The Right Calling (Tagalog)

Theo “Are you leaving?” tanong ni Deonna sa akin nang makita niya akong palabas ng Emergency room. I don’t even know why she always asks the obvious. May dala akong bag at tinanggal ko na ang coat ko. Is it not yet obvious that I’m leaving? I don’t know with this girl. She must have lost her common sense when she married that lawyer. Pagod ko siyang nilingon at nakitang kumakain siya ng lollipop. “I’m done for the day.” Kahit na naiinis ako ay hindi ko magawang ipakita sa kanya. She shrugged and nodded. “Okay,” she said before turning her back on me. I narrowed my eyes at her before shrugging it all off. Minsan, hindi ko siya maintindihan. Siguro si Margaux lang ang nakakaintindi sa kanya. After all, they are best friends. I walked to my car and immediately revved the engine when my phone suddenly rang. Dr. Miranda calling… Agad na kumunot ang noo ko. What does the hospital director want from me at eight in the evening? Humugot ako ng malalim na hininga bago sinagot ang tawag. “Hello, sir,” bungad ko. “Dr. Navarro, please come meet me in my office tomorrow morning,” aniya sa seryosong tono. “I have a favor to ask you and I need it done as soon as possible.” I pursed my lips. Ano na naman kaya ang iuutos nito sa akin? At bakit sa dinami-rami ng doctor sa hospital ay ako lagi ang naaatasan niya? “May I know what this is all about, Sir?” tanong ko. Hindi naman sigurong masamang tanungin ko kung bakit niya ako ipapatawag at kung tungkol saan iyon. Rinig ko ang malalim niyang paghinga sa kabilang linya. “This is about my daughter.” Tumaas ang kilay ko. I didn’t know he has a daughter. I know he has a son who passed away because of a car crash but I never heard of him having a daughter. “Long story, Theo. But I’ll talk to you tomorrow and give you the rest of the details,” aniya. “For now, have a good evening.” Ibinaba niya ang tawag. I stared at my phone screen before shrugging it off. I guess I’ll have to know tomorrow when I finally talk to him in the office. For now, I need to have a good night sleep. Halos isang daang pasyente ang outpatient ko kanina. Hindi naman ako nagrereklamo dahil mahal ko ang trabaho ko pero hindi ko ipagkakailang napapagod na ako. Akala ko ay mas nakakapagod ang maging residente pero iba pa rin ang pagod kapag fellow na. Kinabukasan, inagahan kong pumasok at nasalubong ko si Margaux na may hawak-hawak na stethoscope. Hindi siya naka-coat kaya alam kong hindi siya nakaduty. Tumigil siya sa harap ko. “Aga mo ah,” aniya. “Ako pauwi pa lang.” “Why?” tanong ko. “Duty ka kagabi?” Nagkibit siya. “Nag-arrest ang pasyente kong ayaw magpa-opera. Then there, I had to come and check on her. She’s on ventilator. Her family’s conflicted if they want to proceed with CABG but I think it’s a little too late now. The ischemia’s gotten worse.” Malungkot siyang bumuntonghininga. “Anyway, what’s with you? Deonna said you worked overtime yesterday. And now you’re here early.” I shrugged. “I don’t have much to do,” simple kong sagot. Natawa siya. “Wow, ha? Inggit naman ako sa’yo.” Umikot ang mga mata niya. “I don’t even have much time for my son right now. I wish to lessen my load.” Tumango ako. Margaux’s priority is her son, Shawn. Hindi niya kilala ang ama niya kaya si Margaux na lang ang nagpupuno ng aruga ng kanyang daddy. That’s actually what I admire the most from her. She was strong enough to be both Shawn’s mom and dad. “You should,” sabi ko. “You will only see Shawn grow once. Don’t let that pass by quickly.” She sighed hard. “I know,” sagot niya. “Sana naman huli ko nang on-call ito. May football game si Shawn bukas. I need to be with him or else he’s going to go ballistic.” She’s exaggerating. Her son is the sweetest boy in the world. I play with him most of the time dahil isinasama ako ni Margaux sa bahay nila. Maayos ang pagpapalaki ni Margaux sa kanya. “Just call me if you need help about Shawn,” pagpipresinta ko. “Marami akong libreng oras. Pwede niya akong kalaro.” Margaux smiled widely. “Thanks, Theo! You’re the best!” she beamed before her phone rang. She muttered a soft curse. “Hey, I gotta go back to the ICU. It’s another arrest coming,” she said before sighing hard and answering the call while she ran to the elevator. I smiled and shook my head. I walked to my office to place my stuff before going up to