“Bahh, it’s nothing, doc. My hands are big, see?”
He doesn’t just speak, but also shows me his hand, all fingers spread out. And that earns him a giggle.
“Yeah but I’m here already. Come on, let me carry some.”
I grab two glasses and leave the other two for him before walking back to the table.
“You’re very kind. You like to help other people.” He says. I smile without saying thanks or denying his compliment. If you ask me, though, I think Mork is the one who’s kind. He drove his motorcycle here in the middle of the night to drop me off, and then helped me carry Nadia the whole way to the dorm. Are these not the proof of how kind he is?
“Doc, you eat so little, is this really enough?”
Loong Cheep points at my plate.
“Oh...I don’t eat much. Haha.”
It’s already a lucky day because I get to have some rice. Otherwise, it’s usually just bread and coffee. Although I strictly do not skip breakfast, it doesn’t mean I always have a proper meal. If I can put any food in my mouth before noon at all, that’s my breakfast.
“You will run out of energy in the late morning, doctor. How can you work with so little food?”
“Why are you fussing with him?” Ar Dej protests. “Maybe he has someone who brings him food and drink. Right, doctor? Judging from how handsome you are, you must have a sweetheart already.”
Welp... Ar, why does it come to this topic?
I don’t know what kind of face to make.
“Uh… Haha, yes, I do.” I give him an awkward smile along with my answer.
“See? Now, you should hurry up and finish eating, so we can go and wait for the call. Don’t wanna be late when the doctor starts the examination.” He tells Loong.
“Oh, take your time. I’ll be examining you. After breakfast, I’ll have to go up to the ward to check our inpatients briefly. And then I’ll be in the examination room as soon as possible.”
“Eh? Doctor, didn’t you stay on duty last night?” Loong asks.
I nod. “Yes. Last night, and tonight, too.”
“But then when do you get some rest? Coming off duty and examining the outpatients right away like this.”
I really don’t know how to answer his question. So I just give a meek smile, trying to think of what else to talk about. And suddenly, a piercing voice interrupts everything.
“Tawannnnnnnnnnnnnn! How was your duty last night, huh?”
I turn and look, Nadia is just walking through the cafeteria entrance but his voice precedes him. Fortunately, there aren’t many people in the cafeteria, so he’s not scaring patients or their relatives away. I look at Mork’s Loong and Ar, they seem a little startled to see a bulky and muscular doctor speaking in such a ladylike way and with high, effeminate pitch.
“So busy.” I reply. Without any invitation, Nadia pulls out a chair and sits down next to me.
“ICU summoned me so often that I almost had to set up a tent in front of their counter. Oh, and…” I face Mork’s two uncles.
“This is Dr. Nadia, a doctor from the children's ward. He’s my friend. Nadia, these are Mork’s uncles. Loong Cheep and Ar Dej. You can remember Mork, right? He helped me carry you back to the dorm the other day.”
Nadia greets them with a Thai salute. “Nice to meet you, Loong Cheep and Ar Dej.” Then, he gives Mork the glad eye. “Mr. Mork, yes, I can remember you, sweetie. Thank you very much for helping me. Without you, I would be sleeping in front of the building and someone might have tried to abduct and take advantage of me. Oh, my, how scary!”
I roll my eyes. If it’s not because I’m in front of Mork and two of my patients, I would have been huffing a big sigh at my friend.
“As much a Hulk as you are, who could drag you away? Did you forget that I was helping you that night, too? It wasn’t only Mork.”
“Yeah, but you aren’t as impressively handsome to me as Mr. Mork is.”
Finishing his retort, he resumes talking to Mork in a flirtatious tone.
“You seeeee, Nadia was on duty last night. It’s so draining, and Nadia is completely exhausted.”
With that, he acts like he’s going to lean his head on Mork’s shoulder. Mork seems more startled than before and looks to me, showing the whites of his eyes. I quickly pull Nadia back towards me.
“Hey, you’re scaring him off. And look at your size, if you lean on him with such a bulky frame, he will be squashed.”
Nadia shrieks back. “You’re being such a dog in the manger! Suddenly acting all territorial, aren’t you?”
I stick my tongue out at him. “Of course, why can’t I? He’s my friend!”
The giggles from Loong and Ar remind me that I am being ridiculous in front of the elders. I look at them with an apologetic and awkward smile.
“I’m sorry, my friend is in a daze. It’s so early and he hasn’t got any coffee yet. He was on duty all night and had no sleep. Nadia is easily dazed.”
Honestly, I want to say that my friend is being slutty but as I’m talking with elders, it feels inappropriate to say the word aloud.
“Doctors are hilarious. You’re like kids. I thought doctors are stern and stressful.” Ar Dej smiles at us.
“Oh dear, no, sir. Doctors are ordinary people, but just with skills in diagnosing and treating patients. We can get sick and die. We can be funny. We can be heartbroken and we can fall in love, too, especially with such a handsome sweetie like Mork.”
