Three weeks later...
In the suffocating stillness of Hiraya's mind, voices drifted like smoke—disjointed, distant and layered with echoes that made them feel both near and impossibly far.
Strange voice curled around her–some soft and endearing, others sharp and antagonising– each one tugging at the edges of her fading consciousness.
She could hear the voices of people jeering, Damian calling, the lone voice of a woman pleading, her late mother's voice screaming, and an infant crying.
Then came darkness, pulsing around her like a living thing. It felt thick, suffocating and endless, pressing against her and pulling her under.
Hiraya fought with all her strength to rise, and reach for the speck of bright light at the surface. But every movement felt like swimming through tar—slow, heavy, and futile.
Suddenly, out of the darkness appeared a figure– a young woman. She shone like mist caught in moonlight—tall, ethereal, and impossibly still.
Her ginger red hair floated around her like embers suspended in water, soft waves glowing faintly against the pure white of her flowing gown.
Her fabric shimmered with every step she took, moving without weight, defying gravity.
On her right arm was a peacefully sleeping infant cradled affectionately to her chest, its radiant pinkish body a stark contrast to the mother's pale skin.
The woman's emerald green eyes–bright, mournful and unblinking—locked onto Hiraya.
"Take my hand." The woman said reaching out, her hand pale and cold.
Her touch wasn't warm. It was memory, grief, and the stubborn spark of life, reaching across the veil to pull her soul back.
Hiraya felt herself floating, her eyes widened with both fear and wonder.
The woman smiled, a single glistening tear fell from her eyes and touched the sleeping infant, causing him to stir a little.
"Take care of our child and love him for all eternity." The woman's voice echoed like the soft whispering of the wind as she placed the child into Hiraya's open arms before disappearing into the shadows.
As the infant tender body touched Hiraya's cold skin, he opened those gleaming golden ears and let out a piercing cry that shook Hiraya to the core.
*
*
*
The silence in the intensive care unit was shattered with a sudden, piercing beep.
Monitors flared to life, flashing in rapid pulses as alarms blared in urgent rhythm.
In a heartbeat, the room flooded with movement, voices sharp and shoes squeaking against the tiled floor.
The doctor snapped to attention, voice hard and clipped.
"The patient is going into shock. Quickly, get the crash cart." He barked, already standing by her bedside.
"On it doc." A male nurse swung into action.
"Start the IV wide bore. I want fluids running in her system, immediately."
Another nurse was already at his side, hands shaking slightly but trained as she carried out the doctor's instructions.
"She's not responding doctor." The nurse slightly tapped the patient's wrist to palpate the vein.
The doctor frowned as the heart monitor flatlined, filling the slightly chaotic room with a chilling beep sound.
"She's crashing! Quickly, clear the airway and get me the defibrillator paddles, now." He barked, beads of cold sweat crowding his forehead.
A nurse wheeled the crash cart into place, opening the top drawer with a practised hand.
The doctor hurriedly grabbed the paddles, shouting over the rising noise.
"Charging to 200..."
As the machine began its shrill buildup the doctor smeared conductive gel across the paddles, the cold substance glistening under the lights.
"Clear!"
Everyone stepped back as the doctor pressed the paddles to Carmelita's chest.
Her body jolted violently, then fell limply.
"Come on, Carmelita..." One of the nurse's eyes was already moist with tears, as she recalled how this dead pregnant woman miraculously came back to life some weeks ago.
"Again—charge to 300...Let's go..." The doctor screamed above the commotion.
"Clear!"
The second jolt arced through her.
There was a silent pause as everyone held their breath.
A flicker and then a blip.
Slowly but steadily, the normal beep… beep… beep... motion returned.
The doctor exhaled, wiping his brow on his sleeve.
"Keep monitoring her vitals and don't let her slip again." He instructed the female nurse on duty.
"Yes, doctor." The nurse nodded, eyes lowered in guilt.
"Also, I want a regular and Doppler ultrasound scan on my table in the next hour." The doctor said, before exiting the room to contact Kendrick Silva.
-
-
Over the next couple of days, Hiraya, now in the body of Carmelita attained a speedy recovery that left the doctors and nurses amazed.
On the fifth day after the comatic shock, at exactly 10:45 P.M., Hiraya woke up with a gasp—sharp and ragged, like someone surfacing from the bottom of a dark sea.
Her eyes darted around the room, wide and wild, unsure whether the light above her was salvation or interrogation.
But as her gaze adjusted to the sterile environment and the combined smell of antiseptic and disinfectant, she realized she was inside a hospital room.
Her fingers twitched, foreign yet familiar, as if they belonged to someone else… yet they remembered her touch.
Panic flickered in her chest, not because she didn't know who she was, but because she knew too much, way beyond her imagination.
Memories flooded her mind in tangled waves, the harsh laughter of a man, a woman cursing and hitting her, a freckled-faced girl taunting her, calling her a bastard, a luxury estate, a wedding night, a man hitting her, an accusation of infidelity, an accident, a suicide and a single name– Carmelita.
The memory just kept pouring in, saturating her mind. Her heart knew names her lips had never spoken, places she had never been to and people she had never seen in her entire life.
She moistened her dry lips as she pressed her trembling palm against her face, hoping to feel her old skin, but it felt different, softer and very fragile.
Her breathing became heavy, as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She hurriedly pulled out all the wires taped to her skin, ignoring the shrill cries of different beeping devices.
Suddenly, the door to the hospital room was thrown open, and a chubby-looking nurse in her immaculate white uniform came running in, her eyes wide with panic.
"Miss Carmelita, please you need to remain in bed. It is important for your recovery and that of the baby." The nurse said, muting the screaming machines to avoid waking other patients.
"Carmelita! Baby!" Hiraya's cold gaze narrowed at the nurse.
When the nurse attempted to touch her bleeding wrist, where she had forcefully pulled out the cannula, Hiraya impulsively grabbed her by the neck, almost choking the life out of her.
"Who the f*ck is Carmelita and what baby are you talking about?" Hiraya's voice came out hoarse and half-recognised.
The nurse panicked, thinking the patient had gone insane. She reached for the red alarm button by the bed head, but Hiraya beat her to it.
"You had better answer my question before I snap your neck." She warned, releasing her grip a little to allow the nurse to speak.
"You are Miss Carmelita and you are nine weeks pregnant." The nurse's voice trembled.
"What!" Hiraya's breath hitched.
"I swear."
Hiraya contemplated briefly and said in a softer voice, releasing her hold on the nurse's neck. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." The nurse forced a smile, massaging her hurting neck.
"Please forgive me." Hiraya continued her expression unreadable.
"What for?" The nurse was slightly confused.
"For this." In one swift move, Hiraya struck the nurse on a pressure point and quickly caught her before she could slump on the tiled floor. She gently placed the snoring nurse on the bed and quickly secured the door to prevent any more surprises.
After arresting her bleeding wrist and switching places with the nurse, Hiraya quietly snuck out of the hospital room.