Mish' Fiction

“Excuse me,” Ashutosh was surprised to see a woman in the children’s ward after visiting hours, “Visiting hours khatam ho gaye hain. Aapko ab ghar jaana chahiye.”

“Nahin ji. Meri Dr. Nidhi Verma se baat ho gayi hai. Main to apne bachche ke paas rukne waali hoon,” the woman was confident and almost quarrelous.

“Dr. Nidhi?”

“Ji haan.”

“What the hell…” Asuhtosh mumbled and turned towards to door to look for Nidhi, when he saw her entering the ward.She saw him and stopped in her tracks. A pen she was holding in her hands slipped through. Ashutosh looked at the pen in exasperation and she hastily picked it up.

“Dr. Nidhi. Aapko children’s ward ke rules pata hai na? Yahan parents ko raat mein rukna allowed nahin hai.”

“Y… Yes Sir.”

“Phir aapne inko kiske kahne par permission di hai?”

“Ma… Main… Maine nahin… nahin di, Sir. Woh… meri baat maan hi nahin… rahi thi. To main aapko hi dhonndhne ga… gayi thi.”

Ashutosh sighed and turned back towards the woman, “Dekhiye Ma’am. Ye is ward ka rule hai. Yahan parents raat mein nahin ruk sakte. Isse sabko disturbance hoti hai. Aapke bachche ki poori dekh bhaal yahan hogi. Please leave now and come back tomorrow. Please Ma’am.”

“Lekin…”

“Hum kissi ke liye rules nahin badal sakte,” Ashutosh was stern.

The woman was angry, but she did leave.

“Come to my cabin,” he told Nidhi and walked off.

—

“M… May I come in, Sir?”

“Yes.”

“Sir. A… aapne mujhe bulaya?”

“Dr. Nidhi. Aapke haathon ki ya ungliyon ki muscles kamzor hain?”

“Na… nahin to.”

“To phir aapke haathon se kabhi file, kabhi pen girte padte kyon rahte hain?”

“W… woh main ghabra gayi thi, Sir.”

“Aur aapko stuttering ki problem hai?”

“N… nahin. I mean no Sir.”

“To aap har waqt haklati kyon rahti hain?”

“Na… nahin to Sir. I… I mean har waqt nahin.”

“Look Dr. Nidhi. Is profession mein aapko din-raat logon se deal karna hoga. Log hamesha apna bhala-bura nahin samajhte. Kabhi pyaar se, kabhi sakhti se samjhaana padta hai. Jab bhi koi parent rule todne ki koshish karega, kya aap mere paas daudi aayengi? Aise to kaam nahin chal sakta.”

“Y… Yes Sir.”

“Make yourself a little more confident. You have to believe in yourself and appear confident. Warna patients ki himmat toot sakti hai.”

“R… Right Sir.”

“And for God’s sake stutter karna band kijiye.”

Nidhi did not say anything at all, just nodded in affirmative.

“All right. You can go.”

She turned back and left. She sighed in relief once she was outside his office. He smiled and shook his head after her. “Bilkul pagal hai,” he muttered.

—

“Mujhe nahin pata hai ki ye kaun hai? Lekin ye bachcha behosh pada hua tha sadak par,” Nidhi was explaining the staff of Jeevan Prabha, “Shayad kamzori ki wajah se…”

“Ji doctor bas abhi pahunch hi rahe hain…”

“Der karna sahi nahin hoga. Main khud bhi doctor hoon. Aap please mujhe stethoscope aur doosre instruments dijiye. Main check karti hoon.”

“Lekin…”

“Please…”

“Ji theek hai. Aaiye.”

Nidhi was examining the patient and asked the nurse to prepare saline water to be given to him, when Ashutosh entered the room.

“I am so sorry sister,” he addressed the nurse, “Main traffic jam mein phans gaya tha. Kahan hai bachcha?”

“Ji wahan. Jo madam use le kar aayi thi, unhone kaha ki woh bhi doctor hain to woh use treat kar rahi hain.”

Ashutosh ran towards the bed. Nidhi had already noticed him and had stood up when he reached there.

“Dr. Nidhi?”

“Y… Yes Sir,” she stuttered again, but Ashutosh ignored it and asked her about the patient. He was satisfied with the treatment she had given to him.

“Sir. Aap yahan bhi kaam karte hain?” she asked after the patient had been settled down. She wasn’t feeling nervous after getting a confirmation from him that she had treated the boy right.

“Ye mera hi hospital hai. I mean, mere Baba ne banwaya tha. Jeevan Prabha hospital and orphanage.”

“Oh!” Nidhi was surprised and that afternoon from five years back came back to her mind. “Aapke Baba kaise hain?” she asked.

“Aap mere Baba ke baare mein kyon poochh rahi hain?” Ashutosh was confused.

“Actually ek baar, kareeb paanch saal pahle, main aur mere Baba unhein yahan laaye the. Unhein heart attack aaya tha aur woh hamare ghar ke paas the us waqt.”

Ashutosh looked at her surprised, “Unhein aap yahan laayi thi?”

“Ji. Main agle din aayi thi unhein dekhne. Lekin in logon ne bataya ki unke bete ne, I guess they meant you, unhein shift karwa diya hai. Woh theek to ho gaye the na?”

