Chapter 2
A Handsome Doctor
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When I had free time in the morning, I would visit various buildings of the hospital to meet the resident spirits. Monday was no exception.
My voice arrived at the doctors’ lounge before I did. "Good morning!"
"Oh, Aiye! What brings you to visit us today?" Aunt Malai asked. Four or five spirits were chatteing in the doctors' lounge, much like humans sneaking off from work to gossip over drinks.
"I had some free time, so I thought I'd drop by and see you all before going to sneak a peek at the new handsome doctor, Dr. Thanwa. The nurses said he's starting work today. They claim he's divinely handsome. I wonder if they’re exaggerating."
"Aiye, you came at the right time. Master Jao Thi brought offerings for you today," Aunt Malai said.
Master Jao Thi is the elderly spirit who has been taking care of the ghosts in this hospital for ages. Apparently, the land on which the hospital was built belonged to him when he was alive, but due to some unresolved attachments, he can't move on to the afterlife.
On Buddhist holy days, all the spirits here receive merit. Although we are place-bound spirits, we aren't evil ghosts. Holy light, prayers from various religions, and even ghost-banishing spells have no effect on us. Therefore, no one can drive us away unless we resolve our issues and willingly move on.
"What kind of offerings?"
"A full spread, Aiye. It's a major Buddhist holiday," Aunt Malai said, handing me a platter attacked with food. Spirits can only consume food that has been offered to them. Handing the platter to me was okay beacause someone had left this for her and she was sharing it with others.
"You're lucky it's not a hundred boiled eggs," Aunt Malai teased.
"Haha, people offer boiled eggs when they win the lottery, Aunt Malai. I'll just take one chicken drumstick. Thank you for sharing."
"Don't mention it, dear. Come chat with us whenever you're free. I'm thinking of helping Pranee teach the new spirits. I'm feeling rather bored," Aunt Malai suggested.
"Aunt Pranee will be thrilled to have help. There have been so many accidents lately. Manop and I can barely keep up with the workload," I replied, taking a large chicken drumstick in hand before floating out of the doctors' lounge towards the Rehabilitation Medicine building.
Perhaps it had something to do with my personality before becoming a spirit, but I’m a fanatic for handsome men. Just gazing at the gorgeous faces of the doctors fills my heart with delight. A man in a white coat is simply the best.
The mere thought of it made me excited...
Then, the long-awaited moment arrived: the sound of footsteps entered the department and headed straight for the private office where I was already seated on the desk, munching on my chicken leg.
As if enveloped in a bright light, Dr. Thanwa walked into the office wearing a white coat, his expression stoic. He carried a luxurious brown leather briefcase. However, no matter how good those accessories made the doctor look, they couldn’t compete with his inherently handsome face that exuded a captivating aura.
I can’t handle this! I thought. He's even more handsome in person than in the photos!
“Devastatingly handsome” was an understatement.
My jaw dropped, forgetting to chew the chicken in my mouth.
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[Special Note: Thanwa]
My name is Thanwa Siriphatsakul, or Dr. Thanwa. Today is my first day back at Siri Hospital as head of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department, or simply put, the Physical Therapy Department. After nearly two years of training abroad, I'll be meeting both old and new doctors and nurses upon my return.
We had a good start with the planning meeting on this, my first day. After reporting to the director, I walked back to my office.
I stopped in my tracks, because a young woman was seated on my desk, biting into a chicken drumstick with her mouth agape, staring at me with wide eyes. It made me want to laugh inwardly.
I was about to scold her for sitting on the desk before I managed to shut my mouth abruptly, because that petite, pretty woman with long, flowing hair down to her waist... had no legs.
My brain, which processed information faster than a computer microchip, immediately told me I was in for a treat. But when it came to spirits, we doctors are never on the side of fear. This girl was just like an ordinary beautiful woman.
I'm not sure what compelled me, but in a split-second, I walked over to my desk as usual, as if I hadn't seen anything, anyone, or that pretty face at all.
[End of Special Note: Thanwa]
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At first, I was thrilled, thinking that someone in this hospital could see me besides Dr. Alinda. But I was destined for disappointment, because Dr. Thanwa didn't greet me or scold me at all for sitting on his desk like that. I quickly jumped off the desk when the oh-so-handsome doctor prepared to set his briefcase down on my lap.
Moving so abruptly made the chicken get stuck in my throat, and I fell into a coughing fit.
I tried patting my chest to dislodge the chicken, but that damn piece of meat was about to embarrass me.
It wouldn't come out! It' was completely stuck!
I kept trying to cough it up, but it was so uncomfortable. What was I supposed to do?
Dr. Thanwa's sudden laughter made me instinctively turn to look at him. I thought the doctor was laughing at my predicament, but that wasn’t the case. He was looking down at his phone, probably watching a funny TikTok clip.
The doctor walked over to the small fridge in the office, poured himself a glass of water, took a sip, then brought it over and set it on the desk before putting his phone in his pocket.
I seized the opportunity to grab the glass of water and drink it to wash down the stubborn chicken.
It took me just a moment to realize how impossible that should have been. "I god da glass an dwank id!" (Translation: "My goodness, I grabbed the glass and drank it!")
I hacked, struggling to swallow the damn chicken, until I was left panting like a dog, still wondering how the doctor had accidentally? left me an offering of precious, necessary water.
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[Special Note: Thanwa]
Her amusing actions and her efforts to dislodge the food stuck in her throat made me burst out laughing, unable to hold it in. It's unbelievable that even as a ghost she can choke on her food.
So, I pretended to take out my phone to avoid suspicion and poured her a glass of water, silently granting permission for her to drink it.
I couldn’t believe she could actually drink that water!
This return to Thailand won't be lonely at all, I realized. There are going to be plenty of exciting things in store.
[End of Special Note: Thanwa]
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After I regained my ethereal beauty and composure as if I hadn't just done anything embarrassing moments ago, I decided to launch into introductions first. That's what people do when they first meet, right?
"Allow me to introduce myself, even though you can't see me, Doctor. My name is Aiye. It’s nice to meet you. From now on, I'm going to court you. Please prepare yourself, my husband-to-be. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
Having said that, I blew him a kiss and turned to float away.
Thanwa, who’d heard that while lifting a glass to drink, choked on the water, his face turning red.
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