Hello, readers! This is the third story in my Hearts Series. If you haven't read the first two series yet you can check them too and I have a reading list on this in my Wattpad profile. Although you don't really have to read the other stories in this series to understand this story since this story can be read as standalone, too. But you can read them as well, the other first two books in this series. Thank you very much for your love and support to Rej Martinez's stories!

Chapter One

The Interns

Iris

I was walking to where they were. The new interns. And as their senior resident I should welcome them, yes?

"Where are they?" I asked.

"They're here, Doctor Umali." sabi naman sa akin at pagkatapos ay nakita ko na rin ang hinahanap ko.

I smiled when I saw him. Our eyes met, pero hindi ngumiti man lang ang suplado. Tsk.

I don't anymore remember exactly when he started to become like this. Noong mga bata naman kami ay sobrang pasaway din siya. We were even like a cat and a dog towards each other. We used to bicker constantly. Na kasalanan naman niya talaga dahil siya ang nauuna sa akin. He would tease me that would make me frustrated at him.

Mabuti pa nga noong mga mas bata pa talaga kami. Like when we were in elementary. I was three years older than him kaya naman noong unang beses na magkakilala kami, I was 9 years old and he was 6.

And I find him cute pa at that time. He was like a little brother to me for a few years. When we first met dinala lang siya sa bahay namin noon ng Mama niya who was a close friend to my Dad. And then we started playing. I used to play with him as a kid. At binabantayan ko pa siya noon at inalagaan na din whenever he's in our house before.

And as a child he was a quiet kid. Nakikita ko pa nga noon na naasar na rin sa akin minsan ang 6-year-old self niya. Since I was bigger than him when we were kids and I was older, too. And our height difference was obvious. It was obvious that he was shorter than me at that time so I would sometimes tease him about it...

But came high school he was already way taller than me. At parang ang bilis niya pang lumaki. I feel like parang lumaki na lang siya nang ganoon bigla. And at that time ay siya naman ang nang-aasar sa akin telling me na parang hindi na raw ako lumaki. Tsk.

But that was just the start. His teasing on me continued until we almost completed high school...

I was always annoyed at him. Mabuti pa noong unang pagkikita namin noong mga bata pa lang kami. He was more tamed back then. He was even obedient to me. And was a quiet kid. Pero bigla na lang umingay nang magbinata. Na hindi na ako natutuwa kapag nagsasalita siya. Unlike when he was younger at hindi pa masyadong palasalita I even used to force him to speak or to talk. Kaya siguro naging madaldal after a few years. Tsk, tsk.

"This is Doctor Stephen Guevarra..." They were introduced to me one by one. There were seven of them. And all of them were male interns.

Ito malamang ang pinagchichismisan ng mga residents din at nurses na narinig ko. Well, they all seven got the looks. Equally tall and you can say handsome. Bumagay pa yata sa kanila ang pagiging medical school graduates and soon doctors na rin. They would probably look good in a doctor's robe... Well, I only focused my attention more on Stephen...

I know he still does remember me. Nagkita pa naman kami noong nag-aaral pa kami. And on my last year in medical school. Nauna rin kasi akong makagraduate sa kaniya. When he was just starting ay patapos naman na ako.

"Everyone, this is Doctor Iris Umali. She's our attending senior resident, and we will be under her supervision."

They all greeted me politely after that and I greeted them as well. And after all the introductions I started giving them assignments and all that.

Malaki and Dela Cuesta Medical. And this was their largest branch of hospital so far. At busy rin ako sa sarili ko ring duties dito kaya naman halos hindi rin kami makapagkita palagi ni Stephen.

I just want to talk to him. Para kumustahin na rin siya. At talagang pinapakumusta rin siya sa akin ni Papa. Magkaibigan si Papa at ang Mama rin ni Stephen since medical school pa raw nila.

The last thing I knew about Stephen's mom was that she died from an illness... Bumisita nga rin kami kasama ko ang parents ko noong funeral at libing nito... But I couldn't talk to Stephen at that time...

Hindi ko pa kasi alam noon kung paano ko ba kakausapin ang isang taong namatayan... Kaya nandoon lang din ako at tinitingnan lang siya na tahimik while his mother was already put in a coffin in front of us...

Ang alam ko ay may older brother din si Stephen. Pero hindi ko na talaga ito masyado pang nakilala noon o nakita. Busy rin kasi ito. And he was much older than Stephen.

Ako rin, I had an older brother... Who also died of sickness...

It's kind of ironic to think that we are doctors including my father and Stephen's mom, pero mahirap pa rin talagang kalaban ang sakit lalo na kapag walang lunas o mahirap nang gamutin...

