"HAHAHA!"

"I can't believe it, he's here," Zee sniggered after hearing the loud guffaw of a man from inside the hospital room.

"He?" asked Jane.

"Kim's dad. He’s a fun guy. You’ll see,” said Zee, knocking on the door.

A balding man, whom Pie assumed to be Kim's dad, opened the door for them. "Look who we have here!" he exclaimed, arms stretched wide. "Isn't this the almighty Zee descending from Mount Olympus to captivate women's hearts?"

Zee immediately threw herself for a big hug. "Haha! I missed you, uncle!"

"I missed you too, kiddo." He tapped her back. He pulled away when he noticed Jane and Pie. "Oh, and you brought your pretty friends, huh? Come on in now," he said, gesturing to them. "Tiger, you got visitors."

Pie smiled at the pet name. Her eyes immediately searched for Kim and found her lying on the bed with a bandaged right foot. She felt relieved and worried at the same time. No one knows how much she struggled to maintain her composure not to hug the poor patient at that moment.

Although others might not have noticed it, Pie surely saw how Kim was surprised to see her there. It was a brief shock that Kim immediately changed to a smile when she turned to look at Zee and Jane.

Aside from Kim's dad, there were other people inside. One is a middle-aged woman, whom Pie initially assumed as Kim's relative due to resemblance, and then there's...

Yam? What is she doing here?

Pie’s eyebrows furrowed while looking at Yam who's currently sitting ON the hospital bed, BESIDE Kim.

"Hey, guys..." said Kim, looking more cheery now compared to how she was last Friday.

Zee pointed a finger on Kim's foot and said, "Dude, what's up? You got it pretty bad, eh?"

"I'm fine, c'mon. You've seen worse, remember?" said Kim, reminding Zee of the car incident before, which the latter answered with a laugh.

"What happened to you?" asked Jane, walking towards Kim.

"Just minor foot injury. I can go back to work the day after tomorrow," Kim answered. "Miss me already?"

"Of course," said Jane, tapping Kim's leg. "It just doesn't feel the same not seeing you passing by the hallway. Right, Pie?"

Pie, who was zoning out while looking at how close Yam's body is to Kim, was brought back to Earth. "Uh... y-yeah..."

Not knowing what to say, Kim looked around and realized something. "Oh, guys, meet my dad and Aunt In." She pointed at the two. The siblings greeted everyone with a wai.

Kim turned to Yam this time. "These are my friends and colleagues: Zee, Jane, and... Pie. Guys, meet Yam." Jane made an "ooh" sound after hearing Yam's name.

"Hello everyone," said Yam with a wai.

Kim's dad cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention. "So, now tell me, which of you girls is Kim's girlfriend?"

Their mouths fell open at the blunt question. Kim brought her hands to her face and said, "Ugh, dad, stop it!"

The man chuckled. "Hey, tiger, what's the matter? I'm just curious, okay?"

"How many times should I tell you that I'm single?" Kim's voice is muffled from hiding her face behind her palms. Pie still finds it cute, though.

"What? I can't believe it! You're a disgrace to this family," said Kim’s dad, his hands on his waist. "You surely have pretty friends here and you don't like any of them? What happened to your taste?"

Kim groaned even more.

"Maybe she hasn't moved on from Nam yet?" Aunt In said this time.

"Ahh, the one that got away, huh? Tsk, tsk, tsk." The man shook his head in disappointment. "If tiger here wasn't a slowpoke I'm pretty sure they've been officially together, right?"

"Dad..."

"Oh, but there was a girl you were calling when we were in Bali. What happened to her?"

Kim and Pie had an eye contact for a fraction of a second before Kim went to look back at her dad and shrugged.

"What? That didn't work out too? Jeez. You even bought her something. Was that a tur —"

"DAD!"

"What? I thought that girl was special?"

Kim looked down at her hands and said, "It's not like what you're thinking. W-we're just friends..."

Pie looked down at her feet feeling guilty about it.

"Aish!" Kim's dad shook his head again. He turned to Zee. "Didn't you teach your best friend here a thing or two about girls? You're the expert here, right?"

"I just learned from you, master," said Zee, chuckling. Jane elbowed her to make her stop. "But I've changed, uncle," she continued, putting her arm around Jane's shoulder, "I'm serious about this one."

