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CURIOUS?

First, you have to understand the heirarchy of doctors. In a hospital, they always say that the “white tower” will still stand as a “white tower” even without the medical clerks in it because they had nurses to man the wards and do the referrals. But in Santo Ignacio Hospital, it was different… Despite the belief that the nurses worked out of compassion and pay check, at Santo Ignacio, they didn’t… Especially at the ward, it was always the medical clerks who manned the floors—except of course for the real nurse stuff like changing the IV lines (or what we could call the dextrose in layman’s terms), feeding the patients, helping the relatives change the diapers, tons of paperworks, etc… It was from this name the medical clerks got their job description from—a clerk. The lowest in the heirarchy of doctors. They were the students, the graduates, non-paid and who worked beyond a 24-hour shift to work, work, work… In layman’s terms again, they were (quoting a Santo Ignacio surgeon), the “lowest form of animal” in a kingdom. And clerkship was like an initiation to the medical world.

Once you graduate, you automatically become an intern and earn the degree of MD. But it is not until you take the board exams and get your license could you freely go hopping around hospitals (or get past MMDA traffickers for impromptu excuses that you have an emergency) to boastfully call yourself, “a doctor”.

Then that is when you become a resident doctor once you apply for your “specialization” after passing the board exams. And finally, once you finish your “specialization” do you only become a consultant… The highest of all forms of animal in the kingdom. The highest among the caste system and the one who always sent the orders and who had the authority to scold his medical staff—be it a nurse, a clerk, an intern, a resident…and probably a consultant too.

THE BOY NEVER KNEW that he was special. He was also never to find out what his mission was in life. So the boy never really bothered about his identity and did not speak a thing or two about his blurry background. Just nobody knew. It was that way that kept him special… A secret on its own.

This boy, named after his father’s father, is Nicanor de Ocampo III—also an aspiring doctor, a medical clerk. Who, in about a year, was about to earn his hardworked MD status.

For some reason, he found himself walking inside the desserted hallway of the prestigious Santo Ignacio Operating Room. It was weird that nobody was around except for him…where are the nurses? He wondered. Why am I alone?

He suddenly felt lonely—but not scared. He passed by the first operating room, finding it empty. The aircon was turned on and oddly chilly, like he was about to get frostbites on his fingers and toes. The metal operating table seemed cold to touch, and he was tempted to feel the metal on his bare skin. Dozens of stainless clamps and surgical knives also scattered on the sterile table, waiting to be picked up. But there was no patient and there were no doctors.

What is happenin? He felt a chill run down through his spine.

The smell of Xonrox and Betadine then became distinct, as if the room was alive. Then he looked at himself… Why was he wearing a patient gown? He wondered. He started to feel goosebumps rise on his arms and back. And why was he walking barefoot?

Am I the patient? He was suddenly feeling vague and surreal at the same time. Like he was sedated with some different kind of sedative anesthetic that has yet to be discovered.

Nicky started to walk some steps more, finding the other operating rooms closed. He tried to force open one, but couldn’t. It was locked.

Nicky walked some more, until he came by the end of the hallway, seeing a dead end full of white tiles on the wall, a wooden table in the middle and papers scattered on top of them. Wondering, Nicky came closer and picked up one of the papers. And he wasn’t surprised when he saw nothing but blank… He was staring at the paper like he had been reading something from it…

It was then Nicky suddenly felt something smooth, warm and wet on his cheek. Like gloss with a touch of pink and the smell of candies.

Nicky immediately turned around and found a girl standing beside him. But this girl didn’t have a face—the same as the papers that didn’t have anything written on them. Blank. He wasn’t horrified, and he didn’t start running away either. He was even amused at it that somebody had kissed him and that the kiss had felt real, with the smell of the lipgloss bringing him a sense of nostalgia.

He smiled at the faceless girl.

“Beware.” It warned. Her voice sounding like an echo from a thousand years.

“Beware?” Nicky repeated, curious. “What do you mean?” Was that kiss supposed to be a warning? He wondered.

“Beware…” It spoke again. This time, faceless girl held on to his face and lovingly placed a hand on his cheek.

Why does it feel like I know you? Nicky couldn’t help himself from thinking… Just when she placed her hand on his cheek, the warmth of her hand brought another feeling of nostalgia to him.  Did he know her from school? Did he know her from some place else? But the way she made him feel was like she was just around the corner, waiting for him to discover her.

“Beware…” It repeated. And then Nicky almost lost balance when she pulled his head to her and kissed him hard on the lips…