One shots

A small favor

A Small Favor - A story of fate bringing together the unlikeliest of the people in the worst moments of their life.

Virat was abandoned to deal with his just born son who was battling for his tiny life. His wife didn't want to have anything to do with them.

He was a stock broker by the day. He belonged to a large family who were all gathered around him not knowing how to console their heartbroken son. They had never seen him like this. Virat didn't know he would ever feel his way. Utterly devastated - is the only way to describe his state of mind. All he could not think about was how to save his baby who was fighting for his every breath. He was born with severely compromised immune system. Nothing they were doing was helping him. His tiny body was not accepting any kind of supplements they were giving him.

"He needs to eat - as simple as it. He is not taking the formula bottle. The IV lines are not sustaining him. We tried the donor breast milk from the bank. That didn't work either." The doctor tells him.

"What do I do?" He asks helplessly. Tears resolutely refusing to roll out of his eyes.

"Any luck contacting the mother? If she nurses him, all this might be resolved easily."

"I sent a legal notice threatening to sue her. She won't return my lawyers call." He replies with a undercurrent of disgust and rage.

"What about your call?"

"You think I haven't tried? Everyone in the waiting room is trying to get in touch with her." He holds his head and turns around unable to keep his composure.

"You got to help me, doc." He breaks down.

"I have a young woman in one of the other rooms. She just delivered a baby girl yesterday. The baby needs a surgery and her husband refuses to pay for it."

Virat turns around and looks at the doctor unable to understand where she was going with this story.

"She is understandably in shock and doesn't know what to do. Her parents are not in the country."

"Okay?"

"She is my student." The doctor sighs. "She needs help..."

"What can I possibly do?" Virat asks confused.

"Your baby needs breast milk. Her baby needs surgery. Pay for the surgery. I will talk with her and convince her to nurse your baby. Donor milk did not work but when a baby nurses at the breast, it stimulates the woman's body to produce the antibodies that the baby needs. It may work."

"That sounds too good to be true. But of course. I am willing to try anything." Virat eagerly agrees. A dim ray of hope filling his eyes.

"Let me talk to her." Dr. Kapoor promises.

***
"Can I at least thank her?" Virat asks a week later.

"She doesn't want to talk about it or meet with you guys. Leave it at that." The doctor smiles. "The good news is that your baby is doing well."

"Just a thank you. I won't say anything else." Virat promises curiously. "She like a goddess of some kind for me and my family. Druv is even accepting the pumped milk she is sending us."

"Professor?" A pale looking girl knocks on the door scared.

Doctor Kapoor looks up at her worried. "Manvi? What happened to your face?"

"He is back!! He is back!" She was panicking nervously.

"Who?"

"He is screaming at the nurses that they operated on her! Please call the cops. I want him out of here."