First things first: Don’t forget to follow the #PaperPlanesBackHome blog tour (it’s the last day!), join the giveaway, and get a chance to win a free e-book copy of Paper Planes Back Home! (Open to Philippine residents only.)
Do check out where else you can buy this wonderful book if you don’t feel like joining the giveaway: Goodreads, Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple iBooks ♥
There are books that you remember, and then there are books that you remember — the ones that become a part of your life, the ones that leave indelible marks on your soul and make you feel all the things. Paper Planes Back Home is one of those books.
Tara Frejas managed to put into words the simple, yet also very complex, idea of life and after life, and make it feel real in the most heartfelt way possible. ♥
SYNOPSIS: When Gianna wakes up on a cloud, she is disoriented yet fascinated. She thinks she’s only dreaming until she gets a storm of paper planes—”They’re thoughts of people who remember,” a man on another cloud tells her—each pleading for her not to leave. The man tells her these planes are the key to get out of there, and while she thinks it’s hard to believe, she decides everything is worth trying if it meant finding her way back home.
“Hi, good morning.”
Aaron raises his head and sees someone in white come in through the door. He rubs his eye with his free hand and blinks a couple times. It’s Anna, and he smiles at her.
“Good morning.”
“Just making my rounds before my shift ends. How is she?”
“She’s still here,” he reples, and she notices that he has his hands clasped with hers. “Thank goodness.”
Anna nods, barely having anything more to say. Gianna’s condition isn’t getting any better, as far as she could see. Her being able to survive last night’s cardiac arrest was a miracle in itself. Still, miracles happen every day, and Anna could feel this guy is fervently hoping for one.
Her curiosity is nagging her. Who is this guy, and why does he look more troubled than the other who introduced himself as the patient’s fiancé? After last night’s emergency, she saw him weep over the patient like a husband would over a wife he dearly loved. She saw him touch her face, caress it gently while he fought back tears and spoke to her in a hushed voice.
She could have sworn she heard him say “I love you.”
“Has the doctor spoken to you about her condition?” Anna asks, pulling up Gianna’s chart and having a look-over.
“Yes.”
“Is her family coming?”
“Today or tomorrow, at the latest.”
“Where are they coming from?”
“Seoul.”
“Ah.”
Anna returns the chart and watches them for a moment. Aaron has just left his seat to open a container of cotton balls on the bedside table. He then proceeds to get an empty glass and pour a bit of water in it.
“Aaron?” she says, reluctant. She remembers his name from yesterday when she notified him of Gianna’s condition through the phone. He was number one on her speed dial.
He looks up at her, just as he’s about to dip a cotton ball into the glass. “Oh . . . this is okay, right?” he asks, his expression concerned. “Her lips are cracking.”
“No, yeah . . . it’s fine. Just make sure you don’t drop a lot of water into her mouth, or she can choke.”
“Yeah.” He dips the cotton ball into the glass and squeezes most of the water out before pressing it gently against Gianna’s lips.
“Have you noticed any movement from her at all?”
He shakes his head, and then turns to her. “Is that bad?”
“Not really, but it’s a good sign of consciousness,” Anna says, trying her best to sound comforting. “You can ask her questions and encourage her to respond, or you could read her something, or play a song . . .”
Aaron smiles at her. It’s the grateful kind, one that speaks volumes to her even though the only actual words he utters are, “I will, thank you.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tara Frejas is a cloud-walker who needs caffeine to fuel her travels. By day, she works in project management and events, and she writes down her daydreams at night. She began publishing fiction for public consumption in 2004, posting her pieces on various online channels like fan forums and Blogspot, eventually exploring other avenues like Livejournal, Soomp!, Tumblr, and most recently, Wattpad.
Aside from her obvious love affair with words and persistent muses, Tara is very passionate about being caffeinated, musical theatre, certain genres of music, dancing, dogs, good food, and romancing Norae, her ukelele. She owns a 6-month-old male bunny named Max who sometimes tries to nibble on her writing notes.
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