A Doctor For a Mate

 HOLDING the handbag in her left, Uno turned the lights off in her private office in the hospital. It was already ten o’clock in the evening and her working hours ended four hour ago. It was Doctor Uno Stone’s usual scene in St. Martha Children’s Hospital. She often left the hospital later than the working hours. She spent the time reading on the cases of the patients in the privacy of her office after working hours. She has been a heart surgeon for four years and she can proudly say that she has zero casually. Every patient that she put her expert hands on in the operating table went home with better, working heart weeks later. Her colleagues dubbed her as the ‘magical hand’. One of the reasons why she spent hours in the hospital after her duty was, aside from studying the cases of the patients, she has no one to go home to. Her parents lived a couple of hours away. She has a condo unit in her name but it was a lonely abode. The mere purpose of the unit was a cover over her head and a sleeping quarter. At the age of thirty-two, she was still single like the most of her colleagues. She cannot say that it was because of the hectic schedule as a practicing doctor but rather, being in a relationship stressed her more than her career. She had two boyfriends in the past. The first one was when she was in the medical school and the last one was when she was heading to be become a heart surgeon. She and the last boyfriend went to their separate ways when he wanted her to choose a different field of specialization. Apparently, her ex wanted to specialized in cardio but he saw her as a competition than as an associate. She chose cardio, left her boyfriend and the hospital owned by his family. She had never regretted that decision. Here she is, a cardiologist in St. Martha’s Children Hospital. Her job paid well but she could earn more if she chose to work in bigger hospitals. However, the staff in St. Martha was more humane that the prestigious ones. Saint Martha may not be as sophisticated but more patients were saved and catered here for low billing cost. Once in every month she has a scheduled surgery in the hospital that she did for free. The hospital already knew about it and they put her service in the charity case. Some of her fellow doctors did the same. It has been for the last two years. Her contemplation halted when the desk phone rang. “Doctor Stone, we need you in the emergency.” That was the nurse in the information of emergency bay. She knew that she was still in the office. She deposited her bag back on the chair. She put on the white coat and get out of the confinement of the private office. It was chaos in the hallway of the emergency. Stretchers kept on coming. There were patients on the waiting chairs and most of them were bloody but conscious. It seems that there was another road accident that happened. She spotted the police officers at the entrance of the hospital. The lights from the ambulance and police cruiser out front reflects on the glass wall of the hospital. Two medical staff passed her way. Her eyes followed them. She saw the bloody woman lying on the stretcher. She has an oxygen mask on her face. “We have a GSW near the heart.” She heard. She released a deep sigh and followed the stretcher carrying the said woman. “Three shots. One was near the heart. And her pulse is getting weaker.” The attending nurse immediately expressed when she saw her. “ER 5 has been prepared, Dr. Stone.” “Good. Let’s save this beauty.” She cleared her mind as she soaped her hands and arms. A nurse was also doing the same thing in another sink. Without words, they went inside the ER. The next an hour and a half, she and the nurses attend the GSW patient in ER 5. Her heart slowed but they eventually got her back. She removed the last bullet that grazed the vena cava. She made the suture herself that the head nurse did not seemed to mind. “Good job, everyone.” She expressed while her both her hands were in front. The staff nodded at her. When she turned her back, a medical aid removed the ties of the gown she was wearing. She closed her eyes the moment she left the ER. The stress of the previous operation suddenly dawned on her. She almost lost the patient once in the table. She has a capable team inside the ER that they immediately recover the patient back. It happened to her in the past that she almost forgot about it. She completely removed the surgical gown and threw it at the nearest garbage can. She included the bloody gloves. She went back to her office when she saw that her help was no longer needed in the emergency. She was on her way out of the hospital when she made a beeline in the nurses’ station. She asked the room of the GSW patient. The silence added mystery to the lone patient in the room. She was frowning in her sleep despite the effect of anesthetic drug that was injected to her a couple hours ago. “What happened to you?” She whispered in the quiet room. She moved the reddish hair that fell on her temple. Even though she has scrapes in her cheeks, it was undeniable that the woman was beautiful. The shadow of her long lashes was visible under her eyes. If only she can make the patient open her eyes. Uno was curious of the color of the patient’s eyes. A smile formed in her lips when she found the bridge of her sharp nose unblemished. It was a pity if it got a scratch. Uno blinked her eyes twice when her attention went to the pale, thin lips of the GSW patient. She shook her head when she realized the thoughts that enter her mind. “Who are you?” She muttered. “Why do I feel this way?” She made another deep sigh. She placed the blanket below her bust before leaving the room. Yet, she made another glance to her face before she closed the door.