"So, Niko, any more questions?" Dr. Lisa asked as she and Niko stepped out of the exam room so that Riki could get dressed. They arrived at the clinic in bunny suits and Riki had to change into a hospital gown for the examination. Nurse Sally assisted her.
"...wala naman talaga pero what if di rin maramdaman ni Riki na nag-l-labor na pala sya?"
"Iba-iba talaga ang tao. She might not be feeling anything odd at the moment at di nagpapakita ng usual pregnancy symptoms, pero baka lumabas ang classic signs when she's about to give birth. Walang makakasabi talaga..."
Niko was thinking of the preparations it took them just to have this appointment with the doctor. On normal days, they would have only taken about a maximum of 30-minutes or less from the condo to the hospital, but because of the preparations, it took them almost an hour to prepare and arrive. "...daig pa natin ang may international flight e..." Niko just shook his head.
"...hopefully, by the time Riki is due to give birth, things would be better" Dr. Lisa smiled, her eyes squinting above her mask.
"Sana..." Niko said as he adjusted his face shield and put on a fresh pair of gloves as Riki joined them at the doctor's desk.
---
"What were you talking about?" Riki said as she adjusted her seating.
"Niko was just concerned with your non-presentation of the typical pregnancy symptoms. As I told you, its normal for some women not to experience them....Riki, do you have a high tolerance for pain?"
"Hmm...medyo..."
"Can you tell me of an instance where you had to endure pain with 10 being the highest level..."
Riki leaned back and thought. "Two...I mean two times..." Riki put up two fingers. "The first one was here..." Riki patted her thigh.
"Anong nangyari?" Dr. Lisa asked.
"Inaabot ko yung nakasampay na mga panyo or panty, I can't remember, basta puti. Maliit pa yung pinsan ko nun and I was thinking na pag binuhat sya, siguradong maaabot nya yun. So I was jumping para masampay ko yung naka-dangle na part dun sa sampayan. Si Bekbek, yung pinsan ko, mga two ata sya nun, tinulak yung upuan na may metal na rods para sa sandalan – pero wala na yung sandalan – ayun, na-scrape yung thigh ko..."
Niko sucked in air upon hearing this part. He and Riki had not talked about their past as much.
"Hindi mo naramdaman?" Dr. Lisa asked.
"...hindi ko naramdaman na na nagkasugat na pala ako...mga 12 inches ata yung haba...napansin nung kasambahay namin so napatingin ako. Nakita ko nalang na may dugo na pababa ng leg ko...ayun, iyak na ako ng iyak. Akala ni Nanay, nagd-drama lang ako eh parang one hour na ata akong umiiyak bago pa ako natulungan ng Nanay ko!" Riki shared and chuckled.
