"Oh Gosh, Maine. You are bleeding!" Alden almost choked on his heart, as he remembered that Maine did get a cut on her neck by Lainey's knife and wasn't able to get first aid treatment. Maine pulled back and saw her blood on his arm. She looks up to him and smiles.

"I... uhm..." The next thing happened, she passed out. Alden panicked a bit.

Alden got on his phone to get a hold of someone. The name he first saw from his call log was Leon's name. He remembered seeing him on the rooftop with his fiancee. He was hoping that he was still there.

"Leon! Are you still here? I mean, up on the rooftop?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm still here." Leon casually replied.

"Great, you're still there. Get Big Mike and yourself here in Maine's house. NOW!" He quickly said. "Don't forget Luisa." He added then hung up.

He laid Maine on her bed, head elevated. He then went to her bathroom to look for a face towel and a first aid kit. Then went to the kitchen to get a bowl of hot water from her electric kettle. He was on his way up when everyone showed up at the door.

"What's going on?" Luisa asked frantically.

"Maine didn't get a first aid treatment for her wound in the neck. I don't know how big the wound is but it seems that her blood did not clot." He said as he continued to walk the stairs. Luisa nodded and took the basin from him and proceeded.

As he gets down the last flight of stairs, Luisa and the rest barged in the door. He was happy to see them.

"Gerald, get my stuff in my house." Luisa commanded Gerald. Gerald nodded like it's a normal thing, well, kind of. She's a doctor, he's a nurse. Luisa went upstairs to Maine's room and Gerald left so quickly without a word.

Alden saw Periwinkle's puppy, sad face.

"Molly, please take Periwinkle to her room. She'd had enough of today's excitement." Alden ordered. She nodded once.

"Yes, Kuya." Molly replied and carried Periwinkle. Before she could totally pass by, he gave Periwinkle a kiss on the forehead.

"Where's Mommy, Daddy?" She asked, wanting to cry. He couldn't turn his smile off. He has to look normal in front of her. What happened today is too much for her.

"Mommy's asleep, Baby. She'll play with you when she wakes up, okay?" Periwinkle wiped her approaching tears and smiled at him, it melted his heart, a beautiful piece of Vinny in front of him. How can he not love her like he loves her second mother.

"I love you, Daddy." Periwinkle melted everyone's heart. Alden smiled and kissed her again.

"I love you, too, Wink." He said calling her by the nickname Maine gave her.

"Kuya, I'll go with them." Aleck cooed in. He nodded. The more people around her. the better.

"Me,too." Sonia is still with them. He nodded again. All four went to Periwinkle's room.

"Allan, Leon. Go with me. Let's help Aling Alita, Egay and Utoy pack the food and bring it down here. This will be a very long day." Big Mike ordered the guys and the left in a hurry.. "Alden, you stay here for now, be with her. I'll get you tomorrow so you could make your statement then." Alden nodded for the Nth times in just a span of five minutes.

"I know." He replied with his head down. "I'll stay even if you didn't ask."

"Just pray that her parents won't proceed on charging you with attempted murder." Alden took a deep breath at what Mike had said. He just prays and hopes that he won't.

"It is self defense." He firmly said. Big Mike gave him a tap on the back. Gerald passes by them in a hurry with Luisa's emergency bag.

"Either way, you still need to make a statement." He did not say anything. He just made a step towards the stairs, went up and disappeared behind Maine's bedroom door.

After Big Mike left, his shoulder dropped. He's tired of the whole thing. He never thought that today will end in disaster. He will make sure that Lucile will pay for everything and not him.

Alden sat on the other side of Maine while quietly watching Gerald and Luisa clean Maine up. It wasn't that big but enough to slowly let blood out.

"Oh my gosh. Too much excitement today. I can't even." Gerald said dramatically. Luisa laughed.

"I know, right?" Luisa joined him in his way of talking.

