"Papa relax. Aap lait jao, hum yahi hain." Shehnaaz told Jagjit as she tried to calm him down.
That man had been giving tests since the morning, at first he had to give his blood samples and then he posed in various positions for a chest X-ray. They made him lie down on one side, then another, then they made him sit and face a machine and then he was asked to stand up again. Also the bronchoscopy was new to him, the doctor had put a bronchoscope into his mouth to his airways. It was uncomfortable but it didn't last long and didn't hurt either because he had the local anaesthetic and could breath normally. Thus, he was tired already, all the huge machines were making him more nervous.
Now that he had to get into a machine for a PET CT scan, he was skeptical about laying down and letting the stretcher move in. The technician had asked him to lie on a narrow, padded table that slides into the part of the scanner that looks like a doughnut hole. He was instructed to be very still during the scan so that the images aren't blurred. The scary part was that it was going to take about 30 minutes to complete the entire procedure.
"Nahi, itni der andar nahi reh sakta mai." Jagjit announced, getting up.
"Aisi dil ke kamzor hain, rehne de Sana. Andar aur ghabra jayenge tere Papa. Upar se kal se bukhar ho gaya hai." Even Madhu didn't know what to do now.
"Mummy, scan karwana zaruri hai. Please aap mat daro abhi." Shehnaaz told her mother.
"Papa, dekhiye jitni jaldi doctor reports dekhega, utni jaldi aapki dawai chalu hogi. Scan hi nahi karwaoge toh kaise chalega?! Please yaar." She held her father's hand, wanting him to understand the point.
"Kaisa treatment? Uske liye bimar bhi hona padta hai." He scoffed arrogantly.
"Ab jab tak aapki report nahi bolti, kisne maan na hai?!" She was his daughter, if he was going to be stubborn then so was she.
"Thik hai. Sirf 20 minute!" He replied, giving in and laying down nervously.
"Shuru kariye." She gestured to the attendant to get started with the scan and crossed her hands against her chest, keeping her eyes in her father. She was worried that he'd panic in the small space.
"Thodi der ki baat hai." She whispered to her mother and held her hand, keeping an eye on her wrist watch and the huge machine simultaneously.
They went back home after the scan since the receptionist told them that the reports would be ready by the evening and send via email.
"Sana, tu Chandigarh-ch hai? Dassya kyu ni?" Gurjot called Shehnaaz in the evening.
"Arey mai inni hadbadi me aayi, bhull gi." She replied.
"Sheena ne bataya mujhe abhi. Kaise hain uncle abhi? Reports aa gayi?" He asked.
"Nahi, shaam ko ayengi. Papa thik nahi hai, kende kuj ni hoya lekin vekho toh khasi jande ne." She replied, she sounded scared and fed up at the same time. A part of her was so mad at her father for not properly looking after himself. For denying regular checkups and for refusing to accept that he wasn't fine.
"Meri gal sunn, Gobind Singh multi-speciality hospital me mera Mama hai. Dr. Harpal naam ohda. Mainu report bheji, mai ohanu forward karanga. Vadiya hospital aa, tension na le." He told her.
"Hm. Apne Mama ka number de." She nodded, thinking about it.
"Han. And please keep in touch yaar, bataya kar problem hoti hai toh." He added.
"Ha na!" She replied, rolling her eyes and hanging up.
Her phone buzzed the next moment with a couple of texts. She was sure that it was Guru but when she opened her WhatsApp, it was Sidharth as well.
'Tests ho gaye?'
He had asked. She smiled, opening the chat and replying to him about her day at the clinic. They have been talking for a few days now. Not like 'talking' talking. It was just a bunch of good morning texts and how's uncle doing kind of texts. Plain, simple and formal. She would consider it his concern towards her father.
'Maan nahi rahe the Papa. Thoda push karna pada. Lekin ho gaya sara ache se.'
She replied. Her statement was short enough to let him know about her situation.
"Ah, typical father behaviour.'
He chuckled as he typed his response.
'Yeah. How was ur day? Kal toh cafe inaugurate hone wala hai.'
