Part 8 – Her Heart Therapist

“Is Dr. Karan around?”
The receptionist received a call at early morning, and she called for him.
He raised his brows to her to enquire who was on the line. She gestured that it was his mother. He was already tensed before taking the call.
“I love you ma. You know that.”
“Don’t try to blackmail me early morning. Where are you? Have you forgotten that apart from your dear patients you have a mother and an old grandma to look after?”
“Ma please. You know I exist because of you two.”
“Cut the emotional part and tell me when are you coming home?”

Karan’s mom had

vowed not to become a prey to his blackmail tricks under any circumstances.
“Karan you haven’t come home from three days. Are you the only doctor there?”
“Am sorry. I love you.”
Finally, his mom Mrs. Sheela Jaiswal gave in to his soft toned talk and forgave him , a bit too soon.
“I love you too. Now tell me what should I cook for lunch?”
“Anything. Mom, can you come here with my tiffin? Before your burst out, let me inform you there is an emergency operation at 9 today. After lunch I will take a round and then we can go home together. What say?”
“Alright. I will come around 12 pm.”
“Where is my baby?”
Karan used to address his grandma as ‘Baby’.

“She is fine.

And equally upset with you. You have to pacify her too after we come home.”
“That is not a big deal. I have an expertise in pacifying people, you know very well.”
As Karan looked sideways, a nurse was taking Samiksha on wheelchair for a round. He was at loss of words suddenly. The memory of their talk last night, Samiksha’s mention of her boyfriend, were making a merry go round in Karan’s head.

He was observing Samiksha’s chat with the nurse. Her bubbly laughter and naive behaviour were slowly mesmerised his nervous system. Her lips are so soft, untouched, pink. Hair like a fresh wave of sea falling on her beautiful body. Her eyes, so deep yet full of innocence. She appeared like a fairy to him at that moment.

Suddenly he noticed the beep sound of the phone and realised it was disconnected. He quickly called back as Sheela was already upset.
“Ma?”
“Thankfully you are back from your dream. I was talking and you were lost somewhere. So I kept the phone.”
“Am sorry. Actually I saw her . . nothing. Shall I keep the phone ma. See you at lunch.”
“Who is this ‘her’? Karan? Are you hiding something?”
“Nothing like that. I have to rush now. Bye.”

Why did Samiksha appear so different today?

Karan tried to brush off these thoughts and visited Sakhi Kishore, the famous tarrot card reader.
The check up was done and Sakhi directed a bomb towards Karan,
“Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Yes she is, just like a fairy.”
And Karan grasped the hint in all of a sudden query of Sakhi. He tried to look away and continued checking her file. But she continued,
“Is everything alright?”
“Yes. No, actually. She revealed yesterday about her boyfriend to me. I didn’t know how to react. Maybe some things are not meant to be.”
“Hmm. Actually the question was regarding my recovery report”, Sakhi said with a sweet smile.

Not to mention Karan was at loss of words

and he looked at Sakhi to find her smiling.
“Your reports are fine mam. You can expect a discharge from our prison by tomorrow,” replied Karan awkwardly.
“Definitely your hospital is not a prison Doc. I have never seen such humility in professional level. The staff and the atmosphere here is so welcoming. Patients might not want to leave from here I guess.”
“Na. Please don’t say that. We pray for the speedy recovery of all patients here. And would like to be in touch with all, but only as normal people. Certainly NOT as patients.”
“That is so sweet of you Karan. You mind I calling you by your first name?”
“Absolutely not mam.”
“We shall talk later. I guess your other patients are waiting for your attention too. Not to mention the sports department.”

Apparently, the sweet taunt

in her tone was not hidden from Karan.
“Well, see you later. Take rest and get prepared for returning to your home sweet home.”
“Yes, you too will call your house a ‘sweet home’ when there is a special person waiting just for you. That person will swipe you off your feet, no matter how high the walls around you are. Even if you hide behind the excuses of not committing or promising, that one person will break down all the walls around you, forever.” Sakhi had caught Karan’s fear of commitments in a relationship and her words were directed towards the same.

Karan did not say much. He smiled and was about to leave when he heard Sakhi whispering,
Whatever you hear is not always true, the heart and soul never lie. They are bare and visible even to the blind.

Indirectly, Sakhi had somehow erased his ‘fear’ of the relationship Samiksha claimed to be in.

It was around 12.15 pm

when Karan’s mother arrived with his lunch. He greeted her and took her to his cabin.
“You know it perfect how to win people, don’t you? The way these all look upto you makes me the most proud mother of this planet. Eat now.”
No need to mention, Karan was a bit flattered at the praise his mom showered on him and he ate wholeheartedly.

“Ma, you have come after a long time. I would appreciate if you take a round of the hospital.”
Sheela Jaiswal happily agreed and the two went for the tour of his hospital. The staff greeted her and she responded back with equal warmness.

When Samiksha’s ward approached, Karan’s heartbeat skipped a bit before opening the door.
Samiksha was talking to Jolly when they entered. She wondered who the lady next to Karan was.
“Ma, meet Samiksha. She is a footballer and she has an expertise in it. She got injured during her semi final match of her college. Her foot is fractured as you can see”, Karan signalled towards the plastered foot.
“She is recovering though”, he continued with a smile, “She looks quite tough ma, but she is very very delicate and . .”
The awkward silence in the ward along with the stares of Jolly, Samiksha and his mom interrupted Karan’s flow of words.

With folded hands

Sheela was eyeing her son,
“Continue.”
“Um. Thats all. Yes. Thats it.” Karan tried to hide his excitement but failed miserably.
“Hello aunty, nice meeting you,” Samiksha put forth her hand towards Sheela who held it with care.
“Hello child. How is your foot?”
“Much better, thank you. In fact am sure I will be going home in a few days, right Dr. Karan?”

Undoubtedly, the fact of Samiksha leaving in a few days disturbed him.

“Yes absolutely. She is an amazing person ma. She insisted on meeting you so I brought you here. Shall we leave now?”
“Yes. You take care Samiksha and am glad you play football. Karan wanted to learn it since long but somehow he never got this chance. Do teach him when you are recovered.”

Samiksha was taken aback how honestly Karan had asked her to teach football. No need to mention she had taken it as a casual statement that time, she felt a bit ashamed for misundersatnding him.

“Ofcourse aunty.

I will. You take care. How is grandma?”
It was surprising for Sheela to see how well Samiksha knew Karan..
“Yes she is fit and fine. Do visit our home once child. I felt very nice meeting you. God bless you.”
Sheela left later along with Karan for home.

Karan was flooded with sweet teasings from his mother and grandma back at home.
“You should have been there to see how Karan was all praises about this dove eyed sweet girl.”
“Ma please, she is just a patient.”
“Oh really. Obviously, you didn’t introduce all your other patients in the same way as you did for her? As a matter of fact, she is the only one girl about whom you have noticed so much.”
“Who is this angel, Karan?”, grandma was now eager to know.

“Baby, relax.

Now you don’t start like ma. She is sweet, nice, beautiful, gorgeous, confident.”
“Wait wait. Let me jot down. I have never heard so many adjectives all together in my lifetime. Bring my diary Sheela.”

At once the room was filled with happy laughs of Karan and the two lovely ladies in his life.

https://pieces-of-life.com/fairy-tale-love-story/

Credit for the images : https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zindagi+ki+mehek