Destiny Wins
This had been Dr. Siddhant Modi's routine for the past 3 months or so now. He'd shifted to New York from Houston because he wanted to get away, even from his own family. He had told everyone he would be joining Houston Sanjeevani but then he'd decided that he did not want anything to remind him of his past, even if it was just a name and so he'd shifted base to New York. New York engulfed him within the first few days. His schedule was always packed, everyone was always busy and that suited him just fine. He wasn't here to make friends and no one had the time to. Initially a couple of his colleagues, especially the desis had tried to get him involved in social events and gatherings but Sid almost always politely declined. The very few times that he went somewhere he'd gone merely for appearances' sake and he'd be out before people even had a chance to realize he was there and get around to talking to him. So Dr. Siddhant Modi had earned the title of a recluse. A brilliant recluse.
He was a master surgeon with a steady hand and a level head. He was a walking encyclopedia of surgery and knew everything about anything in surgery. In spite of the fact that he was such a medical genius, he was always gentle and reassuringly simple with his patients. His patients trusted him and so did everyone else. He had earned the silent respect of all his colleagues and senior doctors even. In three months, Siddhant Modi had proved himself to be an exceptional doctor. What his colleagues and seniors did not get to see was that he was an exceptional human being too.
This day was just supposed to be just like any other day. It was Dr. Siddhant Modi's day for surgeries. He stepped into his office and turned on his computer. He logged into his system and opened his surgery call sheets. He ran an eye over the list. One of them was a pretty complicated case. He was going to shift that into the last slot so that he could take his time and work on it with ease. He made the necessary changes to the list and sent it to the concerned staff. He grabbed another coffee as he headed to the OR. He scrubbed in for his first surgery. It was an appendectomy, which wouldn't take much time. He stepped into the OR and zoned out everything else around him except for the patient lying on the OR table.
Almost eleven hours later, Sid stepped out of the OR. He was exhausted and he liked it. Being exhausted meant he could hit the bed as soon as he got home and not spend a sleepless night thinking about things he did not want to ever think about. As he took off his surgery cap and gown and discarded them on his way out, he briefed his intern doctors and nursing staff on how to follow up on the patient he had just operated on and what to keep an eye on. He then made his way to his office. He grabbed his phone and car keys and left.
Back home, Sid slumped on to the couch. He took out his phone to make his customary call home and noticed he had 12 missed calls from an unknown number. He had a voice mail too. He dialed voice mail and heard the message and his expression turned from
puzzlement to shock and he turned white as a sheet. He hung up and dialed another number.
Voice : Hello?
Sid : Mom.
Mom : Sid.. Bol beta.. Kaisa raha tumhara din?
Sid : Mom main India jaa raha hoon..
Mom : kyun beta kuch kaam hai kya?
Sid : Mom.. Main.. Main Mumbai jaa raha hoon..
Silence..
Mom : Lekin Sid kyun?
Sid : Main aapko abhi kuch nahi batha saktha..
Mom : Math jaa..
Sid : Mujhe jaana padega Mom.. I have to go..
Mom : Lekin baath kya hai Sid.. Kuch tho bathao..
Silence again..
Sid's mom knew better than to push him.
Mom : Tumne.. usse bathaya?
Sid : Nahi.. Abhi nahi.. Batha doonga..
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