Four Snowballs' Chance In Hell

VRP: The Patient

You can count on me
Like one, two, three
I'll be there
And I know and I need it
I can count you like four, three, two

#Count On Me, Bruno Mars

▪▪▪▪

"O," he said as soon as he got inside her room. He was about to go home when he got a pleading call from Kim asking him to get a gallon of ice cream for Day. Selecta, ube flavor. He found her typing on her laptop. "Pinapabili ni Kimmy."

"May kutsara na?" Day asked even before thanking him.

"Yeah, dumaan na ako sa kitchen nyo. What's that you're typing? Research, schoolwork, or Watty again?" Von asked her.

"Letter C," she answered without looking up. She opened her ice cream and ate on the container itself, not bothering to put it on a saucer or cup.

"Gusto mong sumbong kita kay Paulo? Di ba prelims nyo?"

"Ah, pati ikaw talaga! Ikaw, sumbungero. Si Paulo, strikto. Si Fonso, conservative. Si Kim lang talaga nakakaintindi sa akin," she vented out.

"Ikaw lang ang babae samin kaya protective lang kami sayo," Von reacted. "Isa pa, hindi ka naman pinipigilan sa Wattpad addiction mo na yan. Ang point lang, magaral ka muna. Kilala mo na ba si priorities? Gusto ka kasi makilala."

"Hinaharap ko na kaya si priorities ngayon," she answered with sarcasm.

He just snickered and stood up. "Uwi na ako samin. Magaaral pa ako," he said and checked his watch. "I'll drop by later around 12 MN. Kim told me to make sure na tulog ka na that time. Second, Pau wants to make sure that you'll wake up early. He doesn't want to be mad early morning. Set your phone in alarm, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," she answered without meaning it.

"Day, Pau is just one text away. I promise you, I'll call him if you won't take my warning seriously."

Day rolled her eyes on him and closed her laptop before lying on her bed. "Fine. Goodnight Von Navarro! Goodnight Paulo Avelino! Goodnight Kimmy Dora!" Day shouted and hid herself under the covers.

▪▪▪▪

"Hi Von," the woman wearing white greeted her with a smile. He was up in the hospital that morning to see his mother who has been on duty the night before.

"Hi Doctora Corpuz," he waved back at her. "Good morning!"

"Are you looking for your mom?" Dra. Corpuz asked him back and he nodded. "Your mom went to her office. Kakatapos lang ng rounds nya. Do you know where your mom's new office is?"

"Not yet po," he answered.

"It's upstairs on the 4th floor. If you know the Oncology Department, it's just the door beside Dra. Benitez' office."

"Ah, I know that po. Thank you Doc, have a good day," he said and immediately went upstairs. Because of his practice and school requirements, he hasn't had the opportunity to chitchat with his mother for one straight week. Kadalasan, dadating ito na wala pa sya o tulog na and when he's awake, his mom was either not around or busy.

When he got to the room where his mom was, he knocked twice. When he heard a voice allowing him to get in, he pushed it open.

"Von! What a surprise," she said excitedly and stood up to embrace her son. "We haven't talked for the longest time."

"Yeah, that's why I'm here Mom. I brought you breakfast but I didn't prepare this. I just bought it for you," he said with a smile.

"Wasn't that so sweet of you?" his mother answered. Pinaupo sya nito saka itinabi lahat ng papel na ginagawa sa isang tabi. "Let's see what we have here. Oh, vegetable salad. Maybe you can be a good dietitian, Von."