"Ninang!" Jamie escaped from the officer's embrace and ran towards Aika.

"Sweetie, wait! Can you stay there for me? Ninang will come over to you, okay?" Aika stopped Jamie, not wanting her to see Nat all bloody and fainted. Jamie nodded as she stood still.

"Ma'am, you need to get your own injury checked out as well..." The paramedics attending to Nat were worried about Aika's cut on the neck.

"Let me go get Jamie first..." Aika ignored the stinging pain in her neck and headed over to Jamie.

"Ninang...is Daddy okay?" Jamie tried to peek but Aika had blocked it with her body.

"Daddy's going to be okay, sweetie. Are you okay? Are you injured anywhere?" Aika assured Jamie as she checked Jamie's body for injuries. Thank goodness Jamie was fine except for the slight marks on her wrist and ankles from the ropes.

"Ninang...does your neck hurt?" Jamie pointed to the cut on Aika's neck worriedly.

"Ninang's okay sweetie. Ninang has to go with Daddy to the hospital so can you be a good girl and stay with Mummy? I'll call tita Tricia and tita Jill to come sit with you, okay?" Aika hugged Jamie tight and pressed a kiss on her forehead, just like Nat had done so before this.

"Can you tell Daddy that I love him?" Jamie looked at Aika with her moist eyes.

"You can tell that to him when he wakes up, sweetie." Aika wiped Jamie's tears away before handing her back to the officer.

"Ma'am, we need to clean your wound before it gets infected..." Aika felt the sting from the antiseptic touching her wound but ignored it...Nat was probably in much more pain.

"Magiging okay ba siya?" Aika managed to collect herself and ask the paramedic.

"The knife managed to avoid any of his vital organs and we've suppressed the bleeding for now. But he'll still need surgery and see what the doctor says..." The paramedic bit his lip.

~

"Ate!" Tricia and Jill hugged Aika, who had been pacing up and down outside the OR.

"Patty, is Nat going to be okay?" Aika grabbed Tricia's hand.

"As long as the vital organs aren't injured and the doctor manages to stop the bleeding, kuya should be fine..." Tricia had gotten a quick run-down from a nurse.

"Do you want to call kuya's family?" Jill offered Aika her phone. Jill and Tricia held Aika's hand as she broke the news to Alice and Kevin.

"What did they say?" Tricia asked after Aika ended the call.

"Auntie is booking the next flight. Uncle and Karine are most likely to follow suit..." Aika closed her eyes to stop herself from crying.

"Kuya magiging okay...He will be fine..." Jill hugged her Ate tight.

"Jamie...is she okay? What about Aly?" Aika was concerned.

"Jamie's okay for now. She fell asleep. Ate Aly is with her." Tricia and Jill had checked up on them before coming over. It was 3am in the morning and sleep was probably the best option for Jamie.

"How long more will it take, Patty?" Aika's tried to remain level-headed but worry clouded out the rationale thoughts.

"Hopefully less than 30 minutes..." Tricia assured her Ate.

"Family of Nathaniel Lee?" The doctor called out as he undid his mask.

"I'm his girlfriend. Okay siya ka ba, Doctor?" Aika held her breath.

"He's safe. We managed to stop the bleeding and thankfully, none of his vital organs have been injured. We'll keep him under observation and check in again when he wakes up." The doctor gave Aika a small nod.

"Thank you, Doctor..." Aika let out her held breath.

"Ate!" Tricia and Jill caught Aika as her legs gave way. Aika had been holding up and now that Nat was safe, the pent up emotions had overflowed.

~

"Ninang..." Jamie was holding Aika's hand and calling out to her.

"Sweetheart?" Aika was blinded by the bright white lights as she opened her eyes. She closed them back instinctively until she heard Jamie's voice again.

"Ninang...can you hear me?" Jamie slid her tiny hand into Aika's.

"Hey sweetheart..." Aika sat herself up, only to realise that she was in a hospital gown and had an IV drip on her left hand.

"I thought you weren't going to wake up..." Jamie was tearing up.

