3.The BLUE-SEARCH!
"Riddhima, when are you going to be free yaar?" Riddhima-No reply. "Riddhimaaa... yaar... baat toh karo!"
It had been a week since he had joined as the ward boy and he enjoyed his new job! Riddhima had started her work as a consultant doctor as soon as he had joined the hospital. She had expected herself to be a bit free, owing to her post. She was a consultant doctor after all. But to her dismay she was one of those busiest doctors in the hospital!
For the last one hour she was studying a report of tests of one of her patients. Her patient was suffering from Ectopic Pregnancy. And Riddhima was much tensed about it. More than the patient herself. She had informed about the dangers in this type of pregnancy to her patient. But she was not ready to abort the child. Riddhima wanted to save both the mother and the child. There was very less time left. Thus she had talked to one of the surgeons in the hospital about this. But the doctor refused to take the case as it was too dangerous. Anything could happen to the patient and thus no one was ready to take the case. She discussed it with the dean of the hospital. He had a very simple question to ask her. "Why don't you operate the patient yourself, Dr. Gupta? You are one of the greatest surgeons. Why do others have to take up your case?" Dr. Malhotra was confused. "But sir I'm a consulting doctor. I don't take up surgeries. I had told it earlier t.." Dr. Malhotra cut her off "But Dr. Gupta, if others are not ready to take it you cannot force them into it...Can you?" She knew he was right and she also knew she had lost the argument! Now all she could do to save the patient was by handling it herself!"Okay sir...I thought you would help me with this. But you don't seem to realize the depth of it all. Anyways, I'll do my best to save her and the baby too." said Riddhima and marched off the dean's cabin with new determination. To save this patient!
"Riddhima, we can't complete our mission if you keep yourself busy this way! I had told you not to join as a doctor here...We would have worked as secret sneakers" Rahul was irritated with her silent treatment. He couldn't take it anymore. "Rahul, if you would shut your mouth for some time, I would be able to complete the work faster" replied Riddhima still looking at the papers in her hands. She couldn't understand why Rahul was so keen on irritating her. That too, today. "Rahul, kal tak I'll be free okay...I won't take up any other surgeries. Tonight. Just tonight. Bear with me. Please". She pleaded. Rahul couldn't see his friend pleading for co-operation. He silently obliged to her requests and got out of the cabin.
Riddhima was interacting with the patient. She was trying to make her understand the situation. But looking at her patient's face, she felt she should save the child at any cost.
"Nurse, drips. Sister Lovely, arrange for blood. She is losing blood rapidly. This is very dangerous. Go and ask for A+ve blood. Hurry okay." Riddhima was instructing all the nurses; though she had very less hope that she could save the baby. She was struggling to stop the bleeding and the baby can be held in the tube only if the bleeding stops! She checked the patient's pulse and was glad that at least this was in a normal state. Meanwhile, Sister Lovely got the blood and Riddhima started with the procedure.
"AAhh...My back hurts..." complained Riddhima as soon as she came to her cabin. "Toh wahan beth jao. Mein coffee lekar aata hun..." Rahul said and left to bring the coffee. He was back after a few minutes. He gave the cup to Riddhima and asked about the surgery. "I'm happy I could save both the mother as well as the baby" She was all relaxed now that she had saved her patient. "The baby? It's just two months for her pregnancy! How come baby? I mean... Itni jaldi it has grown into a baby?" Rahul couldn't understand what Riddhima was talking and couldn't refrain himself from asking that out loud. "Arrey nahin...Baby means the embryo...the fetus Rahul... We had to stop the fetus from moving through the tube. And later on I..." "Okay...Okay...stop it ...I don't understand anything of this thing, except for the words embryo and the fetus! Yeh sab chodo aur coffee khatam karo..." Rahul didn't want to have a head ache with her nonstop explanation about the operation she had just completed. "Yeah...Okay..." Riddhima started sipping her coffee and relaxed on the couch that was placed in a corner. "Waise Rahul, aaj koi kaam nahin tha kya? Subah se hazaar baar mere cabin me ghuse ho!" asked Riddhima. "Haan woh aaj kuch kaam nahin tha...thoda bohoth kaam jo bhi tha usse mein kab ka khatam karli. That's why I was asking if you could free yourself for this one day. You know, hum humare "The BLUE-SEARCH" shuru kar sakte the!" said Rahul. "The what?" was the only thing Riddhima could say after listening to Rahul's