FF- Destiny's Play (2) Chap 7 Pg 76 Siggy pg 105 - Page 17

😆 I realize that...

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Belated congratulations for the second thread. Waiting.

Hello Jayasreeji, how are you today?

Hello Aarti.. I am always in a good mood when either Sujatha or you post an update. How do you do?

Chapter Five

"Why do you care sir? They are probably just impulsive acts of an immature girl fifteen years your junior."

Those words kept resonating in his mind. After staying on the road long enough to see for himself that she reached her apartment building safely, Ashutosh drove home. But he couldn't remember driving. Or reaching home. Or changing. And here he was, the next day morning at KGH, in his cabin, still thinking about those words.

Immature, impulsive, junior. She was none of those things. Sure, she had probably started out that way when she had been a new intern under his tutelage but it hadn't taken her very long to blossom into a competent junior doctor. Yet, she thought that was how he had viewed her all through their relationship. And maybe he did too. And Mallika hadn't helped things either. His friend had known his weakness, his fear that he was too old and jaded for Nidhi and had used it ruthlessly. But he didn't blame Mallika either. No. The fault had been his. For listening to her and basing his own acts on her thoughts. And that long ago day when Nidhi and he had parted ways, what was it that Nidhi had said? Mallika had hurt her time and again. But Nidhi had never shared any of that with him at that time. Why?

In the next moment, he scoffed at himself. As if he would need rocket science to know the reason. Nidhi felt that if she said anything he wouldn't believe her. She probably had been too scared to rock the boat. That meant her level of insecurity went deep even when they had been together. She had felt she could not compete with Mallika. That he would trust his friend more. Wasn't that what he did in the past? More than once? He winced and cringed in shame. Reasons behind his actions didn't matter. All she could see was him siding his friend.

Yet two years ago she had tried to fight for their feelings and their relationship. Now he was ready to fight but she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. So where did that leave them? Back at square one? Did they really have a chance this time around? Circumstances were still the same. He didn't know but he sure would fight for that chance with everything in him. Nidhi didn't trust him. But she still loved him. Probably more than he deserved or imagined. He couldn't..wouldn't let her love..their love down by being a coward. He would stand, face his fears and fight. He would win her all over again. He can't let her go now. He can't survive it. Not again. Never again.

"Ashutosh, you listening to what I'm saying?" Armaan's fingers snapping in front of his eyes brought him out of his contemplations.

"Uh..yeah..what?"

Armaan sighed and patiently repeated. "We need that OT back in order soon. This hospital can't function with just two OTs boss. I had to postpone three of my surgeries because Dr Gandhi had some emergency C-section."

"Yeah..yeah. I already discussed this with the others. Work is all done and fumigation is on. You should have it by this evening."

"Thank the God Lo.."

The firm knock on Ashutosh's cabin door cut off the rest of Armaan's sentence and a moment later, Nidhi entered. She barely looked at either man. But one glance at her, Ashutosh knew why she had come. And he was right. She extended a neatly folded A4 size paper.

"Sir, I'm resigning. This..this is my resignation letter. Since..since it is before the scheduled date, I'm willing to forgo my pay for the duration that I have worked."

Nidhi knew that she was sounding desperate. But she didn't have a choice. Up until the previous night, she had tried to stick to her professional mode, shoving away all her personal feelings aside for the duration of the six weeks. But after the previous night..something snapped within her. He had not been Dr Ashutosh Mathur. He had been her Ashuji. Those deep intense eyes had looked at her as if memorizing and treasuring her face. And the stunned wonder in his eyes at her outburst. Now he knew. He knew and she didn't want to wait and find out what he would do with that knowledge. She was strong but not that strong. Another punch like the one he had delivered two years ago and she would shatter and die. She had to get away. Away from this man.

"Resign? But Nidhi.." Armaan frowned as he leaned forward in his seat.

Ashutosh picked up the intercom and punched a number. "Ranganath, can you get Dr Nidhi's file into my cabin, please? Immediately. Yes. Thank you."

