“Sister. Pakadiye ise kas ke. Dawai le hi nahin rahi hai. Zabardasti deni padegi.” Kabir was struggling with a six year old patient.

“Kabir,” Nidhi chided him, “Bachchon ko aise dara-dhamka kar kuchh nahin hota hai. Kaun si dawai deni hai, batao mujhe.”

“Tum darane-dhamkaane ki baatein kar rahi ho,” Kabir laughed good humouredly, “Tumse to bade bhi darte hain Dr. Nidhi Verma. Bachchon ka kya hoga?”

“Badon ko darane ki zaroorat bhi hoti hai,” Nidhi mumbled, clearly not enjoying the joke.

Kabir shrugged and walked off to attend to other patients. Nidhi wasn’t aware that Ashutosh was standing near the door of the ward and was observeing them. He continued to watch as she sat down with the girl, soothed her down,distracted her with little jokes and games and finally made her have the medicine. She was still smiling when she got up from the patient’s bed and made her way to the door, only to encourter Ashutosh hardly a meter away from the bed. When did he come?

“Aap muskurati bhi hain?” Ashutosh said.

“Ji?” she was startled.

“Pahli baar aapko smile karte hue dekha hai. Warna mujhe to lagta tha ki aap yahan bilkul tortured feel karti hain.”

“Aisa kuchh nahin hai, Sir.”

“Aapse kuchh baat karni thi. Agar aap free hain to mere office mein chalein?”

“Ji.”

—

“Lunch par sab aapko miss kar rahe the,” Ashutosh said.

And she smiled. For the second time in the day. But her smile was sarcastic this time.

“Itna mujhe pata hai ki koi mujhe miss nahin kar raha tha. But thanks for trying to be sweet. Coming to the point – I am sorry. Mujhe maaloon hai mujhe wahan rahna chahiye tha. It was rude that you were invited and I was not there…”

“Nahin. Point ye nahin hai ki main invited tha. Mujhe pata chala ki aap kabhi bhi lunch baaki logon ke saath nahin karti hain. Ya otherwise bhi apne colleagues ke saath zyada mingle nahin karti hain…”

“I don’t think ki is baare mein koi rule hai.”

“Rule nahin hai Dr. Verma. But har workplace ki kuchh dynamics hoti hai, culture hoti hai. Aur sabse badee baat social aspect hota hai. Ye jo profession hai, ye hamein emotionally, physically aur mentally drain kar sakta hai. Fighting diseases and accidents day and night. Hamein support ki zaroorat hoti hai. Aur immediate support apne colleagues se milta hai. Agar aap unhein alienate kar dengi to aapko hi problem hogi.”

“Agar baat sirf meri problems ki hai to mujhe apni problems se deal karna aata hai. Uske liye aapko chinta karne ki zaroorat nahin hai.”

“I appreciate your self-reliance. Bahut achchhi quality hai. Lekin… I get a feeling ki koi cheez hai jo aapko pareshaan kar rahi hai. Maine abhi-abhi aapko patient ke saath dekha. Aisa to nahin hai ki aap logon se connect karne mein capable nahin hain. In fact, aap kaafi capable hai. Pahle bhi bachchon ke saath maine observe kiya hai. Phir colleagues ke saath kyon problem hai aapko? Are you hyper competitive?”

“Am I obliged to answer?”

“Would you feel more comfortable talking to a woman? I can ask Dr. Mallika or…”

“Aap ye sab kyon poochh rahe hain? Meri performance mein koi problem hai?”

“Nahin. Bilkul bhi nahin. You are doing very well. But as a boss and as a mentor I care about things beyond performance…”

“Dr. Ashutosh,” she interrupted impatiently, “I report to you. Aap mere boss hain. Meri performance mein koi problem ho, koi shikayat ho to aap mujhse jo chahe kah sakte hain. Lekin meri life mein koi mentor nahin hai. I am sorry, but main life-coaching lene ke mood mein nahin hoon. Na to Dr. Mallika se, na hi aapse. Can I leave now?”

He nodded. There was no getting into this girl’s head. She left.

—

“Rahul? Beta aap yahan kaise? Main abhi nikal hi raha tha aapko pick karne ke liye,” Ashutosh was hurrying out of the hospital to pick his son up from the school. The maid who looked after him was on leave that day. So, he was surprised and scared to see that Rahul had already reached hospital.

“Don’t worry Dr. Ashutosh,” he heard Nidhi’s voice, as she approached them, “Rahul mere saath aaya hai.”

“Aur humne khoob enjoy kiya raaste mein. Maine Nidhi Auntie ko tic-tac-toe mein paanch baar haraya. Hai na?”

