Part 25
Gathering around the nurse station, everyone waited for Dr. Keerti to show up, however Ridhima found herself getting more and more irritated by how Armaan was happily chatting with Nikki.
Biting the inside of her lip, Ridhima rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest, tapping her foot impatiently. When were they going to stop?
"ey, Nikki…tum kahaan rehti ho?" Atul suddenly queried, interrupting Armaan and Nikki's conversation.
Ridhima, suddenly curious too, turned and looked at Nikki and waited for the answer.
"Mein Armaan ke saath rehti hoon" Nikki said with a smile.
Before Ridhima could stop herself, she blurted out, "what?!"
Nikki turned towards her with a confused look and said, "um, yeah…woh time hi nahin mila koi place dhondne ke liye, toh…" She trailed off.
Ridhima once more felt the tightening in her stomach, and had to bite her lip once more from saying anything more. But she was bursting with questions, she had to know whether…they were just friends or…
"so you guys live together, and your parents don't mind?" Anjali asked, and Ridhima had to stop herself from hugging her sister for voicing out some of the things that were nagging her. She just hoped none of this turmoil was visible on her face.
She turned to Nikki once more, and briefly looked at Armaan when he gave a snort.
She saw Nikki slap his chest at his response, and turned back to Anjali to say, "Of course not! My parents love Armaan, and they would rather I lived with him than on my own"
Ridhima saw how Armaan once more gave her a side-hug, and had to grit her teeth from yelling out in frustration. Why did Armaan have to continuously give herhugs….couldn't he give hugs to Atul…or Rahul? They were his friends too, right, so why couldn't he hug them and why did he have to hug her?
Ridhima was fuming in the inside, and what frustrated her was that she had no idea why. Why was she getting angry over Armaan and Nikki's friendship? Why did she want him to stay away from her?
"why?" Ridhima whispered out loud without realizing it.
"Sorry, did you say something?"
Ridhima's head snapped up to see Armaan looking at her quizzically. She blushed when she realized that she had said it out loud.
"er…no" Ridhima replied hastily, and turned away from Armaan before he could say anything else.
"Good morning, interns. I hope you have finished your reports, they have to be on my desk before your duties finish. The cases remain the same, you all are going to be evaluated on how you have researched the injuries and the steps taken to make sure the patient remains healthy. Dr. Ridhima you are in the maternity ward along with Dr. Armaan. Dr. Atul you are in the Children Ward with Dr. Anjali and Dr. Rahul you are in OPD with Dr. Nikki and Dr. Muskaan. Any problems?"
All the interns shook their head.
"good, get to work" Dr. Keerti said and went from there to work on her patients.
Ridhima and Armaan were walking towards the maternity ward, and Ridhima was continuously replaying the scene in her head of Nikki and Armaan.
"You and Nikki seem to be pretty close friends" Ridhima blurted out before she could stop herself. The moment those words left her mouth, she felt her face warming, and tried avoiding eye contact with Armaan.
"I guess…we have known each other since we were kids" Armaan said, shrugging his shoulders.
Ridhima nodded, and had to once again bite her lip to refrain herself from asking the most obvious question, whether they were more than friends or not.
Sighing, she opened the glass doors to the ward, and held it open for Armaan. Both of them got to their duties.
Opening the door to one of the rooms, Ridhima walked in to see a woman lying on the bed her hand tightly clasped in her husband's hand, blushing as he whispered some things to her.
Clearing her throat slightly, she gave them a small smile and proceeded over to the lady.
Taking her file, she saw the patient's name was Mrs Neetu Sharma
"Hello Mrs. Sharma, I am Dr. Ridhima and I am here to do some routine check-ups, just to make sure everything is going well" Ridhim said as she took out her stethoscope.
Mrs Sharma gave her a small smile and nodded, briefly looking at her husband.
Ridhima noted her breathing and noted some things down.
She heard the door open, and looked up to see Armaan entering.
He came on the other side of the bed, and took out the electronic blood pressure monitor.
"So how many months along are you?" Ridhima asked, trying to make a conversation as she examined Mrs. Sharma's eyes, trying to see if there was any infection.