"Oooh, okay. I'll keep my mouth shut then," Kim's dad said, zipping up the imaginary zipper on his mouth. "So, I'll leave you kids for now. I'll drive In back to her restaurant first, okay?"

"I'll be back later, Kim," Aunt In said, kissing the top of her niece's head.

"Thanks, aunt. Dad, you drive her safely, okay?"

"Agh. Your old man's reflexes are still kicking fine, don't worry about me. I'll see you later, tiger." He leaned over to kiss Kim’s head too.

There was a brief silence when the siblings left the room.

"So, you're Yam?" Jane initiated the conversation, walking towards her.

Yam turned to Kim with a puzzled look on her face. The latter just smiled at her. She looked back at Jane and said, "Yes."

Jane turned to Kim this time. "Is she the one whom you talk to most of the time on the phone?"

"Uh... yeah..." said Kim, looking hesitant.

Jane went back to Yam this time. "So, I suppose you're Kim's girlfriend...?"

Yam grimaced immediately. "No, no! We’re not together..."

Kim laughed at the question. "Jane, don't bully her. Yam is a good friend of mine, okay?"

Pie raised an eyebrow. Good friend?

"I wouldn't want to be with someone as hopelessly romantic as you," said Yam, looking at Kim, pretending to look disgusted.

"Oh really? But you do care for me, right?"

"I just happen to be watching your game when you crashed down the court. Duh!" Yam rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I can't help but wonder if that really was an accident or if it's just your fault for getting drunk for two days."

"Hahaha! I'm thinking of the same thing, Yam!" Zee exclaimed, high-fiving Yam. "Kim always gets into trouble after binge drinking."

Pie's eyebrows furrowed again.

She was watching the game? How come she knows all Kim's whereabouts? And why is Kim getting drunk again?

"Hey, are you okay? You're silent there," said Jane, nudging Pie.

Pie realized that everyone's eyes are on hers. She felt conscious. She settled down on one of the chairs and said, "Y-yeah. I'm just a bit hungry, I guess."

"Why don't we get snacks then?" said Zee, turning to Jane.

Jane ran her hand over her tummy. "Yeah, I'm pretty hungry too."

"Aight. Let's go get something outside. Pie, are you cool staying here for a while?" asked Zee.

"Yeah, don't worry."

Zee stretched out her hand to Jane's shoulder and led her towards the door. "We'll be back."

There was another silence when the couple left. The three of them surely felt how the ambiance inside the room changed to something unexplainable yet identifiable: awkwardness.

Pie is secretly wishing that Yam would just disappear so she could talk to Kim alone. But just to break the ice, she started the conversation.

"Ummm, so, how are you feeling now?" she asked Kim.

Kim stared at her for a while before answering, "Better."

"I see..."

"I didn't expect you'd come here," said Kim, not looking at her.

"I could've come sooner if I had known," said Pie, making Kim look back to her.

Feeling the pressure in the air, Yam went down the bed. "I think I need to get something outside. Be right back."

Pie felt hopeful hearing that. At least Yam knows that she needs to exit. But Kim instantly grabbed Yam by her arm and said, "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna get myself some snacks too."

"No. You stay here," said Kim. It's more of a command than just a favor. "I'm sure Zee will get something for everyone."

Pie turned to look away and exhaled at the unpleasant sight in front of her.

Before anyone could speak further, they heard a knock on the door. "Excuse me, we're checking up on Kim," said the doctor who came in. She’s followed by a nurse holding a clipboard.

"Pie, maybe we should go out for now," said Yam. Pie glanced at Kim first before nodding her head.

---

Pie and Yam sat down across each other on the bench outside the room. It was silent in the hallway that time, no noise or anything, except for the sound of Yam's heels rocking back and forth against the tiled floor.

I don't know why but my guts are telling me something's really going on.

Pie is sitting bolt upright, hands clasped in her lap while observing the woman in front of her. It never occurred to her that there will come a day when she'll be suspecting Yam's real role in Kim's life. The idea of Yam and her having equal importance to Kim, or maybe more on Yam, is definitely troubling her.

"You alright?" Yam asked with a smile after noticing the stares aimed at her.

Pie blinked after realizing what she's doing is creepy. "Y-yeah... I... I was just thinking of something..."

"Still worried about her?"

Pie nodded. "I just found it out today, a while ago..."

"Oh. I see..."