"Gosh. I felt all my wrinkles were so happy to creep up. Kadiri!!" Gerald squealed. Alden's jaw dropped, looking and listening to him. Gerald took a halt when he finally realized that Alden was in the room with them.

"I... Aah... we..." Gerald's mind went blank.

"I didn't see, hear or witness anything." Alden had his both hands up in the air as if he's surrendering. He smiled inwardly. He's laughing at himself thinking how stupid he was, he felt like an idiot getting jealous at this guy... gay, whatever. Gerald made an awkward smile and lifted a peace sign.

"Now you know." He plainly said. Alden gaze at him with a brotherly understanding. Gerald smiled, he understood.

"You are what you are. That's all there is to it." Alden's simple words made Gerald feel ten times better about himself.

"It's about time, my friend." Luisa encouraged ,smiling lovingly.

Without any more words, Luisa and Gerald focused on what they were doing. Good thing it was just a topical wound that didn't reach the nerve itself. Imagine if it did? She could have lost a lot of blood, and worst, her life, too. Periwinkle could have lost two mothers at five.

Finally, they got done stitching up the side of Maine's neck. Luisa did a fine stitching so it won't leave a bad scar when it heals. Luisa put on some topical anesthesia before injecting her a little amount on each side of the cut. It was medically precise and beautifully done. Alden watched the whole thing and is angry right now.

"What's that awarding Periwinkle solely to Maine, Alden?" Luisa asked. Alden quickly looked up to her. He shook his head. He didn't realize that Luisa heard it, let alone remember what was said in passing before leaving the courthouse lobby.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought that she deserves to have Wink, that's all." He replied nonchalantly without taking his eyes off Maine.

"It's nothing? Really?" Luisa's brow arch up high. "Well, that's bull shit, Alden, don't me. This is Maine and Periwinkle we are talking about here. Are you leaving?" Alden smiled. He knew that Luisa is not convinced with the "it's nothing" reply and that "she deserves it" crap response from him. Alden took a deep sigh before lovingly gazed at Maine who's still unconscious.

"It's nothing really. I figured she's been fighting all her life to keep the people she loves close to her and that is including Periwinkle. Wink loves her so much, too and I am not going to stand between them." He tried veering from the real reason, again. But he knows he can't hide the truth from them for a long time... tomorrow.

"Okay. I'll take that bull shit from you. But it still doesn't explain everything. What's this I am not going to stand between them crap? Or better yet, explain that ring she's wearing?" Luisa pointed to the ring on Maine's left hand. "Alden, I am not trying to meddle in my best friend's affair but if her emotions are on the line, I bet your bottom that I will whoop it raw, to make sure she'll get even with you." His shoulder slumped, feeling defeated. It is hard to be strong and do things on your own when your life now is different than before. He only has himself then but now, he has all this people in front of him

"Today at the courthouse, the judge saw what happened earlier. He saw how I took the gun from Big Mike and shut Lucile out of anger and since Maine has all the means and ways of raising a child better than being in the system, he decided to approve Maine's adoption. Atty. Carasco will be waiting for us there tomorrow." He said. "When I leave in the morning, Big Mike and I will go straight to PD to write down my statement of what happened today, and from there I'll go straight down for booking." Luisa was shocked at his admittance.

"What?!" Gerald hysterically voiced out, one hand on his chest and the other to his mouth.

"Just like that? No arraignment or anything? Straight to jail?" She asked. Gerald was just listening in silence. Alden nodded.

"The judge was the witness. No matter how much Big Mike explained things to him, I will still be booked tomorrow, awaiting formal charges from her family. I was just lucky that I was given today to be here." Alden didn't realize his tears came down trickling like little rain.

"She knows?" Gerald asks in a low tone, gazing lovingly at an unconscious Maine.

"No. I didn't get the chance to tell her." He replied, brows furrowed. He didn't like the way Gerald gazes at his Maine. "I followed her from the rooftop earlier to tell her what happened but when I got here she's on the phone with her Dad---"

"Wait. Did you say her Dad?" He was cut-off. Luisa and Gerald gave each other a meaningful glance. Alden saw it and became alert.

