Someone had planted a bomb in a school. It had gone off after the the school was over. Otherwise the damage would have been much more severe. But many children were still waiting for their parents and they had been injured. The school was close to Dr. Kotnis General hospital and a large number of kids had been brought in there.
There was already a huge crowd of injured kids, their parents, onlookers and media in front of the hospital. The doctors pushed their way through it. The on duty nurse gave Ashutosh a quick update. Some kids had minor injuries. They had put the bandages for them and sent them back. There were 44 kids severly injured and 5 were critical and admitted to ICU.
Nidhi watched as Ashutosh took control of the situation. He directed doctors to take charge of different wards. There wasn’t enough space available in IPD for everyone. He asked Nidhi to get the medicines and injections and first aid material in the lobby and start treating those waiting there. Nidhi immediately started on her job with help from Priyanka and a nurse. But she could not help notice how Ashutosh had converted a chaotic looking situation into a manageable exercise. Even amidst the howling kids, crying parents, and intrusive media, everyone was clear on how to go about doing things. After assigning work to everyone, Ashutosh himself also started attending the patients. But not before taking care of something that was troubling Nidhi.
“Dr. Verma, please come to my office for a minute please,” he addressed her formally. Nidhi asked Priyanka to take care of the patient she was attending and went with him.
“Dr. Nidhi. Meri ek spare pair of slippers yahan padi rahti hain hamesha. Aap ye le lijiye. Thodi badi hongi, lekin comfortable rahengi. High heels mein aap bhaag daud nahin kar payengi.”
Nidhi was so surprised, she stared at him for a while.
“Kya hua Dr. Nidhi?”
“Haan? Nahin… Kuchh nahin…” she came out of her trance, “Thank you. Aapne itna dhyaan rakha.”
She took the slippers, put them on and rushed out of the room. She didn’t know why, but she felt very shy. Ashutosh smiled seeing her almost run out. She had left her sandles right near the door of his office. He picked them up and placed them behind his table, where they won’t be visible to the visitors.
—
Priyanka noticed her slippers when she came back.
“Nidhi. Ye slippers?”
“Haan woh yahan pade hue the extra. High heels mein kaam karna mushkil hota na. Isliye…”
Priyanka looked at her questioningly, but Nidhi ignored her.
For next two hours they worked without a break. In between a crying woman approached Nidhi, “Doctor. Meri bachchi kaisi hai? Use kitna dard ho raha hoga?”
Nidhi looked at the nurse to know what happened to her daughter, “Severe burn ka case hai Dr. Nidhi. Use quarantine mein rakha gaya hai.”
“Dekhiye aap chinta mat kijiye. Theek ho jayegi. Use alag isliye rakha gaya hai taki germs use nuksaan na karein.”
“Phool si meri bachchi. Zara si chot aa jaati thi to ro ro kar aasmaan sar par utha deti thi. Itni jalan kaise bardasht karegi?”
“Use pain killers diye hain na humne. Aur abhi to anaesthesia mein hogi. Use koi dard nahin mahsoos ho raha hoga. Lekin aap please apna khayaal rakhiye. Agar aap hi ro ro kar beemar pad gayin to uski dekh bhaal kaun karega,” Nidhi repeated what she had often heard Ashutosh tell the attendants of patients.
And that simple logic seemed to drive the point home. She did calm down. Nidhi decided to check on the child anyway. And what she saw there shattered her. The child was under anaesthesia. That with pain killers would probably keep her pain away. But will she or her mother be able to stay calm when they see her burnt face and body. What mental trauma it will be for them, when even as a doctor, Nidhi was horrified to see her face? She rushed out of the room.
—
Finally it looked like everything had been attended to. The corridor was empty now as extra beds had been put and everyone had been accommodated in the rooms. As per the policy of children’s ward, parents and attendants had been sent home for the night.
Nidhi sat down on a bench in the empty corridor trying to take a stock of the things around her. She had never seen anything like this before. She read about the terrorist attacks, accidents; she saw the clippings on the TV. She had felt bad for people, but what she felt by being in the middle on all this was very different. She could not even name that feeling. Disgust? Fear? Anger? Sickness? Tiredness? All combined!
She did not realize when Ashutosh came and sat by her. She noticed him only when he spoke, “Ise imtihaan kahte hain Dr. Nidhi. Woh imtihaan nahin jo hum paper-pen par dete hain. Real life ka imtihaan.”
Nidhi smiled weakly, “Aap to expert hain, real life ke imtihaan dene mein.”
“Achchha. Aisa kyon lagta hai aapko?”
“Jis tarah se aapne sab kuchh sambhaala… Hum sab log to kitna hadbada gaye the.”
“Ye to bas professional maturity hai. Samay ke saath aapme bhi aa jayegi.”
“Hope so.”
Ashutosh smiled, “Take care Nidhi.” Then he walked away.
Nidhi also decided to go back to the ward and check on the patients.
—
“Dr. Ashutosh. Ek bachche ko saans nahin aa rahi hai. Aap please mere saath chaliye,” Nidhi came rushing to Ashutosh.
“Chaliye.”
Ashutosh went to the child. He quickly checked his condition and sent the nurse to fetch the cardiologist. Cardiologist came, but it was too late. Ashutosh looked at his watch and noted the time of the death.
