Enmeshed Kinship

07

I passed by a mall before I go home from Allison's. I had to buy stocks, good at least for 3 weeks. I'll just buy some sweets, snacks and can goods, hindi din naman ako nagkakaron ng bisita madalas, at isa pa alternative every month din naman yung kinakain ko. Last month sa labas lang ako kumakain, mas maaga na ako makakapag pahinga ngayon since I'm in another month na.

I just bought all I need for hygiene, papunta na ako sa mga pagkain so I pushed the cart.

"Doc.?"

Nakatingala pa ako sa mga pinipili kong pagkain and someone greeted me kaya sakanya napunta yung atensyon ko.

"H-hi po" I don't know if I should sound friendly or formal.He looks formal but I don't know yet what he needs, or if there's something? I decided to be nice nalang kaya sinamahan ko ng ngiti.

"Doc. Allison?"

"Yes"

"Jeric. Jeric Cerda" He offered his hand and I'm in no position to not accept it.

"Yea, do you need something?"

I'm all ears pero pinagpatuloy ko na yung pagpili sa mga kailangan ko.

"Nothing"he chuckled"just uh being friendly?"

"Oh, great. I'm sorry I have to go"
Someone page me,means they need me sa hospital so I just set all my groceries aside muna and urgently drove my car to my destination.

"Doc."

"Yes, where's the patient?" I'm panting as I ran inside the hospital, sinalubong na ako ng isang nurse. "What happened?"

"Doc, most of them are unavailable, they were under operation, you're our last choice, the patient's losing it."

"How could they be unavailable?!This is hospital! Where?!" I think I got carried away kaya medyo lumakas lang at pumunta na din sa room nung patient.

Madaming nakapalibot sa kanya na nurse and yung isa ay doctor. "Since when are you here?" I asked him habang sinusuot ko na yung gloves and anything that are mandatory.

"Doc, you can't do this, we have the algorithm, we need his family"

Hindi ko na siya pinansin, no one's assisting me for whatever equipment or tool that I need pero nasa tabi naman na ng patient kaya kinuha ko na yung kailangan ko.

"Doc, let me" One of the interns suggested so I let him.

"Be careful." I gave him the tool he'll be needing.

"Okay, you ready?" He nodded"Cut the stitches and staples, and Hey, remember Be Careful, okay? Don't let it fall to the chest cavity."

"Yes,Doc."

I don't know what happened pero bigla nalang akong nahilo. I felt some of them held and helped me para makaupo, wala na akong alam sa mga ginagawa nila, umiikot na yung paningin ko.

"Doc? Doc? Are you fine?"

"Get her some water. Faster"

"You! Finish what you've started!"

I felt nervous hearing the last one. If ever something happened, it'll be my fault.I forced myself,standing up, but then hindi na kinaya ng katawan ko.

"The suction. Suction.We need it. Hurry up"

It was obviously for the patient, that's the last thing I heard before everything went black.

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I'm feeling groggy as I opened my eyes. I was about to tumble buti nalang hindi ako gumalaw ng sobra, kasi nasa pinakang dulo na pala ako ng kama.

"Oh you're awake"

"Paano ako nakapunta dito?"

"I brought you of course"

"I mean, why? Isn't that the appropriate place if someone's feeling under the weather?They can provide whatever I need in there if ever. Thanks,though"

"They don't have me"

"What"I suddenly got evocative sa kung anong nangyari before I passed out so I immediately stood up and fixed myself.

"Hey hey hey, you have to rest"

"How is he?The patient?How did it go Michael? I need to be there, I need to know what's going on"

"Okay, we'll go there, don't panic. You have to trust them."

"Y-yeah, they refused to check him up. I should trust them"

"Such a dupe"

"What did you just call me?"

Nakalabas na kami ng condo malapit na sa kotse at ng pagkasakay na pagkasakay namin, nagsalita ulit siya at nagsimula na mag drive.

"Of course you're not the dupe I'm saying, right? They all are. How did you have interns with the fact that you're noob"

I got little offended with his words.

"Honestly? I don't know, it's on my contract that I have to follow everything, and in my case earlier, I didn't. Can we please be careful with our words next time?"

"I'm not pertaining to you, if that's what you think. It's them"

"I'll pretend it isn't your adoptive parents you're describing then"

"Of course not."

"I find your life interesting huh,Tell me more about it"

"Fine, then don't" I told him when I looked at him with his emotionless face not having thoughts of answering me.

"Not now, Sara" I just nodded at that nakita ko din na malapit na kami sa pupuntahan namin kaya naman ng makaputa na kami agad ko ng tinanggal yung seatbelt at pumunta sa room kanina kung saan ako nawalan ng malay.

"Where's Julian?" I came to find the intern who offered to help, he might know where's the patient right now. Pagkasilip ko kasi sa kwarto niya wala na eh.

"Julian!" I saw him in the corner, kaya tinawag ko agad siya.

"How did it go?"I'm feeling nervous right now, I don't want to regret that I forced to save the patient, I shouldn't, I just want him to live.Let him, please, Julian must say the positive one, that he successfully did what our purpose is, or the negative one, that I haven't had the chance to see the patient survive with the algorithm.

"Doc ano kasi eh"

"What Julian?"

"A - ano po"

"Wait hold on"I acted that I'm searching something on my bag. "Julian, I'm sorry I forgot my forbearance at my condo, you should freaking finish the sentence by now or I'll stitch your chest myself"

He tittered."I brought you two, want the positive or negative?"

"Negative"I'm hoping he'll what I was thinking.

"I used my hand just to bring his pulse back. I inserted my hand in his chest"

What the? Malakas yung loob niyang sabihin yung negative so I got a little spoiled with his other tea.

"I don't know a thing or two, on how they look at you right now, but I want the positive one"

"So this where it goes? If it's successful? Yes, the positive one is I did and had what we wanted-" He stopped in a second pero ang saya ko na kaso.. "His life"

"What-"

He chuckled" I'm sorry Doc, I forgot you don't have the forbearance with you right now, he just got transferred to other room, but he's literally foine, right now.fit as fiddle!"

"Omg Julian!" I hugged him tight, I'm so thankful with that although, what process he did is beyond inappropriate.

We both heard a cough.

I looked at that guy, It's Michael,with the his one hand on his pocket, nasa side naman yung isa, standing right in front of us.

"I guess the celebration is enough.You have to rest now."