Dr Jackie & Mr Hideo

Chapter 3 (Cont'd)

*

The clinic was surprisingly quiet. The only signs of life were the faint hum of medical equipment and the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor somewhere down the hallway. I'd swapped my lab coat and ill-fitting jeans for a pair of thankfully stretchy sweatpants I'd snagged from a late-night thrift store and my oversized university varsity jacket. It wasn't exactly a fashion statement, but it did the job.

I pushed open the clinic door, expecting to be greeted by Liz's usual chaotic energy, but instead, I found myself face-to-face with a petite nurse with a meticulously styled updo and a clipboard that looked like it could double as a weapon.

"I've made an appointment with Dr. Liz," I said, trying to sound as confident as possible. "A special one."

The nurse's eyebrows arched in a perfectly sculpted arc. "Oh, you must be Mr. Hideo."

Hideo?

"Umm, I..." I stammered, my carefully constructed facade of composure crumbling like a poorly executed experiment.

Before I could correct the misunderstanding, a whirlwind of energy burst through a door at the end of the hallway.

"Ah, Hideo, there you are!" Liz exclaimed, her bright smile a stark contrast to the sterile white walls of the clinic. She looked me up and down, her eyes twinkling with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "You look... different."

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. "You could say that."

"Okay, you," Liz said, pointing a finger in my general direction. "Wait for me in my office. Just need to... uh... have a quick chat with the ghosts in the x-ray machine. They've been complaining about the lack of snacks."

The nurse, whose name I still hadn't caught, gestured for me to follow her. As we walked down the hallway, I couldn't resist a little playful observation.

"You know," I said, "for a medical professional, you have a surprisingly lethal-looking... clipboard."

The nurse's cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and she stifled a giggle. "It's for... uh... patient records."

"And for warding off unruly patients, I presume?"

She just smiled, a genuine, unguarded smile that transformed her from a stern medical gatekeeper into a surprisingly charming young woman. I made a mental note to ask Liz for her name later. Didn't know why.

She ushered me into Liz's office, a surprisingly cozy space filled with overflowing bookshelves, framed medical diplomas, and an impressive collection of vintage anatomical models.

"Dr. Liz will be with you shortly," she said, her voice still a little flustered.

"Thanks," I replied, offering a smile that I hoped conveyed gratitude. "And if you ever decide to trade in that clipboard for a more... hands-on approach to patient care, feel free to page me."

The nurse's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of crimson, and she practically fled the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

Liz bustled into the room a few minutes later, her white coat flapping behind her like a superhero's cape. She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"If I hadn't seen weirder things in my time, I wouldn't believe that the Caesar Wu standing in front of me is actually you, Jackie."

I raised an eyebrow. "You've seen weirder things? Do tell."

Liz grinned. "Oh, you know, the usual. Alien autopsies, talking cats, that accident with a chihuahua..."

"Right," I said, deciding not to question the chihuahua incident. "But what's with the Hideo thing?"