Sure enough, barely a few moments later, Ranganath entered the cabin with the requested file in his hand and extended it to Ashutosh. "What is this about sir?"

Armaan was quick to impart the information. "Nidhi has submitted her resignation." Both men exchanged hopeless looks. What to do now?

Ashutosh made a great production of reading the contract that Nidhi had signed before agreeing to come to KGH as a temporary doctor. At the end he looked up with a faint frown. "The contract you've signed states that six weeks Dr Verma and you've been here for a week. You still have five weeks to go."

"Yes sir..but.." Nidhi was at a loss for a few moments before recovering. "But since most of the doctors who had been on leave are now back on duty.."

"Nowhere in the contract does it state the clause that you can quit under such circumstances."

Damn! Why was he doing this to her? What does he want? "Surely, you can make an exception. I'm sure Dr Ranganath doesn't want KGH to be over staffed."

"It is very nice of you to be worried about the administrative issues of KGH but frankly, they don't concern you, Dr Verma."

Armaan and Ranganath by now were watching the face off and the volley of words being exchanged like two referees in an exciting tennis match. Sternly controlling his impulse to thump his fist in the air, Armaan assumed a neutral expression on his face and cleared his throat to draw the attention. "Nidhi..uh..Dr Nidhi Verma, Dr Ashutosh is right. You can't break the contract. It has never been done before in KGH and sure to leave a black mark."

Ranganath was quick to agree. "Yes, yes. We can't have that. What would the medical community think? That KGH can't hold on to even the temporary doctors?" He shook his head ruefully.

Ashutosh closed the file and handed it back to Ranganath before turning towards Nidhi. "Is that it?"

Reading the effective dismissal in that one word, she reluctantly nodded and took a step back. "Ranganath, how are you feeling today?"

"Me?" Ranganath blinked at Nidhi's sudden question. Then winced and stumbled as Armaan swiftly kicked him under the table. "Uh..yeah..me..yes. I'm fine. Better. Much better now. I shouldn't have eaten that paneer."

Nidhi frowned. "But..I thought it was corn."

Ranganath took a hasty step back to avoid another kick to his shins. "Yes. That too. I'm allergic to both actually. And the starter had both. Double impact. Double impact."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K54Zgrmlamk

Rom rom tera naam pukaare Ek hue din reain hamare
Hum se hum hi chiin gaye hai Jab se dekhe hai nainn deewane
Sajda ..

Nidhi nodded and with another long look at Ashutosh, which he returned with intent burning eyes, she turned and walked out of the cabin.

"Why won't you let me go?"

"I won't let you go. I can't."

Teri kaali ankhiyon se jind meri jaage
Dhadkan se tej daudu, sapno se aagey
Ab jaan lutt jaaye, ye jahaan chhut jaaye
Sang pyaar rahe, main rahun na rahun
Sajda tera sajda,
Din reain karoon na hi chain karoon
Sajda tera sajda
Rak vaar karoon meri jaan lut doon

Pin drop silence ensued in the cabin after Nidhi's departure. Ashutosh blinked and shook his head as if to clear his thoughts before asking, "Ranganath, do you have the OPD duty list ready for this week?"

Ranganath nodded and handed over the file. Ashutosh quickly scanned the pages. The whole of the week Nidhi was going to be working with him. As his assistant. He quickly whipped out his pen and scribbled his signature before handing it over back to Ranganath. His eyes were solemn as he met the younger man's cautious look.

"Thank you." Ranganath understood what he was being thanked for and with a faint smile and a nod, took both the files and left the cabin. Armaan inhaled deeply and got up to go when Ashutosh's words reached him. "It's not good to kick people under the table, Armaan."

****

Nidhi looked at the OPD list and the case sheets in her hand. So, he wants her to stay. Fine. She would. She'd lived with the pain of his desertion for two long lonely years. She can sure do it for five more weeks, can't she? At least now she didn't have Dr Mallika's taunts to deal with. If she could get through this one week of OPD..of working along his side from 9AM to 2 PM at a stretch, she would be fine. She can keep the interaction to a bare minimum for the next four weeks and that would be it. Five hours every day for the next six days. Sure. She can do it. And if truth be told, there was a part of her that wanted that memory to store up too. She just hoped that once these five weeks were up, she could exit KGH with her sanity intact. Her heart..she had no scope of salvaging that though.

