Breathless and panting. Bom felt her legs would give out anytime soon but she still continued her sprint. She ran from the train station all the way to the hospital. It was a good one and a half kilometers away. She had no other choice but to run since she had no money left for bus fare anymore. The cat was tucked snuggle in her arms despite the bumpy ride. Bom did not mind her tiredness, her sleepiness and hunger. All she wanted is to reach the hospital as soon as she can.

The still night was ominous. No stars or moon in sight as the dark clouds huddled over one another. It looked like it would rain anytime soon, and the sparse droplets of rain that hit Bom's cheeks seemed to say that 'soon' might be 'now.'

Dragon was still not in sight. With the cat snuggles tightly between her arms and chest, she prayed that everything will be alright. Dragon, I'll still see you later, right? This is not the end, right?

She reached the hospital lobby in just the nick of time. As she stopped to catch her breath, the heavy torrents of rain poured out as if it was just waiting for her to reach the hospital. The lobby was almost empty and without anyone looking, she stashed the cat again inside her bag.

"Sorry, Dragon, no pets allowed in the hospital," she muttered an apology to the cat.

With heavy footsteps and the beating of raindrops outside, Bom slowly made her way to the elevator and to the seventh floor of the hospital where the Intensive Care Unit is located. As the cold metal elevator door opened and she stepped out, the first thing she saw was the frail figure of her mom, her back hunched over and stared at the glass window if the ICU.

"Umma..." Bom's trembling voice broke the heavy stillness of the corridor. Her mother turned and looked at her, quickly wiping away a stray tear in her eye.

"You made it," her mother said with a smile. Bom joined beside her and she looked inside the heavy glass window. Inside the ICU, she saw her father, still unconscious, with different machines hooked to his body. Bom watched the slow rise and fall of his chest - a slow but steady sign that he was still alive.

"The doctors did a quick emergency heart surgery to remove the blockage in his arteries," Bom's mother softly explained. "They said he won't probably regain his consciousness until tomorrow morning."

"Th-this is all my fault," Bom's lips trembled as another wave of tears surged over her. "I did this to appa... If it weren't for what I said..."

"Hush, hush, Bommie," her mother comforted her and gave her a tight hug. "This is not your fault. Don't think that way, Bom."

Bom rested her chin on her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes. She couldn't remember when she had last felt her mother's warmth like this. She hugged her back. She suddenly felt something wiggle on her backpack.

"Oh?" her mother exclaimed and released Bom from her hug. Bom gave a small smile and opened her bag. There, her mother saw the white cat who just woke up from its deep slumber. "It's that cat again."

"Ne, umma," Bom nodded and took a nervous gulp. "It's not just any ordinary cat. This cat, he's the one who's been giving me the strength this past few months. He's also one of the reasons why I got the courage to finally tell you what I really want."

"If I wouldn't have known better, it sounds like you're talking about a boyfriend than a cat," her mom said as a joke and glanced at her.

"A-aniyo," Bom shook her head in disbelief. B-boyfriend?

"I was just teasing you," her mother said with a warm smile. "Well, if that's the case then I'm happy you found that cat. What happened to your father is not your fault, and I hope you will never think that way. I want you to go and follow your dreams, as well."

"B-but appa, he'll get mad at me." Bom blinked and looked back inside the ICU room. "Look at what happened to him!"

"Aniyo, he's not angry that you didn't want to follow after his footsteps. It's just that you didn't tell him what you wanted. If he knew that you didn't want to take up medicine, he wouldn't push you into it."

There was no other noise in the nearly empty corridor except for the occasional beeping of the machines inside the ICU room. The rain had stopped its violent downpour and the only sound it left was the slow constant spatter of the leftover raindrops. Bom held her mother's hands, the different bangles from her arms jiggled and echoed.

"What about you, umma?"

"I've always wanted the best for my daughter, and that means following your dreams and doing what you want the most," her mother answered briefly and looked at her. "I've always thought of life as a ship on sail in the middle of the ocean. If you have no end destination, you;ll just be stuck in the middle. There's no sense of direction. Where is your right, where is your left when you do not have a point of reference?"

Bom nodded and tried to make sense of her mother's tale.

"But if you know where you're going to, that's when you start having the sense of direction," her mother continued. "Sure, it won't be an easy journey, but it's a thousand times better than being stuck in the middle of the ocean, right?"

"Ne, umma," Bom nodded and understood what her mother told her.

"Ka, go home now," her mother let go of Bom's hand and patted her back. "It's getting late. I'll stay by your father's side."

"Are you sure, umma? I can also stay here with you." Bom's brow furrowed and she gave a frown.

"Ne, I'll be fine here," her mother smiled. "Come again tomorrow and have a talk with your father. He'll understand you."

"Ne, umma, kamsahamnida," Bom said, with tears welling up in her eyes again. She was about to give a bow to her mother but she hesitated. Instead she gave her a tight hug again.

~~

The streets were wet and the air was left humid by the sudden downpour from a while ago. Bom's mother had given her enough money for the bus fare, but Bom still chose to walk home. I need a walk to clear up my mind, she thought. A huge burden has already been lifted from her. Bom was relieved that her father would be alright, but there was still a nagging feeling at the back of her head.

Bom looked at the cat cradled in her arms. The moon was hiding away in this particular night, and without the moonlight, the cat looked just like an ordinary cat. It no longer had that undistinguishable bluish white color that almost seemed like it glowed in the dark.

"Dragon..." Bom spoke out aloud. She didn't care if people might hear her or assume that she was crazy for talking to herself. "I don't know if you could hear me, but I hope you're still there."

A bus whizzed by and soon after the pedestrian sign lit green. Bom crossed the street along with a sea of people.

"Listen, things are starting to turn all okay now. My mom understands me. And my father's condition, he's stable now. Tomorrow, I'll be back at the hospital and hopefully by then, he'll be awake now."

The cat was busy its front paws. It stopped for a while and looked at Bom with wide eyes.

"Dragon," Bom's voice trembled again. "Answer me..."

The cat opened its mouth but the only sound that came out was a small, almost inaudible meow.

~~