Love In The Echoes Of Time

"Are you lost, baby girl?"

Deanver Magallon turned off the engine of his car and turned to a beautiful lady. But when he approached the said woman, he suddenly became nervous. Just by the woman's face, it looks like she is just a teenager and it seems that she is flirting with him back.

"Hey kiddo, actually I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

He had expected that the woman would be annoyed with him for calling her a kiddo, and sure enough, he got the reaction he'd expected. The girl's green eyes flashed with indignation, and her pale cheeks turned red.

The girl gave him an evil look, then folded her arms. "Seriously, dude, what are you doing here?"

Dean got out of his Jeep. "I have an appointment with Dr. Ricafort."

Her eyes widened. "Are you a patient?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "No. Are you?"

"No." She huffed out an annoyed breath. "Fine. Come on, I'll take you to Thalia."

"Wow! You're so kind, Miss..." He waited for the girl to say her name.

"Nadine," she said grudgingly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nadine. By the way, I'm Dean."

Grabbing his canvas messenger bag from the backseat, he trailed after the teenager, who, despite the heat, was surprisingly energetic as she led him toward the covered porch of the clinic.

It was really hot that day, especially since the sun was shining brightly as Dean traveled there. In fact, his body was full of sweat, and his chest seemed to be heaving because his top was wet with sweat. And he couldn't stand the heat anymore so he just took off his top. Every woman he passed by almost turned his back on him.

Also, the people there are not used to having a stranger's car get stuck there. Valera was one of the poorer towns in San Jose, just a small settlement at the base of the mountain. The only good thing is that the scenery there is refreshing to the eyes, because all you can see around is green. With a population of barely a thousand, the town of Valera was nothing more than dilapidated brick houses scattered, isolated farms, a surprisingly busy marketplace and this MD International clinic located on the outskirts of town.

"Thalia's in the back," Nadine said as they stepped towards the entrance of a building.

The girl stuck to a brisk pace, but Dean was still cautious around her as they walked down to the medical facility. What he knows is that the doctors at the said clinic are all foreigners, and they also move around in different places around the world.

The hallway they were walking was dark but clean. The waiting room he and Nadine passed was small, but offered rows of plastic chairs and toys for the children waiting with their parents. He also saw doors there, probably where the doctors would examine their patients. A room with swinging doors opened and Dean caught a glimpse of hospital beds inside.

"You get a lot of overnight patients?" he asked the teenager.

She turned to him. "Sometimes. There's always a few patients in the AIDS wing, but the general wing isn't usually so full."

"But it is at the moment because of the cholera cases that have cropped up, right?"

Nadine turned to him again, but this time there seemed to be doubt in her eyes. "How do you know about those cases?"

"I'm a journalist," he immediately responded. "It's my business to know everything."