"This line is still ridiculously long! And it reeks of sweat! My life is seriously the worst. I even forgot to bring a mask," a girl complained as she aimed her mini portable fan at her face.
Her gaze swept forward and backward. The line had twisted like a snakes-and-ladders board. Was she hot? Don't even ask. She was already at the point of imagining a pool of ice-cold water, nearly drooling at the thought.
"This is what you get for being poor. If I weren't a BPJS national health insurance patient, I'd have gone home an hour ago," the girl complained again.
In her hand, she held a patient ID card bearing the name tag Binar Anjani.
Who would have thought that beneath her over-the-top makeup and stunning outfit, Binar was a patient with a mental-health condition?
"I DON'T CARE! I WANT A DOCTOR TO OPERATE ON MY CHILD RIGHT NOW!"
The calm, peaceful atmosphere changed completely when the screams of a middle-aged woman came from the room directly in front of Binar's place in line.
SLAM.
The door burst open after the patient's mother kicked it, making everyone look over curiously—including Binar. Some people had even started recording with their phones.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. You may be a VIP patient here, but please mind your manners. You can't damage hospital property."
A man in a white coat tried to reason with her, his voice remaining calm. But Binar guessed the doctor was holding back his temper.
"I don't care. You refuse to operate on my child. That's disrespectful to the patient too."
"We have the utmost respect for our patients. And regarding your child, it's not that I don't want to perform the surgery. I simply can't do it yet. Under the current policy, your child isn't ready for surgery at this time. We're doing everything we can, but your child needs extra care so he'll be strong enough to undergo surgery later."
"Oh, please! You're underestimating my child. His condition is getting worse, so you need to take decisive action!" Nanik Thodere, the mother of the pediatric patient with dengue fever, continued to yell.
She openly challenged the doctor in charge of the seven-year-old boy, who lay weakly on the care bed.
"Ma'am, we can explain everything in detail, but please calm down first, Ms. Nanik." Nurse Derra tried to reason with her too.
"You shut up. I'm dealing with this doctor. And you call yourself a doctor? It's obvious you're still incredibly young. Your knowledge is barely worth anything! You should take off that doctor’s coat and go back to college." Nanik snorted sarcastically, pointing repeatedly at the doctor.
Binar, watching the scene, was furious too. How could a patient be so unbelievably rude?
"Take off the coat I worked for years to earn? Tsk! I'd rather sew your filthy mouth shut."
The doctor's sharp retort sent a stir through the onlookers, who laughed at Nanik as she suddenly shrank back.
"You know what? Compared to this crumpled piece of paper, your mouth is the one that belongs in the trash."
At the same time, Davin lifted the paper in his hand and tossed it into the trash can beside the desk.
Binar Anjani immediately stood up and squeezed her way toward the door so she could get a better look at the doctor who had just spewed venom from his mouth.
Bold letters ran down the front of his white coat: “Dr. Davin, S.P. B.” (Surgical Specialist.)
Nanik looked even more cowed. Dr. Davin's confrontation seemed to have gotten into her head. His tone sounded calm, but that only made his words feel even sharper.
"You just insulted a patient? That's not a doctor's ethics. Everyone, look… this doctor not only refuses to treat my son, but he just insulted me too. I demand justice."
"A doctor's ethics?" Davin gave a derisive laugh, his broad shoulders rising and falling as he struggled to contain his anger. "I'm defending a doctor's dignity against a shameless patient like you."
"How dare you! Just wait. I'm sure you'll be out of this hospital within twenty-four hours. I'm not kidding, Davin. In case you didn't know, my husband is an influential politician in this country."
Davin snorted, accompanied by a quiet chuckle. Patient complaints were his bread and butter. But this was the first time a patient had tried to intimidate him with her family's status. Nanik was truly something else.
"Go ahead! I'll be waiting for your family to show up. I'm staying right here because I don't believe I did anything wrong in caring for your son."
"Wow! So you're challenging me? Fine. Get ready to go to prison."
"I'm not afraid."
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? BREAK IT UP… EVERYONE, MOVE ALONG!"
A security guard shouted, firmly dispersing the crowd. He also reprimanded Nanik, who suddenly left without another word, abandoning her own son.
"Derra, take care of this kid. I'm going to the bathroom for a minute."
"Yes, Doctor. But are you all right?"
Davin shook his head with a smile, then left the room.
Binar stared intently at Davin's back as he entered the bathroom. Without thinking twice, she followed him, moving as naturally as possible.
Inside the bathroom, Doctor Davin splashed water on his face. He sighed repeatedly, as if trying to drive away the molten anger left over from the argument.
Binar approached and stood beside Davin, then began washing her hands at the sink too.
Davin looked startled to find a woman in the same bathroom. "I'm sorry, miss! I must have walked into the wrong bathroom," Davin said, his expression full of regret.
"You're not wrong! This is the men's bathroom."
"Oh, really? Sorry! Then how did you get in here? People might think we're doing something indecent. I've already got enough problems—please don't add to them! Please leave…"
"Doc, let's get married."
To be continued.