"What's that? Why? What is going on?" Alden pried, his chest is pounding

"Well... you tell him." Gerald pushed Luisa. Luisa took a deep breath before she started.

"I don't know if you knew or she told you a bit about herself." Luisa started off.

"She kind of, but not sure if it is only some part of her or the whole of it." He honestly answered. The truth is, he felt that there's more to Maine's life that she hasn't told him yet.

"Maine's parents are not traditional parents. Her Mom agreed to marry her Dad because she was pregnant by his long time boyfriend, who supposedly cheated on her. That was the story. Tito Victor presented himself to marry Tita Laida for convenience because her family are very conservative and very, very strict. But a few months after the wedding she miscarried because of stress and depression." Started off the story.

"Their parents were so worried about her condition that after she came out of the hospital, they were both sent off to Paris to live there till her Mom gets better. A year after staying in Paris, they came home and she was pregnant with Maine. They were happy for a while. Tito Victor was so in love with Tita Laida." Luisa took a deep breath and gently robbed Maine's hands.

"For about almost sixteen years of being married, Tito Victor thought she forgot about her first love. Boy, he was so dead wrong. Tita Laida and a college friend accidentally bump into each other at a mall, that's where she found out about the whole cheating thing. When Maine fell asleep they got to talking, since the cat is out of the bag, Tito Victor admitted what he and a female friend did back then thinking that maybe after so many of being together and having a daughter, she had fallen in love with him but she didn't, well, not enough to make her to stay and choose him." Gerald continued with the story. Alden took a deep breath. He felt like he can't breathe at this part of the story.

"Maine went to sleep the night before with a happy family just to wake the following morning with her Mom leaving the house, Wilfred, her mom's first love, waiting outside with a cab and a brokenhearted father." Luisa continued on.

"That same day, her dad and his mother, Maine's grandmother, packed all her clothes and took her to an all girls boarding school, Queen Anne's. She was just barely a teenager. Since then, they couldn't be in one place at the same time. She pledged not to see her parents no matter what, let alone talk to them on the phone." It was Luisa telling the story now. Alden's heart felt really constricted, he can't really breathe. He opened up the water bottle next to him and drank it, to at least, make him feel better.

"Well, Tito Victor usually is the one to call her or text but she just deletes them right away. Her Mom tried to reach out to her a few times just to introduce her to someone's son for marriage, she declined that." Gerald's brows furrowed, a sign that he was annoyed. "She became an ice queen towards her parents more." Alden saw the disgust in Gerald's demeanor.

"Actually, it was that time when Tita Laida came here and harassed Maine for being so bullheaded and arrogant like her father. Since then, Maine vowed not to talk to her parents again." Luisa continued on. Alden does not want to cut them off. Some of it, he already knew but the back story, he didn't.

"I heard them talking about him coming over. I also heard her apologizing to her Dad, but not once she mentioned anything about her Mom." Alden paused a bit. He doesn't know how he's going to tell Luisa about the last part of the conversation before she passed out.

"Spit it out." Luisa commanded.

"Oh wow. You command like it is something easy to tell, Lu." Alden chuckled at how comical Gerald is. He still can't believe that he was gay, and he was so jealous of him being so close to Maine.

"It's okay, Gerald. I wasn't sure if I was the right person to tell you about that. I should wait for her to wake up. I'll leave it to her to tell you the last part of their conversation." He said. Luisa settled with that thought.

"Alden is right, Lu. It wasn't his story to tell." Gerald cooed. Luisa nodded in agreement.

"Very well then I'll leave her with you. Here are some of the gauze that she may need later on to replace it. Make sure you wash your hands first." Alden nodded like he was a little kid given some new information but he did not complain. She's a doctor and he knows she knows what she's talking about. "If you are not sure what to do just ask Maine... or call me. I'll be across the hall." She then smiled slyly. Alden shook his head at Luisa's insinuation.

