The Possessive Doctor

CHAPTER 3

 Chapter 3: The Head Surgeon in the Emergency Room

Alexander Coben III's Point of View

"Will it hurt?"

"A little but the pain is bearable." I said.

His name is Gino, age: seventeen and suffering from aneurysm subarachnoid hemorrhage—bleeding into the space surrounding the brain.

"Will I live longer?" He's lying down in the hospital bed looking tired and weak. Something stirred inside me again. "Of course." Yan na lang ang tanging nasabi ko. I heard his mother sob quietly and I know she's trying to be brave for her son.

"Put him inside." I told to one of my team, asking them to put Gino inside the operating room bago ako humarap sa magulang ni Gino.

"Doc, please gawin niyo ang lahat para gumaling ang anak ko." She cried, alam ko ang hirap ng isang magulang makita lang ang anak nilang nahihirapan. I tap her shoulder lightly.

"One of my team will update you as soon as we progress. At sasabihin namin agad ang resulta as soon as we finish. Don't worry. He's strong enough para kayanin ang surgery." Sabi ko sa kanila, I'm not telling this to them because this is what they want to hear and to give false hope but I work without complications. I always prefer clean and efficient surgery.

I trust my team and together we will save Gino.

"Trust my team. We'll save your child, madame." I said and with another pat in her shoulder, pumasok na ako sa loob ng emergency room just to see my team preparing for all the equipments needed for the surgery.

I washed my hand bago maglagay ng gloves at mask.

"I'll start the anesthetics." The anesthesiologist said who is responsible for the patient's heart beat, blood pressure, amount of oxygen in the blood, etcetera. Tumango ako sa kanya bago ibalik ang atensiyon ko sa harapan. "I'll infuse 2mL of atracurium." I close my eyes and calm myself. Thinking all the positive energy around.

"You can begin."

Binuksan ko ang mga mata ko and started the surgery.

I get out the hair clippers and shave his head myself.

Brain surgery has a lot of work to do. Nang matapos ko na siyang gupitan, I put two dots at the base of his skull where we will make our incision and draw a straight line. I am going to perform surgical clipping because this is the best way to close off aneurysm. Since, there is a lot of blood supply that scattered on his brain I need to put a tiny metal clip on the neck of the aneurysm to stop blood flow to it.

I am aware of all the potential risk, like bleeding in the brain or loss of blood flow in the brain but I trust the skills of my team that we can do this. Sinimulan ko ang surgery by opening his skull, I can hear the scalp being ripped off from the skull.

I learned that when operating a patient, you need to give your one hundredth percent concentration because if you let your mind wander for a second then all hell breaks loose.

"Suction." I told to my assistant surgeon because there is too much blood and I can't see. I calm my mind and relax my body and started to put the metal clip. 

"WHAT ARE you doing here?" Tanong ko kaagad kay Raven when I saw him inside my office. Dumiretso ako agad sa office ko to have a break because damn it I am too exhausted to work. Ilang oras akong nakatayo sa operating room. My back is almost killing me and I am f*****g starving pero mas pipiliin ko pang matulog kesa kumain. Halos pitong oras ang nilaan ko sa surgery room kanina but this is my chosen profession kaya hindi ako nagrereklamo. Kaunti lang. The surgery went well and I hope that boy will value his life even more. Bihira na lang mabigyan ng second chance ang buhay.

"Get out. I am going to rest." I said.

"No can do. Ilang buwan ka pa lang dito sa Pilipinas yet hindi ka pa rin nagpapakita sa amin. You left without a trace and you comeback without even telling us. Let's have party later. It's been what? Three years!" Binato ko siya ng ballpen na agad naman niyang nasalo.

"FYFI, and if you don't know, that means for your f*****g information, lagi kayong dumadalaw sa akin sa U.S at kulang na lang doon kayo tumira. Stop kidding me." I hang my gown in the rack bago humiga sa sofa. I came back two months ago in the Philippines and take over the hospital.

"If I know, may tinataguan ka lang sa bar mo." I said with my eyes close. Biglang tumahimik si Raven. "Are you psychic? Paano mo nalaman?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Wild guess."

Two months na ako dito at puro trabaho lang ang inaatupag ko that's why I am always exhausted, it's like I don't have any life at all. There's lot of patients to cure and to take care off.

"Fine. You can stay here but don't try to make any noise. I am going to rest." But instead, a loud knock came from the door. "Sorry, bro. But I called the gang." What the actual f**k? Tumayo si Raven at binuksan ang pinto ng office ko. Napamura na lang ako ng sunod-sunod pumasok ang mga walang modo kong mga kaibigan. I didn't even let them in. Napatayo tuloy ako mula sa pagkahiga.

