Capítulo 24: Wake Up, Charissa

"I don't want to see this."

I turned my back towards the wall and sobbed quietly, unable to bear the sight of doctors preparing a defibrillator and placing them on Charissa's chest. It was as if the end was drawing near.

Cathy then approached me for a hug, and she offered some words of encouragement.

"Christine, this is your mother fighting for her life," Cathy said. "If you're not strong enough to believe that she will make it alive, then you're not proud to be her mother. You got to look at her and pray for a miracle. Don't turn back now."

Just then, Michelle's mother Karina arrived from work. But when she saw Charissa struggle for dear life on the window of the ICU, she suddenly fainted, unable to look at her best friend in near death.

Upon waking up, Karina cried at the sight of Charissa fighting for her life. Michelle tried to console her, but she could not stop breaking down in tears.

After all the crying had stopped, Karina and Michelle went outside and talked privately. There, Michelle revealed the extent of Charissa's condition to her mother.

Meanwhile, doctors began to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Charissa. They followed that by placing two paddles of the defibrillator on her chest in hopes of jump-starting her heart.

The first attempt failed to revive her. Neither did the second.

The third attempt could represent the difference between revival and death. So Cathy, Michelle, Clark, Karina and I clasped our hands in prayer, hoping a miracle could save Charissa's life.

Slowly, CPR was properly applied to Charissa's chest. At that point the doctors opened up the defibrillator and placed the paddles near her heart.

Unexpectedly, Charissa's heart started to beat again and the electrocardiogram flashed a normal waveform. Our prayers were answered.

"Thank goodness she'll be ok," Cathy remarked, her face showing a sigh of relief. "We thought we were going to lose her, but God truly heeded our prayers."

Karina, still teary-eyed from all the anxious moments, hugged me and shed tears of joy. Michelle, Clark and Cathy also embraced, having realized that Charissa would indeed make it.

The next day, Charissa was moved out of the intensive-care unit and into the hospital room. We sat beside her and waited for her to wake up.

I approached my mother, held her right hand and began to whisper.

"Mom, it's me, your daughter."

I began to weep upon gently touching Charissa's frail hand. The uncomfortable feeling of shame and guilt must have filled my heart.

"Mom, sorry for betraying you," I said, my tearful words flowing though Charissa's ear. "Judging you negatively was a mistake. What happened the other day was very disrespectful and unacceptable. I regret everything that was written on the letter. Please forgive me for my bad deeds."

I kissed Charissa's forehead and walked towards the window. Staring at the rainy panes of glass, my eyes continued to shed buckets of tears, and I stormed off the room.

I went outside the hospital and stood in the heavy rains. I looked up the sky and soaked every drop of it, as if I'm cleansing all of my sins.

Just then, Clark arrived and escorted me back inside.

"What were you doing Christine?" Clark asked. "You might get sick."

"Leave me alone pop," I responded angrily. "I desperately need to rid myself of some steam."

"No Christine, come back here," Clark shouted back.

"Leave me alone!!!" I screamed towards my father.

Reluctantly, Clark elected to return to the room while I soaked up some more rain. But then Michelle came out.

""Christine, stop!!!" a concerned Michelle yelled frantically at me. "Return inside otherwise you'll get sick."

Ignoring Michelle's call, she forcibly escorted me back inside the hospital. Back at Charissa's room, she started to scold me for my reckless actions.

"What were you doing outside?" Michelle angrily told me. "Don't tell me you were doing this as punishment for your actions the other day."

"Sorry Michelle," I tearfully said to her. "I couldn't help myself."

"But Christine that was ridiculous," Michelle berated me. "What would Charissa say if you get ill? Will you be thrilled with that? No. Telling her that you're sorry is more than enough."

In the end I relented and forgave both Michelle and Clark for my actions. Just as I changed clothes, however, Charissa's eyes started to open.

"She is about to wake up," Karina excitedly informed us. "Hurry come here!"

Her anxious eyes wide open, Charissa stared at us with a look of overwhelming concern on her face. She then stared at me, but before Charissa uttered a single word, she gradually turned her back away.

"What's the matter mother?" I tearfully asked Charissa. "Why did you turn your back on me?"

Still in no mood to talk to me, Charissa started to cry in agony. Cathy then approached her and promptly began to chat.

"Sister, what's wrong?" Cathy politely asked Charissa. "Do you still despise your daughter?"

"Sorry I can't help it," Charissa responded. "I still resent my daughter after what she did the other night."

"Charissa, don't stress yourself," Cathy explained. "Your daughter felt ashamed for what happened. She felt responsible for what happened to you, and Christine sincerely wanted to apologize. You must listen carefully to her."

Reluctantly, Charissa gently moved her head back towards me. She directed her left hand and summoned me.

"Mother, I was incorrect to misjudge and leave you alone," my tearful voice heard around Charissa's attentive ears. "I should have listened thoughtfully to you in the first place. That letter was a mistake. I'm a terrible daughter."

"No you were not," Charissa politely explained. "It's also a terrible mistake for me to scream at you for something unwanted. It was difficult to understand your personal motives at first, but I realized them now. Christine, sorry for my misdeeds as a mother."

"I'm also sorry mother," I answered back. "Now what can you say about welcoming me back home?"

"No problem," Charissa heartily agreed. "You can stay. And from now on, I'll enable you to make your own decisions regardless if it was right or wrong. You're permitted to choose, as long as it helps."

Charissa and I tenderly embraced in peace, tears of joy falling from our eyes. Michelle, Cathy, Clark and Karina experienced a sense of relief at observing us renew our acquaintances.

But Charissa still has one more hurdle to climb. As doctors made their way to her room, she looked nervously at the ceiling and carefully considered her options.