Sedated Hearts

01

Some of the hospital scenarios might not be as accurate, so please keep that in mind. I am not promoting self-diagnosing in any way. If your symptoms persist, please contact your doctor immediately.

I will come back and reedit the scenes to make them more accurate once I'm finished with the book and have time.

Enjoy!

For Achi.

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"Sino attending mo ngayon, baks?" Tanong ni Penny habang nasa kabilang parte siya ng locker room, nagbibihis. Kararating lang kasi namin sa ospital dahil ngayong araw ang first day namin bilang second year residents.

"Kay Doctor Yulo ako today. 'Di pa ako nakakalabas dito sa locker room, sumasakit na agad ulo ko at tenga ko!" Paano ba naman kasi, yung matandang attending na yon napakamainitin ang ulo. Sa teaching hospital pa nag trabaho pero parang labag na labag sa loob mag turo.

"Ay! Wawa ka naman. Si Doctor Quirino sa akin eh, flex ko lang sa'yo" Tumawa ng malakas si Penny na para bang nanalo siya sa lotto. Hindi ko rin naman masisi 'tong babaeng 'to dahil bukod sa mabait na nga si Doc Quirino, sinalo niya na lahat ng kapogian sa mundo. Hmph, may asawa nga lang!

Inirapan ko nalang si Penelope at nag patuloy sa pagbibihis at pagsuot sa aking scrubs. Kinuha ko ang puting coat mula sa locker ko at sinuot yon. I instantly felt at ease while wearing my white coat. Literal blood, sweat, and tears went into earning the right to wear this coat and be able to add M.D to my name. I will never get tired of wearing this white coat, of feeling that finally, you are someone you can be proud of.

Matapos mag bihis ay umupo muna kami ni Penny sa benches sa loob ng locker room at nagkwentuhan habang umiinom ng kape. Masyado pa kasing maaga at hindi pa nag sisimula ang duty namin. Nakinig lang ako sa mga tsimis na kinukwento ni Penny kahit hindi ko naman kilala yung mga nababanggit niya sa chika niya.

Ganito naman kami palagi, Penny does the talking while I do the silent judging. It works because I've been told many times that if I have nothing nice to say, I should just keep my mouth shut. In short, masyado raw akong bitchesa.

"Hoy! Nasasayang lang laway ko dito kung hindi ka nakikinig sa chika ko!" Reklamo ni Penny habang nakasimangot sakin.

"Tanga! Nakikinig ako. Kuwento mo, may poging nurse sa pediatric ward pero na turn off ka kasi nakasagap ka ng chika na marami na siyang dinadala sa on-call room." Paguulit ko sa kweno niya bago siya inirapan at sumipsip ng kape.

Mukha namang nawala yung pagka-offend niya nung akala niya hindi ako nakikinig at nagpatuloy sa pagkukwento tungkol don sa poging nurse. After a few minutes, tumayo na rin kami at dahan-dahan nag lakad papunta sa nursing station dahil naroon nag aantay ang mga attendings namin.

A lot of people find the hospital dreadful. They find it bland and depressing because it's a place where their loved ones die. But for me, the hospital is a place of rebirth, a place of second chances and miracles. Some people walk out of this building with a second shot in life.

Bata palang ako, iba na ang comfort na dala sa akin ng mga ospital. Pakiramdam ko narito sa loob ng mga puting dingding ang puso ko. Ang corny at morbid naman.

Maybe it's because I  was raised inside the hospital kaya ko nasabi yon. My parents would always bring me to work and would leave me in the playroom inside the pediatric wing of the hospital for hours at a time. Sometimes I would sneak out and explore the hospital tapos ay babalik din ako bago nila ako mahuli. The nurses became my friends and second parents. The other doctors became my guardians. That was mostly my childhood bago ako nagsimula ng elementary because by first grade my parents decided to leave me to my grandmother's care kapag on-duty sila dahil hindi na nila ako mahahatid at sundo from school. Safe to say, the field of medicine and hospitals were nothing but familiar to me.