Arduous Journey

Chapter 1

NADIA

Seeing different smiles from different patients feels great. The other doctors, nurses and medical staffs are really working hard for the patients to see a big hope in their eyes for future recoveries.

This has been my dream. And I'm not regretting from entering this field of expertise. It may be tough but our aim is to save lives and not to fear in facing different kinds of sickness.

I'm proud to say that I am one of the millions of medical doctors who's duty is to save lives and to have the responsibility of taking care of the people around her.

But there's one thing that has been bothering me for years now. I don't know if this is just my hallucinations or because of stress in work matters. Nevertheless, I can see ghosts everywhere. In the hospital, outside the hospital, streets, stores and even malls. My only safe place was in my house.

I don't understand. May sabi-sabi kasing ang mga taong nakakakita raw ng mga kaluluwa ay mayroong third-eye, pero sa dinami-dami ng tao dito sa mundo, isa ba talaga ako sa mga mayroong ikatlong mata?

I sighed weakly. Am I a normal one?

I shook my head. Of course, Nadia! You're normal! You're a doctor and you have patients!

I entered the elevator and pushed the number 12 button that represent the 12th floor of this building. When I arrived, I went straight to my office and put on my lab coat. I checked my iPad to see if my schedules for today are busy or not that tight.

Pagkatapos kong magligpit ng kaunti sa aking opisina ay nag-rounds muna ako. I guess I'll just face the new trainees by afternoon. Masyado silang masakit ulo. I mean, I do understand them because I'm from there too. They're listening, yes, but sometimes I don't understand why they're not letting their minds function in time.

"Nady!"

"Ems." bumeso muna siya bago ako hinatak para magpatuloy sa paglalakad.

"Hindi ka yata busy ngayon, Emery?" I asked.

"Just finished my operation. The case wasn't that big but the patient's heart is very weak. Like, we waited for three hours for him to be stable and another five hours of operating. Kinailangan naming mag-ingat sa bawat galaw dahil sabi ko nga, mahina ang puso niya." she said with a worried face. She really cares for her patients.

That's Emery. She cares for people around her; mainly her patients. She doesn't want anything to go wrong that's why she always have her deafening voice around her.

"Napano ba siya?"

"He was shot in the lower part of his ribs."

"Risky." I said while scrolling on my iPad. "Where's Mies, by the way?"

"Baka nasa quarters?"

"Maybe. Midnight shift nga pala siya this week. Tulog pa siguro 'yon."

Mahirap talaga kapag doktor ka tapos midnight shift or overtime ka pa. All night long, you have to scan dozens of books, do a background research for big cases, check your patients from time to time, or you can possibly be in the operating room, performing a serious surgery or just scrubbing in.