“Dr. Moitra? What are you doing here this early in the morning?” Dr. Paritosh Khanna was surprised to see Rohan Moitra, a resident doctor in Orthopedics, in the Pediatrics department conference room. He was there to address the new batch of interns coming to Pediatrics department of Shohan Nath Majumdar Multi Specialty Hospital, Kolkata.

“Good Morning Dr. Khanna. Actually my fiancee is joining as an intern in your department. So, came by… For moral support…” Rohan grinned.

“I see!” Paritosh said trying to appear neutral. He wondered if Rohan’s act was sweet or patronizing.

“She is sitting there,” he pointed to the corner seat in the row where all the new interns were sitting and waiting for their orientation to begin, “Rupali. Banerjee, for now. She is the nervous kind… I am not even sure it was the right profession for her. But she always insisted. Please go easy on her.” As the head of Pediatrics, Paritosh would be the boss of all the interns.

“Well Dr. Moitra. This profession has its demands. I do not intend to put anything more than that on anybody. It is not in my hands to make it less for anybody,” Paritosh said dryly.

“Ah! Well… Of course.”

Paritosh smiled and then excused himself, “Anyway! I should get going. They are waiting for me. I think your duty shift would also be starting now.”

“Yeah. Sure,” Rohan got the hint that he was not welcome during the orientation just because his fiancée was there. He walked away, but shot a glance at Rupali before leaving. Paritosh noticed that Rupali had also turned to look at Rohan at around the same time. She was slightly far, but Paritosh felt sure that he saw her stiffen.

—

As someone so insistent of maintaining professional relationships with people at work, Paritosh was annoyed at himself. Just because Rohan had pointed Rupali out to him, he found himself noticing her repeatedly during his address to the interns. It made no sense.

Or probably it did. There was something captivating in those large eyes sitting on a lean, small, innocent face of wheatish complexion. Not quite the typical Bengali face. But there were hints – for sure.

What the hell! He shirked off his train of thoughts and looked at the clock. OPD time. Patients – hassled and sad when they came, happy and healthy after treatment, their faith in life and living restored… That’s what kept him alive and occupied. That’s what he was comfortable with. That’s what he needed to go back to. To deal with his distracted mind.

—

Paritosh was getting ready to go to a surgery. He was not a surgeon. But he had admitted the patient, and there were many complications expected in the surgery. So, the pediatric surgeon has requested his presence. Interns of pediatrics department were sitting outside to watch the surgery through the glass. It was a part of their training process. One of them will be inside assisting the surgeon. Paritosh wondered who that would be. It was a complicated surgery, and would be quite challenging for a fresher. Just then he saw her walking in.

Rupali was already wearing her robe and had come to wash her hands before the surgery started. “Good Morning, Sir,” she greeted him courteously.

“Good Morning, Dr. Banerjee,” he replied. If it had been any other intern, he wouldn’t have know his or her name. He hadn’t been individually acquainted with them yet. Rupali appeared surprised at first, but probably recalled immediately that she had seen Rohan with him the day before, during the orientation. She sighed audibly and looked, as far as Paritosh could see, sad.

“So, you are assisting in the surgery?”

“Yes Sir.”

“It is a complicated one. And when patients are so young, their condition often disturbs us a lot… This is your first day. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Some intern has to be here, right? Why not me?”

“Sure. I was… just being… cautious.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you will be. Shall we go inside?”

“Yes Sir.”

—

“Rohan. Please let me go,” Paritosh recognized Rupali’s voice, as he passed by the fire exit. The door to staircase was shut as usual, but the sound passed through.

“Stop it already, Rupa. You can’t keep running away from me.”

Paritosh hesitated. Should he stop? Should he not? Was it the usual dance of lovers? Fire exit was a favourite place for the young couples in the hospital to have their own time during breaks. Or was it sexual harassment right under his nose? Something about Rohan’s tone made it not feel like a lover’s insistence at all. Rupali’s reply came as Paritosh was still deliberating on what to do.

“This isn’t the time or place to discuss…”

“Who is interested in discussing…”

“Rohan!” Rupali shouted.

Rohan must have closed in on her. Because the sound that came next was definitely Rupali pushing him away and he getting hit by the railing of the staircase.

Paritosh pushed the door open. “What’s going on here?”

Rohan and Rupali were both startled and horrified at first. Then Rupali’s expression turned to that of relief, while Rohan’s turned belligerent.

“This is personal Dr. Khanna.”

“I’m afraid it sounded more like an offense.”

“She is my fiancée,” Rohan retorted.

“Even if she were your legally wedded wife Dr. Moitra, she had the right to say no. Especially at a public place like this. And this is her workplace, no less. This is not acceptable…”

“Dr. Khanna. You are reading too much into the situation…”

“What I have seen here is called sexual harassment, Dr. Moitra. So, as Dr. Banerjee’s boss and as the chief administrator of this department, I have to intervene and ask you to leave immediately. And this must not happen again, else I will be forced to report it.”

Rohan gritted his teeth, but could not say anything.

“Please leave,” Paritosh was adamant.

Rohan shot an angry glance at Rupali and then left.

Paritosh felt awkward when left alone with Rupali, but he maintained his formal disposition, “Please go back to your ward Dr. Banerjee. Lunch time is over.” He turned back immediately and came back to the corridor. He sighed in relief on seeing the corridor empty. If someone saw him coming out of the fire exit, with Rupali following right behind him, it would have been awkward. Really awkward.

His cabin and the wards were in opposite direction. They went in their separate ways without saying another word.

—

To be continued