As I turned the corner, Ju-ju was standing there, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and I sighed, knowing what's coming. "You heard, didn't you?" I asked him in defeat and he straightened up from his pose and opened his arms, offering a hug and I smiled weakly at him, accepting it. I buried my head in his chest and breathed in his cologne shakily. "He was such a different guy from a few days back, Ju," I whispered while pressing my forehead on his chest as he held me. "I know, Ky. I know," He whispered in my ear.
I was about to say something when suddenly a nurse rushed past us and ran frantically towards the direction of Irene's room. We both snapped our heads towards the running woman and I prayed in my head for her to turn a corner or a room. Anything to get her away from Irene's room but it seems like the Gods were too eager to do something else than listen to my prayers.
Like taking an angel to accompany him in Heaven.
Cold dread wash over me and I looked at Ju-ju before rushing after the lady with Ju-ju on my heels. "Please turn the other way. The other way, woman. The other way. Please skip her door. Please skip her door." I chanted under my breath but none of my wishes seemed to be granted today.
The nurse bolted into Irene's room and I pushed my legs to go faster, kicking the door open. I looked at Vince who was frantically screaming at the other guys and Benny were cowering behind Ray, staring at Irene's pale and once again unconscious form. Aunt Amy and Uncle Sean were standing there and Irene's mother had tears streaming down her face and was acting much more protective and frantic than Vince is and that was saying much.
"Do something!" Vince yelled at the woman and she flinched but didn't cower away. She approached Irene's limp form and checked for her heartbeat and in quick strides, has got a hold on the handle behind the bed on rollers. She got help from Matt and Vince in maneuvering Irene to the other bed. "Come on, we need to get her to the emergency room," she ushered and I don't believe I have seen anyone run faster than Vince that day. He pushed the rollers and ran so fast that he arrived to the room the nurse directed in fourteen seconds flat.
"Someone help her!" He exclaimed in urgency and doctors and nurses came rushing and took control from there, ushering the rest of us to get out and they guys had to literally drag a kicking and punching Vince out of there. "Dude, calm down. You panicking won't get her out of there! Just breath man, breath." His brother coached him and I watched as his breathing gradually evened out. "What happened? She was perfectly fine when I left," my voice sounded foreign even to myself and Ju-ju hugged me to his side and all I could do was rest my head on his broad shoulder.
"She was doing perfectly fine too, she talked about Avengers with Benny and Uncle Sean and Aunt Amy came in and they talked a bit but then she told us that her head felt light and was spinning. She started telling us that she can't hear anything and I immediately pressed the red button for the nurse and then you guys came." Vince explained to me and I breathed out a shaky breath. I turned my face and pressed my forehead onto Ju-ju's shoulder, whimpering lightly and causing him to rub my arm and draw circles to soothe me.
"Come one, we should sit down. We're blocking the hallway," Ray said aloud and guided all of us to the lounge. "This is ridiculous! She just woke up!" Ray yelled out into the room as the door clicked shut. I sighed as I tried holding in a sob while stuffing my mouth lightly with my knuckles.
We waited for an hour. Just fretting over this and that and try to busy ourselves which is very hard since we can't really find anything to help ourselves with. Finally, about some time later, a nurse approached us and asked for Irene's mother. We all looked at her in expectation, heart in our throats and almost as soon as she shook her head with remorse in her eyes, everyone broke down.
I could've sworn I heard something crumbling down and I knew then that my world fell apart. I sobbed quietly as Ju-ju held me in his arms, trying to support me since my knees went weak ages ago. Vince was in a state much worse than I am and if my legs weren't acting like useless limbs, I would've ran to him and cried with him. Just like what they all say, "If you can't beat them, befriend them" but in this case, it's more of a "If you can't help them, join them."
I still couldn't process that Irene, the sweet and cheerful girl I've grown up with, has finally reached Heaven.
I stood there, numb and frozen.
Irene's dead.