Diagnosis : Love

#Loveshot

I waited anxiously at the hospital lobby where I saw the the nurses huddled up as they assisted the patients in and out of the rooms. A lot of things were running through my mind and I could not think straight. Whenever I heard the doors open, I flinched. My hands were clasped together as I tried to shake off the nerves. I was praying to God that everything would be all right.

"Mr. Lopez? It's your turn," the nurse called. When I heard my name, I felt the blood rise to my face as I stood up and walked slowly towards the door. My hands were shaking as I entered the room where I saw the doctor and she gestured for me to take a seat.

"How are you, Mr. Lopez?" the doctor asked.

"I'm okay, Doc," I replied. I pretended to hide my nerves even if the tone of my voice sounded otherwise.

"Anyway, I will get straight to the point, Sir. Your X-ray results show there is a spot in your lungs. You are positive for pulmonary tuberculosis," the doctor explained. I felt my mouth dropped when I heard the news.

"But you have nothing to worry about. Your condition is still treatable with medicines," she continued. There was barely a sigh of relief at the back of my mind when I learned that my illness could be remedied, but I was still in shock. The doctor further explained to me the analysis of my test results and she eventually gave the prescriptions. Without any further questions, I thanked her and walked out of the room.

I had no idea how I found my way out of the hospital. I could not even remember the path I took from the doctor's room down to the ground floor. I only realized that I was at the main entrance/exit door when I saw an ambulance right in front of me and I started to feel the heat of the sun on my skin.The doctor's diagnosis kept ringing inside my head.

●●●

I walked past the porches outside the hospital grounds. As I continued my steps, I heard a strange sound that caught my attention. I noticed a woman sitting by the fountain, crying and trying to catch her breath. Judging from what I saw, it seemed that she had a big problem. At first, I hesitated if I should bother to know what happened to her, but my gut told me otherwise. I walked towards her and offered my handkerchief.

"Hi, Miss. I don't mean to intrude but I noticed that-"

My tongue got stuck when she looked at me. For a moment, I found myself staring at her and I felt my heart beat faster. I smiled at her and she took my handkerchief.

"-Is everything okay?" I searched for the water bottle inside my bag to give her something to drink, but I remembered that I left it at home.

"Perhaps you need a glass of water. I can walk you towards the nearby coffee shop," I offered. I didn't expect her to respond, but to my surpise, she wiped her tears and stood up. I led the way and she followed.

As we entered the coffee shop, I felt all of the other customers' eyes were fixed on us. Perhaps they thought that I was the one who made her cry. We found a spot at the far side where we sat down and I looked at her as she started to cry again. She tried to muffle her sobs but I could still hear her short breaths in between. I gently tapped her arm and handed her the glass of water. She held the glass and took a sip. Few minutes later, she finally stopped crying. She wiped her tears and stared blankly on the wall. Out of the blue, I noticed the features of her face - her amber-colored eyes (although they were swollen), her fair skin, and her beautiful pair of lips. Even if she looked very tired, she still looked pretty.

"Are you feeling better now?" I asked.

"A little," she replied. I let a few seconds pass before I proceeded.