"8 months, this is my first baby…we have been trying for ages." Mrs Sharma said, with a huge smile.
"It's like a miracle" Mr. Sharma said, and they both looked at each other, tears in their eyes.
"It is…" Mrs. Sharma whispered, then turned to Ridhima and gave her a smile once more.
Ridhima smiled back, and looked at Armaan who was frowning at the screen.
He caught her eye, and said, "the blood pressure is a tiny bit higher for my liking…I'll do it again"
Ridhima nodded, and gave a reassuring look to Mrs. Sharma, who seemed worried.
"Mrs. Sharma, have you had any severe back aches, or any other aches or pains?" Armaan asked, as he took the reading again.
"Sometimes, but isn't that normal in pregnancy?" Mrs. Sharma asked, as she cast a worried look to Mr. Sharma who was next to her within a second, holding her hand.
Ridhima and Armaan shared a look.
Back aches were normal, but severe ones usually meant, miscarriage or preterm labor. Ridhima turned to Mrs. Sharma and said,
"Mrs Sharma, back aches are common in pregnancy, but severe ones aren't a good sign. Do you usually get such bad ones that you can hardly move? Move any of your legs?" Ridhima asked, hoping she would deny them, but her heart dropped slightly when she nodded.
"W-what can we do? What does it mean?" Mr. Sharma asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice, but failing.
Ridhima looked at them with sympathy, then looked down took a deep breath and looked back up, "It can mean several things, it can be due to kidney or bladder infection….it can lead to preterm labor…or even miscarriage" Ridhima whispered the last part.
Mrs. Sharma took in a sharp breath, and let out a tiny sob. Mr. Sharma wrapped his arms around her, and held her tight.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Mr. Sharma asked, as he tried to comfort his wife.
"we can induce labor, but it is not recommended when the patient is just 8 months" Ridhima said.
"I do not care if it is not bloody recommended, do you hear me? I want this baby to survive at any cost!" Mr. Sharma snapped at her, raising his voice.
Ridhima jumped slightly at his raised voice, and was completely taken aback. There truly wasn't much she could do.
"Mr. Sharma, we will try our best however as a doctor we were telling you everything that a doctor is meant to tell you, which includes what we recommend or not" Armaan cut in, his eyes hardened slightly.
"please, please…please do something to save my baby..please, even if it means I don't survive, I don't care…but please mere bachche ko bacha lo…mein haath jodti hoon,please" Mrs Sharma pleaded with Ridhima as she sobbed, and Ridhima looked at her helplessly.
"yeh kya baat kar rahi hain Neetu…kuch nahin hoga, shhh…it's ok" Mr Sharma said, as he tried calming her down.
However the fact that she was going to lose her baby…the one whom she had acquired after so much difficulty started taking a toll on her and she sobbed harder.
Ridhima and Armaan noticed that this condition was not going to help her, and tried calming her down too.
"Mrs. Sharma, listen to me…aapke bachche ko kuch nahin hoga, please aap rona bandh kariye, it's not good for the child!" Ridhima said, as she tried calming her down.
Mrs. Sharma shook her head, and her hand immediately shot to her back as a big stab of pain went through her.
"ahh!" She screamed, as the pain numbed her legs, and persisted, getting worse.
"Mrs. Sharma, you need to calm down, please!" Armaan said desperately.
However it was too late now, and both the doctors knew. If they did nothing now, the baby nor the mother would survive.
"Ridhima, page Dr. Keerti NOW!" Armaan ordered her, as he paged for a stretcher.
Ridhima nodded and took out her pager
Emergency in Room 214 Maternity ward premature labor
"W-what's happening…what's happening…Neetu? NEETU? NEETU, please! WHAT'S HAPPENING!" Mr. Sharma screamed and Ridhima grabbed his arm as she tried puling him to the side.
"Mr. Sharma, your wife and the baby are in danger, and we fear that she has gone into premature labor. We have to get the baby out, before either of them is harmed." Ridhima explained quickly, and rushed to help Armaan put Mrs. Sharma on the stretcher.