statement. "The BLUE-SEARCH." said Rahul coolly. "Huh? Have you lost it? The blue search? What are you talking about?" Riddhima still couldn't figure out what Rahul was talking about! "Search for blue print yaar, Riddhima... How dumb are you?!" Rahul couldn't help but ask her this one question that he knew Riddhima hated the most! "Did you just call me dumb Rahul? DUMB? You are dead today" and the next second they were running all around the cabin. Riddhima was cursing him with the choicest of words and chasing him while Rahul was busy in saving himself from being strangled! After sometime Rahul was tired and fell flat on the couch and Riddhima taking the chance hit him hard on his back. "Oww...That hurts yaar...don't do that and aren't you tired of running?" Rahul had no energy left in him but he noticed that Riddhima looked as if she could run a mile more! Riddhima was taken aback for a moment with his sudden question. She recovered and replied him. "No. I'm not tired of running. I can run for one more hour if you ask me to" and she started hitting him. He was not in a position to run and thus took all her beatings with the owws and aaahhs! Once Riddhima was satisfied, she let him to himself and sat on the chair. "Ahh.kitna marti hai yaar. Mein kal bed se uth nahin pavunga. Kal se tumhe mera treatment karna padega dekhna" said Rahul trying to get up from the couch without hurting his back too much. "Waise Riddhima tumne bataya nahin. Tum khati kya ho jo itni bhagne ki baad bhi aise khade ho?" Riddhima was expecting this question from him anyway. This guy would never miss even a slightest of details! "Ek saal tak meine bhagne ki practice ki hain. So I can run for three to four hours, without break!" Riddhima knew he will ask one more question and she had a ready answer for it. Rahul was shocked to hear that she had practiced running. "Kab? Kab ki itni practice? I'm sure not in your college days." Rahul wanted answers. As expected from Riddhima, Rahul had asked the question. "Last year mein yahin karti thi. Before you ask me, let me tell you, I had done this only after I completed my training to shoot. I was free for one whole year and I thought this was the best. You were anyhow busy in your task at hand. So I utilized my time for this." Rahul was shocked. He was shocked not because Riddhima had practiced running but because she had finished her training in two years! "Did you really finish your training in just two years?" asked Rahul. "Yes. I did" replied Riddhima. "Hmm...You are a fast learner I see. But why didn't you tell me this before?" "You never asked me!" pat came reply from Riddhima. "Hmm...Okay... I need to go to Dr. Khanna's cabin now. He will be coming in a while. You go to your room and rest. Tomorrow whenever you are free, we can work "The BLUE-SEARCH" out." said Rahul while walking towards the door. "Rahul what has gotten into you? You weren't this crazy a month ago." said Riddhima. "Nothing, my dear friend. Kisi ka sangat ka asar hai" Rahul walked out of the cabin grinning. Riddhima was quite amused with the name Rahul had taken to use for their task. She was liking this changed behaviour of her friend though she couldn't find out whose "Sangat" turned him this crazy, that he names their task as The BLUE-SEARCH!"Strange" thought Riddhima. She had nothing more to think about that day and the couch there looked very inviting. She was tired not as much as Rahul. But tired anyway. The surgery had her brain worn out. She was tired. Mentally. And she dropped herself on the couch.
Riddhima was startled out of her relaxing sleep when someone tapped her shoulder gently, trying to wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes to see some stranger standing in front of her. "Ji kya mein jaan sakta hun yahan Mrs. Antony ki cabin kaunsi hai? I'm confused because of the number of corridors I had to pass all this while. Well...I thought this was the cabin I had been searching for. But you don't really seem like Mrs. Antony" said the stranger with the slight hint of teasing. Riddhima stood up and replied him a bit angry. "Hello mister, what do you think of yourself? Aise hi kise ke bhi cabin me ghus jaate hai kya? Woh bhi ek ladki ke cabin me?" Riddhima was fuming. "Toh wahan door pe board lagayiye ki "yeh ladki ki cabin hain!". Accha rahega!" If she could shout he was no less! "Ho kya raha hai yahan pe?" Mrs. Antony had come into the cabin listening to the shouts. "Yeh hospital hai. Aawaz neeche rakhiyega! Aur aap kaun hai?" Mrs. Antony asked the man standing in front of her. "Ji mein ...woh Dr. Kirthi..." before he could complete what he was saying Mrs. Antony started speaking. "Oh..Aap...I am sorry...Mein pehchan nahin payi...chaliye, mere cabin me beth ke baat karte hain" and she took him to her cabin. Riddhima was left standing there without a clue as to who that stranger was!
