They live in the same house but have never met...yet. He thinks she's sweet and really nice. She thinks he's a gentleman.
Are they being honest with each other?
Life went back to normal for both. They met each other at the hospital during their work shift. M was brought by Kuya Nestor while J brought his car. The condo where he and Dr. Carlo had units was about a 20-minute walk from the hospital; M's house was in the next city.
Although they were not required to be together anymore during J's rounds, M was always around to assist at a moments' notice. The mood would almost always turn happy when M came into the ward or the patients' room. She was always requested to help calm the anxious children. Apart from her nursing duties, M was a trainer for the Pediatric Music Therapy program. The 'hospital' sounds of the PA system, machines, and sounds from patients' rooms, the pediatric floor of Hopewell had been transformed into a happier place. Visitors often quipped that it felt like they would be transported into a happy place even if they knew that there were lots of sick kids on that floor.
"Ate Nic?" Raine, a 12 year old girl with a congenital heart defect and was just recently transferred from another hospital, sat patiently in bed as M checked on her vital signs after administering her medication.
"Yes?"
"Boyfriend nyo po ba si Kuya Doc?"
"Bakit mo naman natanong yan?" M replied as she looked from Raine's IV line to her Mom who was seated on the couch beside Raine's bed. Mommy looked at M apologetically. M just smiled at them.
"...para po kasing ang lambing lambing ni Kuya Doc kapag ikaw ang kausap nya. Dati, kapag dinadala ako ni Nanay para magpacheck-up kay Kuya Doc, takot na takot ako sa kanya kasi ang sungit nya. Parang kulang nalang sisigawan ako."
"Naku...yaan mo, kausapin ko sya para pagsabihan na hindi dapat sinisigawan ang bata...ang pasyente..."
"...pero magaling si Kuya Doc...kahit na masungit...naalala nya yung mga check-up nya sa akin...lagi nyang tinatanong kung okay pa ba daw yung heart ko?"
"Hmm...anong sagot mo?"
"Okay naman kasi inaalagaan ko...inaalagaan ako nina Nanay at Tatay...love nila ako...at dahil sa love nila, tumitibay ang heart ko...siguro, yung love ni Kuya Doc, kahit na masungit sya, parang love nina Nanay sa akin..."
"Paano mo nasabi?"
"Kasi, inaalala nya yung mga taong mahalaga sa kanya. Concerned sya. Concerned sya sa mga taong mahalaga sa kanya..."
M thought of what Raine said. Despite her condition, the girl had a positive attitude and was very grateful for the love and attention shared by people around her, no matter how small, and no matter how insignificant it may be to others. Raine chose to see the positive side of things instead of dwelling on the negative. "...kung sad ako lagi, sad din ang heart ko...at kung sad ang heart ko, baka isang araw, mag-give up na sya ng tuluyan...ayoko pang sumuko..."
---
"NO! AYAW! PAPAO LIKE ATE NIC ONLY! ATE NIC ONLY! PAPAO NO LIKE YAYAY! NO LIKE!" Little Paolo or PaoPao, screamed as his wounds were being dressed. He just had an operation to correct his hernia.
"Ayy...bakit nag-c-cry ang big boy ko?"
"Ate Nic! Ayaw Papao yayay!"
"Hmm...nawawala ba yung yayay kung sumisigaw ka ng ganyan?"
"No...gusto ko Ate Nic lang fix yayay..."
"Fix ni Ate Nic pero dapat di na mag-cry. Pwede ba yun?"
"Okay..."
M proceeded to asses Paolo and was able to distract the little boy as Patricia dressed his wounds.
"Friend mo din si Ate Patricia...friend sya ni Ate Nic..." M said when she saw Paolo look at Patricia, the corners of his mouth beginning to curl down as he pouted; tears brimming.
"Help nya Papao?" Paolo replied.
"Hmm...help ka lang nya para nawala agad yung yayay...o look, tapos na...clean na ulit yung yayay mo. Diba sabi ni Kuya Doc, pag clean lagi ang yayay, mas madaling mawala yan?" M said as she wiped his tears and nose.
"Hmm...okay na Papao..."
"Good..."
"Samat! Kenkuuu!" (salamat. thank you)
"You're welcome" M said as she smiled at the child and left the room.
---
"Thank you ha?" Patricia said as they moved on to the next patient.
"...kailangan lang bola-bolahin ng konti yung iba..."
"...love na love ka talaga ng mga bata..."
"At love na love ko din ikaw..." J spoke from behind the two nurses. He was close enough to be heard by Patricia.
"Uuuyyy si Doc o..." Patricia teased. She, like the other people in the hospital, only knew that Doc Richard liked Nurse Nic but the extent of their relationship was unknown. They saw how Doc Sungit had transformed to become Kuya Doc and they attributed it to his team up with Nurse Nic. No one knew, as far as the pediatric nursing staff was concerned, their real status. It was only now, at that very moment, where J was more showy.
---
"...can't we keep it a secret for much longer?" M said as Patricia walked ahead of them and they turned to walk down to another patient's room.
"Si Patricia lang naman ang nakakaalam..."
"...eh kung ikalat nya?"
"Sinabihan naman natin diba?"
"...sabagay..." M sighed.
---
There was a small balcony and playground/activity area at one end of the pediatric floor. M passed by it when she made her way from one of the rooms. Many hospital events were hosted there so she was not surprised to see it being set-up for something.
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
She received J's message as she walked toward the nurses' station. Two people were talking to the nurse-in-charge. "...baka sila yung lolo't lola ni Ryan..." she thought. Ryan was a boy who was just admitted to the ward for allergies. The little boy, they found out, was lactose intolerant and developed an allergy to other food as well.
M quickly moved past them as she went to the back of the nurses' station.
"Excuse me." She had to interrupt Karen, the nurse at the desk. "...si Ms. Gloria?"
"...ah...siya po si Nurse Nic..." Karen said addressing the elderly couple at the desk.
Nic looked up and saw their faces for the first time. They smiled at her.
---
a/n:
wag mainip...malapit na ma-reveal yung meaning nung '8'