ALDEN woke with a warm arm around his waist and someone's head on his arm. He's not new to this kind of situation. He's sure that there is a woman lying next to him.

He opened his eyes trying to remember where he's at. Then he remembered, he's in Maine's room. He never left, except to make sure that Periwinkle and Aleck were okay.

Yesterday, he called Egay to see if he could pick up Aling Alita and he let Egay drive his car to take them and Aleck home. Egay also brought him some clothes as he asked. He can't leave Maine and Periwinkle.

He glanced at the woman lying next to him, he smiled. This is the very first time in his life that he is very excited and content to wake up next to a woman... a very beautiful woman in deed, to think there was no sex involved, not like before. He dropped his head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. It feels good. He feels great.

Maine moved and hugged him closer. If only she's awake, she's going to see how Alden's body reacted to her. Then she lifted her leg and rested it on his thigh, way too close to his best buddy.

Alden started sweating, he could feel the AC blowing cold air but it didn't do any good to him since he could feel the heat coming from inside him. He needs to cool down ASAP.

Maine has been asleep for more than 24 hours now. Luisa said it is only normal because she was stressed, tired and kind of lost a few cc of blood because of that small cut on her neck.

As if on cue, a faint knock was heard from the other side of the door, then it slowly opened up. He was greeted by the cutest little angel he had laid his eyes on, next to the woman lying beside him, of course. Molly gave a sign of peace then closed the door again.

"Daddy!" She cheerfully squealed. Alden put his finger on his lips to hush her. Periwinkle put her tiny hands over her mouth and giggled. "Sorry. Daddy." She is such a ray of sunshine. She talks more now than before as he was told, but with what happened yesterday, he feared that she'll retreat back in her shell. He's just glad that it seems like nothing happened, no trace of yesterday's incident.

"Hello, my Princess." He whispered. She climbed up on the bed to join them.

"Mommy, sleeping." He wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement. She tried whispering, he chuckled lightly.

"Yes, Princess, Mommy is still sleeping. We do not want to wake her up, She's tired." Surprisingly she just nodded and giggled a bit.

"Daddy, TV please." Periwinkle lovingly asked. He smiled and obliged. Good thing the remote was on his side. He reached it and turned it on. Good thing it is set on Disney Channel.

Periwinkle lay down on his other side, Now he looks like he is on the cross but he can not complain when his girls are comfortably resting and sleeping next to him. It doesn't matter if he's kind of uncomfortable.

He watched the Disney channel with Periwinkle. His arms are starting to feel numb, so as his shoulder and blades. Maine moved a little so he kind of moved his arm with her. Periwinkle got up and moved in between them. He smiled when Maine didn't wake up but was somehow sad because he couldn't feel her body heat. Again, he can not complain, as long as Periwinkle is happy and Maine is content, he will be, too.

His phone vibrated on the nightstand next to him. He grabbed it with his free hand. He saw Big Mike's text message notification. He opened and read it.

Message received:

You don't need to be here. Atty. Carasco is here to represent you. ~Big Mike

Message sent:

Thanks, Big Mike. ~ Alden

He put his phone back on the nightstand. He turned to them slightly. He was surprised to see Maine wide awake looking straight at him, not smiling but not serious either.

"Good morning." He greeted her.

"Good morning." She replied.

"Go'monin, Mommy." Periwinkle greeted her. She kissed her rosy cheek.

"Good morning, Wink." She smiled at her. Wink turned back her attention to the TV after giving Maine a kiss. Maine took a deep breath before saying a word again.

"Why is Atty. Carasco representing you? For what? For shooting Lainey?"

__________
End of TPA 28: Represent

Thank you for reading the chapter. Please leave your thoughts, comments or just  say Hi. Don't forget tap the 🌟 to vote, and let's share the story to your friends for some good vibes. CTTO Media used.

💖 ~ Ms J ~ 💖
05.08.20

The Periwinkle Affair
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August 26, 2019