Blood
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Callum didn't know if he can finally breath or not, because after Adelaide cleaned Cartenia followed Aldeheid's sudden collapse.

Hindi na niya pa hinintay na gumising ito at mabilis na tinakbo ang daan patungo sa hospital, kung saan nasa kabilang banda ng Malcolm, ang parte na nasa maayos pa ang kalagayan.

They received congratulations and greetings from the locals. Ngunit sa halip na sumagot ay hindi na ito napansin ni Callum at mabilis na hiniga si Aldeheid. The people weren't offended at all since they already know what happened about their beta and the human. Murmurs found Callum's ears but decided not to be bothered about it.

"Pero paano si Juliette?"

Nang maipasok sa emergency room ay doon lamang nakapag-isip ulit si Callum. The uneasiness he felt was ridiculous. Ayaw niya man mag-isip ng masama ay hindi niya pa rin magawa.

Thousands of questions run inside his head but one question caught his attention.

What if what Adelaide said was true? Paano kung mamatay nga ito dahil sa dugong nangangalata sa katawan? He shook his head in disagreement. Hindi. Hindi iyon maaari kasi matagal nang namatay ang magnanakaw. Kaya paanong ngayon pa mawala si Adleheid kung kelan halos na okupa na ng dugo ang buong katawan nito? He mean—it wouldn't make sense to die after all the shit that she had been though!

If only it was his blood that contaminated, then there wouldn't be any problem. His blood, as a beta and as a Clemente, is too powerful than death. Even his Alde can survive anything with it. Only that it's not his blood but that fucking thief's and the only thing he wants to do now is to kill that thief for the second time again for contaminating his blood into Alde's.

Napamura nalang siya sa mga naisip at napakunot noo nalang dahil na baka pinaglalaruan lang sila noon ni Adelaide lalo pa't may galit ito sa kaibigan niyang prinsipe.

He waited patiently outside the emergency room, well almost become impatient before Rios, whose right arm wore a sling and left foot was supported by a crutches, came into his view.

As a real friend, he laughed. "How's the prince?," mapagbiro niyang tanong bago inungusan ni Rios at walang pakealam na umupo sa tabi nitong upuan.

Rios winced as he felt the pain of his wounds when he carelessly sat himself.

"Puta." the only word rush out of his mouth before clenching his jaws.

"Ano ba ang nangyare sa'yo? Mukhang napuruhan ka ata ni Cartenia?" natatawa na si Callum.

Rios did not like what Callum named and furrowed his eyebrows, "Do I look weak to you? Of course I can win against that witch with only my sword!"

Mas ikinatawa lamang ni Callum nang makita niya ang pangungugat nito sa sinabi. Mukha ngang may ibang gumawa nito sakaniya na mas malakas pa kesa sa naging ina niya.

"It's that wicked witch that did this." atsaka ito nagmusot na para bang inis na inis siya pero wala naman siyang magawa.

"Adelaide?"

Rios rolled his eyes, "Sino pa?," he cursed again making Callum shake his head.

He couldn't blame that witch, though. His friend here, doesn't act like the prince that he is. Not only that Rios is annoying but also loud, and that witch can never with a person like him. Napakibit balikat si Callum, baka rin may ginawang estupido itong kaibigan niya kaya pinuruhan ng babaeng iyon. Mas mabuti sigurong hindi nalang siya makialam at hayaan ang dalawang magbati—iyon ay kung mangyare man.

Both of them diverted their attention to the people that came out of the emergency room. Agad na napatayo si Callum nang makita niyang iginagaya ng mga ito ang nakahigang si Aldeheid papunta sa kung saan man.

Dr. Beau noticed him and smiled, "She'll be transferred to a private room." aniya bago siya pinasunod.

"Tulungan mo naman ako." narinig niya si Rios bago siya ulit natawa sa itsura nito atsaka tinulungan.

They entered the private room after the nurses and doctors placed Aldeheid in the bed gently. Inupo naman ni Callum si Rios bago nagtanong kung pwede ba magkaroon ng bisitang pasyente ang pasyente, umingos si Rios at natawa ang mga staff members.

"I would say no because both of them are wounded and might infect one another but...," she paused and glimpse at Rios, "I think his wounds are already healed."

Napadugtong ng kilay si Callum bago tiningnan ang kaibigan, "Hindi, ah!" pagtanggi ni Rios sa iniisip ni Callum. "May dislocation ako, gage!" mura niya sa doktor.

Natawa nalang ang lahat habang napasapo naman ng noo si Callum. Doctor Beau purposely walked behind the others to talk to Callum privately. Her eyes worried as she faces him, "Callum..."

Napayuko si Callum atsaka tumango, "It happened again." he bitterly said and the doctor pat his back.

"I wish her the fastest recovery, but I have to tell you something." Callum seriously look up into her eyes, waiting for another bad news.

Doctor Beau breathed inwardly, hesitating to tell the beta what was going on. She knew a time like this would happen again. A hard decision and confession to make but the difference is that it's Aldeheid in her place right now.

"Aldeheid...," her head shook slowly, "She's going to have a hard time."

Callum nod his head, "If only I got there a little earlier, I should've stopped this from happening." he meant the blood link between his Alde and that dead thief.

"It already happened, though. What we can do right now is save Aldeheid from dying." Doctor Beau said before speaking again, "Funny how this happened to you the second time around." after remembering what happened before between them, as mates.

Callum's lips parted and seconds later let out a chuckle, "I don't know either, maybe I'm meant to suffer first before I can finally create the family I wished to have?"

Doctor Juliette Beau-Watsons, smiled and pat his back to comfort, "Or maybe you are really meant for someone better for your future that's why it has to take a second time around to finally end things."

