HIS FUTURE QUEEN

CRAZY MIND

CHAPTER 5

The next day.

All the twenty-two students were gathered in the lobby of the main hospital building for half a day tour–their second day in Giorginia.

The impressive hospital has a capacity of 5,000 beds, with rooms spread over the 10 sprawling buildings connected to each other. The highest building has ten floors and the lowest has three floors. The buildings were spread over two hectares of land surrounded by well-maintained greens.

The AKW hospital was strategically located on the south-western borders of the kingdom's estate, three miles away from Giorginia’s main business hub or ‘the city’ as they call it, and also a mile away from PALACE.

The whole hospital was operated by a medical foundation—AK Foundation, owned by the Weston family.

AKW Hospital was the brainchild of Aliyah Weston (an architect) and Khalan Weston (a business magnate), both of them currently enjoying retirement life. They were Duke Alik Weston's parents and Prince Elik Weston's grandparents.

What was good about the hospital, was the fact that the medical services were offered free for Giorginian residents, nobles, and commoners alike. The hospital earned not from the residents but from a medical tourism project, where people around the globe could avail themselves of the services of doctors practicing the combined traditional and non-traditional medicines the hospital was known for.

The three-floor building was run by the same foundation as the medical university. Every year, they sponsor 100 medical students from 10 countries. The kingdom of Giorginia, signed a treaty with ten countries 15 years ago and was good for 50 years.

The AKW Hospital has served more than five million clients since its inception. The increase of patrons reaching out for a different medical approaches guaranteed that the medical tourism project would be extended and more and more medical professionals would be needed to serve the clientele.

*

KLAUD

“Goodness gracious! Are you sure this is a hospital? Dammmn, it looks like a seven-star hotel to me.”

I looked up, my sight hitting the class cover of the atrium. I couldn’t believe that a hospital this grand ever existed. Since we arrived yesterday, everything we saw in this Giorginian kingdom was out of this world. I started to believe we had been transported to another world. I didn’t think we were still on earth.

The Victorian-style building outside had been mixed with more to-date architecture on the inside, resulting in a design so hard to define-- it was simply extraordinary. No wonder more and more patients have decided to avail of the hospital services here despite the sky-rocketing costs of services, so I heard.

However, upon careful evaluation, the tariffed or fixed medical costs, charged to clients, which included the accommodation and the services of prime and excellent doctors, the medical supplies, food, and amenities, in my opinion, were just right.

“Close your mouth, Klaud. A fly might enter your widely opened cave,” Peter snarled at me.

I did what Peter told me to do, but I looked at him with daggers in my eyes. He always spoiled a cheerful mood.

“What can we expect? The best, of course. I heard the building was designed by none other than a known architect in her younger years, and she happens to be one of the founders of this hospital.” Mia chimed in, supplying us with information we already knew, and it was stated in the reading materials distributed to us.

And still, what was written and what was reality was so different. I guess my imagination failed me this time. This place was spectacular, way far from what I expected.

“I know that…but look, we’ve been to different hospitals. Have you seen something like this? Even the smell was different.”

I could smell a mix of florals in the air, not similar to the antiseptics used in other hospitals. Did they concoct their antiseptic? It was a probability. They were amazing.

“Yeah–I noticed that too, since yesterday. I guess they do that and it was available only here.” Peter nodded and agreed.

An idea popped in my head, and I smirked. I leaned forward and whispered to them.

“What if I ask where I can get it? I might change course and explore business instead. I can make millions by selling that stuff to different hospitals worldwide,” I fluttered my eyelashes and smiled at them coyly. “What do you think?

We laughed until our tummy hurt after I said that, and some students we met yesterday looked at us, wondering perhaps what we were laughing about. Some of them tried to hush us.

This kingdom never failed to amaze me. I wondered what could make me leave this place, despite the fact that I feel in my gut that I belonged here.

We were still laughing when the head of the tour for the day appeared, and she guided us to different places or departments of the hospital and explained their functions. I admitted it was a little different than the set-up we were familiar with, but just the same, we were all ears to the tour leader. She was one of the administrative staff and introduced herself as Amira.

She opened a few unoccupied rooms with varying accommodation levels–ward, private, and suite. Each room was far from the usual offered by other hospitals, it has bigger space and better amenities. The feeling of staying in a luxury hotel never left me.

The operating rooms were state of the art, and there were about ten in this place, a goddamn lot.

The lounge and common spaces were huge and I just couldn’t find anything ordinary. Then I resigned from finding one. No need to stretch my silly brain trying to find something usual in a place that was intentionally designed far from ordinary.

The half-day tour ended just before lunchtime, despite the presence of moving walkways (auto walks, slow-moving conveyors that transport people in flat or slightly elevated spaces) for easy transfers to the ten buildings. The tour was very tiring, still. However, our tired bodies came alive when we saw the meal prepared for all the students at the end of the tour.