“Of course. Rahul genius jo hai.” The girl who was talking so affectionately to his eight-year old son was definitely not the Dr. Nidhi Verma he knew. She appeared rather normal and jovial. But then she was so with kids quite often. But how did…

She read his confusion, “Sorry. Maine explain nahin kiya. Meri sister bhi Rahul ke school mein padhti hai. Usse badi hai. She is in class 8th. But both of them participate in the drama group. So, they know each other and I know him. Main apni sister ko pick karne gayi thi to pata chala ki Rahul ko bhi yahin aana hai, but aapne teacher ko phone kiya tha ki aapko der ho jayegi. To main ise apne saath le aayi.”

“To aap aur Rahul ek doosre ko pahle se jaante hain?”

“Papa. Maine aapko bataya tha na Nidhi Auntie ne drama group ke liye cake banaya tha annual function ke baad.”

Ashutosh grinned, “Nidhi Auntie? No wonder I could never guess. Beta auntie bulane ke liye ye thodi young hain. Aap inhein Didi bulaiye.”

“Rahen dijiye, Sir. Did bulane ke liye main thodee old hoon. Sab bachche mujhe auntie hi bulate hain. I don’t mind. Main chalti hoon. Lunch ka time khatam ho raha hai.”

“Sure. And thanks Dr. Nidhi.”

“No problem, Sir.”

—

“So, aap apni sister ke bahut close hain?” Nidhi was reading in the common after taking her round in the ward for the night duty, when Ashutosh walked in.

“Sir?” Nidhi was startled and could do nothing more than acknowledge him.

“Mere aane se aap hamesha pareshaan ho jaati hain.”

“Aap hamesha aate hi koi sawaal daag dete hain.” Ashutosh thought he saw a faint smile on her face as she retorted in a tone softer than usual for her.

“Aur aapko mere sawaal achche nahin lagte.”

“Achchha-bure ki baat nahin hai. Mere paas usually koi dhang ka jawaab nahin hota,” she was stiff again.

“Khair. Aapko pata tha ki Rahul mera beta hai?”

“Ji.”

“Aapne kabhi bataya nahin ki aap use jaanti hain?”

“Kabhi zaroorat nahin hui.”

“Zaroorat?” Ashutosh laughed, “Aap har kaam zaroorat ke hisaab se karti hain?”

She didn’t reply, just bit her lips.

“Sorry. Main mazaak kar raha tha. But Rahul aapke baare mein bahut baatein karta hai. Hospital mein hi nahin, bahar bhi aap bachchon ki favourite hain. Mujhe bas kabhi realize hi nahin hua ki uski Nidhi Auntie aap hain.”

She smiled weakly.

“Dr. Verma. Aap… Oh! Kya aap nahin chahti thi ki mujhe pata chale? Ki Rahul aapko jaanta hai?”

She sighed, “Mujhe nahin pata ki main kya chahti thi.”

“Aapko use laane ki koi zaroorat nahin thi phir. Kyon le aayin aap? Maine teacher ko phone kar diya tha…”

“Bachchon ko akelapan bardasht nahin hota, Sir. Woh ruansa ho raha tha. Main use chhod kar nahin aa payi.”

“Thanks. And sorry. Uski maid aaj chhutti par thi aur main kuchh emergencies ki wajah se time se nahin ja paaya…”

“It’s okay, Sir. Mujhe pata tha ki aap busy hain. Isliye to main use le aayi.”

“Yeah. Lekin ye baat mujhe pata hai, isse agar aap uncomfortable hain, to phir maan lijiye ki mujhe nahin pata hai. Maine kabhi iska zikr nahin karoonga.”

Ashutosh got up to leave. Nidhi also got up and stopped him, “Dr. Ashutosh. I’m sorry. Mujhe galat mat samajhiye. Main koi…”

“Tumhein galat nahin samajh raha hoon, Nidhi,” he suddenly addressed her by her first name and used ‘tum’ instead of ‘aap’, “Tum kuchh galat to kabhi karti nahin ho. Tumhein galat kaun samajh sakta hai? Lekin jab bhi tumhein dekhta hoon, tumse baat karta hoon, kahin na kahin mujhe ye mahsoos hota rahta hai ki apne andar kuchh daba rakha hai tumne. Jaise umra se zyada serious aur mature banne ke liye you are trying very hard, jaise kissi cheez se khud ko protect kar rahi ho, jaise koi laava bhara ho tumhare andar. Mujhe pata hai ki tumhein advice pasand nahin hai, lekin phir bhi… Main ye nahin kah raha ki tum mere saath share karo. Lekin isse pahle ki ye laava volcano ban kar phat jaye, kissie se saath share karo. Thandha karo ise.”

He went away and Nidhi stood rooted to her place for several seconds after that. She was stunned and tears clouded her vision. How did he know? How did he understand?

—

To be continued