"Excuse me. I was wondering if you've seen her around here?"
I asked as I showed Harriett's picture to another local. The old woman stared at the picture before shaking her head.
"No sorry, you should try asking in the police station"
I nodded at her and muttered my thank you as I moved to another person. I did try the police station earlier and left my contact there so they can call me if someone who saw Harriett appear.
But I had forgotten how hard it was here since it's almost like a province. And the darkening sky made me look at it as I let out another sigh and stared at Akira who was now sprawled all over the ground.
We had been here since morning asking for possible locals who might have seen Harriett but we had no luck. I contacted Annika and Haze and told them about the location but it won't be that easy for both of them to travel immediately.
I was only lucky enough that I could file an immediate leave for work, Annika not so much.
I knelt and took Akira's leash off as I carried her.
"I know you're tired girl but let's try a little more."
Harriett has to be here. Because if she's not then I don't know where to start looking for her again. I can't go back to square one. The more time I spend looking for her, the more time she could harm herself.
Or maybe she's dead already
As the thought crosses my mind, my tears start to prickle my eyes.
No, she's not dead yet. She can't be. That's right, let's try a little bit more. Once it gets dark, I'll rent a place here for the night and continue tomorrow.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. My eyebrows creased in the middle as I saw an unknown caller ID but answered it nonetheless when I remembered that I left my number in the police station.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Mr. Alad?"
A woman's voice went through and I immediately took up the noise in the background. It seemed there were other people on the other line too and that they were all talking over one another.
"This is Maddie from Lily General Hospital…"
A hospital? I don't remember leaving…
"I'm calling in regards to the person you were searching for"
No. Please. Say she's alive.
"Have you found her?"
I asked frantically as my own feet ran towards my car parked not far from where I was.
"Yes. Someone from the vicinity rescued her from the beach a few days ago. She had drowned and she's still currently unconscious. We can tell you the details once you get here"
I ended the call and opened up the maps as soon as I got into the car and placed Akira down. Rude as it may be but the only thing I could think of right now is that she's alive.
She's unconscious but Harriett's alive.
I might have gone over the speed limit and I might have gotten into an accident with how fast I was driving but I could care less.
Harriett, I have to get to her. Nothing else matters.
Ten minutes later, I'm in the hospital parking lot rushing inside with Akira in my arms frantically looking for the nurse's station or a concierge or whatever it is that could help me in Harriett's direction.
"Excuse me, my name is Pierce Alad, I'm looking for a nurse named Maddie. She called me regarding a person they saved from drowning"
My words sputtered as I reached the nearest nurse's station. The male nurse looked at me then to Akira before saying.
"Oh that would be on the third floor but Sir dogs…"
I didn't wait for the nurse to finish what he was saying and ran upstairs using the escalator there.
I guess dogs aren't allowed in here since every nurse I came across just stared at me but the moment I reached the third floor and put Akira down, she ran.
She didn't barked, just ran towards a direction like she had been there before.
"Akira wait!"
I called out but Akira kept on running. I followed her and ran faster when she turned into a corner.
"Excuse me sir dogs aren't allowed in here"
I hear the nurses tell me as I almost bump into her.
"I know sorry"
I uttered quickly before running after Akira again.
"Akira stop! Where are you going? We need to find Harriett"
I called out but she just kept on running until she stopped and went inside a room where the door was opened by a nurse.
"Shit"
I cursed as I saw how the nurse shrieked at Akira's sudden arrival.
"I'm really really sorry. I didn't know dogs aren't allowed in here"
I muttered an apology as I reached the nurse and peeked inside the room to search for Akira.
"Akira where are you? Let's go"
I called as I muttered another sorry to the nurse who was waiting by the door but there was no Akira to be seen.
"Oh no there's a patient at the end of the room. You should go get your dog"
"Ahh yes I'm sorry again"
I muttered as I walked towards the endless rows of hospital beds. I looked underneath the beds in case Akira went there but I only saw her on the last bed.
