Originally posted by: columbia
thank you all for your comments. Still missing @rekha_crn. I had initially planned for a 10 part story, but this one will go beyond 10 parts, believe it or not, the characters forced me to 🤣🤣. I don’t know how many parts it will be, a lot of that will depend on comments- in fact will totally depend on comments. The index for this story is on Pg1. The next update will be 9A.
Part 9
It is middle of her tenth week at medical camp, and she can’t tell night from day from evening from morning. Working at a medical camp was everything one hears of and everything one doesn’t hear of- crazy amount of patient load, limited resources, inhuman patient doctor ratios, and what have you. The break room is hardly ever used, maybe once Sai sat there but the giggling and gossip by the shift nurses made her feel like they would rather a doctor not sit amidst them. She should bring a book next time and maybe just sit near the registration desk.
Then again, where is the time? For all purposes, the camp is used as a primary health center for the poor people living in and around Ramtek and Wainganga river area, which itself is around 80-90,000 people, all of this gives her no time for anything else, by the time the day is over she has collapsed on her bed. There are doctors from the college on rotation, but she and Aniket handle most of the cases. She has spent the past few weekends in Chandrapur with her Abba, who then chided her saying, she need not come every weekend to sleep at home, instead get out and explore Nagpur. He is right, she knows. She wonders if this weekend she can relax, she spots Abigail walking to the break room and follows her.
She steps into the middle of an ongoing conversation. A shift nurse exclaims, “Pata nahi kya baat hai? Har hafte aane vaale the, sirf constable atta hai,...Main toh unhi ko dekhne aati hun” the other nurses giggle, they become quiet when they see Sai walk in. Abigail laughs and says “Arre Dr Sai apni hai, unke saamne bindaas bolo”. Sai smiles at Abigail, loving her even more, “Haan haan..bindaas, Vaise kya bol rahe the?” One of the nurse pipes in, “Arrey aaj ACP Veeru Darling aane vaale hai na, hum discuss kar rahe the, ke itne din aaye Kyun nahi?”
Sai’s hand stills while she pours herself a cup of water from the cooler, she nods. “aaj kyun aa rahe hai?” Abigail in a serious tone, “Pata nahi, shayad Nagpur mei nahi hongey, tum ladkiyan puch lena” they giggle and leave. Abigail looks at Sai who is lost in thought. “Unke saamne kehna nahi chahti thi, lekin shayad patient list dekhne aa rahe hongey. Lagta hai bhiku ko leke kuch updates hongey” Sai nods, “kitney bajje aa rahe hai?” Abigail says “shayad teen bajje” and then hits her head, “Main inventory karne vaali thi, abb postpone karna padega”. Sai immediately says, “Mai kar lungi aap unko dekh lijiye” Abigail smiles gratefully, “Sure? Thank you so much.”
Shivam’s arrival from Pune makes his life on the case so much easier, but his life personally so much more difficult. Shivam’s constant questions eat at him and he rolls his eyes every time he starts it, “Toh tu keh raha hai, ki usne naa kar diya, toh tu jaake Uncle se kaha ki shaadi kar lunga? Tu admi hai ke pyjama? Kitna dhilaa hai tu?”
Virat rolls his eyes again, “Tu chup baithega aur mere ko list dikhaa” Shivam glares at him, “Tu mera baat pehle sun, tune zindagi mei pehli baaar apna dil kissi ko de baitha hai, Kuch toh usse sambhalke rakh” Virat is irritated, “kisko sambhal ke rakhu? Tu kya baat karr raha hai? Meri kya galti hai? Mujhe bhi aage badhne ka chance chahiye. Chal abhi, dimaag mut khaa, list dikha.”
A constable enters the room and reminds Virat that he needs to go to the medical camp. Virat looks up and says, “Haan vaha se patient ka list check karna thaa, ek kaam karna, zara Abigail madam ko bol mujhe phone karne.” The constable nods. Shivam stares at him, “Tu nahi jaayega na? Thik hai, Mai chala jaunga”. Virat makes a face, “koi zrurat nahi hai, mai chala jaunga” Shivam nods, “Toh kab jaane vaala hai?” Virat glares, “kahaa na, chala jaunga. Band kar” Shivam nods and keeps quiet. Virat silently cross checks the list to other things in his file.