"Shh....Ninang is okay. I won't go anywhere..." Aika picked Jamie up and placed the girl on her lap to comfort her.

"Ninang...when is Daddy waking up?" Jamie looked up at Aika.

"I don't know, sweetheart. I want your Daddy to wake up quickly too..." Aika knew she couldn't show her worry in front of Jamie.

"Ate...how are you feeling?" Aly knocked and entered the ward.

"I'm good...how about you? Are you injured?" Aika did a quick scan of Aly.

"I'm unscathed. Marco didn't touch me at all." Aly smiled as she approached Aika and Jamie.

"Thank you Aly. For putting yourself at risk." Aika remembered how Aly had convinced Marco right before the police appeared.

"I didn't do anything, Ate. In fact, I'm sorry..." Aly bowed her head.

"What for?" Aika was confused.

"I was the cause of everything. If I didn't tell Marco about Jamie, didn't divorce Marco and didn't continue pinning for Nat, all these wouldn't have happened. You, Nat and Jamie wouldn't have gotten hurt either..." Aly was trembling with guilt.

"It's not your fault, Aly. None of it was and will ever be your fault." Aika held Aly's hand. Jamie followed suit upon seeing Aly cry.

"I'm sorry..." Aly repeated as Aika pulled the younger girl into a hug.

"It's okay, Aly...it's okay..." Aika stroked Aly's back gently. Aika never once had a negative thought about Aly.

"Can we go see Daddy?" Jamie missed Nat.

"Of course we can...maybe he'll wake up faster after hearing your voice and seeing your face." Aika smiled at Jamie.

"The doctor just came to check on kuya...He should be waking up soon." Tricia and Stephen were in the ward.

"How long has it been?" Aika's watch had ran out of battery.

"It's 1pm now so about 6-7 hours..." Tricia handed Aika her phone, which she'd kept for her.

"Where's Jill?" Aika looked around.

"Jill and mama went to pick up kuya's parents and sister from the airport. They'll head here straightaway." Jill had left two hours ago.

"Tita Tricia...is Daddy okay?" Jamie tugged at Tricia's shirt.

"Sweetie, your Daddy's doctor said that he should be waking up soon. How about we give him a little more time?" Tricia knelt down next to Jamie.

"If you're a doctor, can't you make him wake up quickly? Please, tita..." Jamie grabbed Tricia's hands.

"I'm sorry, sweetie but your Daddy has to wake up by himself..." Tricia was equally helpless.

"Do you want to talk to Daddy? He can still hear you..." Tricia suggested.

"Daddy, it's Jamie. I miss you, can you please wake up quickly?" Jamie was sitting next to Nat on his bed.

"I'm sure Daddy wants to see you too, sweetie...but he's a little tired now so shall we let him sleep for a while more?" Aika explained to Jamie.

"Baby, do you want to go and grab something to eat with Mummy?" Aly offered to bring Jamie out for some food. Neither of them had eaten since yesterday.

"I want to stay here with Daddy and ninang..." Jamie refused.

"Sweetheart, how about you go eat something with your Mummy first, so when Daddy wakes up, you'll have energy to talk to him? Daddy will be worried of Jamie goes hungry, right?" Aika convinced Jamie to go with Aly.

"Jill texted to say that they're reaching in 15 minutes." Tricia checked her phone.

~

"Dasao!" Karine pulled Aika into a hug as soon as she saw her.

"Glad to see you, Karine...although I wish it was under better circumstances..." Aika greeted Karine with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry Uncle and Auntie...Nat ended up like this because of me..." Aika bowed in front of Kevin and Alice.

"Nonsense, it's not your fault at all. Don't think that way..." Alice shook her head.

"Are you okay? What about Jamie?" Kevin saw the bandage on Aika's neck.

"Thankfully, Jamie isn't hurt. She's with Aly grabbing a bite..." Aika assured Kevin.

"Nat, we're all here. You better wake up and stop sleeping." Karine poked her brother gently.

"The doctor mentioned that kuya should be waking up soon." Tricia assured the Lees.

