THE PROMISE OF TIME (SEQUEL of ' SPARK OF LOVE')

Chapter 3

Abhiram had a long day ahead.

The fortnightly meeting with hospital administrative team was scheduled at eleven in the morning. He was not particularly fond of meetings. Boring and pain in the ass.

Given a choice, he would rather work himself to exhaustion in the ER than spend sixty freaking minutes in a meeting. However, these meetings were inevitable if they had to raise the bar of their patient services. As the chief consultant of ER, the management would expect inputs from him.

In his room, Abhiram opened his 'chinese' laptop and once again browsed through the Standard Operating Procedures' documents he had prepared. He would hand it to the Medical Director in the meeting later.After making some last minute changes to one of the documents, he copied the folder to his pen drive and looked at his watch.There was nearly an hour before the meeting would start. Time to get his usual dose of caffeine, or may be more than usual ,he thought.

Coffee?" Abhiram asked Rohan and Sara who were at the nursing station. The three of them usually enjoyed a cup of coffee in the hospital cafe every morning.

"No sir, both of you go ahead. I have some work," Sara said.

"Sure," Abhiram nodded.

Abhiram and Rohan walked towards the hospital cafe, which was a cute little space close to the ER and exclusive for the staff in the hospital. The place was quiet.

"Do you like her?" Abhiram arched his brow. He then gave their usual order at the billing counter and headed towards an empty table near one of the windows.

For a few seconds, Rohan kept quiet.

"She is hot," Rohan replied.

"Well, apart from giving her those hungry looks, have you told her?"

"Tell her what? That I fantasize about her every night and it's driving me mad. She would freak out." He sighed.

"Whoa ,Whoa. Try to get to know her better. Go on dates, perhaps. You never know what she feels about you unless you make a move,"Abhiram suggested.

"But she is older to me by three years and she has eyes only for you. I don't stand a chance in front of you, sir." Rohan said.

Abhiram nearly spit out his tea and his jaw tightened involuntarily. "I'm off the market, bro. Happily married."

"Yeah, yeah, but you tend to draw all the female attention from other men. Not that you can be blamed for that. By the way, how do you resist the temptation?" Rohan couldn't help asking.

Their order was served.

Abhiram stiffened. He rolled his shoulder to relieve some of the tension that seemed to bunch around his neck. After taking a long sip of the obnoxiously bitter,piping hot coffee, Abhiram shrugged.

"Temptation will always be there. Cheating on your partner is not cool, Rohan. Not my cup of tea."

"Sorry, if I have crossed a line there." Rohan apologised.

"No, it's okay. I get enough action at home and I love my wife. Thank you very much," Abhiram said and lowered his voice. "The trick is to be candid with your partner. Encourage your partner to do the same. Try out new things. Don't feel shy, be vocal and reap the benefits." Abhiram's thoughts went back to what happened in the morning.

Rohan stared at Abhiram for what seemed an eternity. This was the first time Abhiram shared something so personal with him.

"I can't believe we are discussing your sex life." Rohan chuckled.

"Enough gyan for today," Abhiram winked.

The meeting started at sharp eleven in the morning.

Ritika was already there with Major Sumana, her senior dermatology colleague, who had worked in the Indian army for nine years. All the consultants sat around the long, oval council table, with microphones on it. The medical director and the medical superintendent sat the end so that they could head the meeting. The projector was also at their end. Every doctor spoke at their turn and gave inputs about their respective departments, accomplishments and shortcomings.

During Abhiram's turn, he gave a small presentation with all the SOPs and went through all of them in detail. At the end, he showed then a slide where he explained to everyone the importance of an emergency ICU set up next to the ER. The medical director was undoubtedly impressed but he wasn't sure the expenses.

"Another ICU near the ER? Have you thought of the expenditure? Why should we have an ER ICU when we have a full fledged ICU complex to cater to every type of patient?" the medical director grilled Abhiram.

"You asked for suggestions,sir, and I'm giving you. If we have to amp up our infrastructure, I think an ER ICU would be a worthwhile addition. Emergency care is not a bonus, it is a core service. It makes any hospital more dependable. Any upgradation in the ER would be a big boost to the hospital and its reliability."

"Are you talking about an ICU with ventilators and everything?" the medical director sought clarification.

"Of course,sir. There is no point in having an ICU without ventilator. We can put the patient on ventilatory support here in the ER ICU instead of taking the trouble to shift him to the main ICU just for a few hours, especially if the patient is in need of an inter-hospital critical care transfer. Even in the event of a mass casualty for that matter. We can share the burden of the main ICU."

"Hmm. I get it now. But let's not discuss it here. Let the other consultants put in their thoughts about their respective departments.I will pick your brain later," the medical director told him.

"Sure." Abhiram nodded and leaned back against his chair. His job in the meeting was done and he could relax now.

Ritika felt her husband didn't mince his words while putting across his points today. He could have been a little more subtle.

"Your husband is looking your way," Sunanda whispered in Ritika's ear.

Ritika jerked her head towards where Abhiram was sitting. A slight twitch of the corner of his lips told he was getting annoyed with all the administrative jargon the medical director spoke.She felt like having some fun.Ritika swiped open her mobile and typed fast.

Did u wear this powder blue shirt just to spite me? You know, I hate it.Grizzly bear.

Abhiram's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled out the phone instantly and saw the message.

-Oh yeah. Just like how you have dressed up like a nun to spite me.Full sleeves,buttoned uo to your neck,the only thing missing is the head gear-

He replied.

-Because, you had a problem with what I wore in the morning.- Ritika snapped back.

-Yeah, u r right, a huge problem with a capital h, that was left un attended.- He replied with a devil's smiley.

Ritika's jaw nearly hit the floor.- Stop texting me and concentrate.

She stole a quick glance at him. His jaw was clenched .It was clear he was fighting a smile.But only she knew that expression.

Be attentive. Take notes and show me later. I'm off to sleep. And FYI, I was not texting. I was sexting you. Huge difference.

Followed by two devil smileys this time.

Flustered, Ritika switched off her mobile and dumped it in her bag. She was clueless how Abhiram kept a straight face throughout.

***