Episode 6: destiny

Faces. Everyday we see a variety of faces, in the streets, in the church, every breathing moment of our lives our brain register a new face, a different personality, someone new, neither menial nor inconsequential. Faces that we may forget in 2 seconds or faces we’ll remember for 3 centuries. For time does not tarnish the face of a savior, the face of a willing sacrifice, a face that forever hunts the hearts of the guilty. For that’s the good thing about human beings. We forget who we are but we, no matter how hard we try, shall never forget a face that touched our lives.

“She looks so alive” whispered Eunice to herself. She finds it easier to talk to herself when dealing with comatose patients. She explains this by saying she would rather look crazy, that go crazy being alone all the time at the ICU unit. As she moves her thin hands to finish the sponge bath on her patient, she cannot help but to admire the incredible beauty of the child that lies before her. Long, jet black hair, smooth skin, fair complexion, it’s obvious that this girl is very well cared of thought Eunice.
She wipes the moist cloth over the face of the little girl, caressing with all the tenderness that she’s known for. Nicknamed “Madre” by her co-workers, Eunice has always exuded a soft, overly caring aura to all. She’s easily approachable, friendly, and always extends a helping hand to anyone who desires it. Her melodic voice paired with a pure Filipina beauty makes her the sought after nurse in the whole unit. Every male doctor in the hospital has in some point, made a move on her (or rather, thought about it). But this unique beauty’s heart has always belonged to someone, a mysterious man unknown even to the closest of Eunice’s friends.

BEEP BEEP YOU HAVE 1 NEW MESSAGE.

Shit. Eunice drops the towel that she was holding, startled, she wipes her wet hands and fumbles for her cell phone. She flips it open and opened her inbox.

ð Michael
ð Bro ko!!

A strange smile creeps over Eunice’s face. It’s been a while since she heard anything from Michael, a guy she met at the nearby starbucks in UN Avenue. They exchanged no.s but never really went out on a real date. “Maybe today’s the day he finally got the nerve to ask me out!?” thought Eunice as she open’s the message:

Xan ka? Kung nxa hosp ka uwi ka na plz It’s an emergency. Get out of there ASAP. I’ll explain later.. ingat po..

“What the?!” Michael’s weird message brought a cold tingling sensation on her spine. “He’s practically a stranger and he’s asking me to leave the hospital?!” she started freaking out as she dial Michael’s no.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

No answer. Eunice sat down on the nearby stool to collect her thoughts. Then a strange idea passed trough her mind. “This is his way to ask me out! He wants me to walk out from my work so we could go out!” thought Eunice as she gathers her stuff preparing to leave the young girl’s room. Excited by this sudden revelation of thoughts, she completely forgot that she left her phone on the young girl’s side table. She was halfway across the wash white walled corridor when she remembered her phone. She ran all the way to room 187 to retrieve her phone. When she finally has her cell phone, she read the remaining message.

Dinner at 8.. kasama ko ci Omar,, see der te..

“Shit I totally spaced!” exclaimed Eunice. She promised her brother Luis that they’ll eat together on the hospital’s cafeteria for dinner. “I guess I’ll eat dinner before finding out what mike’s up to” thought Eunice as she makes her way back to the nurse’s station.

Sure mit ko keo dun

Replied Eunice to her younger brother, who at this very moment, is brooding over a weird parchment paper at the local library 4 blocks from the hospital. Her head nurse has given her the night off as there is practically no one at their unit. Except for a policeman that keeps guard by the young girl’s door. Why he’s there no one knows. One doctor speculated that the young girl is probably the daughter of a very rich and very influential person judging by the police being her personal body guards, the best doctors and consultants attending to her case, and the silence that lies behind her case. Not even Eunice who is the direct nurse in charge of her care knows squat about her. All she knows is that the girl lost consciousness and never came back. Her case is a tight lid that not everyone is privileged to know. But this does not bother Eunice at all. “I care for the girl. It’s my job. I like it. That ‘s all I need to know” thought Eunice as she packs her bag ready to meet up with her brother. She bid goodbye to her co nurses and walks out of the unit still thinking what Michael meant with his weird message earlier.