Rushing her to the OT, they paged the nurses to have it ready for delivery.
Ridhima tried looking around for Dr. Keerti, but she wasn't there.
Sighing in frustration, Ridhima looked at Armaan and caught his eye.
"Dr.Keerti?" he asked, and Ridhima shook her head.
Rushing her inside the OT, they washed their hands put their gloves and masks. Ridhima quickly put her hair back, and put it in a cap.
Armaan and Ridhima looked at each other. How were they going to do this? Do a delivery on their own? They had never ever stepped into the OT on their own, it had always been with a resident.
"Armaan, we cannot do this! We..we don't have any idea what to do in there….we will probably stuff it all up! The doctor in-charge, had the day off…and by the time she gets here, it would be too late! What do we do Armaan? Oh god, I cannot do this, I can't…I can't!" Ridhima became more and more hysterical as she went on.
Armaan grabbed her shoulders, and put a finger to her lips, shushing her. She immediately shut her mouth however there were tears in her eyes, and her face was showing every bit of fear she felt inside her.
Armaan slowly shook his head, and said, "we are the last hope she has. We give up, and the chances of the baby surviving are none. You have to believe in yourself Ridhima. All that study, everything…will be tested today. Remember Med. School Ridhima…we can do it" Armaan said.
Ridhima felt a tiny bit of relief in her stomach, as the images went through her head of teachers giving long lectures on studies…performing cuts on dead bodies…seeing the numerous diagrams in their books.
Ridhima felt a bit more confident as her teachers voice echoed in her ears, informing her all about pregnancy.
Nodding slightly, she walked into the OT to see the nurse putting an injection in Mrs. Sharma's back, to ease the pain away.
"my baby…please mere bacche ko bacha lo! Please!" Mrs Sharma kept repeating, a protective arm around her stomach, crying.
Ridhima felt the clenching in her stomach, and her palms started becoming sweaty. Trembling, Ridhima put Mrs. Sharma's legs up, and checked how much she had dilated.
"not enough" Ridhima muttered, feeling indecisive about everything. She knew it wasn't enough, but what if she was wrong, what if it was enough and she was misinterpreting it? What if she was going to stuff up.
She looked at Armaan for a second opinion and he nodded and said, "we need to wait…but…there isn't much time Ridhima..what do we do?"
Ridhima knew that Armaan was asking her, so she could get over her nerves…by answering and getting the questions right, it would help. But Ridhima found herself stuttering, and racking her brains for an answer. She knew it…but she blanked out…and couldn't think of anything.
She felt a hand enclose around hers, and she looked at Armaan with tears in her eyes.
"what do we do?" Armaan asked her patiently, though she could see the lines across his forehead, indicating he was as stressed out as she was…if not more.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "we do a C-section. We have to save the baby"
He nodded once more, giving her a brief smile, and asked the nurse to get everything ready for a C-section.
Ridhima wished that they didn't have to. She silently prayed to god that this delivery would be normal, and without many complications.
She checked again, and said, "we will wait for 5 more minutes Armaan, if she isn't fully dilated by then, we have to perform the C-section, otherwise this baby is not going to survive"
She saw as another contraction gripped Mrs. Sharma, and closed her eyes tightly, holding onto her stomach, and crying out slightly.
She put a wet cloth on her forehead, and tried calming her down.
They cut open the gown at the stomach, and put some anesthetic there. Putting the light in that area, they were prepared to perform the surgery incase Mrs. Sharma needed it.
Mrs. Sharma cried out once more, and Armaan indicated for Ridhima to get prepared.
Ridhima went and checked, and breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was safe for the baby to come out.
"You need to push Mrs. Sharma" Ridhima said, as Armaan checked the blood pressure.
After a few pushes, Armaan informed her,
"her blood pressure is dropping Ridhima" She felt a chill down her back, and said,
"C'mon Mrs. Sharma Push!"
However as the head started coming closer, she saw the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck. She gasped and exclaimed,
"Mrs. Sharma! Stop! Don't push!"
Armaan hurried there, and checked the baby.
It was too dangerous for them to cut the umbilical cord, because the baby's neck was still not out, and another push could have strangled it.
