THE NOMINAL WIFE

CHAPTER 5: First Spoken Word

Ivy had regained consciousness when she was already in one of the private hospital rooms in the psychiatry department of STU Hospital 

Iryn asked her sister calmly, “Who is the father of the baby you are carrying, Ivy? Is it your Shawn Duque? You have to tell me so I can help you." 

Ivy responded, “I don’t want this baby, Ate. You should have just let me and the baby die.” 

Iryn said, “Do not talk nonsense, Ivy. You still have a long life ahead of you. You cannot correct a mistake with another mistake. So please tell me who is the father of the baby you are carrying.” 

Ivy turned on the TV at her hospital room to evade her sister’s interrogation. But as she turned on the TV, she saw the TV coverage of the wedding on the man she had slept with. Vittorio Lauchengco was marrying the beauty queen turned famous social media, TV and film personality, Alexa Hofmann, and so she decided to tell her sister, “He could be the father of the baby I am carrying. Another possibility is Shawn whom I recently broke up with when I discovered that he was cheating on me a month ago.” 

Iryn was so shocked with what her sister just said. After sometime she decided to come out of her hospital room first to breathe in some fresh air. But on her way out to the corridor of the hospital floor. She saw a child unknowingly running across an incoming cleaning trolley full of stuffs. She rushed to save the boy. Good thing she was able to make it in time with her and the boy falling down on the floor with minimum pain, with the boy securely on top of her as she enclosed her arms around his body and head. 

The hospital employees and a man who was running after the boy then approached them. She knew the man, Voltaire Lauchengco. 

She then heard the familiar voice of one of the child psychiatrists she knew saying, “She is the child psychologist I am talking about, Mr. Lauchengco.”

As Iryn got up sitting by the floor with the boy seated by her lap, she was surprise to see Winona's son after more than a year, "Bubba! Do you still remember me? I am Tita Iryn."

Wallace nodded his approval, then hugged her, and had spoken his very first word again after more than a year, "Mommy."

Dr. Dy and Voltaire were both very surprised with what just happened. 

Voltaire immediately knelt down near them and got his son from Iryn's lap while offering his other hand to her to pull her up to a standing position.

Wallace reached out again for Iryn and called her, "Mommy," for the second time.

Dr. Dy then spoke up, "We should better go to the my office for a more private consultation, Mr. Lauchengco. Iryn, please join us as well."

Iryn then told Winona's husband, "I will just be fine carrying him, Mr. Lauchengco."

And so Voltaire allowed his son to be carried by his wife's friend.

Wallace sat quietly on Iryn's lap while Dr. Dy talked to them.

Dr. Dy told Iryn, "Iryn, Wallace is the child I am asking you to accommodate as soon as you got a free spot. I was not aware that you knew him."

Iryn stated, "His Mom is a friend of mine, Dr. Dy. But I am also not aware that Wallace suffered from PTSD after Winona passed away."

Voltaire spoke up, "Wallace was still at the hospital for the treatment of his physical injuries when you attended my wife's funeral, Miss Zamora. I am not aware of the level of closeness you have with my wife as a friend so I did not share Wallace's condition with you. I also didn't know that you personally know my son. You even call him by the pet name my wife usually used in calling him."

Iryn opened up, "My friendship with your wife started when I donated blood to her  for the very first time. I am not sure if you knew but she had been suffering from anxiety disorder which started a few months after she had given birth to Wallace. So whenever she was feeling down or having an anxiety attack, she would often come to my clinic or call me up.  The last time I saw her was the day of that unfaithful accident. She came to my clinic to tell me about her second pregnancy but she also opened up to me her fears. The bottom line was, she was very much affected by all those power struggles within your family at the Lauchengco Group of Companies. So it had also made me think that such accident might be planned."

Voltaire responded, "That is also my suspicion but I still have no proof who among my family members could be behind such accident which almost killed us all. Wallace and I had also sustained physical injuries from that accident. Wallace also did not speak again after that up until now when he saw you. I was also aware of my wife's anxiety disorder but I did not know that you were her therapist and that you were close to her and our son."

"I see." Iryn then asked him, "Dr. Dy had also mentioned to me that you want him to attend school rather than privately-tutored at home."

Voltaire admitted, "That is true. But he is still not speaking."

Iryn then said, "If you will allow me then, we can enroll him at Angels Headstart Preschool. Wallace has an IQ of a genius so there will be no problem coping up with all those academic lessons that he missed. He needs to socialize more with children of his age. Then perhaps, he might speak up more and more."

Dr. Dy seconded, "Iryn is right, Mr. Lauchengco. The teachers at their pre-school all have trainings as paraprofessional counselors. They knew how to handle children with mental health conditions."

Voltaire was still thinking, "Will it not be an imposition, Miss Zamora? I heard that your daycare center as well as the pre-school only accept a maximum of 20 children per grade level."

