Vol.2 Chap.38 Grappling for the next step

When May-Ling arrived at the clinic, the staff was already there busy with the patients. The two doctors sent by Doctor Wu were frantically trying to handle the workload. One doctor was using her office as the examination room. Not knowing what to do, she quietly slipped to the back of the clinic and sat down inside the broom closet, floundering, losing her sense of direction.

She had lost her purpose, her reason to be in the clinic. She was lost.

She and Haw-Ting built the clinic from the ground up five years ago. She was the one who designed every procedure and every treatment. She was the one who hired all the helpers. Although it was Haw-Ting who found the place with her, she was the principal one in charge of remodeling the entire building to get the maximum use of the space. Even though Haw-Ting usually handles the money (and that was mostly because she was too involved with the other aspects of the operation), she usually had a general idea of the finances and where they are.

Now, without Haw-Ting around, everything seemed so foreign and detached. She had no comprehension why she felt this way, but hiding in the broom closet, the affairs of the clinic were taken care of despite her absence. Instead of being responsible for every aspect of what happened in the clinic throughout the day, instead of being in the middle of every maelstrom happening in the clinic, she felt strangely divorced from its affairs. A new and unfamiliar sensation.

In the past, she was always so enthusiastic about every aspect of the clinic. She was the prime driving force behind the whole clinic. Everyone realized that she was the clinic and the clinic was her. She literally ate, drank, and breathed at the clinic every minute of the day. Now, suddenly, she could not believe this strange sensation within her. She was totally alienated from the clinic. Instead of being involved in everything that was going on in the clinic, she was now in the cold, looking in from the outside.

After contemplating her situation for a few minutes, she left quietly at the back without saying a word to anyone and headed toward the Medical School. She wanted to see Doctor Wu before the funeral march. When she arrived at the hospital, she headed straight to his office. She sat and waited quietly contemplating what her next steps should be.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Well, May-Ling. Did you have some rest last night?”

“Yes, Doctor Wu, thank you. I am not as tired as yesterday.”

“The arrangements for the funeral march have been finalized. It will start at one o’clock this afternoon. We still have an hour before then. Would you like to have a little lunch?”

“Thank you, but I don’t think I can eat anything right now.”

“I understand. Let me have my assistant bring some tea and a snack in, then.” Doctor Wu opened the office door and asked the assistant to bring some refreshment in.

“I was at the clinic this morning.”

“Yes?”

“I felt strange while I was there?”

“Go on.”

“Everything seemed so foreign to me.”

“Oh, I can explain that. After I sent in the two doctors, we found that many of the patient records were not up to date…”

“Yes, Haw-Ting and I never had the time to update those records.”

“That is alright. I sent in two interns to bring the records up to date. I told them to get a complete evaluation of the patients as they come in. I also sent in one accountant so that we can better access the payment for the treatment and the prescriptions.”

“It was an honor system.”

“Yes, I know. We added the registration step for every patient who comes in. We have tried to follow the same type of treatment that you and Haw-Ting gave to the patients. I hope that met with your approval.”

“No problem. I understand what you were doing.”

“Oh, good.”

A slight pause.

“But that was not what I was talking about?” May-Ling finally broke the silence.

“Oh?” He raised his eyebrow.

“I really appreciate you sending your doctors to stand in for me. Those patients needed a doctor to care for them. When I stepped into the clinic this morning, I just had the strange feeling that I did not belong there.”

He leaned back in his chair and took a long sip of the tea.

“It is like I am a total stranger.” She continued.

“If you want, I will send a courier there and tell my interns and accountant to stop doing what they are doing. I have no problem with that.”

“No, no, no. Doctor Wu, I have no qualms about what you have done. You did the right thing and took a big load off my shoulder. I truly appreciated your overseeing the operations of the clinic.”

Doctor Wu looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.

“It is me. I do not belong there…without Haw-Ting,” May-Ling said slowly, thoughtfully, yet doubtingly.

“May-Ling, I understand that there will be a period of adjustment.” He spoke slowly also with compassion. “Things can never be the same as before. You are used to doing things with Haw-Ting together. You will settle into a routine soon.”

“Perhaps you are right, Doctor Wu. I hope so.”

May-Ling could not articulate or discharge what was inside of her. She did not yet understand herself, much less express her feelings. She sat there quietly, lost in her thoughts, in her searching for truth and direction.

“Come, the funeral march is about to begin.”

“Yes.”