Dr. Mike Marcial studied Joyce's medical records with a grim expression, while Dave and Nephtali waited anxiously for him to speak.
"According to this," Mike said, his voice grave, "Joyce has the symptoms of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. We'll need more tests to confirm it."
"It's treatable, isn't it?" Nephtali asked, a tremor in his voice.
"It is, but it will require a massive amount of money for the operation and a compatible bone marrow donor," Mike explained. "I've already spoken with her parents. Until we have a definite diagnosis, they won't make a decision."
"But they're just symptoms, right?" Dave interjected. "They're not even sure yet. Can we go now?"
Mike looked at Nephtali with a knowing gaze. "Why are you so concerned about this girl, Boss? Do you have feelings for her?"
Nephtali didn't answer. Dave shot a frantic look at Mike.
"Thank you for your time, Mike," Nephtali said, standing up. "We won't bother you anymore."
"Wait," Mike said, stopping him. "Boss, I'll help you if you want to help her. I've never seen you so worried about a woman before, not even the ones you were with."
"That's true," Dave chimed in. "He used to ignore Ruth and Carla all the time. He's totally smitten with this girl. He's been so out of it lately, just thinking about her."
"How can we get you to shut up?" Mike asked Dave.
"You can't," Dave said. "I can keep Nephtali's secrets. I already promised to help him."
Mike looked at Nephtali, a silent question in his eyes. "We'll get the test results in three months. I'll let you know what we find. Are you sure you're going to help her until she's cured?"
"I'll do everything I can," Nephtali said, his voice firm. "As long as I can see her alive and safe."
"You've really fallen for her, haven't you, even from a distance?" Mike asked. "Are you just hurting yourself, Boss? Are you doing this to forget your wife?"
"Our son was two years old when I found out she was with another man," Nephtali said, the words heavy with a years-old pain. "We haven't been together for a long time, but I never told anyone. I didn't want our son to be affected by what she did. I haven't had a wife since she left me. I just work for my children now."
A profound silence fell over the two men.
"I had two women in my life," Nephtali continued, his voice barely a whisper. "They both just used me. I was never happy with them. Say whatever you want to about me, I can take it, but don't involve Joyce. She knows nothing about this."
Nephtali walked out, and Dave followed him.
---
Weeks later, Nephtali was leaving the church office when he saw Joyce talking to her friend, Kaye.
"A VIP ticket?" Joyce said. "I don't have any money for that, Kaye."
"It's already paid for," Kaye said. "The coordinator of our concert saw that I had an extra ordinary ticket, so he swapped it with me. It's so much better; the ordinary seats are too crowded, and you get free snacks in the VIP section. You'll be able to see everyone on stage."
"Luna's going to love this," Joyce said, her eyes lighting up. "She'll be so excited when she finds out we'll be sitting in the front row. She'll be able to see her idols up close."
"You can even take pictures with them backstage," Kaye said, laughing. "Do you think Luna will faint when she sees Kuya Dave up close?"
They both laughed. Nephtali watched them from a distance, a small, private smile on his face.
"How are you, by the way?" Kaye asked. "Any news on your medical tests?"
"Not yet," Joyce said. "I'm just finishing the medicine the doctor gave me. I feel fine right now, so don't worry. I have to go now. I'll see you at the concert."
"Call me when you're at the gym entrance," Kaye said. "The tickets are all sold out, so the crowd is going to be crazy."
"Don't worry," Joyce said. "My sister and I can handle it. Just prepare for your performance, or I'll tease you at school. Bye!"
Joyce waved goodbye to Kaye, and Nephtali's mind raced, a plan forming in his head.
---
The night of the concert arrived. Dave was on stage, setting up. Nephtali approached him, a bottle of water in his hand.
"I know you need something," Dave said, a knowing smile on his face. "Just say it."
"Kaye should escort Joyce and her sister to their seats," Nephtali said. "The line outside is long. You know about her condition. I don't want anything to happen to her. Tell one of the staff to bring them through the backstage entrance. Give them this money so they won't ask questions."
"Five hundred pesos just to be your crush's escort?" Dave said, grabbing the money. "I'll do it myself. I'll make sure Joyce gets to her seat safely so you can watch her. Are you happy now?"
Nephtali laughed as Dave hurried away.
Joyce and Luna were standing at the back of the line.
"The concert is starting soon," Luna said. "The line is so long. It looks like the whole province is here tonight."
"We just have to wait," Joyce said. "We'll get in."
"Joyce?" Dave said, walking up to them. "Have you been here long?"
"No, we just got here," Joyce said, surprised to see him. "Aren't you supposed to be getting ready?"
"Kaye was worried about you," he said. "She was afraid something would happen to you in this crowd. I had to grab something from outside anyway, so I came to get you. This way, you can get in faster. We'll go through the backstage entrance. You'll be sitting in the front."
Luna stared at Dave in awe. Joyce had to pull her along. Joyce looked at the beautifully lit stage, and Nephtali watched her from the shadows.
"I'll leave you here," Dave said. "They'll bring you snacks later."
"Thank you so much," Joyce said.
Dave left them, and Luna giggled excitedly in her seat. Joyce laughed with her. Her friends backstage waved to her, but when Nephtali appeared, they all scattered in fear. Joyce froze, her eyes meeting his.
"Are those all your friends?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "My friends and classmates."
"Did they give you a program yet?"
"Not yet."
He handed her a program. "Here's the concert flow, so you know what's happening."