Although I know experts doesn't stop looking for the cures. And doctors do their best to attend to their patients and treat them.

But I noticed something about Stephen after a few months that he had stayed and had his duties as well in the Dela Cuesta Medical hospital. Naririnig ko lang din sa mga tsismisan pa rin ng mga nurses at kahit kapwa resident doctors. Hindi pa naman kumpirmado kung totoo... Pero iyan pinag-uusapan nila...

One time I was just talking to Stephen. Nakapag-usap na rin kami noong nakaraan pa at kumustahan. Nagkita at nakapag-usap na nga rin sila ni Papa. And my father was just so happy to meet an old friend's child again...

"Hala." I reacted, at napatakip pa ako sa bibig ko gamit ang kamay.

"What?" Stephen beside me asked.

Bumaling ako sa kaniya at handa nang tsumismis na rin. I don't know where it started, at hindi rin naman ako chismosa talaga pero hindi ko na rin maiwasan minsan. Lalo na kapag naririnig ko lang din naman at nakikita rin minsan ang mga pangyayari.

"Are you close with Doctor Abella?" I asked him dahil kasabay niya naman ito na intern din. Isa sa pito na magkakasabay silang pumasok dito sa ospital.

"Why are you asking?" He asked me a question, too. Instead of answering.

I sighed. "Tingnan mo. Noong nakaraan ko pa napansin 'yang babae na nagdadala pa ng pagkain siguro para kay Doctor Abella. Parang asawa na niya. But accordingly mukhang hindi naman daw niya asawa. Kasi hindi nakasuot ng singsing si Doctor Abella at siya rin ang nagsasabi na hindi pa naman siya kasal." I said.

"Kawawa naman iyong babae." sabi ko pa habang nakikita na naman nga iyong babae na pinuntahan pa talaga si Doctor Abella rito sa ospital... Ayos lang naman kasi may break din naman kami...

"Bakit?"

Bumaling ako muli kay Stephen at maiinis na ako dahil ang tagal niyang maka-gets sa sinasabi ko. "Isipin mo. Umaakto na na parang asawa iyang babae sa kay Doctor Abella. But Doctor Abella doesn't marry her yet. Live-in din kaya sila? Hindi naman yata deserve ninumang babae ang gan'yan..." sabi ko pa.

Napatingin na rin si Stephen sa tinitingnan ko. And then he said 'tsk'. "We don't know what's really happening to them... Don't just conclude... And you're being kind of nosy..." He said to me.

At na-ooffend naman akong tumingin sa kaniya. "What? I'm not being nosy. I'm just..."

Pero nabitin na ang tsimisan namin nang may tumwag sa amin ng emergency. At agad din naman na tumugon si Stephen. Ilang buwan pa lang siya rito sa ospital at intern pa lang pero napapatunayan na rin niya ang sarili niya...

"Shiloh..." I heard Stephen said and rushed to the patient who was just brought in our hospital.

Tiningnan ko siya na nag-aalala sa isang batang sinugod doon. Pagkatapos ay nakasunod na rin ako sa kaniya. Agad namin na inasikaso iyong batang pasyente...

"Anak yata niya." sabi ng nakatabi kong doktora dito sa ward.

Napabaling naman ako rito. "Ha? Nino?" I asked.

"Niya, ni Doctor Guevarra." She said Stephen's surname.

My eyes widened a fraction as I looked at the doctor. Tumangutango pa siya sa akin. Muli kong binalik ang tingin ko kay Stephen na nandoon sa loob ng ward at chinicheck pa rin iyong bata na nagkaroon lang naman ng isang mild accident sa paglalaro ng soccer sa school...

Pagkatapos ay muli akong bumaling sa kay doktora at nagkatinginan din kaming dalawa. "Hindi nga?" Napatanong ako.

I didn't know that Stephen was already a dad? He didn't mention it nang magkumustahan kami noon... May pamilya na ba siya? Kasal na ba siya?

Tumingin muli ako sa kanilang dalawa ng anak niya na nandoon pa sa loob ng ward... They were talking to each other... At napansin ko pa na parang magkamukha nga rin silang dalawa...

Kailan pa nagkaroon ng anak si Stephen? And it wasn't a little boy. How old was Stephen now? The kid was about 11 years old... I think.

Author's note: Chapter 2 was already posted in my Patreon creator page Rej Martinez and Facebook VIP Group. Kindly message me on Facebook Rej Martinez to join my VIP group for 150 PHP monthly membership. This story will be completed exclusively in Patreon/Facebook VIP group. Thank you!