“Holy moly! Is this our last meal?” I voiced my amazement.

The entree prepared for us was fit for the royals: salads, roast meats, sausages, desserts, and fruits. Not the usual variety one could buy in groceries, I couldn’t even pronounce the names of those fruits even though they were labeled.

I might not die in this place out of hardship but from a heart attack due to many surprises, and lots of discoveries. I honestly loved this place even more.

Of course, the meal was something we couldn’t let pass. Peter, Mia, and I attacked the food to the delight of our bellies. We were so full at the end of lunch and could hardly stand up.

The next activity would be in an hour, the tea-time with the Queen. That meant the PALACE tour was happening right on our second day here. We were so happy the students jumped in their places and shouted ‘thank you’ to the tour leader. The itinerary was not given to us prior, and every activity was a surprise.

“We still have 30 minutes before they take us to the palace. Would you like to take a walk first? We ate a lot,” Mia suggested.

“I’m in–,” I made a very satisfied grin on my lips. What she suggested was what exactly I needed at this moment.

“I’m staying here ladies, “ Peter refused. “I think I had enough walking for the day, but since we had to meet the Queen later, I think I need to save up my energy. The palace walk would definitely be exhausting,” he explained.

Even though Peter decided to stay, Mia and I proceeded on our short walk around the hospital grounds. Just as I expected, the air outside was refreshing. We were surrounded by trees and walls of plants with and without flowers.

Suddenly, something gave me the creeps, and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up when the air blew…instantly, I looked around. “Was this place haunted?” I murmured to myself. The place didn’t look scary or haunted or anything like that. In fact, the place was so quaint and serene, only the humming of the birds could be heard from a near distance, but why the creepy feeling?

Darting my eyes back at the building, in a huge window panel, I saw a figure wearing a black suit…walking at a steady pace, followed by men and women who were also wearing black. The distance between where we at was a bit far. It was impossible to see the detailed features of the man, but still, something in him caught my eye.

In his stance, he seemed to be walking on air.

His bearing, too perfect…

Hmm, and he seemed to be covered with light as his figure glided from one window to the next…he looked unreal.

Who was he? I asked myself in a whisper. What I just saw wasn’t helping my poor heart.

I jerked forward when I heard Mia’s voice.

“Hey, Klaud. What happened to your tongue?” Mia asked, interrupting my thoughts and my vision of the group of men and women.

“Ah. hmm…” I found it difficult to tell her what I saw. When I glanced again at the glass window, the man and the people surrounding him were no longer there. Their form seemed to vanish in a blink of an eye.

Jesus. Did I just see a ghost?

The hair in my body once again rose. I wiggled my body from side to side while running my hands on my arms and face. Eww…It was what I hate in hospitals. The thought that many people died while they fought for their lives was highly likely.

Yes, I studied medicine and still studying it, but I also believed in ghosts and spirits, and all that was creepy! And I have no wish to see one, but what did I see a few seconds ago?

The scene from a recently watched film about dead people fetched by the angel of death played in my head. I knew a scene like that could happen in real life, but I never wished to witness it.

“Klaudria McLennon! What’s happening to you?” Mia asked again hysterically.

“I-i -I’ve seen a ghost! I think,” At last, I managed to speak in a shaky voice.

“You what?!” She asked, disbelieving what I said.

“A ghost or a spirit, whatever. Otherwise, he might be…the angel of death!” My legs shook a little, realizing what I said. Did I have a special gift, a third eye or something? But that man seemed unreal. I felt a shiver run through my body.

“My goodness, Klaud. Can you please calm down? There’s no such thing as a ghost and angel of death.” Mia said, a bit irritated.

"What if I saw was real?"

"Klaud! It's not real. That's the reason why we are studying medicine to become good doctors, so we can save lives. Stop this! Gosh, at this day and age? How can you still believe in ghosts or the angel of death!" she was mad at me, that was really obvious in her words, but at the same time, she was worried about me.

I felt a little guilty for making her worry. I took in deep breaths to calm myself and thanked the heavens, it was just past noontime, if it was night time I might be screaming in panic. I placed a hand on my chest, to calm my poor heart as well.

Was that real or just a figment of my imagination? However, why were there goosebumps in my body before and after I saw the form?

What would make me leave in this ethereal place I have loved since I stepped foot on it?

Ghost! Or the angel of death!

If this beautiful and ethereal place has those? I would be packing my bags and would go back home.

But…

What about my dream? How could I be the best doctor in town? Oh no! I guess...I guess I couldn’t sacrifice my dream…therefore, I better learn how to live with the creepy creatures—Eww!