"Scalpel," I said as I busied myself in the operating room with Colet, Jho, and other nurses, performing surgery on a man who had an accident.
"So, you're saying that your parents confronted you about having a child? Is that what you're trying to say?" Jho repeated, clearly not believing what I had said.
"Jho, why do you keep repeating things?" Colet said, completely annoyed by Jho's insistence
"I just... I can't believe Tita and Tito's request," she defended, still confused.
"Forceps," I said, continuing, "they said it's time for me to start a family and to give them a grandchild."
"i think your parents are right. They may doubt you to your flings mikha" colet said seriously as she put gauze to the cut
"what no mikha is 28 she's still young, you know what you should enjoy and maybe find someone to commit with, I mean you can do half - half" jho stated trying to suggest something
"I just don't know. There's this girl that Mom wanted for me; her name is Maraiah, apparently the daughter of Dad's best friend." I said
"What's your opinion on this?" suddenly asked Jaz, my friend who is also a nurse.
"What?" Jho replied, clearly stressed about the topic.
"I mean, what do you think about this girl named Maraiah?" Jaz clarified.
"Hey, why do you want to know? She's already in pro—" Jho didn't finish her sentence when Colet interrupted her.
"Jho, we're in the middle of an operation. Don't stress yourself out. Now, give me the clamp," Colet said, trying to be firm since we were focused on the surgery.
"Fine. More forceps, please," Jho said, trying to concentrate. Jaz quickly grabbed the forceps and handed them to Jho.
"Mind answering my question, Doctor?" Jaz insisted.
"Huh?" I replied, having completely forgotten about the question.
"Well, I think it's ridiculous. I haven't even met this girl, and everyone seems so decided and content with her. I mean, isn't that bullshit?" I said, unsure about my opinion on Jaz's question.
"Maybe it's because they know Maraiah better than you do," Colet responded, clearly making a valid point.
"I—I just honestly don't know anymore."
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After our operation, I decided to go to the vending machine to grab a bottle of orange juice. I inserted a coin and pressed the button, expecting my drink to come out, but suddenly it got stuck. I instantly felt annoyed by the situation.
"Oh, come on, not right now," I said with irritation as I shook the vending machine.
"You seem pissed, Doctor," Jaz said as she inserted a coin and pressed a button, waiting for her drink.
"It's just that my drink got stuck," I replied. I was surprised when she handed me her drink and inserted another coin to get her own.
"Here, it's a treat for a bad day," she said, grabbing her drink.
"Thanks, I really appreciate that," I said, taking a sip of the bottled juice.
"You know, you still look troubled," she informed me while closing the gap between us and trying to fix my coat. I was immediately startled by her action; I hadn't expected her to do this.
"Is this still about your family?" she asked, putting her arms around my neck.
"Ah, nope, just thinking about my games," I replied, feeling my body stiffen.
"Hey, you lovebirds! We're in a hospital, just so you know!" Jho shouted, causing Jaz to quickly put her hands in her pockets.
"Ugh, what are you even doing here? I thought you had a patient," I said, clearly trying to change the subject because I could tell what she was thinking.
"I'm done with that. That's why I came to find you to play games," she replied, showing me her phone.
"No," I replied nonchalantly, not wanting to have any more conversation as I walked away, leaving her with Jaz
My duties at the hospital are finally done, so I'm heading home to catch some sleep or maybe play a few games. I haven't had enough rest since last week because they needed me badly at the hospital. I've only been getting about 3 to 4 hours of sleep per day, which is why I feel like a zombie.
I quickly grabbed my motorcycle and drove off. As I walked through my condo, I heard some noises from the unit beside mine that sounded like things were being thrown or shattered. I decided to ignore it; it wasn't my business.
When I got inside, I unlocked the door and went straight to the kitchen to grab a beer and some chips. I turned on the TV, excited to finally play my PS5. I had been wanting to do this for a week, but my schedule has been hectic. Tonight is the only time I have to relax and enjoy myself.
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I was peacefully sleeping in my room when I heard my phone ringing and receiving notifications. I quickly grabbed it, thinking it was my dad or mom, but to my surprise, I saw my friends texting and calling me repeatedly. I instantly answered, not knowing why they were so insistent.
"Hello, girls! Is there an emergency?" I asked Stacey with a hoarse voice.
"Oh no, don't tell me you just woke up, Ate Aiah!" she said, sounding disappointed.
"Well, sorry to disappoint, but I just did wake up," I replied, still confused about why they were upset.
"Ate Aiah, you forgot! We're going to the bar tonight. Remember? We talked about it this morning," she explained. I quickly checked the time and saw it was 7:40. I ended the call and frantically decided what to wear.
As I rummaged through my bags, I couldn't find my favorite one. I tossed everything in the cabinet and accidentally knocked my Birkin bag into a vase, causing it to shatter completely.