Iryn confirmed it, "That is true, Mr. Lauchengco. But I am sure that my best friend Grace can slightly bend that rule for Wallace if there is no slot. After all, Winona had helped her out by providing her the best lawyer when she had that accident that caused her paralysis against Shawn Duque. Even if Grace decide to settle eventually, the lawyer had made sure that she had gotten a huge settlement fee. Anyway,  she won't be able to walk anymore for the rest of her life."

Voltaire then decided, "Then I will accept the favor, Miss Zamora."

Iryn then talked to Wallace while he was still comfortably seated by her lap, "Do you want to attend school and be with lots of children, Bubba?"

The boy answered with, "Yes, Mommy."

Iryn tried to correct the boy calmly, "Mommy is already in heaven, Bubba. I am Tita Iryn, remember? You will already go to the school owned by Tita Grace and me. Do you still remember Tita Grace?"

Wallace replied with, "Yes, Mommy."

Iryn then told the boy, "Well, you need to go to your Daddy now, Bubba. My sister is here at the hospital and so I need to be here. I will leave you to Daddy now for your checkup."

The boy tightly hugged her and then said, "No, Mommy."

Dr. Dy then requested Iryn, "Please stay for a little while, Iryn. I already send someone to check on your sister. You know his pediatrician, Dr. Samuel, and his developmental psychologist, Dr. Chu. Will you be accepting his case now?"

Iryn said, "Part of our program in Angels Headstart preschool is play therapy. I can also perform cognitive behavior therapy for him if he is already enrolled at the school. I will contact Grace immediately so that Wallace can  already visit the school tomorrow. If he has a positive reaction to our school environment  then he might already start with Mr. Lauchengco's permission."

Voltaire said, "I trust your expertise, Miss Zamora. I greatly appreciate this huge favor."

Iryn replied, "Anything for Winona, Mr. Lauchengco. She is a very dear friend. I cannot turn my back on her son. I will do my best for his treatment."

Voltaire then talked to his son calmly, "Wallace, we need to see Dr. Samuel and Dr. Chu next. Say bye to Dr. Dy, now."

His son waved his goodbye to the middle aged psychiatrist.

When Voltaire got his son from Iryn's lap, Wallace said, "Come, Mommy."

Voltaire calmly told his son, "Tita Iryn needs to stay here for a while, Wallace. We will just see her again later."

Iryn stood up and assured the boy, "That is true, Bubba. You can see me again after your checkup. Go to your Daddy for now," then he told Voltaire, "I will just be at Room 508 should there be a problem," then she immediately scribbled down on the prescription pad provided by Dr. Dy upon her nonverbal request her private number and handed it to him, "This is my private number. I don't have my business phone with me right now. Do not hesitate to message me or call me up if there will be a problem."

Voltaire said, "Thank you very much, Miss Zamora," then told her son, "Say bye to Tita Iryn now, Wallace. We will just see her again later when we are already done with your checkup."

The boy followed his father's instruction and said, "Bye, Mommy," with an accompanying kiss of her cheek as well.

As the father and son left, Dr. Dy and Iryn had a serious talk about Ivy. 

Dr. Dy asked her, "So what do you intend to do with your sister, Iryn?"

Her answer was, "She told me that I should have jut let her die. She  also told me that she doesn't want the baby. But then I cannot allow her to terminate her pregnancy. Abortion is illegal here in our country. And even if it is legal, killing a life is still a moral sin. She doesn't even know who his the father of the baby she is carrying. Apparently she had been with two guys. So either of them is the father."

Dr. Dy suggested, "Talk to her even more. I think that she will confide with you more than any of our doctors here. She will still have to stay here over night for observation. Be assured that our nurses will not allow her to attempt on her life again."

She acknowledged such, "Yes. I will do that."

Dr. Dy then asked about Wallace, "The boy keeps on calling you Mommy, Iryn.  He had spoken again for the very first time after the accident that killed his mother July last year. What do you intend to do about it?"

She answered, "I do my job professionally, Dr. Dy."

Dr. Dy said, "But I also noticed the attachment the boy had for you. He will not call you Mommy if he does not see you like his own mother. How close had been your relationship with the boy and his mother."

Iryn told her mentor, "Winona is a dear friend of mine,  Dr. Dy. We did not just have the usual client and psychologist relationship. I am more of her confidant. Whenever she visited my house or my clinic back then, she would often come with her son, Wallace, so the boy is quite familiar with me."

Dr. Dy asked, "Then why her husband didn't know the extent of your friendship with his wife?"

Iryn answered, "I seldom visited their home. I only got to meet her husband a few times. Winona had some family issues that she would rather tell me than her husband. As her friend and her psychologist, I am privy with all the things she had shared to me for all those years. It was one of the reasons why his wife is very close to me. I had never ever broken her trust on me. Winona had also been a good friend to me as well as with Grace."

