“Achchha. Aap apne kamre mein jaiye. Mujhe bahar thoda kaam hai. Mujhe der ho jaye to aap dinner kamre mein order kar lijiyega,” Ashutosh told her in the evening after the conference, when they reached their hotel.
“Ji Sir.”
Ashutosh decided to buy the machine right away so that he could produce it from his office as soon as they got back to Lucknow. He had lied again. Even if some MR had given him a machine at some point of time, it was no longer with him. And she had said it wasn’t available in Lucknow. So, he had to get it in Mumbai only.
Why am I doing this, telling so many lies, he wondered. But what option did he have? She wouldn’t accept help from him otherwise. She had too much of self respect for that. Just like her queer Dadi. He thought about her Dadi’s tales and smiled in amusement.
And he wanted to help her. Why?
He asked her whether she had dinner when he came back.
“No Sir. Ye to… bahut zyada mehanga hai…”
“Kya?”
“Sir ye prices… Mujhe to lagta hai ek-do zeroes zyada laga diye hain.”
“Dr. Nidhi! Kya farq padta hai? Hospital pay kar raha hai na…”
“Sir. Itna mehanga khaana mujhse to hajam nahin hoga, koi bhi pay kare.”
“Oh God! Don’t be an idiot. Achchha – kal hum bahar ja kar sasta khaana kha lenge. Abhi please order karein? Mujhe bhi khaana hai. Bhookh lagi hai.”
“Okay… Sir. Aap hi order kar dijiye.”
“Aapko kya khana hai?”
“Ji… Roti… Sabzi… I guess.”
“Roti, Sabzi? All right. I guess sabzi main hi choose kar loon to fast hoga, right?”
“Yes Sir!” she was visibly relieved. Ashutosh felt amused, but did not show it.
—
The next day Ashutosh pushed Nidhi to interact with speakers and other doctors on her own. He watched her from afar when Dr. Niharika Asthana interrupted him.
“Kahan khoye hue ho Ashutosh?”
“Tum?” Ashutosh’ face stiffened, “I didn’t expect you here.”
“Well there are overlaps. You know… between gynacology and pediatrics. I am presenting a paper on neonatology.”
“Great. Now, if you will excuse me…”
“Aaj tak naaraaz ho Ashutosh…”
“Naaraaz?” Ashutosh laughed bitterly, “Naaraaz apno se hua jaata hai Dr. Asthana, strangers se nahin.”
“Ashutosh. Tumne kabhi mujhe samajhne ki koshish nahin ki…”
“Kya farq padta hai? Samajhne ya na samajhne se kuchh badal to nahin jayega…”
“Dr. Ashutosh,” Nidhi came towards him just then, “Aap lunch…” She stopped as she watched their flushed faces, “I… I am sorry. Main shayad disturb kar rahi hoon…”
“No Dr. Nidhi,” Ashutosh said promptly and matter of factly, “I am done here. Let’s go for lunch, but let me introduce you to Dr. Niharika Asthana. Gynaecologist at…”
“Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.”
Ashutosh laughed, “Don’t tell me aapne inse bhi e-mail par contact kiya hua hai.”
“No Sir. Lekin neonatology mein India specific issues par maine inki book padhi hain. Very nice to meet you Ma’am.”
Niharika shook hands with Nidhi, but looked curiously at Ashutosh. His laughing had surprised her.
“Dr. Nidhi Verma works at Kotnis General Hospital,” Ashutosh formally introduced Nidhi.
“Which deparment?”
“I’m an interna Ma’am. Is trimester main pediatrics mein posted hoon.”
“Intern. Oh!” Nidhi discerned a hint of insult in Niharika’s tone, but she ignored it.
“Let’s go Dr. Nidhi,” Ashutosh said and left quickly with her.
—
Ashutosh was unusually quiet during the lunch.
“Sir?”
“Hmm?”
“Aap theek to hain?”
“Mujhe kya hoga?”
