Mr. Salvador? The question sounded like it came from a tiny and innocent mouth, but he knows better.

The man that picked him up from the train station a few hours back, is a
mountain, towering over 6'7 in height, his body muscular and firm, the hands that now carry his suitcases are big and rough. With his judging eyes he sees unimaginable threat from this intimidating giant, a full contrast to his voice, which sounded innocent and angelic. If anyone had seen him during his descent from the train and was presented with this man, one would find horror in his face and tremor on his body.

But, the reluctance he showed while handing his belongings hours back to this man, might be uncalled for.

He is a Psychologist now, a licensed one at that. He should know better. He should have assessed the man with more scrutiny before jumping into conclusions. Note to self he thought, before sending the giant beside him a quick glance.

"Uhmm, Mr. Salvador, if you want, my aunt's house is a few meters ahead. We can take a short break and have some hot beverage before we proceed to the hospital." The man asked nervously.

Zackary hummed, and then gave him a warm smile, "I would love that," he replied. The giant gave him a wide smile, teeth and all. "Please lead the way," the doctor added. The man walked ahead of him, skipping with glee.

After a few minutes of walking, they came upon a Nippa hut house sandwiched between two Molave trees, its front lawn blanketed with well-trimmed grass and wild flowers.

"Well here we are," the giant in front of him exclaimed. "It's not much but it's well kept," he added while throwing a smile at him. Zackary smiled back while taking long strides towards the house. The rain has not let up, and all he wants now is to rest his aching legs and get out of his wet coat. The umbrella did not give him justice from the downpour.

The giant gave the hut's door a light knock, shocking Zackary in the process. Those large hands he thought, can't possibly give such soft and light vigor, but it did.

The door slowly opened and out came an old lady. She smiled, Damien, she murmured, in a soft old grandma tune while giving the giant a quick hug.

"Aunt, may we take shelter here for a while, it has been raining and I'm supposed to deliver this, Mr. Doctor here to the hospital, but I think he's tired." The last sentence, barely a whisper, did not escape Zachary's ear.

He squinted his eyes but gave a hearty smile to the old woman who was still standing behind the half opened door. It took a while before she fully opened the wooden barricade and gestured for the two of them to come in.

Zackary, sighing with relief, stepped inside without hesitation.

The young doctor, now sitting on a wooden chair in front of a fireplace with a cup of steaming hot chcco on hand, gazed with serious scrutiny at the two souls sitting adjacent from him. As a Doctor, he is familiar with the human genetics and can clearly see the huge resemblance between the old woman and the humongous man.

The man said the old lady is his aunt, but Zackary feels the similarities in their features are too prominent, one would merit them to be mother and son, though having a relative that looks like you is quite common, he still felt like the two are not what they claim to be. His train of thoughts was disrupted when Damien suddenly stood from his chair and beckoned for him to leave before night falls.

Zackary stood up and walked towards the two, carefully placed his cup on the table and gave the old woman a warm smile. "The choco tasted great madam," he said, before giving the old lady a quick bow. The old woman with her wrinkled face looked up at him and gave a nod.

After a brief exchange of words between the old woman and her niece, Damien started to pick up the suitcases which he carefully pilled before the front door when they came inside, while Zackary too, began to collect his coat and doctor's bag. Damien opened the door and stepped outside. "The rain has lit up," he exclaimed with glee while looking back at Zackary.

Zackary smiled and began to take a step towards the half opened door, but a few footfalls before reaching it, the old woman who was trailing behind him tugged at his arm.

He looked back, and gave her a questioning look.

"He is a good man, just a bit behind." She said to him. It took a while for Zackary to understand that she was talking about his giant companion, and when he did, he smiled and gave the old woman's hand a pat before taking back his arm. "I can tell" he answered, using the sweetest tone he could muster.

"He will be up there with the most of you, so do keep a good watch on him will ya?" the old woman added.

There is uneasiness in her eyes and voice, and Zackary couldn't help but wonder why? It seems the giant is accustomed to the place and would not have been tasked to guide him, if he was inadequate, or if there was not enough respect or trust given to him by those in charge of the hospital.

He kept that thought to himself though, and gave the woman a reassuring smile while nodding.

They continued their journey, walking through fallen branches and thick vegetation. The fauna that thrived on their path gave the doctor a sense of relief despite his aching foot. He is, after all, a nature lover.

But despite that, the journey towards the famed hospital had proven to be more of a challenge than he first imagined, making him second guess whether accepting the job was a good idea.

Keeping his head down, carefully picking which place to land his foot, he barely heard the small voice that said "we are almost there." He looked up, and finally, he saw it, the roof of a building.

Judging from the view, he can tell it won't be long before they reach the actual building itself, and for the first time in the hours that passed, the young doctor felt his heart, race with excitement.