Afterward, Iryn returned to the hospital room of her sister.

She calmly asked her, "Do you want me to inform Papa and Mama about your situation?"

Ivy responded with a simple, "No."

She asked another question, "Will you want me to inform Shawn Duque and Mr. Launchengco about your pregnancy?"

Ivy's response was, "No."

She asked further, "Will you want me to help you out?"

Ivy's answer was, "Yes."

Iryn then told her sister, "Then hear me out. You have to secretly continue on with your pregnancy and never ever try anything to jeopardize your life and your baby. We will not inform Papa, Mama or even our brother. We will not also inform those two guys you suspect as the father of your baby. I will arrange for a non-disclosure delivery and I will appear as the biological mother of your child on the birth certificate. I will raise your child as my own but you have to be very serious about your studies from now on so that you can reach for your dreams. These are the only things that I can do for you, Ivy."

Ivy then hugged her, "Thank you very much, Ate. From now on, I will already listen to all your advice."

Then someone knocked at the door.

Iryn said, "Come in."

As the little boy came in running towards Iryn and calling her Mommy, Ivy was surprised. But she was even more surprised when she saw Voltaire Lauchengco.

She panicked and ranted, "Why are they here? Are you two dating? Why is the boy calling you Mommy, Ate?  Did you tell him that I could possibly pregnant with the baby of his brother?"

Wallace got scared and cried. Ivy saw her sister gently scooping the little boy in her arms and pacifying him by patting his back tenderly. "My sister was just surprised, Bubba. Stop crying now. She is not angry with you." 

Ivy had become speechless.

Voltaire then spoken up, "Yes, your sister and I are dating. And she did not tell me about my brother being the possible father of your child. I don't even know that you are pregnant. Whose brother of mine had wronged you? Is it Vitto or Vaughn? Do you want me to beat him up for you?"

Ivy remained silent.

Iryn then asked Voltaire, "Will you and Wallace be going home already?"

Voltaire answered, "Yes, but he insisted on seeing you."

Iryn sat down on the chair and then told the boy, who had comfortably settled on her lap, "You and Daddy will have to go home now, Bubba. I will just see you at school tomorrow, okay?"

The boy responded, "No, Mommy."

Iryn calmly told the boy, "But you have to eat lunch, take a nap, and play at home, Bubba. I will have to take care of my sister here because she is sick. So go home now with your Daddy."

The boy stood his ground,  "No, Mommy."

Ivy then spoke up, "Don't let me bother your love life, Ate. I will just be fine here.  You may go with them."

Iryn told her sister, "I will return. I will just see them off."

As they proceed to the ground floor with Voltaire carrying his son and Iryn on his side, they encountered Gerard and Natasha at the elevator.

It seemed to Iryn that the wife of his ex-boyfriend just had a pre-natal checkup because they came from the obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics floor of the hospital. Her baby bump was also noticeable already.

Natasha then greeted Voltaire, "Hi, Voltaire. Did Wallace had his checkup?"

Voltaire casually answered, "Yes. how about you? How far along are you with your pregnancy?"

Natasha answered, "Sixteen weeks," then she greeted Voltaire's son, "Hi, Wallace," even slightly pinching the boy's cheek.

Such had made Wallace cry immediately pushing Natasha's hand off his cheek and then reaching out for Iryn, "Mommy...Mommy..."

Iryn got the boy from his father and carried him while pacifying him gently into her loving arms, "The lady just finds you cute, Bubba. She did not mean to hurt your cheek."

Natasha was surprised, "He has spoken already?!"

Voltaire confirmed it, "Yes, but just a few words."

Gerard then said, "Your wife is a good friend of hers. I had met her and your son a few times at iryn's clinic. Iryn is one of the best child psychologists in the country. Is she treating your son? Why is he calling her Mommy?"

Iryn did not know how to deal with the awkward situation. Good thing Voltaire had answered, "Iryn and I are dating. I did not immediately asked her to be Wallace psychologists. We started dating sometime in August. Wallace is very comfortable around her. I think he is already considering her as a mother figure."

Natasha then casually said, "Well, that is very nice to know. At least you have already found love again after the death of your first wife, whom you loved and cherished so much."

As they had all come out of the elevator by the ground floor, Iryn had gently put down Wallace by the floor and then talked to him eye to eye as she bent down to her level

She asked Wallace, "How old are you now, Bubba?"

Wallace answered, "Five, Mommy."

She then said, "Then you are already a big boy. You should already walking on your own  and not asked Daddy to carry you often. You will also visit the school tomorrow. So you have to wake up early. So go home now with your Daddy, Bubba."

Wallace response was, "No, Mommy," and then he hugged Iryn so tightly not letting her go.