“Aap disturbed lag rahe hain. Aur logon ke saath lunch karne bhi nahin baithe…”
“Dr. Nidhi,” Ashutosh was suddenly back to his stern, almost rude self, which he had shedded recently in front of her, “Agar aapko aur logon ke saath baithna hai to aap ja sakti hain. You are not bound to sit with me.”
“Maine aisa to nahin kaha, Sir,” Nidhi replied firmly, but calmly. Surprisingly, his admonition did not scare her as it used to do earlier.
“Phir kya kahna chahti hain aap?”
“Main wahi kahna chahti hoon jo maine kaha. Aap disturbed lag rahe hain. Aap nahin share karna chahte hain to its fine. Lekin share karna achchha rahta hai.”
Ashutosh looked at her in surprise. Where did that confident reply come from? Had he trained her too well?
“Aap apni problems kiske saath share karti hain?” he asked curiously.
“Baba ke saath. Ya phir doston ke saath. Khaas kar Anji ke saath…”
“Anji?”
“Meri best friend. Hum bachpan se dost hain.”
“Apni Dadi ke saath nahin karti?”
“Dadi bahut sweet hain Sir. Lekin hum ek-doosre ke saath identify nahin kar sakte. Unke saath main problems share nahin kar sakti.”
“Right Dr. Nidhi. Hum problems unhi ke saath share kar sakte hain, jinke saath hum identify karte hain.”
“To kya aapki zindagi mein koi aisa nahin hai?”
“Nahin,” he said and got up from the table indicating that he was done with the lunch.
—
“Dr. Nidhi. Please meet me in my cabin before leaving for the day,” it was their first day back in Kotnis General Hospital.
“Ji Sir.”
As instructed, she knocked at his door in the evening and went in after his permission.
“Sir. Aapne mujhe jaane se pahle milne ko kaha tha.”
“Yes. Ye Blood Sugar Monitor. Aapko chahiye tha,” he handed the box to her, “Ismein 50 strips bhi hain. Khatam ho jayen to bata dijiyega. I will order more.”
“Oh! Thank you so much, Sir. This is really helpful.”
“No problems.”
“Aur Sir…”
“Yes?”
“Sir – shayad jaane-anjaane I might have overstepped my limits in Mumbai. I am really sorry for that. It won’t happen again.”
Ashutosh appeared surprised with her apology. He hadn’t expected her to remember the incident; at least not be bothered about it. He did not say anything in reply though, just nodded his head. Nidhi left after that.
—
After finishing his work at Jeevan Prabha, Ashutosh did not return home immediately. He sat there in his office leaning back on his chair. He was thinking about the last few days of his life. And he remembered welcoming yet another group of interns to the hospital. The nervous girl sitting in a corner, she turning out to be Dr. Nidhi Verma, scoring highest any intern had ever scored in his test, Nidhi stopping her colleague from giving wrong medicine to a patient, stuttering and dropping things around him, turning pale due to turbulence during the flight, furiously taking notes during the talks in the convention, discussing animatedly with the speakers, asking him why he looked disturbed and… He shook his head to get out of the chain of thoughts filling up his head. Something had changed in his life. He couldn’t put his finger on it. Or he didn’t want to. It was tempting, but it also scared him. It was unexpected. It couldn’t be good, he decided. He had to control himself. But will he be able to?
—
“Dr. Rangnath,” Ashutosh stopped him when he was leaving after discussing some administrative matters with him, “Dr. Nidhi Verma ki aaj duty nahin hai?”
“Duty to thi, Sir. Lekin unka phone aaya tha. Unki tabiyat kharaab ho gayi hai.”
“Kya hua?” Ashutosh asked so eagerly that Rangnath was startled for a moment.
“Kuchh khaas nahin, Sir, Kah rahi thi viral hai. To teen-chaar din lagenge wapas aane mein. Koi kaam tha, Sir? Main phone kar sakta hoon unhein.”
“No. No – its okay. Jab woh wapas aayengi main baat kar loonga. I guess Mumai trip tiring ho gayi unke liye.”
“I think so, Sir.”
