Posted:
Disclaimer: I have no experience in the medical field whatsoever.
So, I've tried to keep it real, but if it doesn't make sense from a
medical perspective - you know why. This is a fictitious OS. Based off an SS I wrote on VirMan: https://india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1950220
He'd run up the stairs into his room right after her,
chasing her as she ran as fast as she could. Unfortunately for
her, Virat had caught Manvi around the waist not two seconds after he'd
kicked the door shut with his heel, as he lifted her up bridal style for
stealing his brother's shoes. Stupid rasms. Though you gotta admit, he thought, watching Manvi squirm, trying to kick him so he'd let her go, they were a hell lotta fun. "Chep, let me GO!"
"First, tell me where you put the shoes der futiya, then I'll very kindly let you go"
Virat
smirked, knowing all too well he had the upper hand here. Manvi knew
she'd have to give up. Stupid Chep. Always ruining her fun. She had a
sudden idea though as she tried to kick him in the shin so he'd drop her
out of pain. That way, she'd have a head start while he lay on the
ground. Virat knew what was coming by the look on her face, but before
he could warn her they'd both fallen onto the bed.
How could he have not expected this - after all,
bandariya and failed plans seemed to go hand in hand. She was still
struggling to run free, but yeah right if he was going to let her go.
The sheets had the two of them in a tangled mess and as he rolled over,
he found himself suddenly on top of her. As they both turned to face
each other then, he didn't know what hit him, but it seemed like he was
looking at her truly for the first time. She was pretty...no that
wasn't enough. A lot of people had complemented her throughout the
wedding celebrations, but for some reason today she outdid all of the
ones she'd received so far. If she'd looked nice at the roka, pretty at
the engagement, she was looking nothing less than an angel today. For
some unfathomable reason, he found himself drawn to her eyes, they
held a childlike innocence, dreams that ran carefree without knowing the
fine dimensions of reality.
Manvi was hesitant, but as she looked up from
beneath her eyelashes to meet his unfaltering gaze, they knew something
had changed. The usually light, teasing atmosphere between them had been
replaced with something neither had felt before. It was tingly and made
them nervous, almost self conscious. He didn't have time to register
what that feeling was however...
******
Virat woke up with a
start as he realized he'd hit his head near the bottom wooden foot of
his bed after falling off. Virat got up, rubbing the back of his head as
he reached for the bedside table in the dark. The faint red glare of
the digital clock told him it was 12:30 AM.
Stupid Shlok. Who had told him to come in at that exact time?
He'd been restless ever since. Not to mention she'd gotten away with the
shoes. The wedding had gone off without a hitch after that little
incident between them, but they'd awkwardly avoided each other for the
rest of the evening. He didn't want to think about what might
have happened if Shlok hadn't burst in on the other hand. It couldn't be
what his heart seemed to be threatening to break through with. He'd
long decided that true love didn't exist. And even if it did, it
definitely didn't exist for him. He just didn't believe in it. He
couldn't. Not after all that had happened. That was one mess he couldn't
afford to recreate.
Who said anything about love?, a snide voice commented in his head.
Virat groaned as he collapsed on to his bed. This was impossible. How
was he going to get any sleep this way? Forget about it.
He
let out a sigh as he reached for the glass of water on his bedside
table, only to find it empty. Great, he thought looking at it. Nothing
ever seemed to work out for him. Well, he wasn't getting any sleep
anyway, so he might as well take a walk.
******
Virat stopped in the
hallway as he heard the familiar sound of rushing water coming from the
kitchen. Who was up at this time besides him? The kitchen lights were
also on. As he rounded the corner, Manvi's familiar form greeted
him. His feet froze of their own accord in the doorway as his eyes took
in the scene in front of him though.
She was bent over the sink, splashing cold water on
her pale face. Her body didn't seem to be holding her as she swayed ever
so slightly. She gripped the kitchen counter for support, feeling the
convulsions hit her as strongly as they ever had. She couldn't fight
them. Not anymore.
"Manvi?!", Virat asked, terror taking over him as
her knees gave way and she crumpled to the ground, still clutching the
counter for support. He'd seen her faint before, but this was different.
She looked so pale in the dim light, so weak and...fragile. He ran
towards her, but his efforts were of no avail. His frantic cries went
unanswered as she lay limp in his arms, her breathing shallow.
C'mon Dude, THINK! His brain was shouting at him.
Virat tried to concentrate. Dr. Manan! But he was supposed to be working
some shift at the hospital tonight as a favour to another doctor who
had to leave for family reasons and had pleaded him to take over for
tonight. That was it then! He'd take her to the hospital.
**********
He wheeled into the hospital
parking lot, the tires coming to a screeching halt as he slammed the
break down with his foot. He must have broken about a million traffic
rules but he didn't care. At this time, only one person in the world
mattered to him and she was lying in the backseat, out cold.