"we have to do a Crash Cesarean Section" Armaan said, as he got up, and got the nurse to bring the scalpel to him.
"Ridhima? Do you want to?" Armaan asked, as he held the scalpel out to her.
Ridhima took it, and briefly put it on Mrs. Sharma's lower abdomen. Suddenly her nerves gripped her, and she couldn't apply any pressure to it.
Suddenly a hand enclosed around her hand, and applied pressure to the scalpel, breaking the skin of Mrs. Sharma as they started slicing open her lower abdomen.
Ridhima looked sideways, and saw Armaan standing directly behind her, his hand around her, concentrating on the cut. His eyes locked on hers for a mili-second, and in that time Ridhima conveyed all the thanks and gratitude she could for providing her with the support she needed.
The nerves were still there, but adrenalin was pumping through her veins, making her concentrate on controlling the bleeding, while trying to get the baby out safe and sound.
Armaan's hand left hers, and went around, trying to get the umbilical cord to leave the baby's neck.
Ridhima's hands supported the baby's head and body, as she started lifting the baby up. Armaan cut the umbilical cord, and his one hand wrapped at the back of the baby's neck, supporting it, his fingers resting on Ridhima's.
Their eyes met, and Ridhima had tears in her eyes. They had done it. They had done a safe cesarean, and both the baby and the mother were safe.
Armaan grinned and winked at her. She giggled, the adrenalin making her
giddy. They handed the baby to the nurse, who proceeded to pinch the baby, so it would cry. Ridhima and Armaan let out a sigh of relief when they heard the wail of a child, as it was put in the cot, and cleaned. Ridhima turned to Mrs Sharma, who was looking at them, the gratitude clear in her eyes.
Ridhima took out her gloves, and threw them in the bin. She reached down and squeezed Mrs. Sharma's hand, providing her with the comfort, and sharing the happiness.
"Would you like to see your baby?" Armaan asked.
Mrs. Sharma looked at him, and nodded, tears glistening in her eyes.
Armaan took the baby from the nurse, and handed it to Mrs. Sharma. She caressed its head, ad gave it a kiss on the head.
She turned to them, and said, "thank you. Thank you so much"
Ridhima and Armaan smiled, and Armaan took the baby from her and handed it back to the nurse.
********
Throwing the masks and hats away, Armaan looked up to see Ridhima scrubbing her hands, still smiling from ear to ear.
He smiled, and stood beside her, washing his hands in the sink beside her.
She looked up, and waited for him to finish cleaning his hands, he hand just wiped his hands dry, when he turned around and was engulfed in a hug. Surprised, he stood still for a minute.
When the grip tightened, and Armaan once again caught her vanilla scent, Armaan slowly wrapped his hands around her, holding her to him just as tightly.
"Thank you so much Armaan. If you hadn't been there…I don't know what I would have done. Thank you so much!" She whispered in his ear.
Armaan smiled deeply, and held her close, inhaling her scent, he said, "no worries, basket. After all, what are friends for, right?"
He felt good in saying she was his friend, but there was that pull on his heart again…it almost seemed like it pained him to find her just his friend. He frowned slightly, as that thought came into his mind, and pushed it away.
Breaking away from the hug, he gave her another grin. She looked at him, tucking her hair behind her ear, and gave him a small smile.
Things suddenly felt awkward again. Almost like the day when they had come so close in the fire-escape.
Clearing his throat, he scratched the back of his head, and said, "Anyway, great job today, basket…you were great"
He took his lab coat that was hanging next to the door, put it on, and went out.Ridhima stood there for a minute or two after Armaan had left. The turmoil of emotions within her was making her frustrated. She had no idea what was happening to her. She stood there, her eyes glazed over, as she replayed how Armaan had provided with the comfort and support in the OT…boosting her confidence and not letting her see the nerves that he was feeling at the moment.
Ridhima felt her heart skip another beat, and another smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
You were great Ridhima
Those words echoed in her ears, and the smile reached her ears.
"You too, Armaan. You too" She whispered to no one. 
Current Affairs
270