Part XI – Love Ever After (In Filipino "Tagalog" dialect)

When Damon arrived in the US, the first thing he did was dial Stephanie’s number. Still it was out of coverage area.  Halos hindi nya na mabilang kung ilang beses nyang tinawagan si Stephanie.  Parating unattended ang kanyang telepono. Wala rin sya sa bahay nila or sa Hospital.  He felt irritated...how stubborn can this woman get.

Damon’s calls were all refused, sa hospital, sa bahay, even her personal number was already changed.  The flowers he sent her were all returned.  Damon couldn’t connect this situation to what transpired that night at Marco Polo Hotel.

He stayed for two weeks to make sure that his brother recovered well from the accident.  Thank God Alfred was able to go home in fair condition.

Now, he has to come up with a plan.  Think Damon. If you can’t talk to her to tell her that you love her and want to marry her and that you are not married like what she’s thinking, then how the f*Ck will she know all that!  When all your calls are refused!  Nag aalburuto nang utak ni Damon.

Then a person popped on his mind... Maybe her best friend can help. After that unfortunate incident with Jamie at Marco Polo, he made a background check.  He found out everything he had to know about him.  He felt guilty for punching Stephanie’s best friend because of jealousy.

Tuason Medical Center, Davao City

Steph was assigned at the emergency room for a twenty for hour shift.  As a surgery doctor, she was the one to receive all vehicular accident patients.

It was a very benign hour when the 911 ambulance echoed and stopped at the emergency room entrance.  A man was brought to the treatment room.

Steph went straight to the treatment room to assess the patient but she was shocked to see who it was.

“Damon?!.. Look at me... Damon!” 
          

The man wasn’t responding. Panic struck her.  She was a doctor and she shouldn’t feel this way. But this situation is different.  Her memories of him on the hospital bed came back to her.  Oh God help me!.  She felt like she didn’t know what to do first.  There was blood all over his face and chest.

“I need someone to take his vital signs!  Nurse!  Please call Dr.Mendez to assist me, hurry up please”.  She couldn’t control her tears from falling.

“Damon!  Please open your eyes!” She checked for his pupils, thank God it wasn’t dilated.

“Please don’t die... Don’t leave me!  Where is Dr. Mendez?!”  Napasigaw na ito.

Steph was holding his hand... She kissed it, didn’t care about what other staff might think.  She touched his face... he still had a good pulse.  But she still couldn’t tell where his other injuries were except for the head which she is sure of since an elastic bandage was wrapped on it and he was unconscious when he arrived.

“Nurse, his blood pressure?” she wanted to make sure.

“His BP is already 40 palpatory, doc.”

“I’ll start an IV, please prepare Dopamine... and I need a cardiac monitor please. No Damon, wag kang ganyan... sweetheart, it’s me Stephanie, wake up please.” Halos idikit na ni Steph ang mukha nya kay Damon.

“Damon, I love you.  Don’t leave me please.” Napahagulgul na ito.

Nanginginig ang mga kamay ni Stephanie habang naghahanap ng ugat ni Damon for IV access, when Dr. Jake Mendez arrived.

“Steph, let me take over.” Pagkalma ni Dr. Mendez sa kanya.

“No, I don’t want to leave him... Jake, he needs to live, he is my life.” Sabay yakap nito kay Damon habang umiiyak.

Steph froze when Damon wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

“I love you more sweetheart” pagkumpirma nito.

“What?” Umangat si Steph at tumingin kay Damon.

Nginitian sya ng pagkatamis-tamis ni Damon. “I love you too sweetheart.”

Natulala si Steph... nag ayos ng tayo at lumabas ng treatment room.  Habang  tumatakbo ito palayo ng emergency room ay sinalubong sya ni Jamie.

“Steph! Wait up!”

“Jamie! Thank God you’re here... I think I’m going crazy.”


“Sshhh... I know, but that’s the only plan we could think para lang umamin ka.”

“We?  What do you mean we?  No, you’re my best friend at nakikonchaba ka sa kanya?  How could you?”

“I wanted to help the two of you Steph, you both deserve to be happy.”

Both stopped talking when the paging system started to talk.  It was Damon on the microphone.

“Stephanie, wherever you are, I want you to know that I love you very much and I want to make it clear that I AM NOT MARRIED... I am a single man who is in deep love with you and want to spend the rest of his life with you...Please marry me Dr. Sephanie Tuazon.

She cried in disbelief of what Damon said.  She hugged Jamie.

“Is it true?”  All along, he wasn’t really married?  But who’s Megan?  And Abbie?”

“Megan is my brother’s wife and Abbie is my niece.”  Sagot ni Damon na nasa likuran niya.

Lumingon si Stephanie na umiiyak parin.

“I’ll leave you two to talk” Singit ni Jamie.

“Thank you, Jam.” Nakipagkamay si Damon kay Jam..

Lumapit si Damon sa kanya.  Hinawakan ang mga kamay nya at hinalikan pareho.

“I hate you.” Mahinang bigkas ni Steph habang nakatingin sa kanilang mga kamay.

“I love you” Sagot ni Damon.

“I really hate you.” Inulit ni Steph.

“I love you all the more.” Panay ang halik ni Damon sa kanyang mga kamay.  Sabay luhod sa kanyang harapan.

“Dr. Queen Stephanie Rodriguez Tuason? I promise not to do that again and be a loving husband and father to you and our kids.  I promise to love you and take care of you as long as I live... Will you marry me?” Pagkatapos ay binuksan ni Damon ang isang small black box na naglalaman ng pink diamond in a platinum ring.

Muling pumatak ang mga luha ni Steph at lumuhod rin sa harap ni Damon.

“Like I said, I’m all yours Damon... Yes I will marry you.”

Mahigpit silang nagyakapan.  They stayed like that for minutes.  Thanks to Jamie who made sure na wala munang magagawi sa parteng iyon ng hospital.

On that same day, Damon and Stephanie got married in a small chapel at Tuazon Medical Center.  Saksi ang lahat ng mga kasama nyang doctor at nurses and Stephanie’s Family of course.

Syempre, their grand wedding will follow soon, dahil hindi makakapayag si Senyora Carmella na walang engrandeng kasal na magaganap para sa kanyang unica hija at para makadalo narin ang pamilya ni Damon.

After the grand wedding, they had their honeymoon at a private beach resort in the Carribean..

“I can’t believe I’m Mrs. Stephanie Samuel now.”  She made a sigh while looking at the sunrise.

“I never dreamt for my dream to come true, but you are the living proof of it, come here sweetheart.”

They kissed and hugged while the sun slowly rose.

“I love you Damon.”

“Hhmmm...You are my life sweetheart.  Kaya wag na wag ka nang mawawalang muli, mangako ka, I love you too.”

She giggled. “I Promise.”

And it was love ever after.

THE END

Previous: Part X - Facing The Odds