The next morning, Saturday, the sun's rays flashed into the hospital room as Tina gently touched and played with her mom's hair. She had woken up to find her mom lying beside her.
"Mom," she gently called, waking her from her sleep.
Mrs. Martin woke up, unable to believe her eyes. She immediately hugged her into her arms, kissing her forehead and cheeks.
"You're finally up, Titi! I've waited so long for you. I missed you. Do you feel pain anywhere? Are you hurt?" Tears fell from her eyes.
"No, Mum, I'm fine. You can call the doctor, just to make sure I'm properly okay. I'm so sorry for keeping you this long." Tina apologized, imagining the pain and fear her mom must have experienced, thinking she was going to die.
"It's okay, my love. The most important thing here is that you're alive. I'll call the doctor now." Mrs. Martin ran outside the room, and within a few minutes, the doctor came in to check her vital signs.
"Her vital signs are normal, but I'll prepare a list of tests to run on her. The nurse will inform you in a few minutes."
"Okay, doctor, thank you very much," Tina's mom replied, holding her daughter's right hand to her chest.
While kissing her, Tina replied gratefully, "Thank you, doctor." Mrs. Martins stood up, inspecting every part of her body for signs of injury, despite Tina's refusal, claiming she was okay and had no pain. After a few minutes, Nancy walked in. It was the weekend, and of course, she had no school.
"Tinaaaaa!" she called, surprised. "Oh my God, you're finally awake! I missed you so much!" She ran over to her, forgetting to greet her mom. "Can I hug you just for a second?"
"Sure, why not? I'm okay now," Tina replied, freeing her arms. She also missed her.
"She keeps saying she's fine, but I don't believe her, so I'm checking her body for any signs of pressure ulcers or other injuries. She can be secretive at times," her mom complained, raising Tina's hospital gown above her thighs.
"Mum, please stop already! Someone might walk in on us. I don't want anyone seeing me naked," Tina said, feeling embarrassed. Nancy, on the other hand, stayed back, holding in her laughter. She knew how protective Tina's mom was and that she wouldn't feel satisfied until she was sure her daughter was physically and mentally fine, so she felt no need to stop her mom from checking.
After inspecting her body, Mrs. Martin took a deep breath, feeling relaxed. "Now I know you're okay. I'll go and see the nurse, then go home to cook something for you. I brought soup yesterday but didn't wake up, so I gave it to William." Thinking of William, she turned to Nancy. "Please can you inform William that Tina is awake now? I promised to tell him yesterday so he wouldn't be worried."
"Okay, Aunt. I will," Nancy replied, bidding them goodbye.
After leaving, Nancy took out her phone and passed the message to William. "What happened? Why was William here?" Tina finally asked, getting the chance to speak.
Nancy widened her eyes in shock. "Wait, you don't remember?"
"I didn't say I don't remember. I remember going on the trip to Kribi Valley and being pushed down, but William—how did he get into the picture?" Tina said, recalling being pushed down the valley. Nancy silently rejoiced that Tina could actually remember the incident.
"Who pushed you, Tina?" Nancy asked, her curiosity piqued. She desperately wanted to know who had pushed Tina so that the person could be arrested and punished.
"It was Lilian. She pushed me down the valley. She said she always waited for the opportunity to have my fate in her hands. I was so scared. I thought I was going to die," Tina explained.
Nancy stood up, embracing her and resting her head on her chest. "It's okay. You're safe now. She is definitely going to be punished for putting you through all of this. The most important thing now is your recovery."
Tina nodded her head, the memories of the event still fresh in her mind. After a few minutes, her mind wandered back to William. The tension that had been in the air earlier was now fading.
"And about William? Why is he here, and why does my mom seem so happy just talking about him?"
"I think your mom is just happy. I mean, who wouldn't be happy? When you went missing, William was the one who notified us about you being unreachable. It turns out he tried calling your phone several times, so he reached out to the professor, and that's how we knew you were missing."
"The teacher separated us into groups, and you were with Lilian, so all along, I knew you were okay, until the call from William came. We searched for you everywhere but couldn't find you, and then, in a few minutes, there were helicopters flying over the valley searching for you. It was dark, but you can't guess the craziest thing that happened," Nancy continued, Tina becoming more anxious with every word.
"One of the helicopters landed, and William walked out of it with some soldiers. The professor wasn't giving much emphasis on the situation, but when he arrived, you could see the anger on his face as he"