HeartHealth is at the ground floor of a six-story building.

Located in a business complex in Makati, the clinic is sandwiched between a law and a real estate office.

Dr. Jacinto Emilio or Jax, owned the clinic.

He offered me the job before we graduated from med school.

My plan was to work at a public hospital but he begged me to join his private practice.

"Please, JP." His hands were clasped, pleading.

"The only way I could get my parents to give me a loan was if you agreed to work with me."

I met his parents when he invited me to his father's 65thbirthday party.

They were impressed by my achievements in school.

I was a consistent honor student despite my messy love life.

"It's good to know Jax has you for a friend." His mom remarked.

She was a sophisticated woman in her sixties, with kind eyes and a strong liking for gold jewelries.

The thick gold necklace she wore glistened, same with the dangling earrings.

Jax is a very easygoing guy, the type who waits till the last minute to study for an exam.

Our classmates were amazed that he passed the medical board.

He's not dumb, if that's what they were implying.

Jax aced the tests and procedural exams without a hitch.

This innate intelligence was the reason why he doesn't try too much.

It would have been better if he made an effort but Jax didn't care for any of that.

He finds time to go to parties and have fun, calling it a balance life.

People warm up to him once he flashed his charming smile.

I used to teased him that with his mestisuhin good looks, chiseled features and smoldering gaze, he could have been a celebrity but he only laughed at my comments.

Being a star never crossed his mind, he said.

#

I agreed to work at the clinic on one condition—that he give me one Saturday a month to do a free consultation for patients who could not afford to see a specialist.

He said yes instantly.

We have been working together for more than ten years now and I couldn't be happier.

Jax had a knack for business and he was also a very generous employer, often taking the staff to lunch and giving bonuses to those who deserve it.

For my tenth anniversary, he offered to buy me a luxury car of my choice.

We went to a car dealer where chose an obsidian blue Honda CRV.

He was skeptical.

"You don't want a Porsche or a Mercedes?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"All right." He didn't argue anymore.

He knows I would rather save money than spend willy-nilly.

I still have my old blue Toyota Corolla and if it wasn't for his persistence, I wasn't going to get a new one.

When I got the car, he chose a more expensive trim--leather seats, chrome rims and a navigational system. The car was glossed and shined it gleamed in the midday sun.

#

I parked in one of the designated spots in front of the clinic.

The light at the reception was on and from outside, I saw one of the receptionists with a towel and spray bottle in hand sanitizing the countertop.

I let myself in with my key and Glenda, the girl who was cleaning, greeted me a warm good morning.

I returned the greeting with a smile then headed straight to the end of the hallway where my office was.

I opened the door then placed the briefcase under the desk.

Since Jax switched our system to electronic, he also bought iPads where all the patient information was stored.

I took mine from the desk and instead of sitting on the leather chair, I brought it to the couch and waited for the program to load.

Linda organized the folders on my desktop so it would be easy to find what I needed.

I tapped on the appointment folder and the calendar popped up.

Choosing the daily schedule, the file showed the appointments from 9 am to 4 pm.

The clinic is open Monday to Friday, the second Saturday of the month reserved for my free consultations.

I scrolled through the appointment information and stopped when I saw Jax's 2 pm appointment.

Mr. Andres Gomez.

I stared at the entry and was about to switch to patient information when my phone rang.

I placed the iPad on the couch to answer the call.

It was Shay.

She was asking if there was anything in the laundry that I don't want to put in the dryer.

"Why are you doing the laundry?"

"I can't sleep."

I checked my watch and there was still half an hour left before nine.

"Why don't you rest? I can always do it on my day off."

"I grew tired of looking at the ceiling so might as well do something while I still have energy."

"You don't have to do this."

There was a brief pause.

From the other line, I could hear the water running.

"Are you afraid I'm going to mix the whites with colors?" she chuckled.

"It's not that." I reasoned. "I know you're tired."

"Babe, it's fine."

When I didn't answer, her voice came back on.

"So, is everything good to go? Do you want me to hang the shirts to dry?"

I know she won't let it go so I told her that except for my bras, everything could go in the washer.

"Good. Now, it's time for you to work. Have fun, babe."

"Thank you for doing this." I replied.

"You're welcome."

We said goodbye then hang up.

I was about to check the appointments again when there was a soft knock on the door.

It was Janelle, the patient coordinator, who came to tell me that my nine o'clock was already at the clinic.

"Do you want her to wait, Doc?"

I shook my head and told her to let the patient in.

#

     Our appointments are always fully booked and we have a waiting list of three months.

By the time I took a break, it was almost noon.

My phone rang again.

It was Jax on the other line.

"Can you cover my shift?" He sounded worried.

"Is everything okay?"

"No." He replied.

A jeepney rear-ended his silver Porsche Cayenne.

"Are you alright?"

"No. My neck hurts and the car looks totaled." I heard him sigh.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"Yes. I'm waiting for the ambulance to get here."

"Are there any other injured passengers?"

"No. The driver was mildly injured when his chest hit the steering wheel."

"Is he okay?"

"Yes. I checked on him to make sure he's fine. He also got ice for my neck. I think he's more worried about how he would pay for the damage."

Before he hung up, he reminded me about dinner.

"I have to cancel. Can you tell Shay?"
"Yes."

I ended the call and there was another knock.

Linda came in carrying a plastic bag.

"I ordered your lunch." She took out a Styrofoam box, napkins, chopsticks and a bottle of lemon-iced tea.

"Number 9 as usual." Linda opened the box and there was beef teriyaki, rice and stir-fried green beans, carrots and red bell peppers.

"What would I do without you?" I unwrap the chopstick then broke the sticks to separate it.

"You have Shay." She smiled.

I thanked her for the food then sat down to eat.

#

I don't really use the one-hour lunch break that was allotted to us.

After finishing my meal, I logged in to the computer.

I checked the tests and reports before asking our staff to call the patients so they could set up another appointment for the discussion of the results.

By the time my lunch hour was over, I have gone through most of the reports.

I was reading a blood work result when the phone rang.

Janelle told me that the one o' clock patient cancelled.

"Our two o' clock is here, Doc. Do you want to see them now?"

"What's the name of the patient?" I asked without taking my eyes away from the cholesterol panel of the report.

"Mr. Andres Gomez." She answered.

I remembered what I saw that morning and my heart skipped.

"Doc?" I heard Janelle on the other line.

"Yes. Send him in."

***

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