the Director’s office. Pagkarating ko roon ay agad naman akong iginiya ng sekretarya ni Dr. Miranda sa loob ng kanyang opisina. “Doc, Dr. Miranda is on his way,” aniya. “Can I get you something? Coffee?” I smiled. “Coffee would be okay,” sagot ko bago niya ako iniwan sa loob ng kwarto. I looked around and tried to look for clues about the daughter he’s talking about but I got nothing. Puro mga abstract pictures ang nasa dingding maliban sa isang malaking family portrait nila. But there was no trace of his daughter in there. It was just him, his late wife and son. Ilang minuto pa akong naghintay. Paubos ko na ang kapeng binigay ng sekretarya ng dumating si Dr. Miranda. Kitang-kita ang pagmamadali sa kanya dahil sa pawis sa kanyang noo. May katandaan na rin siya. I think he could be in his sixties or something around that age. Tumayo ako ngunit pinaupo rin agad. “Good morning, Sir,” bati ko. Mahina siyang ngumiti bago umupo sa leather na sofa. “I’m sorry. Did you wait for long?” tanong niya. Umiling ako. “I have spare time, sir.” He nodded at me. “So, I don’t want to waste any more of your time. I know you’re always booked,” panimula niya. “Like I said on the phone, this is about my daughter.” Tahimik akong nakinig. “Sa totoo lang, anak ko siya sa labas,” pag-amin niya. “Walang nakakaalam nito. Pamilya ko lang, at ngayon, ikaw.” I tapped my fingers on the couch. So that’s why there’s no trace of her anywhere. She was unwanted. But why does he want to look for her now? “I know it’s too much to ask. But, Theo, can you help me persuade her to join the hospital staff?” I blinked at him. Nagbibiro ba siya? Bakit ako ang inaatasan niyang gawin iyan? I don’t even know his daughter! He pursed his lips in a thin line. “She’s a doctor in the rural areas in the Mountain Province. Lumaki siya sa kanyang lola at alam kong hinding-hindi niya maiiwan ito.” Okay, so? Why me? He handed me a folder. “That’s how she looks,” aniya. “Her name’s Regina Violeta Miranda.” Sandali. Anong nangyayari? Hindi ko mabuksan ang folder dahil hindi maproseso ng utak ko ang mga nangyayari. “Sir, I’m sorry. But why does it have to be me?” tanong ko. Maraming doktor ang pwedeng gumawa nito para sa kanya—iyong mga may matatayog na pangarap at gugustuhin ng posisyon sa board. I’m sure they will be more than willing to do this for him. They would do everything for power. He leaned on the seat and smiled. “Isn’t it obvious?” tanong niya pabalik. “You’re the only one I trust among the doctors here. You work sincerely and you’re very dedicated. I want Regina to meet you and not the people who only work for power.” I swallowed. That’s a compliment, right? But why don’t I feel good about it? For once and for the first time in my life, I wished I worked for power and not for the patient’s welfare. He sighed. “I’m getting old, Theo. I want someone from my bloodline to inherit the hospital. And maybe, if destiny permits, I want you as my son-in-law.” The mischievous smile on his face irked me more than I thought it should. Hindi ako makapaniwala sa lawak ng imahinasyon ng matandang ito. “Sir—” “Oh, sorry, do you have a girlfriend?” he cut me off. “Sorry. That’s reckless of me to say that. But I still hope you do me a favor? Just this once, hijo.” I hate hearing the phrase just this once dahil alam kong hindi lang iyon minsan. May susunod at susunod na pagkakataon. Pero sa pagkakataong ito, iyon ang pinanghahawakan ko. “Sige po, sir. I’ll try my best to bring your daughter here,” sabi ko. “But I won’t promise anything.” He nodded at me, happy of my response. “That’s more than enough for me, Theo. Thank you so much,” he said and I just internally prayed that I did the right thing.  --- Glossary: Arrest (Cardiac Arrest)—pagtigil ng t***k ng puso. Ventilator—a machine used when the patient cannot breathe on his own. Also known as Mechanical Ventilator CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft)—isang operasyon para palitan ang may barang coronary artery ng isang bagong artery (madalas na femoral artery) para magkaroon ng oxygen supply ang puso. Ikinakabit ang bagong artery palibot sa baradong blood vessel para makadaloy ang dugo nang maayos. Ischemia—isang kondisyon kung saan bumababa ang oxygen supply dahil sa pagbabara ng artery. Karaniwang nangyayari sa utak at puso. ICU—Intensive Care Unit