Jay's POV
The room was too quiet.
Suspiciously quiet.
And not the awkward, tense kind either.
The kind that comes right before chaos.
Then my foot hit the floor.
And the chaos delivered.
"BROOOOO—SHE'S WALKING!" Mayo practically screamed, like he just witnessed a miracle touchdown at the last second of a championship.
Before I could even register how solid the ground felt beneath me, Mayo tackled me in a bear hug. I stumbled but didn't fall. The walker the nurse made me try caught my weight. My legs wobbled. My breath shook. But I was up.
I was walking.
It wasn't perfect. It wasn't painless. But it was real.
"I TOLD Y'ALL!" Felix yelled, fist-pumping like he won a million pesos. "Jay would be walking by discharge—PAY UP!"
"WE'RE NOT BETTING ON HER SPINAL CORD, YOU MONKEY!," Yuri shouted, but he was grinning, arms up like the world just made sense again.
"JAY, YOU ABSOLUTE LEGEND," Eren shrieked, grabbing Kit and spinning him like a DJ at a rave. "YOU'RE SLAYING MORE THAN MY GPA."
"Why is no one recording this?" Calix muttered, already yanking his phone out like he was TMZ.
"Bro, I've been livestreaming since her toes twitched," Kit said coolly, flashing a grin. "The secret GC is crying, bro."
"YOU WHAT?" I gaped, completely flustered.
"JAY'S WALKING! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!" Eman shouted, practically shaking Blaster by the shoulders.
"I'm literally gonna cry," Cin muttered under his breath while pretending to sip iced coffee, but the crack in his voice gave him away.
"You did cry," Drew pointed out.
"Shut up."
"Bro," Rory said, wide-eyed, holding a hand to his chest. "I feel like I just watched history. Jay walking is the event of the decade."
"You deserve this," Blaster said, his usual cool exterior cracked with a proud smile. "We've all been waiting."
I didn't even realize I was crying until Edrix dropped dramatically to one knee, hand on his chest. "Permission to hug the queen of comebacks?"
I choked out a laugh. "Permission granted."
And then it was a mess. Of hugs. Shouts. Someone yelling "Group pic!" Someone tripping over an IV cord. I was still standing, still crying, still trying to believe it.
Then. Josh. Denzel. David. All of them came in one by one. Not loud. Not wild. Just soft grins, shoulder claps, knuckle taps, whispered "we're proud of you!"I couldn't stop the tears if I tried.
But nothing—nothing hit me harder than when Aries stepped into the room.
My Kuya. The one who never cried, never wavered, never showed fear.
Until now.
He froze in the doorway, like time forgot how to move. "No way," he whispered. "Jay… are you—?"
I nodded, my voice catching. "I am."
And in a flash, I was wrapped in the fiercest hug of my life.
"You scared the hell out of me," Aries murmured, voice thick. "I've never prayed harder in my life. You've always been strong but this? Jay, this is something else."
I held on to him like I was five again. "I was scared too."
He kissed the top of my head. "But you fought. And you made it."
"I wouldn't go that far," Percy said, stepping in with a grin, trying to act chill even as his eyes shimmered. "Still my annoying little sister."
"Still cuter than you," I shot back, sniffling.
"Debatable, I'm just more handsome." he said, pulling me into a hug anyway. "I'm proud of you, pretty sista."
And then—Kuya Angelo.
He didn't say anything at first. Just stood there, eyes locked on me like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The man who always had answers. Who always kept it together.
Now he looked like he was barely breathing.
I took one shaky step toward him. Then another.
And when I reached him, I didn't say a word. I just wrapped my arms around him.
He held me tight.
"I knew you'd do it," he said softly. "I never stopped believing in you."
"Thank you," I whispered into his chest. "For everything."
Later That Afternoon – Discharge
The room was nearly empty now. Balloons deflated. Bags packed. The nurse had just signed off my release forms.
I was leaving.
But I wasn't the same girl who'd come in weeks ago.
"Kuya, you'll text when you land, right?" I asked as Angelo zipped up my last bag.
"Of course," he said. "But about that. I won't be going home with you. I've got a sudden meeting in Singapore first thing tomorrow. For Fer-corp."
"Oh." My heart dropped a little. "That's okay. I understand."
"Aries said he'll take you home," he added.
"Actually—" a voice cut in from the doorway.
A voice I knew like a second heartbeat.
Keifer.
"I'm taking her home."
I turned and saw him. Standing there in his usual rolled sleeves, a plastic bag of snacks in one hand, determination in his eyes. He looked like a man who wasn't taking no for an answer.
Aries raised an eyebrow. "I'm her brother. I will take her."
"I'm her future husband so yah," Keifer said simply. "She's coming home with me."
My heart flipped. Aries looked at me, like really looked.
I didn't say anything.
But my face must've said enough.
He sighed, defeated. "Fine. But you better drive slow and bring her HOME and also I swear, if you do something else."
Keifer gave him a half smile. "Don't worry."
In the Car
The silence was soft.
The kind of quiet you don't want to break. Keifer's hand rested near the gear shift. I traced circles on my jeans. The sky outside was cotton-candy pink, like the universe knew something was shifting too.
"Keifer?" I said softly.
"Hmm?" He glanced at me.
I bit my lip. My fingers fidgeted. "Can I say something?"
His eyes met mine, gentle. "You can always say something."
I swallowed. "I, um… I want us to date."
The words rushed out like a balloon popping.
Keifer blinked. "What?"
I panicked. "Only if you still want to! You don't have to—I just… I didn't want to wait anymore and regret not saying anything and I know it's messy and—"
He didn't let me finish.
Because he was already kissing me.
It was slow but sure. Warm but intense. Not like the forehead kisses, not like the goodbye pecks. This one was different. This one meant something.
This one was something.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. "Do I still want to?" he whispered. "Jay, I've only wanted you. Since the day we met."
I blinked through blurry eyes. "You're not mad I waited so long?"
He smiled, brushing my cheek with his thumb. "I'd wait forever for you. But I'm glad I don't have to."
I smiled. "I'm choosing you now."
His hand found mine.
And outside the hospital, with the city moving on like nothing had changed—
Everything had.
Finally we are together.