He burst through the front doors of the emergency
room, running as fast as he could towards the receptionist with Manvi
still limp in his arms. The receptionist looked alarmed, but went
through with normal procedure as she handed Virat a form. They'd had at
least a dozen cases like that today. What was new?
"You have to help me, she just fainted all of a sudden and"
"Please fill out this form, sir"
Virat couldn't help it then as all the emotions he'd bottled up came pouring out in the form of frustration.
"Are you freaking INSANE?! Just how am I supposed to
fill out a form?! Are you BLIND?! I have an unconscious girl who
fainted lying limp in my arms and YOU", he felt himself shaking with
anger," YOU want me to FILL OUT A FORM?! What damned nonsense is THIS?!"
"Sir, please", the nurse said, forcing herself to give him a half smile,"You're causing a scene. This is just normal procedure".
"To hell with your DAMNED PROCEDURE! Would you give priority to a PROCEDURE over a dying family member? I think NOT!"
"Sir, you're crossing your limits", the nurse said, losing her monotonous tone of voice as she stood up.
"You're
lucky I haven't crossed any of my limits yet. Get a effing doctor and
get one NOW!", Virat threatened, his voice harsh and deadly as he
clenched his fist tightly.
The nurse cowered at his tall form. He looked almost
murderous. Along with the girl she'd have to get him admitted into the
mental ward. The nurse tried to recollect her calm as she plastered a
smile on her face handing him the form once more.
"Sir, this is"
"Sister, what's going on?", a voice interrupted.
That sounds familiar, Virat thought as he turned around.
"Dr. Manan!", Virat cried, relief colouring his tone.
"Doctor,
this man has been causing a commotion...I told him it was normal
procedure to fill out a form, but he's just not listening!"
Dr. Manan took one look at Manvi in Virat's arms and
knew immediately what was wrong. Virat watched the horror on Dr.Manan's
face quickly be replaced with an almost robotic professionalism as he
started issuing orders. What did that mean?
"Operation room number 4 is now empty. I want you to
get it ready again. I need a team of at least another 4 nurses. Virat,
you come with me."
"But doctor, there are other patients waiting from before as well. She's not that important."
Dr. Manan watched as Virat's eyes flashed at the nurse in anger.
"If you don't want to lose your job, I'd suggest you shut up and do what I told you to. She's a priority patient."
The nurse cut him off as she protested.
"But she's only fainted."
"She
has BRAIN TUMOUR! I believe I ought to know more about my patient's
history than you. If you don't want to be responsible for a possible
death, GET room number 4 ready NOW!"
Virat felt himself go numb. Wait...What...what had he just said?!
*****************
"She'll be okay, Virat. It seems to be only a minor convulsion."
Dr. Manan's strained voice was still echoing in his
ears as his brain chose to play that scene again and again. They'd taken
Manvi away from him, placing her on the stretcher as they rushed her
into the room, the red and white doors looking oddly cold and uninviting
as they closed upon him. As soon as they'd closed, he felt his knees
give way as he slid down into the plastic chair, still shocked from the
news that had been revealed to him barely seconds ago.
Brain tumour. The coughing, fever, fainting
spells...so this was what it was all about. Damn it! He punched the
bare, whitewashed wall behind him in anger as he thought about how she'd
convinced him it was nothing, but a viral fever. He put his head into
his hands as he wondered how he hadn't thought it through...he knew she
was sick. Very sick. Yet not once had he thought to look deeper into it.
He felt the teardrops stinging his eyes as they cascaded down his
cheeks before he'd even consciously thought about crying. They'd become
frenemies of sorts...always fighting, but friends nevertheless. Not
once had she mentioned her actual sickness to him...and from the look on
Dr.Manan's face, he could gather that he knew about this. She'd kept
her health on the line so as not to disturb her sister's wedding
celebrations! How could someone be so selfless? Happy, laughing,
teasing, answering-back Manvi had hidden a side of her from the world
which he'd unknowingly peeked into tonight. Manvi, the girl that managed
to make every atmosphere fun-filled and one of happiness...who would
even think she was suffering so much inside?
Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho, aisa kaunsa gham hai jo chupa rahe ho
********
If hell existed on earth than Virat was living in it.
The seconds soon turned into minutes and the minutes into hours, but Virat hadn't moved from his spot except to pace up and down the hallway. Nurses were rushing in and out and the apprehensive looks on their faces did nothing, but fill him with an unknown fear that he didn't dare to analyse. He'd mustered the courage to ask one or two who came off duty whether everything was alright, but no one gave him a proper answer. All he got were cryptic remarks based off on so called reports they'd done. He hadn't ever felt so helpless and alone in his life. He had no option but to stare at the cold blanched walls as the seconds ticked by. They gave no answer, except uncertainty. Uncertainty...it was one word which defined his life at this very moment.
Lost in thought as he was, he didn't notice when Dr. Manan approached him, shaking him out of his reverie.