She asked him.
In the last two days of their chatting, he told her about his day at work and an ongoing project of interior designing.
'Bas kaam chal raha hai.. Just the last minute touch up..'
He replied.
'Vaise.. jitni maine tareef suni hai aapki.. I'd like to see some of the places u've designed..'
She texted.
'Sure. I'll take u to those places..'
He replied.
The response had her cheeks heated up, she was simply talking about it. As in she was expecting him to send her the pictures of those cafes and restaurants he had designed.
'Yeah. Sure.'
She sent. She smiled stupidly, knowing that she won't actually get to go around with him. This little thought of being together with him that started inside her head was not going to get anywhere.
Just then a notification popped up, there was a mail from the clinic. It was her father's reports. She quickly forwarded them to Gurjot so that he'd show it to his doctor. Opened the reports to go through them, being a non medico she didn't understand anything from it. Apart from her father's low haemoglobin, she knew nothing.
'I don't know how I am going to get leaves for Sheena's wedding after I took this 1 week leave now.'
She texted, voicing her thoughts.
'This was an emergency, I'm sure u'll manage.'
He replied. What else was he supposed to say.
'Hmm. I'll see. shaadi ke time leave leni hi padegi, bhale hi baad me overtime karungi.'
She didn't know what to do now. Well, she couldn't do anything until they went through the doctors about her father's reports. She wanted to calm down and not think about all of it at the moment.
'Acha ye sab chhodo, aap aur batao. Khana ho gaya?'
She texted, wanting to distract herself.
'Nahi. Still working.'
He replied.
'Why? It's 9 already!'
She asked immediately.
'Kal hi inauguration hai, thoda kaam hai.'
He gave his reason. Not just him, there were a bunch of people who were also working late today.
'Ok. Humare yaha toh Anju aunty ne curfew laga rakha hai, 8 baje sare ghar. Kaam apni jagah, family apni jagah.'
She mentioned. Wondering if his family was also waiting for him at the dining table.
'Haha.. Aunty bohot hi disciplined rahi hai shuru se, maine dekha hai.. Vaise mai alag rehta hu.. I go and see my family over the weekends..'
He told her.
'Oh.. I didn't know that.. lekin aap alag kyu rehte ho?'
She asked in the flow, but regretted wondering if she had asked him a personal question.
'I wanted to live on my own. I moved out a long time ago.'
He replied.
'Really?'
She was surprised with his reason. She didn't know how to relate with that and asked herself if that was even a reason. Because in the situations she had been, she missed being with her family all the time. She wished she could stay with them like her friend did.
'Yeah.'
He typed. He didn't want to share the entire reason then and there over a chat. He had his own reasons that included some personal space and privacy and so much more.
'Is it easy? Akela nahi lagta?'
She couldn't help but ask.
'No.. Akela lagta hai.. That is why I go over to see them on weekends.'
He replied. It was not at all easy to live a few kilometres away from his family but he needed it. He wanted to be surrounded by his own set of thoughts and company at times to focus in life and work. Not that his family was a distraction. But because he wanted to live on his own, become independent.
'Oh.'
She couldn't relate to him and understand him but she didn't want to intrude either so she didn't ask for more details.
'U had dinner?'
He asked.
'Yeah.. Thodi der pehle.. Papa ko dawai leni hoti hai, isliye jaldi kha lete hain..'
She replied.
'Ok.'
He smiled. She'd add little details to her yes and no answers.
'Ur still in the office right?'
She asked then.
'Yep.'
He replied.
'But ur texting me instead of working?'
She asked again.
'Yep.'
He replied, smiling again by now.
'Can I ask why?'
And she asked again.
'Sure. Go ahead.'
He liked how she was going ahead with it.
'Sidharth, I asked u something!'
She was a little pissed because he wouldn't answer directly.
'Because, I was almost done.. Almost leaving..'
He finally answered.
'Then u should be heading home..'
She suggested.
'Yes mam.'
He replied. He was actually walking out of his cabin towards the elevator.
