One More Chance by Jaycelle Rodriguez

Chapter 117: | don't want to lose you

~~~If I should stay | would only be in your way and so I'll go, but | know I'll think of you each step of the way.

Bitter-sweet memories that's all I'm taking with me. Goodbye, please don't cry 'cause we both know that I'm not

what you need. | hope life treats you kind and | hope that you have all that you ever dreamed of. | wish you joy, |

wish you happiness, but above all this, | wish you love~~~

-Dolly Parton (Original-Emotional version)-

"S-So it means... it's r-really you that | saw at the---" | haven't even finished the question when he nodded and

that's when | burst into tears. "Ohh... D-David..."

"Shhh..." He got up immediately and shifted to the side of the bed. "Shhh... it's okay, babe." He even wiped my

tears as he continued to shake his head. The silent tears later turned into small sobs.

| couldn't imagine how he felt at that twhen he heard all the words | said.

"But why? Why didn't you tell me? Why did you stay?" | asked between my sobs. But then | closed my eyes as |

realized what right do | have to ask him those questions when it'swho's at fault. "I called you that sday

but it was Carl who answered your phone. He said you were in the surgery room---"

"| asked him to answer the phone for me."

"Huh? B-But how---"

"I never leave San Francisco and the truth is that | was just staying in a hotel and that day after I left the

department store, | received a call from Carl and he said he too had filed a vacation leave and he's planning to

stay here. We met at the parking lot, so the tyou called | already asked him a favor to answer my phone."

"S-So you heard everything?" | asked and when he nodded, | suddenly wished the ground could open up and

swallow me. "So you've been here all this tand followingaround?" "Yes, and | was where you were."

"Oh, my--- I-I'm sorry." My hand automatically covered my mouth as the loud sob escaped my lips. "David, I'm

sorry..."

"Con, why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."

Exactly, why am | apologizing? What am | apologizing for? Of all the mistakes | made while he was not around,

which of those mistakes do | apologize for? "B-But---"

"You just followed your heart."

And those words cut my heart into million pieces. Guilt started creeping into my entire body and eating up my

sanity.

"No, David." | shook my head. "I never meant to say those words. I-l only mentioned them to annoy Cherry and

for her to leavealone."

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"H-Hey, babe, it's okay. Let's just talk about it sother time. You just woke up from surgery and you need to

take a rest."

"What about the question you said you wanted to askearlier?"

"Uhm... don't mind it, it's not that important."

"But babe---"

"Shhh." He interruptedby placing his index finger over my lips. "We still have a lot of tto talk about those

things, but for now you must take a rest. Your health is more important to me."

| gulped when he pulledinto a hug and kissedon the forehead. And when he flasheda smile, | began

to question myself again as to why | said those things. If only | had known the consequences, | wouldn't have

mentioned those words.

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Two weeks have passed and | have been finally discharged from the hospital. David has stayed withfor the

past few days and comes to visitat hevery day to helpwith the therapy. But even though we are

within inches of each other, | feel that something has changed in him. Well, honestly, | noticed that everything

changed... from how the way he looked atwith pain and sorrow dancing in his eyes to the way he showed

care and love every the touched me.

| don't know how many times | tried to ask him about the topic we were discussing when | was still in the

hospital, but every t| talked about it, the more he becaloof and wanted to avoid discussing it, until

yesterday... "David,"

"Yes---babe?" He turned towith a bit of shock written in his eyes and | frowned slightly at how uneasy he was

at that moment.

| had just finished the therapy session for my leg and foot injury and the therapist had just left, so we're the only

ones left in the room.

He slowly walked overand knelt in front ofas he held my hands.

"Yes? Does anything hurt or are you hungry? Do you wantto cook for you?" And he was about to get up, but |

grabbed his hand. "No, I'm fine and I'm not hungry." | shook my head.

"Okay, what is it?" He asked with a small smile curled on his lips as he pulled the chair from his right and sat

down across from me.

| stared at him for a few seconds, contemplating whether to ask him, hold back or if it's the right tto talk

about it. But when | do, would he be ready to listen and stay?

"I have something to tell you---" | hadn't even finished the sentence but he was already up and was about to

avoid it again if | hadn't grabbed his shirt. "David?"

"We're not going to talk about it." He said looking at me. His mood suddenly turned serious.

"David please---"

"No! Samantha, no!" He immediately shook his head as anger began to register in his eyes. "But, babe?"

He kept shaking his head.

"Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"| just don't want to talk about it!"

"But why? | have a lot of things to explain, so please?"

"No! Forget it! You don't have to explain anything!"

"David, please? This is about what happened, besides, | want to tell you the truth---"

"The truth? Forgodsake, Samantha, do you think I didn't know the truth?"

"Huh?" | gasped, my eyes blinking rapidly in shock.

"I told you, | never leave San Francisco."

"S-So y-you mean to say---"

"Yes, | know everything and when | say everything, it means everything! Every single detail ---everything!"

"Then why didn't you tell me? Why do you still pretending as if you don't know any of it?"

| noticed how his expression softened as he stared atwith hurt and sadness displayed simultaneously on his

face.

"Because | told you | don't want to talk about it."

"David---"

"And | don't want to lose you."

"Huh!" My mouth hung in shock.

"| was there when he brought you and Cali to your old house and | was still there when you go out crying. | was

there when he followed you to the coffee shop and when Cherry Petterson showed up. | overheard your

conversations and everything. | heard that he hadn't filed the divorce papers you left him almost five years ago,

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so he's still your husband and that you're still his wife. | was at the department store when you and Cherry had a

fight and when you yelled at her that you still love your husband."

"David, it's not what you think it is---"

"Shhh..." He put his index finger over my lips before wiping my tears again. "I was at the supermarket, trailing

behind you when you met the bartender. | even followed you at the cake shop and to your husband's company."

It crashed my heart the way he mentioned the word 'husband'.

"| waited for you outside the building,

never leaving my sight at the entrance and even saw you running into the street. A few seconds later Luke

appeared and ran after you You started to panic and decided to run across the street. | was going to call you that

tand show myself because | saw how distracted you were as you ran away from him, but

I was a little late, because in the next

seconds..."

He paused, closing his eyes as he squeezed my hands tightly.

"You were already hit by a motorcycle and at that moment, when | saw you bleeding and lying on the street, | got

so nervous and fear instantly shoot all over my body. The extrfear that I've never felt in my whole life. |

thought | was going to lose you that day. My heart pounded faster that | could hardly breathe as you whispered

my nbefore losing consciousness."

"l-I'm s-sorry." | sobbed.

"Hey..." He shook his head. "But you

know what, | realized | wasn't the

only one feeling that kind of fear. Luke was there too and | couldn't get it out of my head how his face turned

pale when he saw you. He was so worried while you were stil lying unconsciously on the ground as we waited for

the ambulance to arrive. He even cried and never let go of your hand until we reached the hospital and at that

certain moment | saw the love and care he has for you. They were showing clearly in his every move and every

inch of him. He even offered to give you his blood when the doctor announced that you were bleeding so badly

and that you needed a blood transfusion..."

"H-He did that?" | asked in surprise as Jack and Dale hadn't mentioned it.

"Yes, he did that." He nodded. "The least thing | wanted to do to help and save you but I couldn't because we

don't have the sblood type. Tsk. tsk. It's so funny, right?" He chuckled bitterly that only added the guilt

inside my chest. "Even when it comes to saving you and giving you blood to extend your life, | couldn't even do

it because we do not match and you and Luke have the same."

| don't know what to say after hearing those words. The only thing | know at that moment was to cry.