"Virat?"
Virat jumped up at his name being called. His hair was dishevelled, his eyes tired and worried, concern visibly etched across his tear streaked face as he questioned him about her health.
"Is she.."
"She's absolutely fine. In fact she's sleeping. You'll have to get her these medicines. We're lucky the convulsion was minor...", Dr. Manan said handing him a prescription as he trailed off.
"And what if it'd been major?", Virat asked, catching on to the strain in Dr. Manan's voice.
"Greatly varies, but as long as she takes her medicines she should be fine", Dr. Manan answered, avoiding his question.
"What if?", Virat posed the question again, looking him straight in the eyes.
Dr. Manan closed his eyes as he rattled off the answer, "Coma. Death. Paralysis. Would have called for immediate surgical removal of the tumour in any case."
Virat felt his body react before his brain caught up. He hit the floor, shaking as he tried to absorb the news. It wasn't fair.
Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho, aisa kaunsa gham hai jo chupa rahe ho
********
If hell existed on earth than Virat was living in it.
The seconds soon turned into minutes and the minutes into hours, but Virat hadn't moved from his spot except to pace up and down the hallway. Nurses were rushing in and out and the apprehensive looks on their faces did nothing, but fill him with an unknown fear that he didn't dare to analyse. He'd mustered the courage to ask one or two who came off duty whether everything was alright, but no one gave him a proper answer. All he got were cryptic remarks based off on so called reports they'd done. He hadn't ever felt so helpless and alone in his life. He had no option but to stare at the cold blanched walls as the seconds ticked by. They gave no answer, except uncertainty. Uncertainty...it was one word which defined his life at this very moment.
Lost in thought as he was, he didn't notice when Dr. Manan approached him, shaking him out of his reverie.
"Virat?"
Virat jumped up at his name being called. His hair was dishevelled, his eyes tired and worried, concern visibly etched across his tear streaked face as he questioned him about her health.
"Is she.."
"She's absolutely fine. In fact she's sleeping. You'll have to get her these medicines. We're lucky the convulsion was minor...", Dr. Manan said handing him a prescription as he trailed off.
"And what if it'd been major?", Virat asked, catching on to the strain in Dr. Manan's voice.
"Greatly varies, but as long as she takes her medicines she should be fine", Dr. Manan answered, avoiding his question.
"What if?", Virat posed the question again, looking him straight in the eyes.
Dr. Manan closed his eyes as he rattled off the answer, "Coma. Death. Paralysis. Would have called for immediate surgical removal of the tumour in any case."
Virat felt his body react before his brain caught up. He hit the floor, shaking as he tried to absorb the news. It wasn't fair.
Dr. Manan helped him onto a chair, calming him down.
"It won't get there. We won't let it get there.You might love her, but she's always been like a little sister to me."
Virat didn't answer the obvious change in topic. He couldn't think through all the complications of their relationship just then. That would have to wait till later. Right now, he had something else on his mind.
"You never told her family about the..the tumour. They don't know, do they?"
"I'm bound by many rules of my profession. Patient-Doctor confidentiality is one of them", Dr. Manan answered with a slight smile,"You're not bound by that though. And their not here either...so why didn't you tell?"
Virat looked away from his perceptive gaze, which held a hint of curiousity in it now.
He didn't know what he felt for Manvi. But he knew that he was bound by something a lot stronger than doctor-patient confidentiality. He didn't know what relationship, what bond they shared anymore. And he wasn't ready to give it a name just now.
"Can I see her?"
"Yes...she's being discharged within an hour anyway. We just want to wait for the result of the last test. Everything seems positive so far though. And seeing that you didn't tell anyone at home either...in good time as well", Dr. Manan said, showing him the time on his watch.
As Virat glanced at his own, he noticed it was 3:35 am. It'd only been 3 hours since he'd gotten here, he noted in disbelief. He felt as though years had passed...home seemed far away.
Dr. Manan motioned him to go into the room.
"You go. I need to take care of some other things first."
**********
As Virat entered the room, the first thing he noticed was the machines. The IV slowly dripping, the heart monitor beeping...no wonder Manvi hated it.
He noticed her form, breathing in and out slowly then against the white sheets and pillows of the bed. He quietly tiptoed over to her bed, taking his seat on the stool. She was sleeping peacefully.
He took her hand then, carefully thinking over the events of the night. Things had definitely changed. He was afraid of giving a name to this emotion...it couldn't be what he knew it was, but it seemed like the entire universe was bent on telling him otherwise. He decided not to think about that now and instead just be happy at the fact that things were alright.
As he thought about Dr. Manan's words though, he couldn't help but think about the future. It was daunting, mostly because he didn't know what was going to happen. They'd find a way. He wasn't ever going to let her go though. Not now. Not ever.
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SS: Forever Yours (VirMan) - you could consider it an extension of this OS
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