"What are you all doing here?" I folded my sleeves up to my mid-arm. "Binibisita ka?" Inosentent sabi ni Nikos Stanislaski-Sy, the lawyer. Sunod na pumasok si Kalev Stanislaski, the owner of multi-chained company, at sinundan ni Trevor Dmitri, the artist. At may isa pa, si Severus Vetellì, the pilot na may dalang beer in can and take-out food.

"Welcome party for Alexander Coben III. Woooh! Cheers for that!" Sabi ni Raven Salazar, the architect s***h the bar owner, as they make way inside my office and sat down where they are comfortable.

"We cannot drink inside the hospital. One of the hospital rules." Una kong sinabi and eyed all the beers in can.

"All rules are meant to be broken. At tsaka wala namang mawawala kung iinom tayo dito. You are already the owner of the hospital." Nikos said.

I facepalmed. "How about you, Kalev? Paano ka naman napa-oo ng mga walang magawa sa buhay na 'to at napadpad dito?" He looked at me without any emotions.

"Dahil wala din akong magawa sa buhay ko?" Sa tingin ko ay si Trevor na lang ang makakausap ko ng maayos but when I looked at Trevor he answered immediately. "Same reason." What a bunch of lunatics.

"Oh no! I can't hear your heartbeat, Severus! Is he going to die?" Hysterical na sabi ni Raven at sinimulang paglaruan ang stereoscope. Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ba ako sa pinagagawa nila o maiinis. "You are not wearing the stethoscope you dumb idiot." I said. Nakalagay lang kasi sa may leeg niya ang stethoscope malamang wala siyang maririnig.

"Oh right." He said when realization hits him. Wala na akong magawa kundi kumuha ng isang beer in can at binuksan ang take-out food na dala nila and started to dig in.

"So, did you already check the island?" Tanong ni Kalev sa akin. Napailing na lang ako, masyadong business minded talaga si Kalev.

"Not yet. I still have two days left to check it and mukhang magstistay muna ako doon ng ilang araw." I said. I'm looking for an Island na puwedeng pag-stock-an ng mga gamit sa hospital and of course all the medicines na sobra ang supply. Masyadong magiging crowded ang hospital kung dito itatambak ang mga 'yun. And Kalev told me to talk to his cousin named Kelvin Williams—a businessman at sakto, he's selling the island because they have too much assets to hold. So, I bought it right away, but of course, he must tour me first in the whole Island.

"Hey! You two! Stop talking about business, okay? Nandito tayo upang magpawala ng stress hindi magdagdag ng stress kaya please cut the business talk." Raven said at pumagitna sa amin ni Kalev. Kumuha siya ng bar and chugged it down. "Why don't we talk about girls?"

"No thanks. I'm out." Sabi agad ni Trevor.

"Well, me too. I'm not interested." I muttered.

"Really? Hindi ka man lang na attract sa ibang lahi ng nasa America ka? For sure, there's a lot of pretty young woman there." I don't know why pero walang appeal sa akin ang mga kababaihan. Maybe I'm really not interested to those kinds of girls or I am waiting for someone that will accept me not because I am filthy rich but because for who I am. f**k. When did I ever become this cheesy? 

"There's a lot of pretty woman in America but I never been interested to them." I answered. There's something stopping me, though.

Because I am trying to find someone.

"How about you Kalev? Kamusta naman yung kinababaliwan mong babae simula nung College tayo? Hanggang ngayon ba wala ka pa ding paguunlad?" Natatawang sabi ni Severus. Buti na lang nalipat kay Kalev ang atensiyon.

"Ayon, hanggang tingin pa rin siya." Answered by Raven who is now laughing so bad with the stethoscope in his ear. "Oh no. Why can't I hear my own voice?" Tanong niya. I facepalm. "Because you are wearing the darn stethoscope."

"Ohh right. Nakalimutan kong tanggalin."

They continued to talk but my attention focuses to my phone dahil bigla itong nagvibrate. I received an email from Kelvin Williams. I opened my phone and checked it.

From: Kelvin Williams 

klvn.wllms00@g*******m 

Good day Mister Alexander Coben III. I would like to inform you that I can't make it to the day after tomorrow but don't worry I already asked my little sister to take over. She will be the one who will tour you around the whole island. This is her phone number 0920*******. Just contact her and have fun!

"Phones down, please." Nikos said and get my phone. I didn't have any chance to reply.

"It's important." I said.

"Alam kong lahat tayo may importanteng ginagawa but let's just rest for all the exhausting things."

"Fine." I said. Pero napansin kong suot pa din ni Raven ang stethoscope.

"Put that goddamn stethoscope down, Raven."

We're already in our thirties but they act like a kid. Why am I friends with these idiots?