Ashutosh nodded in negative and said sadly, “Nahin Dr. Nidhi. Woh theek nahin ho paaye. He didn’t survive the cardiac arrest and passed away.”

“Oh!” Nidhi felt extreme sadness envelop her, “I am sorry.”

“But thanks a lot Dr. Nidhi,” for the first time since she had met him Nidhi noticed a hint of emotion in his voice as he talked, “Unki madad karne ke liye. At least unhein saari care to mili. Otherwise…”

“Thanks ki koi zaroorat nahin hai Dr. Ashutosh. Woh to mera farz tha. Meri jagah koi bhi hota to yahi karta. Lekin obviously aapke Baba bahut achchhe insaan the. Bahut logon ka bhala hua hai unki charity se. Unhein bahut logon ki duaen mili hongi. Unki aatma ko zaroor shanti milegi.”

Ashutosh smiled sadly.

“Main chalti hoon, Sir. Baba ghar aa gaye honge aur akele bore ho rahe honge.”

“Baba?”

“Mere father.”

“Aap bhi apne father ko Baba kahti hain.”

“Ji. Ajeeb coincidence hai na?”

“Yeah. Aap kaise aayi hain?”

“Maine ambulance bulwaya tha.”

“Phir main aapko drop karwa deta hoon.”

“Nahin Sir. Main bus le kar chali jaungi.”

“Takalluf ki zaroorat nahin hai Dr. Nidhi. Mera driver aapko drop kar dega.”

“Lekin Sir…”

“Come with me.”

Nidhi had no option but to take his offer.

—

“Sir. Indian Academy of Pediatrics ke annual convention ke passes aa gaye hain. Hum typically inmein se ek kissi intern ko dete hain. Who should we select this time?” Rangnath asked Ashutosh during the departmental administrative meeting.

“Dr. Nidhi Verma,” Ashutosh replied without even thinking over it once.

“Dr. Nidhi?” Mallika interrupted, “Don’t you think hamein kissi KMC ke student ko bhejna chahiye Ashutosh?”

“Mallika. Ye selection KMC ke liye nahin hospital ke liye ho raha hai. When we have taken her as an intern, she is an equal and she is the best intern we have here this year. So, she will get the pass.” Ashutosh said in a final tone leaving no room for any further discussion.

“Theek hai, Sir,” Rangnath noted it down as a to-do for himself and moved on to other matters.

—

“Sir,” Rangnath came to Ashutosh’ cabin.

“Yes Dr. Rangnath.”

“Dr. Nidhi Verma convention ke liye Mumbai nahin jaana chahti. To who is the next choice?”

“Nahin jaana chahti? Kyon?”

“Maine poochha nahin, Sir.”

“Woh abhi duty par hain?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Unhein yahan bhejiye.”

“Sure Sir.”

—

“You do know that this convention is a great opportunity. Aap kyon nahin jaana chahti Dr. Nidhi?”

“Woh… Sir… Baba nahin chahte,” Nidhi tried to cook up an excuse.

“Kyon?”

“I mean, unhein akela chhod kar jaana theek nahin hoga, Sir.”

“Kya unki tabiyat kharaab hai?”

“Nahin to.”

“Phir?”

“Bas Sir. Aise hi.”

“Koi aur baat hai. What is it?”

“Ku… kuchh bhi nahin, Sir.”

“Dr. Nidhi! Tell me the truth.”

Nidhi looked exasperated.

“I am waiting,” he spoke again.

“Sir. Mumbai jaana, aur wahan chaar din rahna mere liye affordable nahin hai… Gaon mein meri Dadi beemaar hain. Baba ki salary unke ilaaj mein chali jaati hai. Aur mere stipend se ghar chalta hai.”

“To kya hua? Convention mein jaane ka expense to hospital bear karega,” Ashutosh himself did not know that he was such a quick and smooth liar.

“Letter mein to likha tha ki sirf convention ke pass ka expense hospital dega…”

“Woh letter purana daal diya hoga Dr. Rangnath ne,” Ashutosh lied again, “Policies update hui hain. Aap chinta mat kijiye. Aapke travel aur stay ka arrangement ho jayega. I will let you know.”

“That’s… that’s great, Sir. Thank you very much,” Nidhi was excited and decided to brush aside her skepticism.

—

“Flight tickets?” Nidhi was surprised,when Ashutosh handed her the ticket.

“Kya hua?”

“Main kabhi flight par gayi nahin hoon,” she said sheepishly.

Ashutosh smiled looking amused, “Koi baat nahin. Main bhi isi flight se ja raha hoon. Main aapko pick kar loonga jaate hue aapke ghar se. Driver ko pata hai na aapka ghar?”

“Ji Sir.”

“Aur haan. Packing karte waqt dhyaan rakhiyega. Cabin luggage mein koi liquid na ho, na hi koi nukili cheez.”

“Cabin luggage?”

“Jo samaan aapke haath mein rahega flight par chahdte hue. Baaki ka samaan check-in ho jaata hai. Aapko use carry karne ki zaroorat nahin hoti.”

“Okay Sir.”

—

To be continued