Madhu ran to the emergency room. She saw the bloody patient there. She ran to him. Wiped his blood with her sleeves carefully. She couldn't recognize his features.
His face was totally messed up. His lips and nose were swollen. His eyes were closed. She couldn't judge if he was her husband or not.
She checked his clothes. His shirt was torn and bloody. She couldn't distinguish its original color. Her heart told her he was her husband. But her mind refused to believe.
"No he is not my Rishabh. He can't be. My Rishabh is fine and safe" Madhu repeated to herself
The emergency room got crowded with doctors and nurses who heard the news. They were standing there watching the scene and no one could make any move. They all were shocked and couldn't believe it.
Dr. Neha hugged Madhu and took her away from the patient. Other doctors came to examine the patient. Madhu was walking out of the room with Dr. Neha blabbering
"He is not my Rishabh. My Rishabh is ok. He is not Rishabh" Madhu
"Calm down Madhu" Neha
Madhu stopped in her track suddenly. Neha saw her eyes widened. She followed Madhu's gaze to a ring in the patient's finger
"What is it Madhu?" Neha
"This ring" Madhu whispered and ran back to the patient. She held his hand and tried to remove the ring from his finger
"What is it? Do you recognize the ring?" Dr. Sharma asked Madhu
"I gave this ring to Rishabh in our first anniversary" Madhu whispered the words. She didn't want to hear her own voice
"Rishabh. Wake up. Open your eyes. Say something. Rishabh. Rishabh" Madhu took the patient's head in her hands and shook him roughly to wake him up
"Careful doctor Kundra. Dr. Neha please take her away" Dr. Sharma
Dr. Neha tried to take Madhu away. But she refused
"No I won't leave him" Madhu
"Come Madhu they need to take care of him. Please come with me" Neha
Neha tried to drag Madhu out of the room. Madhu was screaming and refused to go with her. Two nurses joined Neha to take Madhu away from the room. When they reached the door with her. She freed herself from them and ran to a corner in the room.
She curled herself into ball. She stayed sitting in the room corner, holding her knees, staring at her husband's body without blinking, and tears were flowing from her eyes.
She watched the doctors tearing his clothes, connecting tubes everywhere in his body, stabbing needles in his neck, arms, and chest, and shocking his heart to revive him.
Her husband was there helpless, motionless, and unconscious. He couldn't move a finger or blink an eyelash. He was like a dead body. The only sound came out from him was the beeping sound from machine indicating that his heart was still beating.
The doctors started moving him. Madhu panicked and stood up immediately
"Where are you taking him?" Madhu
"To the operating room. He must have a surgery now" Dr. Sharma
"I will come with you" Madhu
"Please don't Dr. Kundra. Stay here and we will inform you with his condition" Dr. Sharma
"Please doctor" Madhu joined her hands and pleaded him
"Doctor for his sake stay here" Dr. Sharma
"Ok I will stay" Madhu
They took him and Madhu was standing outside the operating room crying and praying to God to save her husband. Seconds became minutes and minutes became hours. Suddenly the operating room door opened and Dr. Abhay Kapoor the neurologist came out and approached Madhu
"Dr. Kundra. I'm sorry but I have bad news" Dr. Kapoor
"What is it?" Madhu
"Dr. Kundra's right arm is in bad condition. The main nerves and vines there are badly injured. And the arm didn't receive blood for too long. Its tissues started dying. We have to resect his arm from elbow downward" Dr. Kapoor
"No. You can't do this" Madhu
"We have to. His arm is completely damaged. We can't save it" Dr. Kapoor
"No. He is a surgeon for God sake. How can he operate without his right hand?" Madhu was shouting at him
"I understand. But we can't save it. There is nothing that we can do for him" Dr. Kapoor
"I said NO. I won't give you my consent." Madhu snapped at him
"But doctor" Dr. Kapoor
"Go and save my husband's hand." Madhu shouted at him
After Dr. Kapoor left her. She called someone
"Madhubala. What is wrong? You are calling now" Mohan
"Papa ji. I'm sorry I know it is after midnight for you now. But I need you" Madhu
"Why are you crying? Where is Rishabh?" Mohan was worry
Madhu told him everything happened to his son.
