Bad Times at Sunrise (La Fortuna Series #3)

Kabanata 4

Kabanata 4

Child

"Can we talk?" I asked Ico after walking toward him.

Biglang napangisi ang katabi niyang doktor nang marinig 'yon. I remained calm despite the teasing grin that he had, so unlike Ico's poker face. The said doctor had hard features because he was at least half-Moroccan (if not full-blooded). He was hot as fuck, though. Parang biglang gusto ko ngang magpa-diagnose sa kaniya.

Ico was about to answer when the doctor stretched out his palm toward me and shoved Ico away with his other palm. Namilog ang mga mata ko dahil medyo malakas ang pagtulak niya. Ico cursed under his breath and glared at him although he was oblivious to it.

"Good morning, beautiful woman," he said, emphasizing the r in the word morning. Tumaas-baba ang mga kilay niya. Smiling, he said, "Today I am Doctor Raj Khasmi, a third-year resident."

I made a face but still shook his hand. "Okay? If you're Doctor Raj Khasmi today, who are you tomorrow?"

Awkward siyang humalakhak. "Good point! My Baba will like you!" Pinaningkitan niya ako ng mga mata. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? I shall introduce you to my family!"

My eyes drifted to Ico who had an annoyed expression. He met my eyes and sighed before tapping Doctor Khasmi's back as if telling him to stop his game of charades.

"Raj, stop," he warned. "You're embarrassing yourself. Besides, you're doing a Russian accent, not an Arabic one."

Nilingon siya nito at nginiwian. "Okay, Ico, chill! Nagpapapresko lang, e!" He frowned at him. "You're such a persona non grata!"

"And you're scaring her," he said icily.

Umiling si Ico at saka lumapit sa 'kin. He grabbed me by the wrist, something that honestly caught me off guard. He had such soft and slender fingers and I could actually imagine him saving a patient's life inside a surgery room through them.

"What a disrespectful intern," Doc Khasmir muttered under his breath, still with his fake Russian accent.

Naglakad kami patungo sa labas ng ospital at tumigil sa patio, 'yong annex ng cafeteria. It was bright and everything felt blinding there. Mahangin din kaya kinailangan kong sikupin ang buhok ko bago pormal na humarap kay Ico.

He let go of my wrist and stared at me. "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing." Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "Sabi mo, next year pa ang residency mo, 'di ba? Ba't nagi-intern ka ngayon?"

"I volunteered," he said and inserted his hands in his pocket. "Plus, all I'm doing is scut work, stuff that most doctors don't want to do. Papers, getting lab results, getting doctors their coffee." He looked like he could go on forever. Stifling a smile, he added, "I'm allowed to watch surgeries, though, so there's that."

Lihim akong namangha dahil tunog dedikado siya sa ginagawa niya. When he paused and plastered a genuinely concerned look at me, my brows automatically furrowed. What was he concerned about and wow, did that mean that he knew how to care?

Of course, he should, right? Magdo-doktor siya! Isa pa, kanina no'ng kasama niya si Dr. Khasmi ay 'di naman siya mukhang gan'to kasungit. Maybe he's only like this with me because he's prejudiced against me!

"Ba't ka nandito? May nangyari ba?" he asked in a worried tone.

Ngumuso ako, 'di pa rin sanay na may pake siya. "Na-ospital ang kapatid ko. She fell from the stairs but she's okay now."