Chapter 3

shree

@qwerty.shivi123

[NOCOPY]

***************

“Chipkali…chipkali…”Shiva murmured as he slowly came to. When he opened his eyes, he saw a nurse moving to his side.

He tried to sit up, “I need to get back home.”

“Major Shiva, calm down. You are in Indira Gandhi government hospital, here in Ladakh. You had been injured in the field of duty, but you’re now stable. You’re still going to need to rest, though.”

“My wife…Riya…I need to get back home,” he whispered, as he painfully tried to remove the tubes in his arm.

“Mr Pandya, try to understand — you have several fractures in your femur, the thigh bone. It will take a while to heal. And I’m sorry to say, but you won't be able to go home for another three months.”

“Three months?!”

“Yes. You will need extensive physiotherapy if you want to join the army again. But for now, please rest.”

The nurse calls for the doctor, before picking up a file. Shiva’s file, he presumes.

“Is anyone from your family here? I'd like to talk to them as well.”

Family? His brothers were in Somnath. And his wife and kids were god knows where. Last he heard Raavi was in labour…

***************

“No. No. Nothing would have happened to Shiva. He is okay. He is gonna walk through that door anytime now, maasi ma. Don't worry, woh bas aa jayega.” Raavi reassures, unsure of whether it was more for Prafulla’s benefit or hers.

“Gadheda probably traffic mei stuck ho gaya hoga, ya shayad uski train choot gayi hogi. Aap chinta mat kariye, woh aayega.”

“Raavi, beta…”Prafulla began, hesitatingly.

“Riya! Where is she? I haven't seen her all day. Maasi ma, can you please bring her to me?”

“Beta, please try to understand…” she tried again.

“Maasi ma, I really need to see my daughter.” Raavi insists. “Can you please bring her tome?”

Prafulla sighs and gets up to get the door. She calls for Anitha who walks in, holding Riya’s hand.

As soon as Riya sees her mom, she beams, her smile like a 100 watts bulb and almost jumps in to hug her mom.

“Mama!”

“Riya! Uff, ek second…”

“Riya, aaram se. Mama ka abhi-abhi operation hua hai. You should be careful.” scolds Anitha.

“Oops. Sorry, mama.” apologises Riya, and runs her hands softly over her mother’s stomach, asif to try and ease her pain.

“No issues, my baccha. I am so happy to see you.” says Raavi, as she kisses her daughter. And if a few tears slip down her face, it’s not because she’s crying. Nope ,definitely not crying.

“Waise mama, aap ne baby ko dekha? Kitna cute hai na? Uski ittu sa aanken, ittu sa naak, ittu sahaath. Mujhe sab pasand hai! I like him very, very much.”

“When he comes home na, I’ll share all my toys with him and give him so many hugs and kisses!”

Raavi smiles at her daughter and hugs her again, “That’s my Lil girl.”

“Mama, aapne kahatha na ki papa will be here for momo’s birth?”

“Momo? Woh kaun hai,” Anitha asks, as she tries to change the subject.

“Arre, maasi. Momo is my baby brother. His head looks like a cute momo, so that's his name. Aapbhi na.”

The ladies laugh.

“Okay, ghar pe hum usse momo bula sakte hai, lekin uske bahar ke naam ke bhare me kuch socha hai?What do you want others to call him?”

“Hmmm…I think I want it to be Rohan.”

“Rohan Shiva Pandya,” Raavi said with a smile, “That sounds good.”

That’s when Riya’s stomach started to growl.

“Have you had nothing to eat all day?”

She pouted adorably and shook her head.

“Oh god. Come on, let's go to the canteen and get some lunch for that tummy. Anitha di, please take her to the canteen, na.”

When Prafulla and Raavi are left alone, she tries to reason with her daughter again, “Beta, about Shiva—”

“Maasi ma, I am very tired,” Raavi interrupts, “I want to sleep for some time. Can you please switch off the lights and close the door on your way out?”

Prafulla obliges.

***************

The doctor enters the room and asks for Shiva’s file to update it.

“Doctor, I have to get back to my—”

“Major Shiva, don’t worry. Everything will be okay. You can video call them once you are in a better state. But for now, keep calm and rest on, baby.” she tries to joke.

When it didn't work, she left the room rather awkwardly. ‘Ugh, he is your patient and married for god’s sake!’ she chided herself.

Left to himself, Shiva immediately tried to get up and look for his phone. Before he could get out of bed though, he moaned loudly and passed out from the pain.

The machines went berserk.

The doctor who’d just left the room shook her head and moved back to Shiva’s room.

“I just had to take medicine and take care of people who can't seem to understand the simplestof instructions.” she muttered under her breath.

***************

In the dark, Raavi tried to comfort herself.

‘What if…Shiva is hurt? Or worse, dead?’

‘Nahi, no. Ese nahi sochte, Raavi. You just had a baby, think about him. Think about your Rohan.’

‘ Yes, I am thinking of my children .What if I am left all alone, trying to take care of a newborn and a seven-year old?’

‘No, Shiva will be here anytime now. He is probably just occupied in some rescue mission for the rest of them. I hope they’re are okay, and in a safe location.’

‘Snap out of your delusion, Raavi. What if he’s actually gone? What then, huh?’

‘Nooo!’ she lets out a strangled scream into her pillow and finally lets herself breakdown.

***************

The machines still haven’t stopped making a racket.

“Nurse, continue with the CPR…bring on the crash cart.” the doctor instructs, calmly.

The defibrillator zaps. “Clear!” she shouts as everybody takes their hands off the patient.

Shiva gets the shock from the defibrillator, and his body lifts a little from the bed.

“Still asystole, doctor.”

“Charge again.”

“Clear.”

“Again.”

“Clear.” the doctor wipes the sweat from her brow as she silently willed Shiva to wakeup.