It was cold outside, I could tell. Somehow, I can feel the cold seeping in – through the tightly closed window, all the way to my beating heart. It was like a disease I wished to get rid of, but I was sure pulling a vital organ was not really an option.So I breathed in the strong aroma of hot black coffee in my hands as I leaned my back slightly on the counter, like I usually do on my lunch breaks. I could already imagine, the effects of caffeine travelling all the way up to my brain and down my veins – boosting the much-needed energy for the rest of my shift. 

         I had an on-call last night, leaving me with less than 3 hours of sleep. Well, not that I was complaining - it was just, a bit tiring. And I was thankful really, for my ninety minutes break. But I guess I was fine with just croissant and coffee, then I’ll be good to go. Perhaps, lending a hand in the General Inspection department who were the busiest at every day of the week.

         “Hey, is your break ending already?” A fine young lady tapped my shoulder as she was brushing past me to get a mug from the cabinet.

         “Oh well, I’m ending it early. Did you just started yours?” I finished my last sip from the cup and quickly decided that I was going to need another shot coffee at the end of the next hour. I didn’t know what was wrong but I didn’t feel re-energized as usual. There was a very faint wave of dizziness lingering in my brain. 

         “Yep,” Came her reply.

         “Are you helping at the GI?” She asked again, in which I reply with a mere nod as I washed my dishes.

         “Oh good, I saw there were so many people in the waiting hall. The staffs are getting out of hands, I think. I’m finishing my break early and I'll be heading there as well,”

         I could say, Irene too, frequents GI department quite a lot on her free time. I guess, we both shared the same opinion of how much can one extra doctor at the GI department could make a change. In South Korea, the consultation time per patient was about 7 minutes or so. An hour from one doctor’s break could attend seven to eight patients, which means more patients can be attended at a time, one-hour less waiting time, one-hour faster queue at the waiting hall.

          It's because at the end of the day, the patients would always remain our central concern. It was always a nightmare whenever the hospital lost a patient or when the patients condition worsen to higher stage, we all would wish that we had more time; more time for diagnosis, more time for treatment, more time to look for signs beforehand. So, that was the very reason why we were at the GI at our every break – to buy time.

         And I came to admire people like Irene. Sometimes I feel like she was not human. She was beautiful, soft, and kind. She was almost like an angel – except that she did not have wings. But of course, that did not make her any less than perfect.

         I smiled watching her enthusiastic self with her animated story telling of how worried she was from the increased in patients number in the last few weeks. She said something along the line of some common prescription drugs were running out of stocks. In which, I believe had been restocked.

         “Well, I guess winter is a bit harsher this year. More people are getting sick from the cold,” 

       That was my cue to end the conversation, and I bade her goodbye.

         “Yes, go before I delay you any further,” She put down her cup hastily and pushed me out of the common room.

         “Are you kicking me out?”

         “Well, this is actually my way of sending you off. Now, off you go. Go save lives!” Giving out a hearty laugh, I walked away.

         And I had always liked the feeling of striding down the hallway with that little energy I had left in me, towards my next mission. It kept me reminded that I was doing the right thing; that I was being useful, and that my presence was indeed significant to some people.

         The sense of purpose and belongingness – don’t we all need that, in order to actually live?

         As I was making my way to the GI department, I felt my phone vibrating inside the pocket of my scrubs. It was from my mom, reminding me to come home for dinner this weekend. In which, I managed a short reply to confirm my presence. And below her message, there was an unread message that I apparently did not notice earlier. Just by the