"Oh my gosh, no! Not my favorite vase!" I exclaimed, feeling frustrated about what had just happened. I cleaned it up, grabbed my things, and closed the doors as I headed to the elevator.
As I drove to the RCLD Bar, one of the finest establishments in the Philippines owned by the family of Ricalde Maloi, I parked my car and immediately entered the bar. I was clearly not looking forward to the smell of vape and alcohol that awaited me. Suddenly, I felt lost in the crowd; there were so many people inside. To my surprise, Maloi grabbed my hand and led me to a table.
"Hello, Ate Aiah! Tonight is your treat, and you're an hour late!" Sheena said, sipping her cocktail.
"Right, I totally feel the same," Stacey chimed in, crossing her arms with a firm expression.
"Oh my God, what is this place? I could vomit just from the smell!" I remarked, grimacing.
"Bar, Ate Aiah! This smells like a bar! I told you it's been so long since you came to one, and you don't even remember what it smells like!" Sheena clarified, clearly making a valid point. But you can't blame me—bars and parties are a big no for me. I would much rather stay home and eat healthy food than come here.
"So, it's your treat, Ate Aiah," Maloi suddenly changed the topic.
"Okay, it's like I don't have a choice," I sighed in defeat.
I just woke up with a headache; it feels like I'm experiencing a hangover right now—actually, I am, because of the girls. They made me drink a lot of whiskey and vodka, which is incredibly strong. I made my way to the kitchen to prepare some soup to help with my hangover. As I was about to grab the ingredients, I suddenly heard the jarring sound of an electric guitar that made me jump. I was about to turn down when I realized that the way he played the guitar was reminiscent of a child, which sent my adrenaline soaring. I was just about to head to the other unit when my phone rang. It was Gelo, and I had no choice but to pick up and answer.
"I'm fine, Gelo. It's—" I was talking when suddenly an electric guitar started strumming again.
"Hayss, I'm totally pissed at this unmanered unit beside me," I said, the sound of the guitar still in the air.
"Oh, let it be, Aiah. He probably just isn't noticing that he's disturbing some units," he said with consideration.
"Okay, fine. Just for today. Why did you suddenly call, Gelo?"
"Oh, I was just thinking that maybe we could have dinner tomorrow night."
"Oh, sure, but I think it won't last an hour since I'd like to rest afterward," I said, waiting for his permission.
"That's fine, Aiah, as long as I see you tomorrow."
"Okay, I'm going to go now. Bye, love you." He ended the call, probably still tied up with his duties this morning.
After that, I cooked and took some medicine to lessen my hangover. I got ready for myself because I still had a fashion show to attend.
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I woke up at 8:30, feeling well-rested. Suddenly, I remembered that I hadn't played guitar in a long time. I got up from my bed and grabbed my guitar from the rack beside my couch, not bothering to eat breakfast first. I connected my guitar to the amplifier and strummed it, but to my surprise, it was out of tune. I adjusted it and kept strumming, completely focused on tuning it, despite the fact that the guitar was quite loud.
After several minutes of trying to tune it, I got frustrated because I didn't know how to do it properly. I ended up strumming my guitar angrily, like a child. My friend Ate Colet usually handled these things for me, but I really had no idea about tuning.
While I was still trying to tune the guitar, I suddenly heard my phone ringing from my bedroom. I rushed to grab it and saw that Ate Colet was calling. I quickly answered the call.
"Mikha, are you awake?" she asked, sounding panicked.
"Um, yeah, what's up?" I replied, still trying to figure out what was going on.
"Mikha, can you come to the hospital? We have a lot of patients today, and we can't take care of them all—we're short on doctors and nurses," she explained, and I could hear a man groaning in the background, probably being treated by Ate Colet.
"Have you already called for help at another branch of Arc Hospital?" I questioned.
"Yeah, but they said there's heavy traffic on the way here, so they might arrive in about 20 more minutes. Plus, they didn't send many doctors—I'm only expecting about 2 or 3," Ate Colet said with frustration.
"Okay, I'll be there in 10," I replied, sighing in defeat as I quickly showered.
I parked my big bike in the lot and immediately entered the hospital. As I walked in, I saw many patients still waiting to be treated. They probably prioritized the seriously injured over these patients, and some were already crying in pain. On my way to my department, I saw Jaz treating a patient's wound. I quickly asked her which patients were assigned to me.
"That was quick," she said as she cleaned her patient's wound.
"Is there someone who needs surgery?" I questioned, glancing around my surroundings.
"Therese, can you please continue cleaning his wounds?" she said as she removed her gloves and walked beside me.
"Well I'm calling about a male patient, Mr. James Asuncion, who was involved in a car accident about an hour ago. He is currently experiencing significant abdominal pain." saying as she lead me the way
"Mr. Asuncion is a 35-year-old male and has no significant medical history. He was brought in via ambulance after sustaining blunt trauma to the abdomen during the accident. Initial assessments indicate signs of potential internal bleeding. He is visibly distressed and reports severe pain in the lower abdomen."
