My Favourite Dream

3. Doctor! Doctor!

"I am taking her to the emergency ward. Call Dr Shubh right now." The nurse said to a dark skinned ward boy who was standing at the corner of the lobby and he nodded. The nurse and Vikram led Parineet through the lobby with the help of a stretcher into the emergency ward. She was lying lifeless, her hand had stopped bleeding, her head resting on the one end of strecher, with her long hairs stuck underneath. Her brother took a sharp intake of breathe on the realisation that his sister is on her deathbed, and he's outside the ward, waiting for a miracle to happen.

Vikram felt his world crashing when he entered his home, around 10:50 or so. He was late due the heavy traffics, also he had brought Parineet's favourite sweets for his little dear sister so that they could have their little moment of celebration for his first day at job. Vikram knows that everything is gloomy around them and will remain like that for sometime but atleast they can try to smile. They should move on because that's the whole purpose to change the city and leave behind every contact they had even Neeti. But as soon as he reached his home and unlocked the door softly with the keys of their new apartment, the sight bewildered him to his core. He grew pale, his eyes were wide open, on finding his sister Pari lying on the chair of their dining table, with her head hung down, the deep cut on her right wrist having a considerable sized puddle of blood beneath it. To say he was horrified would be an understatement because, Vikram himself felt like dying in the very moment. He rushed towards her and frantically called out her name but she didn't respond. Vikram almost lost his sanity but mustered up some strength to ask for help. He, with the help of his neighbour next door, took her to the nearest city hospital, and now awaits a news from the doctors about Pari, wishing it to be about her survival.

The doctors have been inside the room for almost over an hour and it's already past twelve thirty in the night and Vikram's patience are loosing him second by second. Now that he looked around the first floor lobby, the hospital looked quite grand and expensive, the staff seemed too efficient at their work.
He had heard in between his sobs and praying, that a senior doctor is treating his sister, since the emergency medicine doctor wasn't able to stabilize Parineet. She had lost too much of her blood because the cut, she made in a dazed state, was actually very deep. All this hearsay had increased his tension thousand folds. His sister never deserved this. Suicide is the worst anyone can do with oneself and Parineet shouldn't have done that. Vikram felt like clutching the collars of Rajeev's shirt and thrash him straight on the ground. It is all his fault, only and only his, but Pari is suffering. She lost her husband, her newfound family, her bestest friend and her zeal to live.
Parineet has never been encouraging to such cowardly acts. She surely has been timid, always a child who would give in to the every demand or order of the elders, sometimes out of fear and sometimes out of faith. But choosing to give up her life, was not what he ever expected from her side.

"Mr Vikram Kakkar?" The nurse called his name. She was standing beside the doctor who had just came out of the room. He rushed to them with faltering steps and this time the doctor addressed him "sambhal kar Mr Vikram. Your sister is fine now. You were on time to admit her otherwise we have lost the patient. She is stable but very weak for now. Also I have to talk to you. Aap mere cabin mein aaiye please." The doctor sounded well read, well spoken and practical. His coat had a small badge with his name on it. It read Doctor Taran Ahuja. Vikram followed him to his cabin as per his instructions, his forehead still sweating the beads of tension. The word "weak" lingering around his brain cells had been doing things to him.

"Since it's a suicide case, we have to inform the police about it." Taran locked his fingers in a single fist, his body frame rising in his seat, a little forward. He was looking straight at Vikram.

"Sir but we can't afford that. Meri behen se galti ho gyi hai. I agree. But it is not her fault. Aur meri abhi abhi job lagi hai. Infact aaj mera pehla din tha office mein." Vikram grew restless at the mention of police. Parineet surely committed a horrendous act but she's not at fault. It was an act of weakness and he is sure that if he will talk to her, she won't repeat it ever. Infact he won't let her do such things at first place.