"Don't allow them to resect his hand. My friend here is the best neurologist. I will talk to him and call you back. Make sure they don't do anything to his hand. Rishabh can't live without his hand" Mohan instructed Madhu through the phone
"Yes papa ji. I will prevent them from doing anything to him" Madhu
After Madhu ended the call with her father in-law. She scrubbed and entered the operating room. When she entered the room, she saw Dr. Kapoor going to cut her husband's arm
"Stop" Madhu shouted at him
"Dr. Kundra. Please understand. There is no other way" Dr. Kapoor
"There is. Wait just few minutes. Dr. Mohan discussing Rishabh's condition with Dr. Russell Crowe the best neurologist in UK. He will tell you how to save his hand" Madhu
"With all respect to Dr. Mohan and Dr. Russell but this is my operating room. Only I can decide what is best for my patient" Dr. Kapoor was offended
"Your patient is my husband. You can't cut off his hand without my consent" Madhu
Dr. Kapoor didn't listen to her and he was going to cut in Rishabh's flesh with his scalpel. Madhu ran to him and snatched the scalpel from his hand. She hurt her hand in the process and started to bleed
"Are you crazy?" Dr. Kapoor shouted at her
"Call security to remove Dr. Kundra from my operating room" Dr. Kapoor ordered a nurse
"You can't kick me out. This is my husband's hospital" Madhu
Dr. Sharma entered the operating room. One of the nurses ran out and told him everything happened there
"Are you both out of your mind? You are fighting in the operating room. There is anaesthetized patient on the operating table" Dr. Sharma
"Dr. Kundra doesn't leave me do my job" Dr. Kapoor
"He wants to resect my husband's arm without my consent" Madhu
"There is no way we can save his arm" Dr. Kapoor
"There is" Madhu
Madhu phone rang interrupted them
"Yes Papa ji" Madhu answered the phone in its first ring. After few minutes, she handed her phone to Dr. Sharma
"Yes Dr. Kundra" Dr. Sharma
"We will take care of him" Dr. Sharma
"We will do it" Dr. Sharma
"Don't worry" Dr. Sharma
"Hold on a minute" Dr. Sharma
"Dr. Kapoor. I will put the phone on speaker. Dr. Crowe will instruct you to save Dr. Kundra's hand" Dr. Sharma
"I'm the neurologists head surgeons. I won't take another doctor's instructions miles away from the patient and his condition to do the surgery" Dr. Kapoor
"Please understand Dr. Kapoor. Dr. Crowe is the best neurologist in UK. He knows how to save the patient's hand. He will just tell you what to do until he can come tomorrow and operate himself. Do it for Dr. Rishabh" Dr. Sharma
"Sorry doctor. But I work only with my way. You can bring any neuro student to follow Dr. Crowe instructions" Dr. Kapoor said and left the operating room
"What will we do Dr. Sharma? Rishabh is under the drugs for too long. We can't just wait for another surgeon to come and operate" Madhu
"We will wake him up and when we find another surgeon he can have his surgery" Dr. Sharma
"But his hand is dying. If we can save it now. Maybe we can't save it after few hours" Madhu
"We will freeze him" Dr. Sharma
"What?" Madhu
"If his hand is frozen it can't die. We will just freeze him for few hours until we have our surgeon" Dr. Sharma
"Ok do it" Madhu
Nurses brought ice bags and put it on Rishabh body. They froze him for three hours. Until Dr. Sharma called another neurologist to come and operate to save Rishabh's hand.
After two hours surgery. Rishabh was moved to the ICU. Madhu followed his body and waited there beside him.
