Loving You Too Long

“They arrived on the shore almost an hour later. Ambulances and paramedics were already waiting right at the dock. Haisley’s small body appeared even paler, and the girl’s breaths were shallow.

Paramedics immediately placed an oxygen mask on her nose along with an IV drip in her arm. The nearest hospital was almost an hour’s drive away. And during that time, Nathan stayed with her inside the ambulance.

In her unconscious state, Haisley’s hands kept squeezing his. Nathan knew she was in pain.

Haisley was quickly rushed into the Emergency Department. A male doctor in his mid-thirties, Nathan guessed, examined her. Shortly after Gilbert arrived at the Emergency Department waiting area where Nathan was, a female nurse called out.

“Guardians of Miss Smith?” she called out loudly. Both Nathan and Gilbert stepped forward. The nurse looked at the two men in front of her alternately. Reluctant to choose, she asked both of them to follow her.

They were led into a room, dressed in sterile clothing before being led into a closed room where a doctor, also in sterile attire, was waiting for them.

Yes, Haisley was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after the examination. And now, she lay on a small bed with a tube inserted into her mouth, replacing the mask that had been on her face, and an IV stand next to her bed. Not to mention a few devices attached to her chest and fingertips.

“She’s suffering from Aspiration Pneumonia,” the doctor attending to Haisley explained. “It seems a considerable amount of seawater entered her lungs. This caused injuries to her lungs and throat. For the time being, she needs intensive care. We’ve already placed her on a ventilator to assist her breathing so that she doesn’t experience too much pain. We’ll remove it once her breathing difficulty subsides,” the doctor said.

And time seemed to pass incredibly slowly. Now, the two siblings were standing outside the room where Haisley was being treated. From a distance, they could see the small girl’s body, which looked flushed due to fever.

Her eyes were tightly closed, but her eyeballs continued to move, appearing restless in her sleep. Gilbert and Nathan could only watch her through the glass partition.

“A few years ago, after you left. Exactly when Haisley was in middle school, she was bullied at her school,” Gilbert began to tell the story. “The reasons weren’t clear. From what I heard, some of her seniors at the time tied her body with a rope connected to a backpack filled with stones. They submerged Haisley and the bag in the school’s swimming pool. The pool was two and a half meters deep, which Haisley usually crossed with ease. But that time, it almost became the scene of her death,” he said with a melancholic tone. Meanwhile, Nathan could only gaze at his sister in disbelief. But Gilbert didn’t see his brother’s expression because he was focused on Haisley’s condition behind the glass.

“From the CCTV footage the family obtained, there were three students at the scene when the tragedy occurred. Two of them wore the same uniform as Haisley. The other wore a different uniform,” Gilbert finally turned to his brother and saw how shocked and pale Nathan’s face was. “From the footage, it was clear that at that time, both of Haisley’s hands were tied with tape. Then the bag, which was later found to contain several bricks, was thrown, and her small body was dragged down to the pool’s bottom.

“God still loved Haisley, because at that moment, there was a new student who witnessed what happened and immediately reported it to the security personnel.

“The kids ran away. They fled. Acting as if they hadn’t committed any crime that could label them as child killers. Leaving Haisley, who was struggling to survive in the water, with her breath almost gone, just like now,” Gilbert focused his attention back on Haisley.

“She went into shock,” he said sadly. “For two days, she was in a coma due to lack of oxygen to her brain. She received intensive care for days in the hospital. And for months, she underwent psychological treatment due to that traumatic event, which always made her hysterical and gave her nightmares almost every night.

“And while Haisley was in the process of physical and mental recovery, those evil kids were caught.

“They didn’t even know Haisley. And Haisley didn’t know them at all. Ironically, they committed that heinous act out of jealousy because of a teenage crush one of the perpetrators had,” Gilbert said, his face contorted with disgust. “Haisley’s parents reported those kids to the authorities. They demanded accountability and punishment for the crime that almost took away their beloved daughter.”

“Unfortunately, their young age led to their punishment being changed to being placed under the care of Social Services. The school only issued a suspension (disciplinary probation) for both students. Meanwhile, a student from a different school received an unknown punishment, even though he was the mastermind behind all the incidents involving Haisley.

“After that, Uncle and Aunt decided to transfer Haisley to another school, in another city. Hoping that this move would help Haisley forget the horrifying incident that almost took her life.

“But Haisley was never the same again. She managed to heal her trauma, but water became her biggest fear,” Gilbert concluded sadly. He looked back at his sister’s face.

“I know you never wanted to know about this,” he said, his mouth slightly upturned in a mocking expression. “I just wanted to tell you, the reason she is like this now. Not to gain your sympathy and pity. Haisley never wanted that. I said it only so that this incident never happens again.” Gilbert patted his smaller sister’s shoulder firmly before leaving the man behind and going back into the ICU. He was wearing special clothing and a mask, which Nathan could see from behind the glass as his younger brother sat beside Haisley’s bed, gently wiping the girl’s forehead as she slept restlessly.

A sense of guilt flooded through him.

The girl was on the brink of death for the second time. And he was the cause of it, which made him feel even more guilty.

Gilbert seemed to hold the small hand tightly, his eyes showing deep affection. He continued to wipe Haisley’s forehead and cheeks, which somehow looked thinner within a few hours.

***

“Haisley, someone is looking for you.” Haisley turned and saw Pingkan, one of her classmates, running toward her.

“Who?” asked Haisley. The braided girl just shook her head.

“He didn’t say his name. He said he’s waiting for you at the swimming pool area. Maybe one of the swimming clubs wants you to join?” her friend said with a meaningful smile. Haisley smiled back and nodded, indicating that she got the message.

Haisley indeed loved swimming. Her father said she could become a swimmer if she wanted. But Haisley didn’t want to be an athlete. She just wanted to study properly to get a scholarship and attend the same college as Nathan, her crush.

Haisley followed Pingkan’s advice, heading towards the swimming pool area alone, without suspicion. She found no one there; no classes were having sports activities that afternoon, so the swimming pool area appeared deserted.

Haisley looked around inside the indoor pool area, searching for the person Pingkan mentioned. There, two students were wearing the same uniform as hers. However, she didn’t recognize one of them due to the different uniform.

“So, you’re Haisley?” The student in the different uniform stared at Haisley with sharp eyes.

“Who?” Haisley asked, puzzled.

“Do you know Jonathan?” the girl asked again. Haisley furrowed her brow.

“Jonathan? Jonathan who?” Haisley tried to remember. Did she know any Jonathan?

“They call him Joe. He’s a member of the Santa Maria Church choir,” the girl continued.

Oh, Joe. Haisley knew him. If she wasn’t mistaken, he went to Tunas Pelita Christian School. Haisley wrinkled her forehead. What did she have to do with Joe?

“Yeah, I know him. Why? What does this have to do with Joe?” she asked, curious.

“So it’s true, you’re close to him?”

Haisley’s forehead creased even more. Me? Close to Joe? Her head shook slightly. “I do know Joe because we happen to attend the same church. But how is he related to all of this?” Honestly, Haisley was getting more confused.

“I’m Jonathan’s girlfriend!” said the girl whom Haisley still didn’t recognize. “And because of you, Jonathan left me!” She stared at Haisley sharply.

“Wait a minute!” Haisley tried to explain. “There seems to be a misunderstanding here. Joe and I have absolutely no connection. We never even talked. Maybe you’ve got the wrong person?” she asked uncertainly. But instead of trying to find the truth, the girl asked her two friends to hold Haisley roughly.