Joyce's eyes widened when she saw the flow. Nephtali noticed her reaction.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Are you okay, Ate Joyce?" Luna asked.
"I just need to use the restroom," Joyce said. "I've been holding it in."
"I'll come with you," Nephtali said. "It's dark."
Joyce walked silently, lost in thought. She stopped.
"You wrote this, didn't you?" Nephtali asked, showing her the concert flow.
Joyce was stunned. "How did you get that?"
"Jerry found it at your school," he explained. "He thought it was in the trash, so he picked it up. He saw the acronym. I knew your name from your friends, so I had a feeling it was you. You were the only one who didn't join them. It's a beautiful piece of writing."
"It's just my imagination," Joyce said. "I just listen to music, and then I write stories and poems. It's about life and hope. Each song has a meaning, so I put them all together to create a single message: to be grateful."
Nephtali was struck by her words. She gave the flow back to him.
"I won't say anything," she said. "Just give them the message."
"I can't do that," he said. "You wrote this. You came up with the idea. Your name should be on this, not mine."
"Please don't," she pleaded. "Kaye is the only one who knows I write. They'll laugh at me and bully me. I don't want that to happen again."
"They won't do that to you," he said. "They're your friends. They won't hurt you. No one will hurt you, Joyce. You have nothing to fear."
A single tear rolled down her cheek. He gently wiped it away with his handkerchief. She looked at it, then back at him.
"You kept my handkerchief?" she asked.
"I didn't want to throw it away," he said. "You gave it to me."
"When you helped me find my bracelet, I didn't even know who you were," she said. "Now we've met again, and I still don't know your name, but you know mine."
"Nephtali Gonzaga," he said. "They call me Boss."
"Can I call you Boss, too?"
"I should be the one calling you Boss because of what you did."
She smiled, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"Can I be your friend, Joyce?" he asked.
"Of course," she said. "I'm always happy to make new friends. Boss, I need to use the restroom now. I've been holding it in for a while."
"Why didn't you say anything?" he said, a worried look on his face. "Go ahead. I'll wait for you here. Be careful. It's slippery in there."
Nephtali was overjoyed that he and Joyce were finally friends. He walked her back to her seat, and Dave, who was watching from backstage, was surprised to see his friend so happy. He immediately went to him.
"Your smile is reaching your ears, Boss," he said. "You look crazy. I thought you weren't going to approach her or even talk to her?"
"We met at the communion," Nephtali said. "I just didn't tell you. When Jerry found that concert flow, I figured out that Joyce wrote it because of the acronym."
"What?" Dave said. "How are you so sure it was her?"
"LJA," Nephtali said. "Liezel Joyce Almonte. She also told me the flow has a message that we didn't know about. Tell everyone I'll pay for the outing next week if Joyce comes."
"She'll be there," Dave said. "I'll take care of it!"
The concert began, and Joyce happily watched her classmates perform. Nephtali watched her from the back.
"Boss, we have a big problem," Gadriel said, coming to him.
"What is it?"
"The next number is throwing up and looks pale," Ram said. "Father sent him to the hospital. We need to prepare the next number. What should we do?"
"How many minutes do they need to prepare?" Nephtali asked.
"Three minutes."
"Call Dave and get the band ready."
Nephtali looked at Joyce, who was enjoying the show. After the number, all the lights went out. A spotlight shone on Nephtali as he sat at the keyboard and began to play.
He sang, his eyes fixed on Joyce. The crowd held up their cell phones, swayed, and screamed when the rest of the band joined him. When their performance ended, the audience gave them a standing ovation.
"You're so lucky, Ate Joyce," Luna said. "You met Sir Nephtali. Do you know he's the head coordinator? Sir Dave is only second to him."
"He's a great singer," Joyce said. "I could listen to him all day."
The concert ended with a huge finale. All the performers stood on stage. Nephtali faced the audience.
"Thank you for giving us a chance to perform for you," he said. "I wasn't supposed to do this, but my friends convinced me when they showed me the concert flow. I was amazed because they're not capable of writing a song or a concert flow. I saw the acronym of the writer, and tonight, I found out who she is. I know she doesn't want to be known, but she should be standing here in front of you, not me. Miss Liezel Joyce Almonte, our writer of this concert and the show master."
Joyce's friends were stunned, and the crowd was in disbelief. They immediately pulled Joyce to the center of the stage, next to Nephtali. The audience applauded. He gave her a bouquet, and she gave him a single rose.
"Boss," she said, "I'm so happy tonight. Thank you so much."
Nephtali looked at Joyce, a wide smile on his face. Later, as she was walking home with her friends, she stared at the bouquet in her hand.
"I saw the way you and Sir Nephtali were looking at each other," Kaye said. "There was a spark between you that no one else saw."
Joyce put a hand over Kaye's mouth and looked at Jessa and Luna, who were walking ahead of them.
"Is it wrong for me to like him?" she whispered. "He's handsome, talented, and he's a Boss. Any girl would fall for him because of all his qualities."
"A lot of girls like him because he's Nephtali Gonzaga," Kaye said. "He's the only one left in his family, the owner of this whole province. He's rich and influential. A lot of people are wondering why he came back after being gone for so long."
"I know," Joyce said. "But he's just a person who gets hurt, just like us. I've only spoken to him once, but I know he's not the selfish and bad person everyone says he is."
"How can you say that?" Kaye asked.
"Because I can see it in his eyes," Joyce said, her gaze on the roses, thinking of Nephtali.