Chapter 1 - The Nurse

Time check, 6:30 PM. J has been standing beside the OR table for almost 5 hours now. No water, no food, no bathroom break. Every now and then she's lifting her foot one after another to prevent her from having leg cramps. In the cold OR Theatre where she can only hear the continuous beeping coming from the anesthesia machine and once in a while the sound of the suction machine, everyone is feeling tensed and exhausted.

She is the Scrub Nurse of Dr. Carlos Gonzales, one of the best Cardiothoracic Surgeons in the country. A Scrub Nurse is a registered nurse that works closely with the surgeon and other surgical staff during operation.

Every time Dr. Gonzales is having an operation at Camila Lopez Parker Hospital, he always requests for J to be his assistant. She is considered one of the most outstanding nurses in this hospital and most trusted by the surgeons. Dr. Gonzales and his wife are so fascinated with her that they even wanted her for their son and be their daughter-in-law.

Finally, by the time the clock strikes six, the operation ended. It was a successful operation indeed. Everyone in the OR Theatre sighed in relief. "Congratulations Dr. Gonzales for a successful operation," J said to Dr. Gonzales smiling behind her face mask. "Thanks to you Nurse J." he replied. "Thank you, everyone, for your hard work." facing every other nurse and doctors inside the OR theatre. Dr. Gonzales exited the OR Theatre followed by everyone after the patient is transferred to the recovery room.

It was a long and tiring day for J. Her duty usually starts at 7 am and ends at 3 pm, however since the operation started at 1 pm and take up to 5 hours, she has to work overtime. She had no choice. But she loves her job. This is her passion.

Upon exiting the hospital, she heard someone calls her name. "Nurse J!" she saw Diana running towards her carrying a couple of patient's charts. "Did you just got off duty?" she asked. "Yeah," she responded half irritated since she wanted to go home as soon as possible and lie to her bed. "I heard that you and Dr. Gonzales had another successful CABG. You two are a really great tandem!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a type of surgery that improves blood flow to the heart. Surgeons use CABG to treat people who have severe coronary heart disease (CHD). She just smiled and said her goodbyes.

Diana is her best friend. She is one of the few people who can tolerate and ignore her coldness and aloofness. J is an introvert and comfortable being alone. She will never approach you unless you do and never befriend you if she doesn't want to. She is confident and knows who she wanted to spend time with.

Off she walked to her apartment which is just 100 meters away from the hospital with her earphones on her ears. Ahh... it feels good to be home. She thought to herself upon entering her home. Her apartment is a 50sqm floor area unit on the 5th floor or Jade's Apartment. She just takes a quick warm shower, drinks a glass of milk then lies to her bed. Due to her tiredness, she falls asleep in just a couple of seconds.