I blinked up at Bernadette. “What are you doing here?”
That simple question burned my injured throat and caused a coughing fit.
“That’s really all you can say to the person who just saved your ridiculous ass?” she said as she eased me into a sitting position and checked me over for injuries. As her fingers probed my throat, I hissed at the sharp pain her ministrations brought. “Hmm, some bruising is likely but nothing serious. You’ll probably be sore for the next few days, so try to rest and not speak too much. I know how hard that is for you, but try, OK?” She smiled as she said that, not with the usual sarcasm or venom, but with actual concern.
Tita Rosie hurried over with an ice pack, followed closely by an EMT who wrapped my ankle. Adeena crouched down to help me stand and guided me over to our booth, where Elena handed me a cup of salabat with honey—the hot ginger tea coursed down my throat, bringing its usual relief. With Longganisa on my lap, the cold of the ice on my neck combined with the heat from the tea inside worked its magic and I sighed in relief.
“It’s over.”
* * *
? ? ?
A few days later, my throat had healed enough for me to talk, so Adeena, Elena, and I got together at the Brew-ha Cafe to enjoy bowls of Lola Flor’s halo-halo, as well as discuss all that had gone down.
Winnie was in custody and had confessed her crimes, but not before arranging a meeting with Valerie and Beth over Katie’s future. The two women talked it over with Winnie and their lawyers （after Valerie had a paternity test drawn up that confirmed Katie was Rob’s daughter）， and the three of them decided that until Katie came of age, she would be in the care of the Thompsons. Valerie and Katie would move into the Thompson house, Beth would move into her own condo nearby, and together they’d provide guidance and hopefully love to that confused young woman. My heart went out to her. But Valerie and Beth were both powerhouses in their own way. The fact that they were setting their egos aside long enough to care for this girl together spoke volumes.
Sana realized she’d strayed further than she’d meant to from her nonprofit-loving ways, and partnered with Sara Colon, the runner-up of the pageant, to set up an organization to help teen moms get an education and learn business skills. Since she wasn’t a practicing lawyer anymore, she enlisted Amir’s help. It wasn’t his area of expertise, but he was eager to do his part and helped the organization pro bono. Part of it was his good heart delighting in helping a good cause. Pretty sure the other part was how Sana’s eyes lit up when she saw him. Nothing had happened yet, but it was only a matter of time. Good for them. They suited each other perfectly, and I wished them luck.
When I was resting at home, not allowed to speak or do anything but sleep and drink plenty of fluids, Jae came to visit me. He had a sparkly black ukulele and music book with him.
“I noticed your reaction when Joy was playing. I know you won’t be able to sing for a while, but maybe you can create music in a different way.”
I tried to hold my tears back, but that just made my throat hurt even more, so I let out a sob and threw myself into his arms. He patiently stroked my hair as I let out everything I’d been holding in for the last few days . . . months . . . years. When it was time for him to leave, I grabbed his hand before I could lose my nerve.
“Wait for me.” I didn’t elaborate—even those few words hurt to force out, but they had to be said. The look in Jae’s face changed ever so slightly as he bent over to kiss my forehead.
“OK.”
That’s all he said. But it was enough. He was willing to wait—he knew I had to heal, in so many different ways, before I was ready to be in a relationship with him. He understood and was willing to let things be for now.
All that was left was making things right with Adeena and Elena. Even though I’d been good about my responsibilities regarding the shop, I knew they could sense my wishy-washy attitude and were annoyed by it. They were my partners. They had just as much riding on the success of the cafe as I did. And it was time to stop acting as if everything were all about me. The icy halo-halo soothed my throat as I listened to my besties chattering about the immense success the Founder’s Day Festival had been for the shop—the rather dramatic climax notwithstanding.
“I called Dr. Kang,” I said when there was finally a lull in the conversation. “After all that happened at the festival . . . it was time.”
“Well, I would’ve preferred a less life-threatening way for you to have that epiphany, but I’m glad you got there in the end. But now I wonder . . . are you ready to go all in with the business? Once you’re healed up, I need to know that I can count on you. That we can count on you,” Adeena said, placing one hand on mine and the other on Elena’s.