The Biker Brothers And The Golden Baby

Yet, it was a restless night for Tara. The memories kept coming back to her even when she slept. She was hara.s.sed and the emotional trauma was immense. She might be a happy-go-lucky and outgoing woman but she did not deserve that. She was worth anyone"s respect. So everytime she remembered how the aggressor attacked and touched her, she felt mad and scared.

All the time she was working in the isolation camp, Tara was absent-minded. She could not easily move on from the experience. Cecilia was quick to sense it when she saw her.

"Is everything okay?" Cecilia asked her the moment she found time to be alone with her. Her voice was a little softer. Tara might not be her friend but only a collaborator in the doctor"s scheme, but Cecilia knew something was bothering her.

"Actually, I"m not okay," Tara said honestly and almost instantly, tears welled up in her eyes. Cecilia went up to her and hugged her.

"What happened?"

"I was almost raped."

Cecilia was shocked so that she gave Tara another warm embrace. They were inside the stock room of the clinic and not too many people went in there. They were alone so that Tara had an ample opportunity to share her heartache. She told Cecilia everything - from the moment they separated that night until she woke up in the hospital bed. When she was done, Tara was weeping.

"Poor girl, why should it happen to you?" Cecilia remarked while holding Tara"s hands. "Anyway, didn"t you call the police?"

"The people who rescued me also called the police," Tara answered. "I was already awake in the hospital when they interviewed me. Sadly, I really did not see anything. The street was too dark and I was not able to see him upfront."

"Anybody saw the incident?"

"So far, n.o.body reported to have seen the incident. The authorities had already talked with the surrounding neighbors hoping that at least one of them saw it."

Cecilia nodded.

"Do I deserve this?"

"Of course, no. Not a single woman deserved to be treated that way. So don"t feel bad or guilty, you did not do this to yourself."

"But after last night, I started to feel ashamed of what we are doing here. Am I paying for the wrong things that Dr. Alvarado made us do? Is this the price for everything?"

"Tara, you need to calm down and stop mentioning the doctor"s name," Cecilia said firmly while slowly releasing Tara"s hands. "Do not feel bad. We are not killing people."

"Aren"t we? We are making them too sick that they can easily die."

"Keep yourself together, Tara. We can"t retreat now. We are already too deep in the mud."

Silence. When Cecilia had nothing else to say, Tara quickly wiped her tears with some tissue papers she took from a shelf.

"Thank you anyway, Cecilia. I feel lighter now that I got to unload this burden in my chest."

"Your welcome. You can always reach out to me."

Tara smiled. "We have stayed too long here in the stockroom. We better get back to the camp now."

"I agree. But you got to help me first carry these boxes. The doctors requested for them."

"What are these?" Tara asked while she gently lifted a box. "Are these new stocks from Dr. Alvarado?"

"Oh no, these are true medicines. The doctor did not deliver any new stocks today."

"That"s good. Hopefully that was the last time."

Cecilia nodded. Carefully, they left the clinic with the boxes and proceeded to the camp. To their horror, the camp was in total chaos, as if the people were not managed well. Nurses were running from one tent to another. Some patients were already outside their tents, vomiting blood and trembling on the concrete ground. Patient"s companions were shouting and crying as medical staff were frantically attending to everyone"s needs. The camp was understaffed. Like Grace, several nurses and even doctors were either relieved from duty or reasigned to other facilities. They were already breathlessly working on Monday and today was even worse. Cecilia and Tara was horrified at the scene before them. What have they done?

Immediately, they jumped into the chaos and helped in any way they could. They forgot their evil schemes as the grave consequences were right before them. How could they let Dr. Alvarado use them?

By noon, all medical personnel were exhausted but Tara was. .h.i.t worst. Her legs felt weak while her arms were numb. She had chills all over her body despite the blazing sun. Her fever was high while she sweated terribly. It was ten minutes before her lunch break but she still had plenty to do. She was about to go inside the clinic to get some supplies when she could not take it anymore. As her world whirled around her, she fell on the ground and lost consciousness.

It was already late in the afternoon when she woke up. She was in the school clinic"s ward and Cecilia was on the nearby table folding some sheets and towels.

"How are you?" Cecilia asked. "Feeling better now?"

"I think so," Tara answered. "How long have I slept?"

"All through afternoon?"

"That long?"

"Yes. The doctors were quite disappointed as they needed as much help as they can."

"Sorry about that. They should have not let the others go."

"It was an order from the higher authorities."

"I think I need some break. I gonna take a leave tomorrow."

"I don"t think that"s possible."

"But why?"

Cecilia was not able to answer right away. She could see the fatigue in the younger nurse"s face. And underneath that, she could sense some worry and sadness in her voice.

"Like I said, the camp need as much manpower now. Dr. Alvarado came by here this afternoon and saw you. He checked for your vitals and said your conditions are just fine. You must only be tired so he let you sleep the entire time. However, you must still continue to work by tomorrow. "

"I am not fine. I am more than just tired, I am really sick. I can feel my body burning and my head is dizzy."

"He already instructed the camp head not to grant you a leave by tomorrow. The new medical personnel will start working by Thursday so no one must be absent or take a leave by tomorrow."

"How could he do that to me? He could be a little considerate."

Tara then broke down and cried. Cecilia hurried to her side and comforted her. She was not only worried about her but of the fate of the district as well. In her heart, she finally felt some regret. This second wave of outbreak was already terrifying. The sad part was that it had just started.....