JAY-JAY POV
"How are you feeling?" I asked, brushing his hair back gently.
"Better," he said with a crooked grin, "but I'll be perfect if I have kisses every one minute."
"Idiot," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
"You know I'm counting the profanities," he teased, his voice weak but playful. "Every one profanity equals one kiss."
I sighed, shaking my head. "Fine. I'll give you as many as you want if you recover fast."
His grin widened, mischief sparking in his tired eyes. "Sure… then maybe we can give Keth a sister or brother soon."
My jaw dropped, heat rushing to my cheeks. "Keifer!" I hissed, half scandalized, half laughing.
He chuckled, though it hurt him, his chest rising slowly. "What? I'm just planning ahead. You said you'd give me as many kisses as I want. I'm just… expanding the deal."
I smacked his arm lightly, careful not to hurt him. "Recover first, you ridiculous man. Then we'll talk about your 'expansions.'"
His fingers tightened around mine, his smile softening. "Then I'll recover fast. Because I want every future with you, Jay. Every one."
My heart clenched, tears welling again — but this time, they weren't from fear.
They were from hope.
"Papa," Keth said, his small voice carrying from the door as he stepped inside.
"Keth, bud," Keifer answered, trying to sit up despite the weakness in his body.
I quickly moved to help him, steadying his shoulders, guiding him back against the pillows.
Keth climbed onto the chair beside me, his little fingers clutching the blanket near Keifer's hand.
His eyes shimmered with worry as he whispered, "Papa, please don't get hurt again."
"No promises, bud," Keifer said softly, leaning forward to kiss Keth's forehead.
Keth giggled, his small hands clutching the blanket tighter. "Papa, you have to promise," he insisted, his voice trembling with both innocence and determination.
Keifer smiled faintly, his eyes shining despite the weakness in his body. "I can't promise I'll never get hurt, Keth. But I can promise I'll always fight to come back to you."
Tears burned my eyes as I watched them — my son clinging to him, Keifer embracing the word Papa like it was the most precious gift he'd ever been given.
Keth nodded, his little face serious. "Okay… but you better keep fighting."
Keifer chuckled, brushing Keth's hair back gently. "Deal, bud. I'll fight harder than ever."
I pressed my hand over theirs, my voice breaking. "Because now you're not just mine, Keifer. You're his Papa too."
Keifer's gaze met mine, and for a moment, the pain, the blood, the chaos — all of it faded.
All that remained was family.
"Kuya, are you okay?" Kerian asked, his voice tight with worry.
"Yep, alive and fine," Keifer answered, forcing a grin even though he was still pale.
"Damn, Keifer, you made us scared for a second. Like—Jay even fainted," Percy said as he strolled into the room, arms crossed, smirk plastered on his face.
My stomach dropped. Why the hell did he have to bring that up?
Keifer's head snapped toward me, his brows furrowing. "What do you mean faint?"
I froze, heat rushing to my cheeks. "It's nothing," I muttered quickly, glaring at Percy.
Percy raised his hands innocently, though his grin only widened. "What? I'm just telling the truth. She went down like a drama queen."
"Percy!" I hissed, mortified.
Keifer's eyes softened, his hand weakly reaching for mine. "Jay… you fainted because of me?"
I swallowed hard, blinking back tears. "I thought I was going to lose you. My body just… gave up."
Keifer squeezed my hand, his voice breaking. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you that much."
Percy groaned dramatically. "Ugh, here we go. The mushy part. Should I leave before you two start crying and kissing again?"
"Percy, shut up," I snapped, though a laugh slipped through my tears.
Keifer chuckled weakly, shaking his head. "Even fainting, you still stayed. That's more than I deserve."
I leaned closer, whispering, "You deserve everything, Keifer. Even my fainting spells."
The doctor stepped into the room, clipboard in hand. "Mr. Watson, how are you doing?" she asked, her tone professional but kind.
"Better," Keifer answered, his voice still weak but steady.
She nodded. "Good. We can let him go tomorrow, but there must be someone to take care of him and make sure he takes his medicines."
"I will take care of him. No arguing," I said firmly, my voice leaving no room for discussion.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Okay, here are the medicines he needs," she continued, handing over a small bag.
Percy snatched it up with a grin. "I'll get them sorted."
The doctor gave a brief nod before leaving the room.
I turned to the others, my tone shifting into command. "Okay, Kerian and Keigan, you will stay with Mama and Papa."
I sighed, brushing his hair back gently. "Your brother needs peace, not chaos at eight in the morning. Plus, Papa and Mama want to spend more time with you guys."
Kerian pouted, crossing his arms. "But I want to stay here. What if something happens to Kuya Keifer?"
Keigan leaned forward, his tone calmer. "Keiran, Ate's right. Kuya needs quiet."
"What about Keth?" Percy asked, raising a brow.
"I'm not leaving them," Keth said firmly, his little voice carrying more weight than anyone expected.
"Yeah, Keth has to come with us," Keifer added, his tone soft but insistent.
"Mama, please," Keth whispered, tugging at my sleeve, his eyes wide and pleading.
Keiran stepped forward, his voice steady. "Ate, please take Keth with you. He can't live without you."
Keigan snorted, shaking his head. "Yeah, seriously. We went shopping with him yesterday and the whole time he was asking us to go back. He wouldn't stop saying he wanted Mama."
I looked at Keth, his small hands clutching mine like he was afraid I'd disappear. My heart clenched.
"Fine," I said at last, sighing but smiling faintly.
Keth's face lit up instantly, relief washing over him. "Thank you, Mama!" He threw his arms around me, clinging tightly.
Keifer chuckled weakly from the bed, his eyes soft. "See? He's already decided. You don't get a choice."
Percy smirked, waving the bag of medicines. "Looks like we've got ourselves a package deal. Jay and Keth, inseparable."
Keiran crossed his arms, but his lips twitched into a smile. "At least now we know he'll behave. He only listens to Ate anyway."
Keigan leaned against the wall, shaking his head with a grin. "Yeah, we tried bribing him with ice cream yesterday. Didn't work. He just wanted Mama."
I kissed Keth's forehead, whispering softly, "Then you'll come with me. But you have to promise to be strong, okay? Papa needs peace to recover."
Keth nodded quickly, his little face serious. "I promise, Mama. I'll be strong."
Keifer's hand brushed over Keth's hair, his voice breaking with emotion. "That's my boy."
And just like that, the decision was made. Keth wasn't just coming with me—he was part of the fight, part of the healing, part of us.