"Dr. Ali did all he could to save Dr. Kundra's hand" Dr. Sharma
"Will it be alright?" Madhu
"He did as Dr. Crowe instructed him. Dr. Crowe will be here tomorrow. He will continue the operation tomorrow" Dr. Sharma
"When will he wake up?" Madhu
"We are making him sleep. It will help him heal better. And it will be easier for the farther surgeries he will have" Dr. Sharma
"Thank you doctor" Madhu
"You can go home and rest. He won't wake up any time soon" Dr. Sharma
"No I will stay here" Madhu
"As you like" Dr. Sharma
After Dr. Sharma left her. She went to her husband's office. Where her mother and her mother in-law were waiting there
"How is he?" Radha
"He will be ok" Madhu
"Is he awake" Padmini
Madhu shook her head negatively. Padmini hugged her daughter
"He is going to be ok" Padmini tried to calm her crying daughter
"Tell me this is all a nightmare. Tell me he is fine. Tell me he will enter this door now. Please mom. Please tell me my Rishabh is ok" Madhu cried hard in her mother's arms
"Bas Madhu. Everything will be ok. He will be ok. He will enter this door soon. He will stand beside you and take you in his arms again" Padmini
"Please mom pray for him. Pray for me. I can't live without him. I love him so much" Madhu
"He will be ok. Nothing will happen to him. He will be ok" Padmini
The three of them stayed all night in Rishabh's office. Radha was crying silently. Madhu was resting her head on her mother lap and crying. Padmini was caressing her daughter head and combing her hair with her hand
In the morning
Dr. Mohan Kundra and Dr. Russell Crowe reached the Kundra's hospital. They checked Rishabh's reports. Dr. Russell examined Rishabh hand. He discussed Rishabh's condition with the Kundras
"The main nerves in his right arm are damaged badly" Dr. Russell
"What do you mean? You will cut it?" Madhu was panicked and interrupted him
"Wait Madhubala. Let him speak" Dr. Mohan
"Please continue doctor" Dr. Mohan
"We can't save his nerve. But we can replace it" Dr. Russell
"How?" Dr. Mohan
"We can remove the damaged part. Then we replace it with nerve from his thigh. He won't feel his thigh but he can use his hand perfectly" Dr. Russell
"Is that possible?" Madhu
"I did it just once before. It worked well" Dr. Russell
"Do it. Do anything to save his hand. He can't live without his hand" Dr. Mohan
"Ok we can do it now. Prepare him for the surgery" Dr. Russell
After five hours surgery Dr. Mohan and Dr. Russell stepped out from the operating room. Madhu and Radha ran to them and asked them how was Rishabh
"How is he?" Radha
"He is going to be ok. We took a piece from his thigh nerve and connected to his arm nerve." Mohan
"Will he use his hand normally?" Madhu
"It will take time from six months to year until he can use it normally. But he still has his hand" Dr. Russell
"A year?" Madhu was shocked
"You know neuro treatment takes time. Maybe he will be ok sooner" Dr. Mohan
"I hope so" Madhu
"Madhubala. You can go home and rest. Dr. Sharma told me you are here since yesterday morning. I will stay with Rishabh" Mohan
"No papa ji. I won't leave him alone. You are coming from long trip. Please go and rest in the house. I called the servants and your room is ready." Madhu
"Ok Madhubala. As you like" Mohan
"Mom please go with papa ji, and send some clothes for me and Rishabh with the driver. Please go home and rest" Madhu
"Ok Madhu. Take care" Padmini
Radha left to her house. Padmini and Mohan went to Kundra's house. Padmini packed some clothes for her daughter and her son in-law. Then she prepared lunch and took it with her to hospital to feed her daughter
"You didn't go home?" Madhu said when she saw her mother returned to the hospital with the clothes and the food
"I brought you what you need" Padmini
"You could send it with the driver and go home" Madhu
"If I send it with the driver, who will force you to eat" Padmini
"Thank you mom. But I am not hungry" Madhu
"You didn't eat anything for two days now Madhu. You have to be strong for him. Eat for his sake" Padmini
"Please mom don't force me" Madhu
"For Rishabh" Padmini neared a spoon full of rice to her daughter mouth
"Ok. I will eat myself" Madhu took the plate from her mother's hand and started to eat
After Madhu had finished eating, her mother left her and went with the driver to her home. Madhu entered the ICU and sat there beside her husband watching his chest moving up and down praying to God not to stop ever
"Wake up Rishabh. Don't leave me. You promised me that you won't leave me ever. Please open your eyes. You are killing me. If anything happened to you I would die. Please Rishabh wake up." Madhu sat there talking to her husband and crying
"Wake up and I will do anything you want me to do. We will adopt kids. Many kids. No, I will be pregnant. I will do anything to bring you your children. Even if I have ten miscarriage. I will try again and again until I give you your babies. Please Rishabh wake up" Madhu held her husband hand carefully and cried hardly
"Open your eyes. Please let me see your beautiful eyes. Let me hear your tender voice. I missed you Rishabh. I missed your smile. I missed your words. I missed our fights. Look if you wake up now I will leave my job. I will never leave you again. I will stick with you as glue. I will never leave your side. Please wake up" Madhu continued crying
"It is not fair. Every time I am weak. Every Time I am helpless. Every time I'm hopeless. You were there with me. You helped me. You gave me hope. You told me that everything would be ok. Who will help me now? Who will hold my hand and whisper in my ear that everything will be ok? Who will hold me tight and let me cry on his shoulder? Who can I lean on? I'm lonely. Please don't leave me Rishabh. Please wake up. Wake up Rishabh" Madhu broke down in tears
"Mmm" Rishabh whined from pain