With another sigh, she picked up the files and made her way to the OPD of KGH where there were a row of cabins. Each cabin was allocated for the duty doctor of the week and there was a large reception area where all the patients waited in the vinyl chairs. Nurses were still bustling in and out of the cabins making sure everything was in place. Nidhi nodded at the three interns who were currently working in the neurology department. They wouldn't be doing anything much except sit in the spacious cabin, observe various cases and take notes on the doctor's diagnosis. Looking at their tense faces, Nidhi understood that they had already got the news as to who would be in the OPD today. Her lips stretched into a faint smile. Not long ago, she had been like them.

Goosebumps rose all over her back and neck. That was her internal radar screaming at her that Dr Ashutosh Mathur has entered the OPD. Sure enough, the brisk tap of his shoes reached her a moment later. With a nod at her and the interns, he entered the cabin. Nidhi gave him three minutes before going inside. And the interns followed her like a row of ducks. Moments later, the first patient walked in. Nidhi silently handed over the file to Ashutosh. A case of slip disc and a patient who refused to follow the exercise regime.

Ashutosh glanced through the file before turning to the patient. "Has the pain improved in the last three weeks?"

"No sir. It's horrible. I can barely sit for ten minutes at a stretch."

"Have you been doing the exercises?"

"Yes sir."

But something made him look at Nidhi who was standing behind the patient. She shook her head in a minute movement. His expression cleared. "And the sleep position? Are you still using the pillow?"

"No sir."

Nidhi shook her head again. She had been talking to the patient earlier and knew that the instructions given in the previous visit have been ignored. The patient solely relied on meds and expected to be back in full form in no time at all. Ashutosh this time had looked straight at her while he asked the question and caught her shake of head immediately. He nodded and scribbled his notes.

"I can't help you if you lie to me Mr Vyas. Meds only reduce the inflammation and pain. They do not cure what is ailing you. And neither are they long term solutions for your problem."

And on and on it went. The OPD moved faster than ever before with the interns scrabbling to keep up with the dean and the assistant. At one point one of them sighed and gave up. "I can't do it," she whispered. "They are talking in some code language. I'm not able to follow."

"I know," the second one was quick to agree. "How does she know what he wants before he asks for it? And the gestures..it is like they are discussing about the patient right in front of the patient without a word being spoken. How are we to know?" Their bewilderment was obvious.

Not to be left out, the third one leaned in to mutter, "If you ask me, he is hardly looking or acting like our famous Heartstone." All three agreed.

Ashutosh closed the file and handed it back to Nidhi. "Next?"

Nidhi had seen him rub his forehead twice. "Next..break time." She picked up the intercom and called the canteen. "Dr Ashutosh ke cabin mein ek cup chai bhejiye please. Adrak wali."

Ranjhna... naino ke teer chal gaye
Sajna... saanson se dil sil gaye
Palkon mein chupa loon, oh tera sajda karoon
Seenay mein samaa loon, oh din reain karoon
Palkon mein chupa loon, seenay mein samaa loon
Tere ang ang rang mera bole

"Please take a break sir. We'll start again in ten minutes."

As she turned to go, his voice stopped her. "You can join too. I mean..all of you are welcome to have tea right here."

She shook her head firmly and turned her head slightly. Her wary eyes met his hopeful ones. "No thank you sir. We'll have it in the canteen and join you in ten minutes." The interns breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bustled out of the cabin behind her. The way they complemented each other in their respective professional modes scared her and she needed the space to come to terms with it.