Nadia replies before I can say anything, and he doesn’t forget to throw the glad eye at Mork again. But the target seems to be getting used to it, because he doesn’t flinch away or bulge his eyes anymore. He simply flashes an awkward smile in return.
“Haha, thank you, Dr. Nadia. But…” Mork seems to be kicking into fright-or-flight mode. Not fight-or-flight, mind you.
“Dawww, don’t thank me. Come join me after work instead, sweetie, and let’s go drink some soybean milk.”
“Haha, I thought you only like sapodilla plum juice. The other day you reeked of it.”
“Dawww, Mork!” Nadia feigns disdain at Mork. “I can’t drink. They urged me to drink, so I drank with them. Nadia is innocent and usually doesn’t like to drink.”
That statement makes me roll my eyes again. I can still remember when we were sixth year medical students on an out-of-town rotation, the one who kept nagging me to go to a pub everyday was Nadia. Even when we were working in a community hospital without any pub nearby, he still managed to find a local herbal liqueur stall next to a temple.
“Hey, Mork, you got Facebook? Can I have the link? I saw your pics on Handsome Win, Please Share page but they didn’t post your Facebook link. Let me add you. Please, pretty please?”
Nadia picks up his phone and turns on the screen.
“Uh, I have one, but I don’t use it often. I don’t have much free time as a mototaxi driver.”
“Duh, doctor like me doesn’t have much free time either. I only check it late in the evening, too. Can I add you?”
Finishing that, Nadia makes puppy dog eyes until Mork gives in and reveals his Facebook name. I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but he’s sitting right next to me, so it’s inevitable that I catch his Facebook name as well.
“And you, doc?” Mork turns to ask me. “Do you use Facebook?”
I nod. “Yep, but I rarely get on it. I haven’t checked it for a very long time.”
“Eh, but I saw you liked my pics on the Handsome Win page.” He laughs.
“Heh… How did you see that?” I question.
“Oh, I checked it out because you told me about it. And among the users who gave my pics their likes, there was one whose name was Tawan Tisawong. I recognized your name. It’s on the chest of your gown.”
“Ah…” I nod. This dude has a good memory. “Uh-huh. I check things out on the app sometimes but not paying much attention. This time I saw you because Nadia showed the pics to me.”
“I sent a friend request. Sweetie, please don’t forg
et to accept it, okay?” Nadia puts his cellphone away while turning to me. “Hey you, let’s go for a pork hot pot after work today.”
I shake my head. “Sorry, I have more duty tonight.”
“Back to back?”
“Uh, right. I miscalculated when I traded. And a friend is sick so I took the slot.”
Ding, ding, ding, ding…
Pediatrician at 3267.
Pediatrician at 3267.
Thank you. Ding, ding, ding, ding…
“Ugh, that’s for me.” Nadia looks at his watch. “If it’s not eight yet, then it’s me, yeah. Hey, I gotta go now. Maybe they got troubles in the ward.” Then he turns towards Mork. “Bye-bye Mr. Mork. I’ll keep in touch on Facebook.”
Nadia gives Loong and Ar a Thai salute before getting up and running off.
“Your friend is so athletic. Looks lively.”
Loong Cheep laughs.
“He’s been like that since we were students, and he’s my first university friend, too.”
“Nice. Long-lasting friendship. Keep sticking together. He and I also started from being friends. And we eventually became partners.” Loong says and then looks at his sweetheart.
“I think Nadia and I will be friends until we both become uncle doctors and then grandpa doctors. But...I don’t think we will ever become like you two.” I explain, fearing they might misunderstand that Nadia and I are partners. “It’s wonderful. To stay together and grow old together. I wish I could be like you, too.”
“And why couldn’t you be, doctor?”
Ar Dej sets his spoon and fork together on the plate before asking me.
“Um...I don’t know. Lovers like...us, most think it won’t sustain. Like we can’t keep a long-lasting love relationship and will break up quickly.” I think about my friends and acquaintances. All of them hooked up and then broke up. Some short, some long, but I’ve never seen any couple last over ten years.
“Perhaps nowadays it’s easy to find someone, so people don’t hesitate to break up and look for a new lover when things don’t go their way. Back in my days, it took a lot to find each other and be brave enough to admit the love. It’s tough. Very difficult to become a couple. So, when we ran into relationship troubles, they were nothing compared to the hardship we’ve overcome in the beginning.”
Then, I witness an automatic action, Loong reaches his hand to touch Ar’s hand. The two men in front of me look into each other’s eyes. Although the air between them is seemingly empty, I can feel some kind of firm connection that bonds the two together.
Loong looks back at me with a smile filled with kindliness.
“I’m a motorcycle repair guy, so I repair everything. If something breaks, I fix it. I’m not good at finding a new one. Nothing can last forever, doc. If you use something everyday, someday it will break. Don’t expect things to be invincible. It will break, no matter how high the quality. When it breaks, simply repair it and continue to use it with care, it will last longer, doc. But if we buy a new one as soon as the old one breaks, we’ll just end up replacing it repeatedly.”
I smile. “Thank you, Loong.”
