Encounter At The Hospital

Finland woke up very early in the morning. She had a job interview, and she must not be late. It had been a month since she graduated from college and officially became unemployed. As someone who was used to being busy and working hard, unemployment sucked.

The position she applied for was marketing at entry-level, and Finland felt confident that she would be accepted. Her college grades were good and she had a PR (permanent resident) status in Singapore.

On top of that, the company she applied to was specifically looking for an Indonesian to assist with marketing projects related to the Indonesian market.

Finland decided to walk because the distance from the apartment to the Suntec Tower was not too far away. She preferred to walk as much as possible, especially if the distance was under 3 km. She could save money on transportation and exercise at the same time. She had Jean to thank for this. He was the one who showed her the convenience of walking in Singapore.

"Pretend you're on the runway and try to walk like a supermodel! Trust me, it is not easy," said Jean, laughing. He then started walking like a male runway model on the catwalk showing off the latest Dior suits. Finland would then try to imitate Victoria's Secret model, swinging sexily pretending to wear glisten underwear and a pair of wings.

Jean was right, walking on the smooth and straight sidewalk in Singapore was very pleasant. The country's humidity didn't bother them as they fantasize about the runway. Since then Finland walked as much as she could.

She intentionally walked slowly to Suntec Tower. She didn't want to look sweaty and filthy during the interview. Before going to the receptionist, she tidied herself in the bathroom and made sure that she looked perfect.

She only wore a simple black dress and blue flower-patterned formal shoes, but her beauty that emanated still turned heads when she entered the building.

Her job interview was a success. It did not take long for the HR to offer her a starting salary and three-month probation. She could start working next week after completing a medical check-up at the company's appointed hospitals.

She would receive a starting salary of S$ 2500, which was the minimum wage for fresh graduates that year. Finland was very happy because, for the first time in her life, she would have enough money for her needs. Once she received her first salary, she would immediately find a rental room and move out of Jean's apartment.

"Congratulations! Please take this form and fill in all the necessary data. You can start working next week. Before you join, you need to get a medical check-up at one of the hospitals or clinics on this list. Keep the receipt and reimburse it to the finance department. "

Finland's excitement faded a little. Apparently she had to pay the medical check fee first, and the company would reimburse it later. She thought about the 50 dollars in her account. She did not know how much a medical check would cost and where she would get more money if she didn't have enough.

She said goodbye and took all the forms with a heavy heart.

One more step... She almost got the job, she only had to find a way to afford the medical check.

Today was Monday, which meant that she couldn't get extra money from distributing flyers as that was a weekend job. She was deep in thought.

Ah, maybe she could sell some of her stuff on the internet... First, she needed to know how much the medical check costs.

Finland walked to Stamford Hospital which was not too far from Suntec Tower. This was one of the referral hospitals on the list she was holding. She would ask how much was the cost for a medical check in there, so she can ascertain how much money she needed to get.

In the hospital lobby, there were many patients waiting to be served, so Finland had to wait for her turn patiently. When her name was called, she approached the receptionist, who looked very impatient.

"Sorry, I want to ask, how much does it cost for a medical check-up like this?" Finland submitted the form given by the office. The receptionist turned to glance and answered curtly.

"Let me check." She hurriedly typed on her computer while periodically glancing at the door, as if expecting someone important. She seemed very eager to complete her task as soon as possible. "It costs 200 dollars."

"Oh..." Finland sighed softly. "Thank you."

It was too expensive. She was about to leave the building when she heard the receptionist's voice behind her turning crisp and friendly.

"Good day, Doctor. How are you?"

Finland looked up to see who this receptionist was so eager to meet. The person who just entered the lobby was young and very handsome. Everyone had their eyes on him. His presence seemed to cool the temperature in the lobby.

The receptionist, the nurses, and all the hospital staff nodded respectfully to him. He nodded back, greeting everyone, and as his gaze swept towards Finland, his eyes looked a little surprised, but his lips immediately curled up in a smile.

"Finland? What are you doing here?"

Finland couldn't believe her eyes. The doctor everyone was eager to meet was Caspar!

The same Caspar she bumped into last night at the airport and took her home.

Caspar was a doctor? He looked too young to be a doctor, and judging from the respect and admiration he was getting, he was not a regular doctor at this hospital. Some even had the look of adoration when he walked by.

"Uhm ... I'm asking for the cost of... Uhm... a medical check-up here." Finland replied groggily. "Are you a doctor?"

"Yeah. What a coincidence! Come on in, let me do the examination." He held Finland's hand and pulled her back to the receptionist. "Please register her now, OK? This will be my first patient today."

"But I..." Finland tried to refuse. She did not have enough money to pay for the medical checkup. Caspar, who seemed to have read the girl's mind, smiled.

"Please put all hospital bills for Miss Finland under my tab," he said to the receptionist who looked dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

Caspar approached Finland who was stunned and whispered softly in her ear, "I know you don't have the money to pay for the check-up, so let me pay for it now. Later, when you are able to pay me back, treat me to a nice afternoon tea."

Finland couldn't believe her luck today. She turned around to face him and immediately her cheeks flushed red seeing Caspar's face so close to hers. That dimpled smile melted her heart and she nodded subconsciously.

After the patient registration process was complete, Finland entered the doctor's office and sat facing Caspar. He was wearing a nice white coat and had a stethoscope around his neck. The nurse measured Finland's blood pressure and reported it to Caspar.

"OK, sounds good. Now I will take a drop of your blood, don't move," Caspar pierced Finland's fingertips softly and let the blood drip into a small tube. "Next we need to check your heart rate. If you are not comfortable, I can let the nurse do it."

Finland felt her cheeks turn red when Caspar talked about checking her heartbeat, but she shook her head. "It's okay, Doc."

She unfastened the 2 top buttons on her dress and let Caspar put the stethoscope over her chest. Everything was done professionally and Finland did not feel uncomfortable at all. The only thing she felt was her heart beating faster than normal.

"Your heartbeat is very fast ..." Caspar commented, smiling broadly.

Finland looked down, embarrassed. The nurse who assisted them stared at Finland with a questioning look. This doctor was a well-known surgeon and he was never this affectionate to his patients. Moreover, he never did such a simple medical examination.

"After this, you need to go to the radiology department for a chest x-ray, and then you are good to go." Caspar placed his stethoscope back around his neck and wrote something in his notebook.

"Everything looks good. Congratulations on your new job. You'll do well."

"Thank you. But ... can I ask?" Finland asked before leaving Caspar's room.

"What would you like to ask?"

"Uhmm... are you really a doctor? When we met, I thought you were a student because you look really young. You must be some sort of genius to be a doctor at this age!"

The nurse laughed at Finland's question.

"You are very lucky; Doctor here is a very famous surgeon. He is 35 years old, but he looks very young. Unfortunately, he only visits Singapore a couple of months a year." She looked at Caspar with an adoring look. "He never handled an ordinary medical examination. You are the first."

"Oh ..."

Finland didn't know what to say. She said thank you and quietly moved on to the radiology department.

Finland suddenly had an epiphany. Caspar was apparently a doctor and he was much older than her. She thought to herself 'If Caspar had told me yesterday that he was a doctor, I don't think I would have believed him.'