"What is your assessment of the patient?" I asked seriously, looking at the patients seeking medical help.
"Uhmm, it says here that the patient's vital signs are concerning: blood pressure is 90/60 mmHg, heart rate is 120 bpm, and he appears pale and diaphoretic. A quick examination reveals tenderness in the lower quadrants, and he has a rigid abdomen. His oxygen saturation is at 94%, and he is currently receiving supplemental oxygen."
"Okay.I recommend performing a focused abdominal ultrasound to assess for any internal bleeding. He may also need IV fluids to stabilize his blood pressure and pain management. After that, please give me the ultrasound results," I said while trying to talk to the patient about his health.
"Copy that, doctor. By the way, that man is already crying out in pain. You do want to help the nurses," Jaz stated, referring to another man I noticed in distress
"hoy! tomas samahan mo nga si Dr. Lim doon, sabihin mo anong nangyari sa pasyente na yun" jaz said busy doing a ultrasound in the patient
" so sir were looking about Mr. Robert garcia a 42-year-old male who is experiencing significant pain in the upper part of his stomach."
"Mr. Garcia has a medical history GERD and has been on medication for this condition. He presented to the unit with complaints of severe burning pain in the epigastric region which started about two hours ago after eating. He has not reported any vomiting or changes in bowel habits."
"Shouldn't you report that to a gastroenterologist?" I said with a serious tone, as they should have known they had the wrong doctor.
"Yes sir but ano kasi how do I say it uhm the other department was busy too so your our only doctor who can accompany him" he said clearly getting scared at my aura
" hayss continue" i said with iritating tone
"Upon assessment, Mr. Garcia appears uncomfortable and is rating his pain as 8 out of 10 on the pain scale. His vital signs are stable: blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg, heart rate is 78 bpm, and respiratory rate is 16 breaths per minute. Palpation reveals tenderness in the epigastric area without rebound tenderness or guarding."
"I advised getting IV fluid administration to ensure hydration and suggested obtaining an abdominal ultrasound to rule out any underlying pathology." I said as I called Dr. Ignacio to see if an operation is needed since he is the best gastroenterologist in the department.
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It's already 5 in the afternoon when we finish our work in the ER and OR. I can feel my stomach grumbling because I didn't eat breakfast or lunch. I immediately go to the vending machine to grab a bottle of soda and a bag of chips as my meal for the day. I quickly insert a coin and get my food, then head to the faculty area and sit on the couch. As I open my bag of chips, I see Jaz massaging her back as she walks into the room, clearly tired.
"Hey, are you done with your work?" she asked, still massaging her back.
"Yeah, I just finished about five minutes ago. How about you?" I replied while eating my chips and opening a game on my phone.
"Can you please massage my back? It's hurting," she said avoided my question, leaning against the table.
"okay" I said as I go to her back and carefully massaging her. As i massage her I instantly heard her moan bending her back. I was shocked when she did that, but she kept doing it and I kept massaging her. I quickly got irritated when I couldn't hold it back anymore. I command her to face me and kissed her, as I kissed her I touch her waist down to her thigh as I carry her above the table, suddenly, the door opened, causing us to stop what we were doing
"Oh shit, get a bed, will you?" Jho said as she tried to cover her eyes while Ate Colet, in her back, quickly dozed of in the couch, clearly tired
"I really need to get some sleep now," I said as I exited the room, hoping to sidestep the conversation about what happened earlier.
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"You really don't learn your lesson, do you?" Jho stated, crossing her arms.
"You know she will just act as if nothing happened," Colet said, her eyes closing and ready to sleep.
"I can't stop her from doing it, especially since I know I want it too," I said with frustration, talking about Mikha.
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I was sitting in my chair, scrolling through my phone while the artist kept preparing me for the fashion show. I'm one of the models who will be walking in it, which is why they were getting everything ready for me. I heard my phone ring, and when I checked it, I saw that it was my dad calling.
"Hi honey, I just wanted to let you know that we have dinner planned for tomorrow night so we can reunite after our arrival and maybe catch up," Dad said.
"Oh, that was unplanned," I replied, knowing that I had dinner scheduled with Gelo.
"Did you have plans for tomorrow night, or maybe a date you're not telling your father about?" Dad asked with a suspicious tone.
"No, Dad, it's just a meet-up with a friend, but I can manage to clear my schedule for tomorrow night. It's not that important."
"Okay, sorry for the late dinner," he said.
"It's fine, Dad. Plus, it's been years since we've had dinner together."
"Thanks, honey," Dad said as he ended the call.
After that call, I immediately texted Gelo to let him know that I had a family dinner planned since my family will be arriving tomorrow. I also apologized for the late cancellation of our plans. As I texted, I didn't wait for his reply because I put my phone on the table.
