After the incident at the medical tent, Dr. Alvarado immediately went to the school doctor"s office at the clinic. He was fuming in anger but he did not let it show as he settled the trouble. He sat on the chair behind the desk and leaned his chin on his clenched hands. He was worried that the little misunderstand could turn big, especially that there were media people in the scene. After a few minutes, the two nurses also entered the room."We are sorry for what happened earlier, Doctor," Cecilia began. "It was carelessness on our part."
"We could easily handle the situation and inject the woman with a shot," Tara said defiantly, "if not for Grace. She ruined our plan."
"Shhh..." Dr. Alvarado hissed angrily. "I don"t care who"s fault it is but I don"t want any failures. A little failure could destroy everything I have worked hard for."
The two watched as the doctor"s fists trembled in anger. There was fury in his eyes as he said those words. It was the first time they saw him that way. They always encountered the doctor in his jovial, friendly mood. But at that moment, he was a terrifying man. Even Cecilia, who could control her composure, got frightened at the sight of the angry doctor.
"Who"s that girl again?" Dr. Alvarado said calmly.
"Her name is Grace," Tara answered with a slight tremor in her voice. "We worked with her last Monday when we administered the shots to the kids."
"And is she a trouble?"
"She"s a big trouble," Tara said. "She"s nosy and curious. She"s fond of meddling-"
"And admittedly, a smart girl," Cecilia interrupted her.
Dr. Alvarado looked at Cecilia and said, "Very brave of you to compliment. And you, Tara, do you think the same way?"
"I don"t really see her as a threat-"
"Answer my question!"
Tara was taken aback by his outburst. Shakily, she said, "Yes, Doctor, she is smart."
"And are you smart, Tara?"
She nodded.
"Smarter than her?"
"I think so."
"I am not too pleased with your answer, Tara," he said menacingly. "I don"t want to be outsmarted by anyone."
"Sorry, Doctor, I will be wiser than her."
"That"s good. If you will not be so smart, you might find yourself in trouble."
Cecilia was quiet as she listened to them. She felt terror, especially upon hearing his last words. They were in this state of reprimand when they heard a loud thud from outside. They stiffened and silently waited.
"You may go now," the doctor instructed the two and they immediately scurried out of the room.
There was something in the sound they heard that worried Dr. Alvarado. It was ominous and eerie. Just then, his pager vibrated. He opened it and choked on the message he read. Angrily, he screamed.
Outside the clinic, the crash was more p.r.o.nounced. Sonny and Estella stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.
"What"s that noise?" Estella asked. "It sounded like some heavy objects fell hard on the ground."
"Yes, it sounded like that," Sonny said. "It seemed to be coming from there."
Sonny raised his arm and pointed his fingers up high.
"That"s where the construction is," Grace chimed in. She had already put the panicky patient to sleep and she was just exiting the tent when she heard the crash.
"What construction?" Estella asked.
"Dr. Alvarado"s medical clinic."
Estella gasped. The nurse was right, the sound came from where the old abandoned building was. Now that would be an intriguing news, a.s.suming there was indeed a tragedy in the construction site.
"Let"s go," Sonny suggested.
Estella nodded and after saying goodbye to Grace, they hurriedly packed their stuffs and went to their car. Sonny started the engine right away and moved out of the campus.
They were still a good distance from them but Estella already recognized them. There were two boys riding their individual bicycle in the opposite lane, their bags lightly resting and swinging on their backs. She quickly rolled down her window and when they finally met, she had a good glimpse of their faces. One was the thinner boy with eyegla.s.ses while the other was taller one who was supposedly healed that morning by the miraculous prophet. She kept her eyes on them until they were far apart.
"Are they the same boys you saw earlier in the school?" Estella asked her partner.
"Nope," Sonny answered. "I saw the fat one and the smaller guy."
"Why have they separated? The other two looked like they were being chased on the street."
"And it seemed they came from the construction site. Did they just cause trouble in the area?"
Estella shrugged her shoulders. Personally, she had a strong hunch about the boys, and yet, she needed to focus more of her attention and time to more worthy news contents.
Finally, they arrived at the site. A workers" scaffolding had collapsed, bringing along portions of the building walls. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Immediately, Sonny prepared his camera for anothing news recording.
Meanwhile, Jamie and Tonton managed to finally reach their rendezvous. It was a tiring escape that they panted and rested to regain some energy. Their friends" bikes were still parked by the bushes so the two would still be inside the school. They were about to enter the hole when Bogart triumphanty squeezed himself through the opening. Immediately, Kiko followed right behind him.
Overjoyed, the Biker Brothers formed a circle and hugged each other.
"Why did you get out of the school?" Jamie asked his friends.
"It is not anymore safe for us to get inside," Bogart answered.
"Why?" Tonton inquired.
"It"s a long storry," Kiko said. "For now, let"s get away, from here."
The boys boarded their bikes and started their journey home. Along the way, they shared stories about their discovery. They stopped by the marketplace and continued their discussions. That night, they had a very relaxing sleep.
On the other hand, Dr. Alvarado became more infuriated upon seeing the rubbles piled up high. It was a heart-wrenching sight for him. After reading the message, he quickly went to the construction site and indeed, a portion of the old building had collapsed.
"One trouble after another," he said to himself.
For Estella, the day had been filled with plenty of news. Their news chief was so excited with their updates. So on that evening, the people of Subangdaku saw the hardships encountered inside the isolation camp, as well as the tragedy of what could have been a hope for them...