"You must be Jesse's middle child, Tricia?" Kevin offered a handshake to Tricia.

"Yes sir, nice to meet you in person." Tricia took the handshake respectfully.

"Call me Uncle like Aika does. You've grown a lot since I last saw you in 2012. So has Jillian." Kevin looked at both of the younger girls.

"Uh oh...what's happening? Why is the machine beeping!" Karine cried as the heart rate machine went hysteric.

"Jill! Call the doctor!" Tricia instructed as she went to check on Nat.

"We'll need everyone to step outside for a second." The nurse ushered them out of the ward.

"Nat's going to be fine right?" Karine was hugging Aika. Aika was equally afraid but couldn't show it before Karine.

"Your brother is one of the strongest people I've ever known." Aika stroked Karine's back. Alice was sobbing in Kevin's arms.

"Doctor, how's kuya's condition? What caused the sudden tachycardia?" Tricia stepped up as the doctor came out of the room.

"It was most likely due to the anesthesia. It is unlikely that there were any complications but the patient may require a longer time to regain consciousness. I'm sure you are aware as well, Dr Tricia." The doctor nodded before taking his leave.

"What does that mean? So is Nat I'm danger or not?" Alice was confused.

"Not at the moment, Auntie. But as the doctor mentioned, people react differently to anesthesia. We'll have to wait and see..." Tricia tried her best to put the message across.

"So when will Nat wake up?" Karine asked softly.

"It could be in the next 20 minutes or even the next few hours..." Tricia hated to be the bearer of such news.

"Grandma! Grandpa! Karine!" Jamie was surprised to see everyone here.

"Hi precious...Grandpa missed you so much!" Kevin picked Jamie up. It'd been 8 months since he last saw Jamie.

"I missed you and Karine too! Did you come to see Daddy?" Jamie turned to Nat's bed.

"Why isn't Daddy awake yet?" Jamie's face fell as she realised that Nat was still lying motionless. The adults didn't know how to answer Jamie.

~

"Sweetheart, shall we go to sleep? You didn't get your afternoon nap today..." Aika was lying on makeshift bed with Jamie. The night had fallen and the hospital had only allowed one guardian to stay with Nat so the Robredos and Lees had to leave. Aly on the other hand, had to assist the police with investigations. The nurse had closed an eye because Jamie was still young.

"Can you sleep with me, ninang? I'm scared...what if Uncle Marco comes to catch me again?" Jamie held on tight to Aika.

"You're safe with us now, sweetie. No one's going to take you away from us anymore, I promise." Aika cuddled Jamie.

"Promise?" Jamie held out her pinky.

"Promise." Aika hooked their pinkies.

"Can you wake me up if Daddy wakes up?" Jamie was yawning already.

"If you want to wake up in the middle of the night, you should sleep now..." Aika convinced Jamie.

"Don't leave me, ninang." Jamie muttered as she drifted off.

"Good night, sweetheart." Aika kissed Jamie's forehead.

"Nat...I know you're tired. I know you're fighting hard. I know you want to wake up. I know you want it as badly as we all do." Aika held Nat's hand and whispered so she wouldn't wake Jamie up. Nat's hand felt cold to the touch even as Aika blew hot air into his palms.

"You always said that I was your miracle, but you are my miracle too. With you, I was sunshine, Jessica Marie, your mahiwaga, ninang, love and everything I never knew I could become. You made me realise what I wanted for the rest of my life...to be right next to you and Jamie." Aika felt her tears well up. The beeping of the heart rate monitor was deafeningly loud.

"Mahal na mahal kita...pakibalik sa akin..." Aika couldn't fight the sleepiness in her anymore.

~

"Sunshine..." Aika heard Nat's voice calling out to her. She opened her eyes and saw Nat standing in front of her.

"Nat..." Aika reached out to Nat.

"I'm sorry for making you worried, sunshine..." Nat apologised as he wiped Aika's tears with his fingers.

"I don't want you in my dream, I want you standing in front of me in real life..." Aika knew full well that this was a dream but she willingly played along.