Rahul had finished his routine work with Dr. Khanna and was walking out of the hospital as his duty was over. He neared Mrs. Antony's cabin. He slowed down his pace. He was about to go and stand near the door to listen to the conversations going on, but he saw someone stepping out of the cabin. He stayed there, behind a pillar to see who it was, instead of walking past the cabin. Anything related to Mrs. Antony would be useful for their work. "Thank you, Mrs. Antony. It was great meeting you" said the guy. "Pleasure was all mine" said Mrs. Antony. Rahul felt that he had heard that guy's voice somewhere. It was a familiar, husky voice. He racked his brain to retain the memory of where he had heard it. But the racking was of no use. How much ever he tried he wasn't reaching anywhere. He saw the guy walking away. He waited until Mrs. Antony shut her cabin door and went behind the guy. He followed him outside and saw him entering the living quarters provided for the doctors. He was about to go after him into the quarters when he was called by a nurse. "Rahul, Dr. Khanna tumhe bula rahe hain. Abhi jao" and she went from there after giving him the message. "Abbey...iss Khanna ki toh mein ..." he went off to Dr. Khanna's cabin muttering away to glory!
Riddhima was walking from the quarters' canteen to her room. She was feeling very sleepy. All she wanted was to hit her bed and have a goodnight's sleep! She was busy in keeping her eyes open when she bumped into someone. She fell down because of the force with which she had been pushed. "Oh I'm really sorry. Miss, are you hu..." he left it hanging by looking at her. "Oh Miss Ladki..! Aap cabin me bhi so rahe the aur ab chalet waqt bhi. Kya baat hain?" Riddhima looked up for being called with a weird name. "Ji aap? Yahan?" Riddhima didn't know what to say. He was so right! She was sleeping in the cabin and now while walking as well! "Ji...aap theek toh hain.. You didn't hurt yourself right?" asked the man. "Huh...yeah...I'm alright. Thank you..." said Riddhima. She was expecting some taunts from the man but was surprised when he asked if she was alright. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm...I'm really sorry..." Riddhima apologized. But he was not ready to let a girl take the entire blame on herself! "No. No it's okay...you don't have to be sorry. It was my mistake too. I should have looked out for someone coming from the other side. Hmm... I should leave I guess. It's very late and you seem to be very tired. Good night, Doc. Take care" and the guy walked away. Riddhima came back to her room and thought a bit more about the accident she met with just a few minutes ago. "He's not bad. Just a bit crazy I guess" she thought and slept off.
It was two in the morning and Rahul was still awake. He had come back from the hospital very late. Sleep was not in his hand's reach for the night. He was still thinking to figure out who that guy was. He knew he had some close encounters with that person. But his mind wasn't helping him to remember who it was. "Mein pagal hote jaa raha hun! Kaun tha yaar woh? Woh quarters aaya tha toh...aargh...my brain is betraying me today... I need some good sleep! Good night Rahul. So jaa..." and he tried to sleep all in vain!
The next day Riddhima was waiting in her cabin for Rahul. But he didn't come at all. She was free in the morning and thus she had texted him saying she is free. But he didn't show up! Something very unusual of him. She was worried now. She thought to ask at the nurse station and was about to get up when he came and stood in front of her from nowhere! "Where were you?" asked Riddhima. Rahul seemed tired. His eyes were blood-shot red and his face didn't have that fresh look. "Aren't you feeling well Rahul? Kya huva?" Rahul came inside and perched himself on the couch. "I'm alright yaar. Just feeling sleepy" Riddhima could see that he was feeling sleepy just by looking at his condition. But what she didn't understand was why he was feeling sleepy. "Raath kya kar rahe the Rahul?" Riddhima started to suspect if he had worked all night to find the blue print. "Huh...raath...raath ko so nahin paaya... Ahh I need some sleep..." Rahul was mumbling. Riddhima thought to let him sleep until he is called for his duty and sat silently by the table. After few minutes Riddhima's pager beeped indicating that there was a meeting. Riddhima had to go there immediately and thus she woke Rahul. "Kya yaar...tum jao...mein apne aap uthke chale javunga..." Riddhima was irritated with his reply. "Rahul get yourself moving. You will be called to work soon. Get up Rahul" and she hit him hard on his butt. "Accha theek hai...ab maarna shuru mat karna...Please..."
Riddhima with her fellow doctors was waiting for the dean, Dr. Malhotra. After five minutes he came in. "Doctors, this meeting is held especially for all of you, to let you know something very important. We have appointed a new doctor to our hospital. He'll be working as senior Cardiologist of the hospital. I'm sure you all want to know who it is. I won't make you wait doctors. Dr. Armaan Mallik, please andar aayiye..." Dr. Malhotra completed his talk about the introduction of the new doctor and Riddhima couldn't help but comment at the way Dr. Malhotra was introducing the new doctor! "Bol toh aise rahe hai jaise koi Hollywood ka actor ko yahan pe laye hain" Riddhima had just completed her comment when the new doctor made his royal entry into the conference hall. Well it wasn't any royal entry. But the new doctor did have that effect, which automatically turned his entry a royal one! The lady sitting beside Riddhima had already lost her heart to the new doctor. Riddhima was unable to react for some time until his eyes met with hers! The blue eyes had caught her gaze.
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Edited by seyacandyfloss - 10 years ago
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