—
It took a while for the door to open.
“Sir? Aap?” Nidhi was surprised to find Ashutosh at the door, “Please andar aaiye, Sir.”
“Aap… akeli hain, ghar par?” Ashutosh had come there because he was feeling restless. But he grew conscious after reaching there.
“Ji. Baba ko job par jaana tha.”
“Aur aapki Ma?”
Nidhi smiled sadly, “Meri Mummy nahin hain Dr. Ashutosh. Woh… Unki death ho chuki hai kaafi pahle.”
“Oh! I am… I am really sorry.”
“It’s okay, Sir. Sir, aap do minute baithiye. Main aapke liye chai bana kar laati hoon.”
“No. No. What are you doing? You should be resting. I’m sorry, maine aapko disturb kiya…”
“Aise kaise, Sir. Aap pahli baar ghar aaye hain. Chai to peeni hi padegi.”
“No. Look Nidhi. This is absurd. Main chai peene ke liye phir aa jaunga, jab tum theek ho jaogi. Right now tell me where is your room? You should be your bed, not out here attending to the guests. Please.”
“Sir.”
“Don’t make me scold you Dr. Nidhi.”
She gave up with a sigh.
“Come. Let me see you to your bed,” Ashutosh said and followed her to her room. He saw couple of cold water strips on a stool beside her bed, “Ye kya hai? Aapko zyada fever hai kya? Aap khud hi thande paani ki patti kar rahi hain?”
Before Nidhi could say anything, he felt her forehead. She was running a very high temperature. “Oh my God! Aapne mujhe bataya kyon nahin. I am surprised you are not delirious already…”
“Sir. Main theek hoon. Aap please…”
“Lie down Dr. Nidhi. Right now!” his voice was so firm and stern that Nidhi could not disobey him. She lied down, as he put the wet strips on her forehead. Her fever came down and she drifted off to sleep. Ashutosh felt awkward sitting in her bedroom and came out in the hall. He would have to wait until either she woke up or someone came. He couldn’t leave her alone in that state.
The two things he was waiting for happened together. The doorbell rung and that made Nidhi wake up.
“Sir? Aap ab tak yahan hain? I think Baba aa gaye hain.”
“Aap baithiye. Main darwaza kholta hoon.”
Nidhi introduced Baba and Ashutosh to each other. After a while Ashutosh made to leave.
“Sir? Main to poochhna hi bhool gayi. Aap kissi kaam se aaye the?”
“Nahin. Main bas aapko dekhne aaya tha. Aapka bukhaar tej tha, isliye maine socha akele chhod kar jaana theek nahin hoga.”
“Bahut bahut shukriya Dr. Ashutosh,” Baba said as Nidhi stared at Ashutosh, “Main chah kar bhi ghr par ruk nahin sakta tha. Chhutti manzoor nahin karte office waale. Achchha hua jo aap yahan ruk gaye. Warna itne tez bukhaar mein…”
“Aap please takalluf na karein Mr. Verma. Take care Dr. Nidhi and get well soon.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Nidhi. Dr. Ashutosh waise sakht insaan to nahin lage jaisa tumne bataya tha,” Baba asked Nidhi after Ashutosh had left.
“Haan Baba. First impression shayad hamesha sahi nahin hota.”
“Sahi kaha tumne.”
“Baba. Woh blood sugar monitor bhi to gaon le jaana tha.”
“Abhi tumhein aisi halat mein chhod kar main gaon kaise jaun beta? Theek ho jao. Phir dono log saath mein chalenge.”
“Ji Baba. Main chai banaun aapke liye?”
“Pagal mat bano. Abhi itni der tumhare boss tumhari pahredaari kar ke gaye hain. Aur main tumhein kitchen mein bhej doonga. Aaraam karo. Main chai bana loonga.”
“Baba. Main itni beemaar nahin hoon,”
“Woh to Dr. Ashutosh ne bataya hi abhi ki kya halat ho gayi thi tumhari. Jao. Andar jao aur let jao.”
—
To be continued