"I will. But I couldn't wait until then to see my sunshine..." Nat smiled warmly.

"Then wake up soon." Aika held Nat's hand.

"If I don't..." Nat found himself cut off by Aika's lips on his.

"Don't talk like that." Aika broke off the kiss.

"I can't win over you, sunshine." Nat chuckled.

"Then don't." Aika was firm.

"I love you so much, sunshine." Nat planted a kiss on Aika's forehead.

"Nat! Nat!" Aika cried out as Nat slowly faded away.

"Aika...Aika...wake up..." Aika could hear Nat's voice but she could see him.

"Aika, look at me..." Aika heard Nat's voice again. She opened her eyes slowly.

"Nat...you're awake...this isn't a dream right?" Aika saw Nat smiling at her like he was in the dream.

"No, sunshine. This isn't a dream." Nat caressed Aika's cheeks, wiping away the tears from her face. Aika crashed her lips against Nat's, the second Nat returned the kiss, Aika knew for sure.

"That's a pleasant welcome back gift I must say..." Nat laughed as they separated.

"How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?" Aika changed the subject out of embarrassment.

"My heart hurts..." Nat held his chest.

"I'll go call the doctor!" Aika turned away but was held back by Nat.

"My heart hurts because I missed you and Jamie too much..." Nat winked.

"Gosh, don't scare me like that!" Aika smacked Nat on the arm.

"Ah! I'm still a patient..." Nat pouted as he held his arm dramatically.

"I heard Mum and Dad earlier on...did they really fly over?" Nat remembered the voices while he was still asleep.

"They did. Uncle, Auntie and Karine flew here on the earliest flight possible to see you. They'll be here tomorrow morning. I'm sure they'll be delighted to know that you're awake." Aika smiled.

"If I knew Dad would fly here immediately, I should have gotten injured earlier..." Nat joked.

"Don't make me hit you again. Take those words back. Now." Aika crossed her arms.

"Sorry. I'll cancel my sentence..." Nat bit his lip.

"How's Jamie and Aly?" Nat wanted to hold Jamie but he didn't want to aggravate his wound.

"Aly's helping the police with investigations. Jamie seems to be doing well but I'm not sure if this would affect her emotionally after the realisation sinks in..." Aika sighed. Witnessing a scene like this was a lot for an adult to take in, much less a 5 year old.

"We'll take things slowly and see what we can do with her. It'd probably take time but I'm sure we can work this out together." Nat held Aika's hand.

"I promised to wake Jamie up if you woke up...but she needs the rest. She didn't sleep much last night and didn't get her nap today either..." Aika was in a dilemma as she remembered her promise.

"We can wake her up tomorrow...let her sleep." Nat agreed with Aika.

"You should get some rest too." Aika got up to cover Nat with his blanket.

"Lie with me?" Nat shifted himself slowly and made space on his uninjured right side of the bed.

"But you need your rest. You shouldn't overexert yourself like this..." Aika hesitated, worried that she'd hurt Nat accidentally.

"I'll recover faster with you beside me. As long as we're both careful, I'll be fine." Nat patted the empty space next to him.

"Just for a while. You need to rest after this." Aika gave in.

"Yes Ma'am." Nat grinned as Aika carefully took her spot next to him on the bed. There was barely enough space for both of them but that also meant that Aika could hear Nat's soft but clear heartbeat.

"I thought you'd leave me and Jamie..." Aika confessed as she closed her eyes and snuggled closer to Nat. His body wasn't cold to the touch anymore.

"Silly, you know I won't go anywhere without you two." Nat rubbed Aika's arms gently.

"You said you were going to come back safe and sound." Aika retorted.

"I did. I'm safe and sound." Nat chuckled.

"God, I hate you." Aika opened her eyes to look into Nat's.

"What happened to the touching confession earlier on?" Nat teased.

"You heard nothing." Aika was blushing.

"I heard everything. No refunds, sunshine. I'm all yours." Nat stole a peck on Aika's lips.

Winding down the story soon:)