Secret Files PH

The Florence Nightingale Effect

The Florence Nightingale Effect

(Sorry if I have to submit this in english. I'm a Filipina that grew up in Canada, so yeah. Bear with me nalang.)

The Florence Nightingale Effect: the event in which a nurse/doctor/any medical professional ends up falling for his/her patient.

I was the Nightingale.

To clarify, no I'm not a nurse or a doctor. My course is also not medically related. But in a way, he was my ""patient"".

We're blockmates since first year. I never really paid much attention to him, as I am the studious, in-bed-at-nine kind of girl. He's more of a regular college boy- spending his youth with as much fun as possible, just hanging around, more than happy to get average grades. Not that I'm saying he's bad though, he's a nice guy. In his circle of friends, he seems to be the most cheerful one, always staying positive despite the toxic nature of our course.

One time, our project for our psych prof is to present a ""Story of my Life"" report in front of the block. When it was his turn, we found out he used to have this childhood friend who eventually became his girlfriend when they went to high school. When our prof asked if they broke up, he replied that she passed away. He never specified how she died.

Fast forward at March 2016. I was going back to my dorm after a group study with my friends when I recognized him, throwing up in the nearby dumpster. I instantly helped him up, managed to get him to his dorm. When we arrived there, the guard just shrugged as if it's nothing new to him. He told me that he regularly goes out for drinks, alone, then goes home drunk. Anyway, I guided him back to his room; he apologized over and over to me. Then, he started calling me with his ex's name, saying how it's all his fault she died. I remember wondering what kind of sorrow he has experienced to end up like this- to end up drinking to forget. I never imagined he's like this. I made sure he freshened up and safe (don't get any ideas now) and went home.

The next morning, he insisted on treating me for lunch as his way of saying thanks. When we're eating, I learned that he's been like that ever since his girlfriend died last 2014. They were out on a date one night during a typhoon when a bus collided with their taxi due to the heavy rain making the roads slippery. He managed to survive, but unfortunately she didn't. That's why he felt guilty since it's supposed to be his responsibility to protect her. That night when I found him was her death anniversary.

As the semester went on, we became closer and closer. I helped him recover from his drinking problem and we actually made a lot of progress. By the end of the term, his grades were back up and he never hit the bottle again. Well, at least not so much, just in moderation.

I became inclined to help him, not out of pity, but because I genuinely wanted to get him better. Because I couldn't bear someone as amazing as him would be suffering like that. And slowly, but surely, I fell for him. He was my ""patient"" of sorts. And honestly... it's not hard to fall for him. I can see now why his ex loved him: he's a good person, fun to be around, supportive. He has that optimistic vibe that tends to rub off you and you can't help but smile at him.

But I know he haven't moved on with his ex yet. And I can't force him to. So right now, I guess I'll just continue to do what I do. I'll be waiting for him, for the day when he'll choose to love again.

Florence Nightingale
2013
College of Architecture