The nurse said there was a patient here.
"Akira let's go"
I whispered but Akira barked in return making me panic as I muttered another apology to the patient.
"I'm deeply sorry, she's not like this really. I don't know why she just…"
Akira's cry stopped me. It was the same sound she made when I took her inside my apartment. The same cry she let out when Harriett left her. Suddenly the curtain hiding the hospital bed and patient seemed too thin and inviting.
Akira wouldn't cry like that if it's not Harriett.
She had drowned and she's still currently unconscious.
This patient hasn't answered me and there was no sound indicating that she had moved.
Don't hesitate anymore Pierce, we can just apologize if it's not her.
That's right. I held the middle of the curtain and moved it slightly so that I could enter.
Tears started trickling my eyes as I saw her. There lying on the hospital bed, with an IV drip stuck on her left hand, and a bandage in her head. It was Qian Harriett.
Her hand is cold to the touch, her face completely at peace and her breathing and the monitor attached to her was the only indication that she was still alive.
My Harriett is alive.
I knelt beside Akira as I held Harriett's hand and brought it into my forehead.
She's alive. It's gonna be okay. I found her. It'll be alright. Everything will be alright.
My tears finally let loose as I took Harriett's hand, enclosed it with mine and kissed it. And when my eyes landed on the scars decorating her wrist and arms, I trembled.
Cut marks, tiny slashes from a knife or a razor maybe, all of them seemed old.
The long skirt and turtlenecks she never liked wearing before. The long sleeved shirts, it was all to hide her self-inflicted scars.
No one
The bruises on her neck the day we met again. No one was hurting her because she's doing it to herself.
I felt my lips tremble as a sob escaped from it. Why did this have to happen? Why her? Didn't she suffer enough when she was a kid? Why does this kind of thing have to happen to her of all people?
She was having a hard time. And I wasn't there. No one was there for her. I left her all alone.
Why? Why didn't I fight for her back then? Why did I think that letting her go was the good thing to do for her?
If I hadn't, she would still have me and maybe things won't be this difficult for her. She'll still have me even as a friend.
"Sir?"
I brushed away my tears as the nurse from before stood by the curtains. Her gaze shifted between me to Harriett then to our enclosed hands.
"Are you perhaps Mr. Alad?"
I managed to give her a curt nod as I saw the ID hanging by the pocket of her medical scrub, Maddie, she's the nurse who had called me.
"I'd like to tell you that dogs aren't allowed in here for hygiene purposes but it seems it's attached to the patient so maybe you'd like to move in a private room? So that it doesn't interfere with any other patients?"
"Yes, I'd like to do that please"
She gave a brief nod before staring at Harriett again.
"Someone found the patient four days ago in the beach"
She started and all I could do was stare at her.
"She had drowned and was barely breathing when someone found her. Luckily the one who did knew CPR and immediately did it saving her life. She had been unconscious since then. Aside from the brain concussion it seemed like there were no more injuries…"
She had stopped and stared at our hands again before she proceeded on crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"But may I ask what your relationship is to the patient? We actually called you when we saw your missing posters but I'm not sure how you're related."
Her tone of voice suddenly changed. She was judging me, sizing me up, why? That's when I realized she wasn't staring at our hands. She was staring at Harriett's wrist. At her wrist full of lacerations.
I looked up at her but my words died at my throat. What was our relationship anyway? Harriett and I are no longer friends. Nor are we lovers. As a matter of fact, we're just neighbors right now.
Strangers who knew each other's past.
"Arf"
We both shifted our gaze to Akira when she barked. And when I felt Harriett's fingers hold mine, my eyes darted towards her.
I stifled another sob when I saw her soft brown eyes staring right back at me. Even without hearing it, the moment her mouth took shape to call out my name, my tears fell.
"I'm here. I'm right here Harriett"
A tear fell from her eyes mirroring mine and all I could do was kiss her knuckles. She's alive. She's awake. That's all that I need right now.
Everything else can wait for now, it's just her and me.