'Bhook pyaas nahi lagti kya? I'd be starving by now if I were u!'
She asked.
'Didn't say that I didn't have anything yet.. poori team ne mil ke pizza order kiya tha..'
He laughed it off and then typed his response.
'Oh.'
She didn't have anything to say then.
'Yeah, oh.'
He copied her.
'What did u mean by that? Mera mazak uda rahe ho?'
She suspiciously asked.
'Nahi toh.. I didn't tell u that I was starving..'
He replied and chuckled.
'Yeah, whatever..'
She rolled her eyes at him, knowing he'd be laughing at her in the other side.
"Sir? Gadi kharab hai kya?" Sidharth was startled when the building's security guard approached him suddenly.
"Nahi toh." He replied.
"Aap gadi ke samne itni der se khade the, toh mujhe laga. Okay sir." The guard replied and went back towards his quater.
Sidharth was a little embarrassed to address that he had been on his phone so much that he didn't realize that he was outside his building and standing next to his car already.
A part of him wanted to talk more, another part wanted to get back home and sleep. But this thing, this new chatting that they had begun with a couple of days ago seemed exciting. He wouldn't know but he'd keep looking at his phone, awaiting something from her side.
'Drive karne ja raha hu.. we'll catch up later?'
He dropped the text.
'Ok, sure. Drive safe.'
She replied immediately.
A part of her wanted to talk more, a part of her didn't want to bother him anymore. A part of her kept recalling the time she spent in Mumbai, a part of her wanted to get back into her daily routine and get Sidharth out of her head. A part of her was in her own delusional world where she imagined herself with him and a part of her was afraid of expecting anything from his side. With too many thoughts plaguing her mind, she ultimately reminded herself about the doctor's appointment the other day and she put her phone away, planning to catch some sleep.
"Aap logo ne bilkul theek time pe tests karwa liye." the doctor sighed, looking at Jagjit's CT and MRI scan after going through the x-ray the next day. The father and daughter duo were sitting opposite the doctor.
"Kya hua doctor?" Shehnaaz unknowingly squeezed the handle of the chair she was using. Her heart beats picked up.
"Iss scan ko dekhiye. Yeh jo chhota sa tumor jaisa dikh raha hai aapke chest me, lungs perhaps. This is the issue." Doctor answered.
Shehnaaz was stunned. She didn't know how to acknowledge and deal with this new information. Her father had cancer?
"Lekin zyada ghabrane wali nahi hai. That's not a tumor. It's a classic case of pulmonary tuberculosis and it is the initial stage so we're good now. Tension mat lijiye, thoda gharwalo se isolated rahiye taki ye infected na ho jaye aur mai kuch medicines and therapy prescribe kar deta hu." The doctor added.
She nodded, looking at the reports in front of her and closing her eyes for a moment to thank the almighty. On their way back home, she told Gurjot about the treatment, wanting her father to go to the doctor he had suggested.
There she came across a few texts from Sidharth again. There was a cafe aesthetically designed.
'Congratulations! Wonderful! Amazing yaar!'
She commented.
'Thanks.. How did it go with the doctor?'
When he saw her comment, the first thing that came into his mind was her appointment with the doctor today.
'Not fine.. Papa ko pulmonary tuberculosis hua hai.'
She replied.
'Oh.. What are u planning to do now?'
He asked, her father was actually not in a good condition if this was the case.
'Guru suggested I go for a 2nd opinion to another doctor. He knows someone.'
She replied. She was planning to talk to her parents about this today.
'That's a good idea.'
He told her.
'Hm..'
She didn't know what else to say. There was so much going on.
'He'll be fine.. take good care of him..'
He mentioned. He didn't feel good because he had been in her place. He watched his father fall ill over the years and then passed away, he didn't want the same to happen to any other person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello all! Humble apologies for the delay.. I joined my college after winter break and was loaded with assignments and the next week I'm gonna appear for my internal assessments.. so do not expect regular updates.. sorry!
How was it? Texting ha?! Sidharth Shehnaaz toh bade tez nikle..
Anyways! What was the best part about today?!