Lost Jigsaw

Branches

A fort of books on top of the table hid Orm from the library goers. She buried her face on the 1,000- pager microbiology textbook in front of her, trying to digest the words that seemed alien to her vocabulary.

She tried to memorize the different terms she just read, but failed miserably. Orm was in a verge of crying due to frustration when a bunch of bananas was laid in front of her.

She looked up and she saw Ling with the biggest grin on her face. Orm laughed at the randomness and craziness of what just happened. Why did Ling gave her a bunch of bananas and how did Ling sneak this inside the library?

As if answering her unspoken question, Ling sat beside her and said, "Did you know that studying without breaks might be counterproductive and there's a higher chance you won't exactly remember what you're studying?"

"Gosh, thanks." Orm said sarcastically.

"You need to relax your brain, Teerak" Ling said, grabbing a banana in front of her, "since we have two exams for tomorrow, practical exam for our suturing skills and a written exam for microbiology, Here's what we're gonna do: every time you feel that your brain isn't retaining any information from that book, we'll practice suturing using this banana; and since you already know the techniques by heart, you won't get too stressed, Teerak." Ling took her suture kit out of her bag and smiled at Orm, relieving all of Orm's worries and frustrations.

Although, Orm wasn't sure if its Ling's words or Ling's smile that was the reason of her consolation. Maybe it's both.

Ling began suturing the banana in front of Orm, and Orm followed with her own. Her nerves were somehow calmed, all thanks to Ling.

Ling finished first, and she grabbed another banana. Orm thought that Ling wi'll practice another suture, but Ling instead peeled the banana and took a bite. Ling offered her some, to which she happily obliged. "Did you know," Ling said, still chewing the sweet fruit, "bananas contain tryptophan— a type of protein that your body converts into serotonin, making you relaxed after eating one." Ling offered the banana she's holding once again, and Orm took a big bite this time, still focused on her suturing.

A few moments later, Orm showed the perfectly sutured banana to Ling, looking like a little girl showing a drawing of a house to her mom.

"Whoa! My love, your sutures are perfect. If our professor didn't give you a perfect score tomorrow, I am going to tell him to get his eyes checked" Ling said, cheering her up and making her smile again.

"Yours are nicer!"

"Then let's just call it a tie," Ling winked at her and motioned to move her face closer to him, as if Ling has something to whisper to her.

When she moved her face towards Ling, Ling stole a kiss from her lips.

"Ling!" Orm protested, but laughing anyway, "the librarian might see us!"

"I'll just tell her that I'm helping you study," Ling explained while she fiddled through the books in the table, "kissing releases endorphins and oxytocin that can help you relax and study better!"

Orm nodded her head as if agreeing to what Ling is saying. Suddenly, Orm moved towards Ling again and kissed Ling on the lips. Orm laughed as Ling was totally caught offguard.

"What? We need more oxytocin!"

—

A loud ringing woke Ling up. Coupled with the strong vibrations of the phone against her right butt cheek, he failed to ignore the call.

Ling glanced at herphone and saw an incoming call from the Chief.

"Chief." She said, still lying on the bed with eyes still closed. Ling felt a throbbing pain in her head, reminding her how he almost finished a bottle of whiskey last night. She hasn't drank like that in 5 years, mainly because on a normal day, 2 glasses of whiskey are enough to disable her consciousness.

Chief Nitibhon's 's voice partially woke her senses up, "Dr. Kwong!", she immediately put away the phone from her ears. This hangover is killing her, and it made the Chief's voice like a screeching fingernail on a blackboard. She put the phone on speaker and threw it on the bed.

"Yes Chief?" She faintly said. "Where are you?"

"At home, it's my off day." Ling grabbed her phone, and took it with her to the kitchen. She drank a full glass of water to ease the dryness of her throat.
'Screw whiskey, I am never drinking that again', Ling said to herself.

"I may need you to come in for a bit later," before Ling could ask the reason, her chief said, "you will be interviewed later for the journal,"

Right. The Thai Heart Journal.
"What time do you need me, Chief?" Ling gulped her second glass of water. "4 hours from now, I think."
"See you then, Chief Oom."
-

Three and half hours later, Ling arrived at the hospital. Holding her coffee on one hand, she walked through the halls of the hospital wearing a dapper suit for her interview. Nurses, patients, and doctors alike couldn't help but turn their heads in Ling's direction.

Except that one woman: Dr. Sethratanapong. She was standing in the nurses' station, scribbling and updating the charts of her patients.

The nurses gushed over Dr. Kwong, and Dr. Sethratanapong glanced to see what the commotion is all about.

Eyes of Dr. Kwong and Dr. Sethratanapong met, and Orm immediately broke contact, not paying Ling any attention.

Ling stationed herself at the location as well, asking the nurses about some of her patients in recovery.

"Are you in?" Orm subtly asks if she's on duty, eyes still fixated on the charts in front of her. "No, I'm technically not here. I just came for an interview,"

"Oh, okay." She closed the chart and handed it to the nurse, "I need a cardio consult, I'll just ask Dr. Ying."

"No, I'll do it." Ling immediately said, "I'm here in the hospital anyway." Dr. Sethratanapong nodded. "I'll update you once I have the lab results,"
"Sure."

Seeing that Ling doesn't have any memory of last night, Dr. Sethratanapong released a silent sigh of relief. She sees LinG fidgeting, looking back and forth to the conference room across the nurses' station and the clock.

"Are you nervous?" Orm asked Ling casually.

"A little. I mean, I've done interviews before, but not as big a deal as this is," Ling began tapping her foot on the floor, much to Orm's annoyance. She let it slide, since Ling looks like she's gonna pass out any minute.

"

Awkwardness enveloped the two doctors, with Dr. Sethratanapong asking the nurses some random things just to escape the embarrassment, and Dr. Kwong fleeing the scene to go to the women's room, politely asking the nurses to page he once the interviewers arrive.

A few moments later, Ling went out of the women's room and proceeded to the conference room. When she passed by the nurses' station, Dr. Sethratanapong wasn't there anymore.

Ling entered the conference room and sat on the table, patiently waiting for the interviewers. A small plastic container was situated in the middle of the desk. Thinking that someone has left it there, he took it to put away temporarily. However, Ling saw a note written on a scratch paper on top of the container that says, "Dr. Kwong". The scratch paper used to be a prescription for a medicine, and even though the name of the doctor was nowhere to be found, he recognized the handwriting.

Ling opened the plastic container to feed her curiosity. It was a banana.

________

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