Stitches and Scars

Chapter 9

"I once read that man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. Back then, it was just words, but now I get it. It's about daring to defy the familiar, taking risks, and diving headfirst into the turbulent waters of being unsure. But in surgery, it's a whole different ball game. It's about stepping into the operating room, leaving behind the safety of our textbooks, and venturing into the complexity of human anatomy — but in this case, you better be sure about your every move or you risk getting lost in unfamiliar territory with no way back."

As the soft rays of the morning sun filtered through the huge window of the hospital, Karylle stood captivated by the sight of the lively city awakening below. The streets were already bustling with activity — cars honking, and people hurrying to their destinations.

Lost in her own thoughts, Karylle's eyes lingered on the ever-changing scene outside. "There you are. Kanina ka pa namin hinahanap," Karylle turned and found Anne and Angel walking towards her, offering a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

The hospital, usually alive with the hustle and bustle of patients and staff, had taken on an unusual stillness. It was strangely quiet, like a ghost town. Few patients were coming in, making the atmosphere feel oddly calm, yet unsettling.

"Are we given our assignments yet?" Karylle asked, lifting her coffee cup to her lips. But Anne and Angel just shook their heads in unison.

"It appears that Alice hadn't assigned us any tasks yet because there's hardly anything to do her right now," litanya ni Angel at tumabi sa kanila ni Anne.

"I actually hate this. Akala ko Lopez Memorial never ran out of patients?" Anne voiced her frustration, her tone tinged with annoyance, badly wanting to scrub in on a surgery.

"Yeah, it's like a ghost town around here," Angel cut in, nodding in agreement. "Tignan niyo, halos walang katao-tao."

"I know, right? For the first time, I feel like I'm losing my mind with nothing to do," giit ni Anne at napahalukipkip na lang dahil sa inis.

"I think I'm not going to sell the house," Karylle said out of the blue, still staring out the window overlooking the busy city outside. Her abrupt change of topic caught Anne and Angel off guard.

"Why not?" Anne asked, breaking the silence that followed Karylle's sudden announcement.

Karylle turned to face them, her expression visibly unsure. "Hindi ko alam, I've just been thinking about it a lot lately," she explained. "But the place is quite spacious para isa tao lang, so I might even consider taking on roommates."

Her sudden mention of sharing her home caught Anne and Angel by great surprise, prompting them to exchange curious glances.

~•~•~•~

"Come on, K! Give me one good reason why we can't be your roommates? We're friends, aren't we? Anne sounded frustrated, following Karylle upstairs, with Angel right behind them.

"That's exactly the reason. We spend more than a hundred hours a week together. Do you really want us to live together too?" giit ni Karylle at napalingon sa kanilang dalawa. "Plus, your place is way nicer than mine, so why would you want to move in with me?"

"It's because your place is close to the hospital. Mine's almost an hour-drive away, and even way longer kapag traffic. I have to wake up two hours earlier than everyone else just to make it here on time. I could really use that extra sleep, you know. So please, let me move in with you," Anne pleaded, offering to pay all the upfront costs and even a year's rent in advance.

Karylle then turned to Angel, curious about her reasons for wanting to move in as well.

"My landlord keeps hassling me about the rent. Meron naman akong pera, but finding time to pay on schedule is the problem. Kailangan ko lang talagang makaalis don. At least with you, I won't have to stress about bills and other things aside surgeries," Angel explained casually.