*EP 3* Joe and Beth’s bond grew stronger during the holiday. They spent most of it together, having fun. For Joe it was his first time loving someone that much, for Beth, it was her second time. Abel became familiar with Beth as she often came to his house to see his son. And though, Joe said they weren’t official yet, he feared they would commit a mistake, given their emotions were at its peak. And though Joe assured him nothing of such would happen, he couldn’t take his mind off it. After over a month of feeling uneasy, he realized Beth’s frequent visits had stopped. “Josiah.” He called as he walked out of his room into the living room. Joe sat quietly in front of the television with the remote in his right hand. “Yes dad.” He didn’t take his eyes off the television. “How is Beth.” He sat beside him. “She's fine, I guess.” He didn’t flinch. “Are you guys okay?” He stared intently, hoping for a show of emotion to hint him on what was wrong. Joe sighed, put off the television and dropped the remote. “I asked her out.” “That’s great news.” “And she refused.” “Oh, that’s bad news.” “Dad! I know.” “Why did she refuse? I thought she liked you.” “I thought so too, but she had - other plans.” He mimicked. Unable to keep it together, Abel laughed at Joe’s expression of Beth. “You shouldn’t be laughing.” He frowned. “I’m sorry.” Abel squeezed his mouth as he tried to frown. “What other plans though?” “She was just on break from her ex-boyfriend.” He raised his hand in anger. “Oh wow! That’s heart-breaking.” Abel frowned. “That’s mean.” “I loved her, genuinely. I guess it wasn’t the same for her.” His eyes grew moist. “And that’s completely normal. We feel different things. Plus, I doubt you ever asked her. You just trusted that she liked you.” “Cause she acted like she did.” He raised his voice. “No. She acted like she was only having fun, pending the time she gets back with her boyfriend. You mistook it as genuine and real.” He calmly replied. “But_” “No buts son. You don’t conclude about a person’s feeling for you if it hasn’t been confessed. Don’t assume. And I feel you should have asked her.” “I should have? She kept coming around, even when uninvited.” “Josiah. It doesn’t mean she genuinely loves you. She could be enjoying your company.” Joe hissed as he lay back on the sofa, feeling defeated. “But guess what son?” “What?” he raised his head. “Life continues.” And life did continue for Joe. He made up his mind not to get mixed with any female students in his school, again. He poured all his strength, attention and focus on his academics and finished as the best student in the whole University. Shortly after, he began his residency training at Riverside Hospital. As expected, he became known within a few months and was tagged as excellent at what he does. After a long day at work, his shift finally ended. As he packed to leave, he was called to assist a surgery which was being done by Dr. Mark, the chief resident. Unable to resist, he dragged himself and scrubbed in. After long hours of fighting for the lady’s life, they succeeded. “Wrap it up.” Dr. Mark instructed while he stepped out to meet the patient's family. Joe finished up and joined Dr. Mark in his office. “Sit, Joe.” “This is Dr. Josiah Williams. The excellent resident who assisted in the surgery.” “Joe, this is Matilda, the elder sister of the patient we just operated on.” Matilda wore a black short jean and a big t-shirt. Her curly hair was a mess, and it looked like it was about to gain freedom from the band that could barely hold it together. Her glasses didn’t quite sit well on her face, revealing her heavy brown eyes and deep eye bags. “Thank you, Dr. Josiah for helping out.” Her tone was low. “My pleasure.” He matched her tone. Joe listened as Dr. Mark spoke to Matilda about Martha, her sister. Asides her unkept appearance, Matilda seemed too calm for someone whose loved one was just operated on. After discussing with her, Dr. Mark instructed Joe to usher her out and show her the way to the Intensive Care Unit, where Martha was. As Matilda got up, her hair-band snapped, and her hair fell on her shoulders, revealing a thick, long brown hair. She sighed as she picked up the band and tied her hair into a ponytail. Her face was slim and fair, and her nose was a little pointed, making her face perfect. Joe quietly led her to her sister, and walked back to Dr. Mark. After a few more instructions, he dismissed him. Upset, Joe went around doing as instructed. But darkness fell, and by the time he was done, it was too late to leave. He walked into the call room, threw his bag on the floor and quietly lay on the down bunk. He closed his eyes as his mind reeled towards Matilda, making his heart pound. She seemed calm, yet it was obvious she was disturbed. It was rare to find patients like that, most of them were usually agitated. His eyes flew opened as he realized his mind was focused on her. Could it be pity or something else? … _Next episode would be out by 12 AM tomorrow._