Their gazes meet and it was the time that both of them knew that they only became mates just for them to grow and learn, to avoid the same mistakes in the future.

After hours of waiting, Aldeheid woke up from the sudden tremors her body does. Nataranta si Rios, na tanging nagbabantay sa kaniya habang may inasikaso pang mga papeles ang beta nila. Mabilis siyang napakurap at tanging pagturo nalang ang nagawa, "Hoy, hoy! Nurse! Hoy, gage! Nurse!"

Mabilis dumating ang dalawang nurse sa silid atsaka inasikaso si Aldeheid na panay parin ang convulsion.

"Call the beta! Gage!" aniya Rios na walang alam sa gagawin.

Sumunod naman ang isang nurse atsaka may pumasok pang dalawa at isang doktor para hanapin ang problema sa dalaga.

"Juliette! Gage buti andito ka na, wala atang alam mga nurse niyo dito, eh! Gage, kung wala ka ako na naman mapapagalitan ng beta niyo." si Rios na takot.

Pinalabas lang muna ni Doctor Beau si Rios kaya mas lalo lamang itong kinabahan, kasi kung makita siya ni Callum sa labas ay mag-aakala itong may masama ngang nangyare sa Aldeheid niya.

"Doc! Babalik ako sa loob, please!" pakiusap niya pero wala namang nakinig. "Doc...takot ako dito." bulong niya habang panay tingin sa paligid, nagbabakasaling hindi siya matagpuan ng kaibigan sa labas.

But all blood in Rios face drained when he saw Callum hurriedly walked towards him. Pagkakita palang nito sa kaniya ay alam na nito kung ano ang nangyayare. Rios was ready to accept scolding but Callum didn't bother talking to him and went inside the room hastely.

Mas lalong kinabahan si Rios sa kaibigan nito at ang tanging nagawa niya lang ay ang umalis roon na walang paalam. You see, there's two people Rios is scared of. And one of it is Callum.

"Her temperature is dropping! Call Doctor Watsons!" Doctor Beau announced.

Mabilis na sumunod ang isang nurse habang ang dalawang naiwan ay tinulungan ang doktora sa pagbalik ng tenperatura ni Aldeheid.

Hindi makagalaw si Callum sa loob at tanging kaba nalang ang naramdaman niya sa mga oras na iyon. The monitor beeps again and this time, Aldeheid's temperature rose high. It keeps on dropping and rising continuously, almost destroying the machine reading her vitals. Hindi rin tumigil sa pagtibok ang puso niya, minsan ay humihina, minsan naman ay lumalakas.

Doctor Beau couldn't ascertain what was going on anymore, she never knew there's more confusing than the town, Malcolm, itself.

Pagkarating ng kaniyang asawa ay agad namang gumilid si Juliette atsaka huminga muna ng malalim bago humarap ulit sa totoong itinakda para kay Callum.

"Your emotions will only kill your patient." Ani ng asawa niya bago nito inasikaso so Aldeheid.

After Callum heard Juliette's husband, medyo kumalma siya at tanging nagawa niya lang ay ang pagkatiwalaan ang mag asawa sa paggamot ni Aldeheid.

"The contaminated blood is killing her cells. It's affecting her organs as well. We couldn't do more but assist her and wait until the contamination stops. Which also means, her, fully becoming a hybrid, like us." imporma ni Doctor Watsons. Kumurba ang hugis ng kilay ng doktor bago ulit napatingin sa mga papel na dala dala nito pagkapasok.

"But I'm concerned with something else." aniya na ikinapintig ng tenga ni Callum, "The thief's blood shouldn't be this strong. He was only a normal hybrid, he wasn't someone special either. Kaya hindi posibleng mabuhay ang pasyente kapagka nagkaroon ito ng dugo ng normal na hybrid." he evaluates the paper before he turned towards Callum, "Do you ever thought that maybe it's your blood that contaminated the patient?" he asked, Callum's heart almost broke out.

Napakurap silang dalawa ni Juliette. Seconds passed bago paman naunang mag react si Juliette sa napagtanto. "That's why..." aniya bago siya napatingin ulit sa impormasyong nasa record ni Aldeheid.

Aldeheid Rosé Roswell Blood Type: O+
Callum Clemente Blood Type: AB-
Elino Premisco Blood Type: AB+

"...the found blood (AB-)—"

She gasped again, palm on her mouth. How could she ever be so stupid to misread the results! This was not the first time she's done mistakes in her career but this case was important to her, and heaven knows she couldn't forgive herself from giving out misinformation! In addition to her stupidity—how can she not realize that it was Callum's blood all this time! Kaya pala sobrang pamilyar ng amoy ni Aldeheid because it was her old mate's blood! The familiarity was the answer to all of it!

If only she'd realized it sooner, they would already have treated Aldeheid with the best therapy for her and the blood contaminated.

Hindi niya alam pero sobrang tuwang tuwa siya sa nalaman. And by then, she feels hope was coming. Alam niyang after hours from now, everything is going to be alright. She knows that because she knows Callum's blood more than anyone else. Finally, a happy ending for Callum.

Sa kabilang banda naman ay ang nakatunganga pa rin na beta nila. Tila di makapaniwala sa narinig. Pilit na binalik balikan ang pangyayari sa gabing iyon. Alam niyang nasugatan siya sa gabing iyon but he was too preoccupied of taking care of Aldeheid that he didn't know he was the sole reason why all of these are happening to his Alde.

From the little changes to Aldeheid's awakening and to their connection—everything just makes sense.

Napaupo nalang siya at napatingin sa nakahigang babae. If he's the one who's caused her awakening, then what that wicked witch said was, after all, true.

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nyariina