Later in the afternoon, she is standing in the supply room, counting the number of gauze rolls. Rather she is hiding, because while she counts, her ears are attentive to the sounds outside. She can hear the nurses giggling and a deep male voice being flirtatious, he is here, she thinks. She shuts her eyes and opens them. Then there is absolute silence, not a pin can be heard, he has left she thinks. She looks at her her clipboard, well she finished the inventory half an hour ago, she can step out now. She steps out and there on the registration desk is a huge vase full of roses.
She holds the clipboard close to her chest, and walks to the desk and smells the roses, when she hears Abigail’s voice, “sundar hai na?”. She nods, “Kaha se aaye?” Before Abigail can answer, the two nurses walk in with a rose in each of their hands, “Arre ACP ne Abigail ko bada vase diya hoga, lekin hum dono ke liye ek ek rose. Hai na romantic?” She nods dumbly and her smile is dumber. And she hands the clipboard to Abigail and mutters, “PH detergent cans ki zrurat hai”, Abigail wonders what’s happened with her but just then, Aniket rushes in and says “Sai, I think hypovalemic shock hai, I need your help”
Sai follows him in a rush and caters to the man whose back is turned to her, Abigail reads the chart and it seems to suggest that his vitals are severely down, his face is mostly damaged and with minimal light, one cannot really make out the face. Sai and Aniket with the nurse, try to bring him back. Sai asks one of the nurse to set up dopamine and Aniket is checking his vitals. As the situation comes under control, Aniket and she discuss if they should get him to a CT Scan.
Later that night, Shivam and Virat are having dinner at Virat’s home. Ashwini pampers Shivam almost as though to make up for Samrat’s absence, as Shivani suggests, “Kya baat hai?! Aaj sab kuch Shivam ke favorites baney hai, hum toh Jaise hai hi nahi, hai na Devyani”. Virat grins and Shivam continues eating, Ashwini makes a face and Ninaad laughs. Devyani agrees, “Arrey don’t worry Tai, weekend ko jab aayenge, tab bread aur paani denge”. Virat looks up, “Kyun weekend ko kya ho raha hai?” Ninaad answers, “Arrey yeh weekend mai aur Tumhari Aai ghumne jaa rahe hai”. There are oohs and aahs on the table, Shivam even whistles. Ashwini shakes her head and says, “Arrey kya ghumne, hum Yavatmal jaa rahe hai Mahadev mandir dekhne, vahaan Saturday raat ko jagran hai aur phir hum Chandrapur jaake aayenge.” Virat looks up, “Chandrapur Kyun?” .
Ninaad immediately corrects him, “Arrey Aai ka matlab hai Chandrapur ke raaste se hoke aayenge, nazdik padta hai”. Virat nods and Shivam continues, “Toh matlab weekend hamara! Chalo ghumne jaate hai, humara kaam thoda kum hai” Ashwini immediately exclaims, “Khinsi lake chalte hai picnic pe, bahut din ho gaye”. Devyani adds, “Arrey Sunday ko mujhe Sai Joshi se milna tha, Samrat dada ki chizei abhi tak nahi li” Virat immediately, “Saturday ko chalte hai”, while his mother simultaneously “Aise kaise itne dino se liya nahi?” Devyani looks at her mother, “Voh bahut busy rehti hai Aai, bechari weekend pe apne Aaba ke yahaa usually jaati hai, first weekend hai 2 mahine mei yaha rahegi”. Shivam announces, “Toh ussse bhi bulate hai na.” Virat mutters, “Mujhe shayad kaam hoga, Mai aa nahi paunga.” Ashwini immediately, “Tu ussse mila hai Shivam?” Shivam shakes his head while Ninaad says, “Badi suljhi hui ladki hai, hamara Samrat stupid hai.” Ashwini replies, “Samrat ka dosh nahi thaa, kismet nahi thi..Buss. Shivam tu milna ussse, check her out”. The girls groan while Shivam bursts out laughing and Virat just glares at him and mutters, “tera Khana aur hasna khatm hua ho, toh chalein?” . Ashwini has the last word in, “Tu guest house mei kyu ruka hai, hamare saath yaha ruk jaata na”. Shivam hugs Aunty and leaves with Virat.
She keeps staring at the vase of roses while eating her dinner, Abigail dropped it off and went back to check the vitals on the patient. She kept thinking, what would she have done if she was around, how would she have handled him giving her a rose?! But in his mind, it would have been like giving anyone else. Because everyone got one, what is wrong with her?!?! She should go off to sleep, she promised she would check on the patient at 7am tomorrow.
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