The bed was occupied.
But not by Maricel.
A stranger lay there.
Ayisha froze.
For a second, her brain refused to understand what she was seeing.
Then she stepped back into the hallway.
A nurse happened to be passing by.
"Nurse."
Her voice shook.
"Nurse, nasaan po yung mama ko? Maricel Dela Cruz."
The nurse's expression changed immediately.
A look she recognized.
A look she had seen people wear before delivering bad news.
"Ma'am..."
The nurse lowered his gaze.
"Nailipat na po siya."
"Nailipat saan?"
The nurse hesitated.
Then quietly answered.
"Sa morgue po."
The world stopped.
Ayisha stared at him.
"Morgue?"
The word felt foreign in her mouth.
"Morgue?"
The nurse nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry, ma'am."
The apology barely registered.
Ayisha took a step back.
Then another.
Her breathing became uneven.
"No."
Her voice was barely audible.
"No."
The nurse said something else.
She didn't hear it.
All she heard was the word.
Morgue.
As if repeating it enough times would somehow make it stop being real.
"Ayisha."
Simon had caught up to her.
She turned toward him.
Her eyes were already filled with tears.
"You knew?"
The question came out broken.
Simon looked down.
For a moment, he couldn't answer.
The silence told her enough.
"You knew."
His jaw tightened.
"The hospital contacted me after they couldn't reach you."
A bitter laugh escaped her.
"So what?"
She shook her head.
"You're saying this is my fault?"
"No."
Simon stepped closer.
"No, Ayisha."
"I'm not saying that."
Her vision blurred.
"Then why?"
Her voice cracked.
"I talked to her yesterday."
The tears finally spilled over.
"She sounded fine."
Simon didn't know what to say.
Because there was nothing he could say.
Nothing that would make this better.
Nothing that would make it hurt less.
"I talked to her yesterday."
The words came out as a whisper.
As if saying them quietly might somehow change reality.
Simon carefully reached for her arm.
Not to stop her.
Not to pull her closer.
Just to make sure she didn't collapse.