Nidhi was so horrified that she stumbled while walking away from the bed. Nidhi should have completed some formalities after the child’s death, but seeing her condition Ashutosh decided to do that himself. He saw her walking towards the common room absent-mindedly. He decided to check on her after completing the formalities.
Nidhi sat on a chair in the common room and then she broke down. She started sobbing uncontrollably. Sonali was there in the room. She came to her tried to calm her down. Dr. Rangnath and couple of other doctors also walked in just then. They all understood what she was going through. They all were in the same boat. It was just a question of who could withstand how much before breaking down. They tried to comfort her, but to no avail.
Finally Ashutosh walked in, “Dr. Verma. Kya ho raha hai? Ye kya halat bana rakhi aapne apni? Aap aise karengi to patients aur unke parents ka kya hoga? Jaiye. Ja kar munh dho kar aaiye. Jaiye please.”
Nidhi obeyed him and walked towards the washroom.
Ashutosh looked at the other doctors sitting in the room, many of them on the verge of breaking down. It wasn’t the first time he had seen this. Unfortunately calamities kepts striking around them far too often. And there always were those young doctors, who would find it difficult to cope. He had handled them many a times. He had to do that now.
“Aur aap log yahan kya kar rahe hain? Dr. Verma se zyada bahar ward mein patients ko aap logon ki zaroorat hai. Aur unke saamne aap aisi roni shakal bana kar nahin ja sakte. Dr. Ranghnath? Aap to senior hain. Sambhaliye in sab ko.”
“Sir, insaan to hum sab bhi hain. Itna kuchh dekh kar asar to hum par bhi padta hi hai.”
Ashutosh softened, “Main jaanta hoon. Hum sab bahut pressure mein hain. Ye sab bahut darawana hai. Ek taraf to hum doctors se ye ummeed ki jaati hai ki hum insaaniyat ke saath rahein. Wahin doosri taraf aam insaanon ki tarah emotional bhi nahin ho sakte. Ye hamare profession ka sabse bada challenge hai. Lekin iska kuchh kiya nahin ja sakta.”
Rangnath gathered himself together. He had to help his boss, not break down himself, “Aap theek kah rahe hain Sir. Aap chinta mat kijiye. Ye sab log meri zimmedaari hain.”
“Thank you Dr. Rangnath. Aur dhyaan rakhiye ki ye sab log bhi kuchh kha pee lein baari baari se. Doctors, agle ek-do dinon tak ho sakta hai ki aap logon ko aaraam karne ka mauka nahin mile. Lekin is samay aaraam kar bhi kaun sakta hai?”
“Yes Sir. Aap hamari chinta mat kijiye. We will manage,” said one of the interns.
“Thank you.”
With this everyone left the room. Ashutosh sat down on the sofa. Nidhi came out of the washroom after a minute or so.
“Come here Nidhi. Sit down.” She did that.
“Kya hua? Ghabra gayi thi?” She nodded.
“Nidhi. Shayad aaj pahli baar tumne kissi patient ki death hote dekhi hai.”
“Ji.”
“Emotionally hamein break kar dene waala moment hota hai ye Nidhi. Lekin professionally, ye ek humbling moment hota hai. Jab tak patient ki saans chal rahi hai, hum use kuchh bhi kar ke bachane ki koshish karte hain. Lekin kuchh cheezein hamare haath mein nahin hoti. Life ke exam mein bhi out of syllabus questions hote hain.”
Nidhi smiled slightly at that quip.
“Un questions se hamein haar maanni hi padti hai. Lekin hum unke saath toot jayen, ye afford nahin kar sakte. Baaki ke sawaal hamara intezaar kar rahe hote hain. Unhein hamare answers ki zaroorat hoti hai. Baat samajh rahi ho na?”
“I am sorry Sir.”
“Sorry?” Ashutosh rued, “Ye to mujhe kahna chahiye. Tumhare oopar itna pressure daal raha hoon. Waise hum log ek-doosre ke saath itni formalities kyon karte hain? Thank you. Sorry. Inki zaroorat hai kya?”
Another one! Nidhi turned red and felt goosebumps on her skin.
Before either of them could say anything, they had an interruption.
“What a sweet little scene,” Mallika said sarcastically, “Suna hai Dr. Nidhi ki tabiyat kharaab hai. Ashutosh. Koi special dawai di ya nahin?”
Nidhi glared at her, but did not say anything. She walked out of the room.
Ashutosh had had enough. After Nidhi went away, he told her, “Mallika. Kissi ke tolerance ko itna mat test karo ki woh tumhein jawaab dene par mazboor ho jaye. Main kabhi nahin chahoonga ki mujhe tumhein kissi aur ke saamne koi kadwi baat kahni pade. Lekin please mujhe force mat karo.”
He walked out of the room as well. He was surrounded by media persons. He sent them to his office and looked for Nidhi, “Dr. Nidhi. Aap Dr. Mallika ki baaton ka bura mat maaniyega. Zindagi kabhi kabhi logon ko kadwa bana deti hai.”
“Woh aapki dost hain. Main unhein bardasht kar sakti hoon,” Nidhi said with a faint smile, “Main ward mein jaati hoon.”
Ashutosh nodded and watched her go with a smile on his lips. She understood him!
—
To be continued