Ab jaan lutt jaaye, ye jahaan chhut jaaye
Sang pyaar rahe, main rahun na rahun
Sajda tera sajda,

****

OPD finally wrapped up; Nidhi made her way to the canteen and ordered herself a sandwich. But before she could take a bite, her pager beeped and after a quick glance at it, she threw the sandwich back on the plate and ran towards the ICU. The scene that greeted her stopped in her tracks as everything in her just..froze. One of the post-operative patients, a seven year old boy, was having a seizure. But in the next moment, she shook herself and shouted at the hovering panicked staff.

"Call Dr Ashutosh. NOW. MOVE!"

With a hasty nod, the nurse scurried away. Nidhi quickly started loading the anti-epileptic drugs and went through the patient chart to know the history and surgery details. Bare moments later, the ICU door swished open and Ashutosh entered. Without further delay, Nidhi gave him a rapid fire update and they quickly got things under control. As Ashutosh administered the drug and waited for it to take effect, Nidhi went out of the ICU to reassure the panicked parents.

"Please. Relax. Your child is safe. Relax. Sit down and take a deep breath. Don't panic. Everything is fine now." Her soft voice soothed the frayed nerves of the parents.

"But..what happened?" asked the worried father.

Quickly she explained the concept of seizures after anaesthesia and the reasons and their treatment process in layman terms. "So don't worry. Your child is in best hands. Dr Ashutosh is not one of the best. He is the best. He won't let anything happen to your son."

Nidhi's assuring words to the couple had been instinctive. As was her decision to call Ashutosh when she saw the child having seizures. She didn't hesitate or think twice about it. Ashutosh, who had just walked out of the ICU, heard every word she uttered. And his heart rejoiced.

Ab jaan lutt jaaye, ye jahaan chhut jaaye
Sang pyaar rahe, main rahun na rahun
Sajda tera sajda,
Din reain karoon na hi chain karoon
Sajda tera sajda
Rak vaar karoon meri jaan lut doon

****

That night Nidhi stayed back after her duty just to make sure the boy in the ICU was doing fine. As she sat in one of the chairs at the ICU, she stifled a tired yawn. One of the attender placed a steaming cup tea in front of her. Startled, she looked at him. The smell of ginger and tea reached her nostrils.

"Dr Ashutosh said to give it to you Ma'am."

He nodded and left her alone with her troubled thoughts and her adrak wali chai. What was he trying to do? Was this his way of apologizing? Does he want me back? For how long? A couple of hours later, she took her tired body down the elevator and towards the lobby. The child was safe. No more seizures. As she neared the paediatric ward, she heard that voice. His voice. Husky, slightly rough and deep. She stopped. It was coming from the paediatric ward. Silently, she peeked in through the door. Ashutosh was sitting by the bed of Mishti and in the stillness of the night, their voices carried easily over to her.

"I don't want Raja titli story Dr Ashutosh. It is a sad story. Raja sent the titli away and titli left crying. Nidhi didi told me that."

Nidhi's breath hitched up at that. After a few moments of silence before he said, "But your Nidhi didi didn't tell you the complete story. There is more. Raja had sent the titli away because he got scared that if titli stayed with him for long, she would get hurt. People around him would hurt her. They would say how can this old Raja be the beautiful titli's friend? And Raja didn't want titli to be hurt that way. He loved her a lot you see?"

"Oh!"

Ashutosh's deep sigh reached and wrapped around her. "Titli loved Raja and thought that it would make him happy if she left. But Mishti..Raja was not happy. He didn't know how to go on anymore. He wanted his titli back."

"You know Dr Ashutosh..titli shouldn't have left. She should've stayed na. She should've told Raja that he was her friend. Friends shouldn't do katti like that na?" Nidhi stumbled and leaned against the wall for support.

"True but Raja did hurt her a lot, didn't he? What could she do? Then after a few very sad sad days, Raja met titli again. But the titli was not like before. It had forgotten how to laugh, how to play. Raja wanted to say sorry. He wanted to ask her to be his friend again. He wanted her to smile and laugh and play again. But he didn't know how. He was never good with words.."

Nidhi didn't stay to listen any more. She turned and ran as if the hounds of hell were after her.

Hope you LIKED the chapter my Readers!! Comments / Criticisms most welcome!!

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