AAL IS WELL? Really?

After almost 10 years, I went to a hospital on Sunday. Both S and I are fine by god's grace, we went there to see someone.


The last time I had been to a hospital was in early 2000 when my granny was not well. Every time I used to visit her and see her howling out of pain due to a broken pelvis, my heart used to bleed. I used to come out of the hospital helpless and forlorn.


Since then, the only time I had visited a hospital was to donate blood (twice actually, once to Jayadeva hospital and once to Narayana Hrudralaya) and actually came out satisfied both the times because I had a chance to meet the receipients of my donated blood. One was a IISC scientist and the other one was a farmer.


Other than these 2 chances, I never went to any hospital in the last 10 years. Not to see a newborn, not to see any accident victim or not for any good causes. So, last Sunday, when I had to visit Duke University Medical Center to see someone, I knew that it was not going to be some experience.


M is my colleague and good friend (both of us are Maharashtrians). M's husband P is seriously ill and admitted to Duke. The memories that I have of P are that of a tall, slim and handsome man. He brought a sense of calm to the room by his sheer presence. Always branded a smile which was very contagious. A very nice person to talk too as well. A loving father of a 4 year old son and a 1 year old daughter.

The long walk from the parking lot to the main hospital was unnerving. Took the elevator to the ward where P was admitted. M's father met us outside the ward and gave a pass which I could use to go in. Only 1 visitor is allowed in at a time, so S stayed outside with M's father.


I went in and saw P sleeping calmly. There were a bunch of tubes hooked on to his hand each one administering some sort of medicine which will try to bring his vital functions back to normalcy. His lame body had collapsed on that bed and was cutting a sad figure, entirely different from the smiling face we met first time at their son's birthday.


M saw me and her eyes said everything. She controlled hard not to shed a tear. She just closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Keeping aside the stotra book, which she was reading continuously, she came out of the room where P lay.


I tried to talk abt anything other than P, but was ridiculously short of words. Words deserted me at the most difficult moment. So I asked -- How is he?


Her reply was -- No improvement. Doctors detected a minor infection of pneumonia today. There is minor bleeding from the nose and blood pressure is abnormally high. Because of some medication he had taken, he cannot be operated for another 3 weeks and the doctors are not ready to keep him on the life support system for more than a week.


I just muttered -- keep faith, everything will be alright. Do not lose hope.

I tried to talk to M's father abt everything other than P and his health. He personified a dam with a wall full of cracks, just about to explode. Just M's presence in that corridor and a very wet handkerchief plugged the leaks.

S never went inside the ward. I promised all the help that I could, within my limits. Then S and I left the corridor and took the uncomfortably long walk to the parking lot with very heavy feet and even heavier hearts. S was sobbing uncontrollably. We did not speak anything for some time.


I just felt like asking one Q to myself -- Can M try consoling her heart by saying "AAL IS WELL"?