"Were you the one who brought her here?"

"I helped, but it was actually the staff and some of her friends from the club that drove her here. I was the one whom she asked to contact her aunt."

"So, you've been here since Sunday?"

"Yeah, but not the whole day," said Yam, shrugging. "I visit Kim whenever her aunt's busy since no one's available to look after her. Her dad just arrived this morning, and if I'm not mistaken he'll leave again tomorrow afternoon."

Pie pressed her lips together, feeling a bit envious. "So... you two are really that close, huh..."

"Well, if getting confided with her problems means being close, I guess you could say we really are," said Yam, chuckling.

Pie didn't know if it's just her but she's feeling insecure. Aside from Nam issues before, Kim had never really opened up to her about problems, making her itchy to find out the real deal between the two.

"Do you like Kim?" Pie bravely asked.

Yam's head tilted forward; fell open. She quickly recovered it with a hearty chuckle. "Wow. Why are you asking me that?"

"I just wanted to know. It's not impossible, right?"

"Why, are you jealous?"

"No," Pie answered apathetically, trying her best not to flinch at the question.

"Still in denial, I see..."

"I'm sorry?"

Yam clasped her hands together on her lap. "I'm gonna be honest with you here, Pie, I know everything that's happening between you and Kim."

Pie was definitely flabbergasted but she tried to remain calm. "Everything like?"

"Everything about your 'relationship'," Yam answered, making quotes signs with her fingers. "All the joys, the sweetness, and even the problems..."

"P-problems?"

"Didn't you just dump her last Friday?"

What? "I didn't dump her —"

"Not officially yet," Yam interrupted, "but you and I both know that it's the same thing, right? Sooner or later that's how things between you two will end."

Pie looked away and pinched her nose, somehow knowing that Yam has a point.

"I can't blame you if you're feeling confused or what," said Yam, shifting her position on the bench, "but I hope you're not dense enough not to know that Kim has feelings for you."

Pie took a deep breath before answering, "Okay. I'd be lying if I'd say I never felt it, but I'm not sure if she's serious or not because she happens to treat everyone so sweetly."

"Well she IS serious, Pie," said Yam, putting emphasis on her words. "For Pete's sake, believe me when I tell you she's head over heels for you."

Pie wanted to say something but no words came out. It is something that she wanted to confirm all along, however, it felt different hearing it from another person instead of Kim herself.

"Don't tell me you still don't believe me?" asked Yam, roaming her eyes around the area. "Well, look where we are now. While you were enjoying your weekend with your guy, Kim was partying in hopes to forget you. I'm not blaming it on you, it's still her fault, but I want you to know that she was badly wrecked after your last talk that she didn't mind playing tennis even with a massive hangover."

"Oh, gosh..." Pie covered her face with her palms, feeling guilty.

"Tell me, what exactly she is to you?" asked Yam.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because you are confusing her with your actions. You can't just tell her that you cannot be with her and show up here now to make her feel that she's important to you. That's…" Yam paused for a second to scoff and shake her head, "…that's ridiculous."

"That's not my intention, Yam. I was just worried..."

"I know... I know... But you're making it hard for her..."

"It's equally as hard for me too..." Pie admitted, fiddling with one of her cuticles.

"Look, you've got to make a decision fast. You can't just leave Kim in limbo, hanging and waiting for you. If you're going to choose that guy then you need to set her free. Do her a favor by staying away from her so she could accept it fast," said Yam.

Pie started asking herself if it's really something she wanted to happen, for Kim to completely move on from her. She’s also worried about Kim's condition knowing that their recent talk had resulted to a hospital visit today.

"Will she be okay if I do that?" asked Pie.

"Of course. As long as you two stay away from each other I can assure you that it'll take only a month for her to get over you."

A month?

"T-that f-fast?" said Pie, wondering if it really takes such a short time to forget someone who means so much.

"Yes, I won't let her linger on you that long. I'll help mend her. I'll entertain her. I'll keep her occupied," said Yam.

Pie slowly reclined back on the chair, eyes still fixed at Yam. She suddenly became anxious about two things: first, how much it will be hard for her to get rid of her attachment to Kim; and second, how she felt threatened after hearing Yam's somewhat confession.

"I can help her get over you, Pie," said Yam. She leaned forward again and smiled this time to give her final blow. "I will make her forget you."