“Ah, are you full already? I’m not worried about Mork, because this freak will always stuff himself to full no matter what.”
He gestures towards Mork’s plate, which is now completely empty. I’m just realizing that Mork eats very fast. Oh, wow. I thought us doctors eat so fast, but really, I’ve got to hand it to this dude.
I hurriedly shovel the rest of the vegetables into my mouth and chew a few times before swallowing and drinking some water.
“I’m done.” Then, I turn to talk to Mork. “You lead Loong and Ar to the outpatient exam. lobby. I’ll go upstairs to finish a ward round real quick, and then I’ll come down to see them.”
I get up from the table to leave but Mork grabs my arm.
“Hmm…? What’s up, Mork?” I ask.
“Uh… Can I add you on Facebook, doctor?”
He says without looking at me. That’s odd.
“Sure, why not? We’re already friends, no? You can add me.”
I reply, and now he looks up at me with a smile.
“Thanks, doc.”
“What? Don’t thank me for such a small matter. I’ll come back soon. Gotta get going!”
I smile at him and he smiles back.
…………
9:00 a.m.
“Alright, that’s it. There’s no change in your medications. Blood sugar levels are okay for both of you. And blood pressure, too.”
I sign my name on their prescription forms before looking up from the patient folders and handing the forms to Mork. “Sorry, I tried to hurry but it was almost nine when I finished. I thought I could come down soon after eight o’clock.”
I was using my top speed, but there were so many patients in the ward, it was quite time-consuming to clear the required cases and start the examination. Moreover, recently the attending ward staff has set a goal for us to clear at least 20% of the beds for each day, so we’re having our hands full.
“Bah, don’t worry about it, doc. This is the fastest we’ve ever been. Normally, it will already be like eleven when they’re called.” Mork smiles, and his two uncles nod in agreement. “It’s never completed as early as this before.”
“Oh...I forgot to ask, when was the last time you had an eye examination? Both of you.”
Loong and Ar exchange a bewildered look and then shake their heads at me. “Never had one, doctor.”
I open their folders and take a look. Oh, right, they’ve never been sent for any eye examination.
“I’ll make an eye examination appointment for you, then. But not for today. It’s too late now because the Eye Department is crowded with patients.” I added a note to their folders. “Diabetes patients need to have periodic eye check-up at least once a year. Oh, and dental examination, too.”
“Huh… Is there a diabetic tooth disease too, doc?”
It’s Mork who blurts out the question. Seems like he’s startled. Why should he be? He’s not the one with diabetes.
“No. But everyone should see a dentist at least every six months. For chronic health conditions, I think just diabetes and blood pressure are more than enough. There’s no need to risk getting a dental or gum problem as well, right?” I turn to uncle and younger uncle. “After this, the nurse out front will give each of you two appointment slips, one for the eye examination, and one for your next diabetes and blood pressure check-up. Collect blood samples as usual.”
“Doc, and this is for the pharmacy counter, right?” Mork waves the prescription forms that I gave him earlier.
I nod. “Yes. Hand it in at the prescription window, then pay, and wait for the medications at the pick up window. Three steps. But don’t worry, they have sign boards in front of the Pharmacy Department.”
“Will the two of us get to see you again on our next visit, doctor?”
Loong asks before getting up from his chair.
I smile. “Yes, of course, Loong Cheep. If I don’t die before then. Work is so hard.”
Then, I gave a humorless laugh. Actually, the energy left in me is nearly not enough for a laugh. My meager breakfast didn’t sustain, plus the sleep deprivation from last night, and I feel so weak I think maybe some of the patients in the queue are even healthier than me. I just want to flop down on the floor and sleep like dead, right here and right now.
“Don’t die yet, doctor. Good doctors like you need to live for a long time.” Ar Dej adds.
Mork looks out the room.
“There are tons of people waiting for an examination. Will you even get a lunch break?”
“Not sure. Might be in the late afternoon. If nothing else comes up, I’ll sneak in a short break before getting on duty this evening.”
Uh-huh… It should be as planned, if there’s no new case, if there’s nothing wrong with the patients in the ward, and if all of the scheduled doctors are present for the examinations. But in the current si
tuation, at this rate there’s no way to meet those conditions. I think to myself and secretly feel despair.
“Eat if you have time? And what about dinner, doc?”
Mork continues asking.
“Uh...same thing. If I have the ‘time’ and if any food stall is still ‘open’ for me.”
“That’s miserable. I want to help you, but I have no idea how to, doc.”
“......”
No one has ever said that to me before. I put my pen down and smile at him. “Thank you, Mork. With that, you’ve already helped me. Okay, now go pick up the medications. The pharmacy should be fairly empty at this time, so you should hurry up and quickly get the meds.” I hand him the patient folders. “And don’t forget to give these to the nurse at the counter.”
“Keep up your good work, doc.” Loong tells me.
I salute the two elders again. “Thank you.”
After all three of them leave, the smile that bloomed from feeling that they care stays on my face.
Then, my next patient comes in for an examination...
My Ride, I Love You Page 14