Forsaken - Chapter 22

Chapter 22
Susan was about to leave for home when it started to drizzle. There was not a single cloud ten minutes earlier. All of a sudden the climate changed with gusty winds blowing across. The plastic carry bags that were littering the sidewalks flew around and the dust swirled up. That’s when the phone rang.

“Hello.” Susan answered the call.

“Susan, it’s me.” She heard her husband’s voice at the other end.

“Where are you? Have you reached the station?” She was relieved. Once he was there, she did not have to come to the shop very often.

“I am calling from Dr. Krishnan’s hospital,” he said.

“Hospital? Why? Are you all right?” She was alarmed.

“Hey, don’t get upset. I am all right.” He tried in a soothing voice.

She waited for him to go on.

“Susan, as I was getting out of the train, I fell down on to the platform,” he explained.

For a minute Susan’s throat went dry. Fell from the train? Her hand shivered. She took a firm grip on the phone otherwise, she feared, it would slip from her hand.

“Susan?” He was worried how she would take the news. Now there is no response.

“I am coming over. Is there anything serious?” She found herself shaking and on the verge of crying. The staff were watching her.

“Hey, nothing serious. I just lost some paint,” he tried to joke.

“I’ll be there in a moment. Okay?” She hung up the phone.

She frantically searched for a rickshaw. When needed, none of them were around. She cursed under her breath. Finally she managed to get one. As soon as she got into it, it started to pour.

Dr. Krishnan’s Clinic was some fifteen minutes drive from the shop. As they reached the hospital, she paid the driver, and not waiting for the change, ran into the hospital. She did not know where to go.

“Do you know where is Mr. Jacob Thottumkal admitted?” She asked a young man who was manning the front reception.

He looked up from behind the glass partition. Then he checked the list and gave her the room number.

Susan was running. She took two stairs at a time. As she reached the second floor, she was panting. She found room number thirty-eight, and opened the door.
Raju was lying on a bed, his hands were bandaged. And there was a heavy bandage right above his left eyebrow.

She sat besides him and took his hand into hers. She started sobbing.

“Don’t. I am all right Susan.” Raju tried to console her.

“How many times did I tell you to be careful when boarding and getting down from a train?” She managed through sobs.

“I am sorry. But there is nothing serious. No fracture, nothing. It’s just a bruise on the hand. I fell on to my left side.”

“What is it on your face?” She wiped her eyes.

“I just hit a trolley on the platform. It is a deep cut. That’s it.” He ran his right hand over it.

“Oh my God. How deep? I mean is it really serious?” She started sobbing again.

“No. No. It’s just four stitches,” he said casually.

“Four stitches? My God!” She exclaimed.

“See Susan, this hospital is really good. I insisted on coming here just to be sure. They have done a scanning and there is nothing wrong. Just to make sure they put me on observation.
Otherwise I could have gone home.” He said in a soothing voice. He understood her anxiety. A blow to the head could be lethal. In fact it was really a miracle he survived the fall without any major damage. He was jumping out from the running train to exit before the station got crowded.

Suddenly Susan remembered.

“Nisha must have come back. I should call her. Ajit can bring her here”

“Call from the nurse’s station. I called you from there.”

She gave the number to one of the nurses. Ajit answered the call after some time.

“Hello”

“Aji, Monay, this is Susan Aunty.” She spoke into the mouthpiece.

“Yes Aunty?”

“Monay Raju Uncle had an accident. Nothing serious. You take Nisha and come over immediately”

“Where Aunty?” he queried.

“Dr. Krishnan’s Clinic. Nisha knows it” She gave the address and land marks, just to be sure.

“Ok Aunty. I’ll come over at once.” He disconnected the line.