Ghee Laddooos

“HELLO HEMA, COME….COME,” THE gynaecologist said.

Hema entered inside the medical-checkup room along with her husband, who was tall and had a trimmed beard with henna streaked hair. He looked rich and charming. On the other side, his wife’s face was pinkish and few acne were reddened her left cheek. But she was fonder and spiritual charisma wafted in her smile. Her eyes were marble blue and warm and glowing soft. Her green top was swollen at the tummy, yes, she was carrying a nine month baby in her womb.

“Hi doctor, how are you doing?” Hema said in a low but hissing sound.

She was holding her both hands on her swollen tummy and walking slowly as if her legs were hurting badly. Her husband was holding her right shoulder and guiding her to sit down. He scraped the blue plastic chair as he pulled it and let her sit on it. He then sat next to her in a different chair.

“So, how is your baby? I believe he is not letting you sleep these days?” the doctor said, smiling. She wore white coat and her green sari’s folds around her chest was shown. Her stethoscope was hanging around her neck like she had tied a scarf. Clearly she had so much of experience in this field, you could tell this truth just by looking at her composure and the way she had treated her patients.

The serenity and calmness comes when you had won the battle of inexperience? Her face was bright and waxed as if she had just come from the beauty parlour. There was a strong pleasant scent came from her dress, despite the truth she was in the hospital.

“Hah, I don’t know how I am going to handle this girl when she gets out of me. She is always kicking me harder in the midnight while having sweet dreams in my sleep, you know,” Hema said, not smiling but with a tight face as if she was really suffering.

The doctor had dropped the pen on the notepad and gave her a puzzled look, “How do you know this is girl baby?” her index finger is pointing at her stomach. Though she had gentle and tender character, she wouldn’t leave anyone who disrespects the laws laid to save the lives of babies.

“Hoh, don’t panic doctor. I haven’t gone through any illegal scanning to know the gender of this baby. But I am praying to God to give me a baby girl so that I can see my sister in her. You know my sister had died due to congenital lungs problem last year. She was just fourteen years that time. I know how she had suffered to even breathe air. She couldn’t even walk in the cold night, fearing, she might get an asthma attack. It was painful to see she was holding the aspirator within her hand all the time. It was unexpected and ravaged us when her dead body had reached our house from her school. Yes, she was lying dead in the bathroom while she was peeing,” Hema cried suddenly.

She leaned on her husband’s shoulder and bit his shirt to tell this truth. She knew she didn’t have to tell this information with the doctor, but these gnawing memories were pushed her to share this savage truth.

“Ohhhhhh, that’s really harsh. I can understand how much trouble she would have faced,” the doctor said and swallowed a deep breath as her chest pushed forward and came back normal.

“I am sorry doctor, I made you to suffer. I don’t know I am feeling like a kid these days. I couldn’t control my tears when I think of my sister,” she said, her husband slowly moved her to lean on the back of her chair.

“Hema, you are talking to me as I am a stranger. Be frank, I like that attitude you know. What is wrong with crying? After all, it is a natural process to show how much love we had for the person, isn’t? So, don’t feel bad about it,” the doctor said.

“Thank you doctor,” Hema said and wiped her eyes with the kerchief.

“Okay, now give me the reports. Let me check how many days are due for the baby arrival,” the doctor said and extended her hand.

Hema’s husband placed the file in her hand. She flipped a few pages and stopped at the tenth page, “Oh, it seems like you only have a week to get the labour pains. It was marked as fifteenth of September. But you may get labour pains at any time. You should be here immediately when you undergo this pain, got it? Okay, let me check the heartbeat of your baby. Come and lie on the bed in the scanning room,” she said in a firm voice, but she was caring.

Hema shook her head and stood up slowly.

“Nurse help her to get her inside,” the doctor said.

The nurse held Hema as they slowly moved into the scanning room, which was filled with a bed and medical equipment like fetal monitoring machine and a computer. Hema lied on the bed as her head rested on the pillow. She swallowed a lump down her throat before she slightly pulled up her top to show her stomach.

The doctor pressed the ultrasound transducer on her stomach as her fetal position was showed in the computer screen very clearly.

“See your baby moving. I think your baby has just woken up from his sleepiness. See there she looks like yawning and placing hand over mouth and………” the doctor smiled. She pressed the transducer on her stomach harder as hollowness created.

“Hah, I could see doctor,” Hema responded with a small smile. She wanted to tell the doctor not to press harder since the baby might feel the pressure. After all, she was going to be a mother in a few weeks and already she had started feeling the paternal affection.

The doctor had checked whether the baby’s heart beat was normal on the screen. Yes, it was normal. Even she had checked the water around her fetus and the strength of her womb. The doctor was aware that her womb was little weaker than normal, because of few abortions she had undergone in a year. But she had faith it won’t affect the baby’s growth in any means.

The doctor looked at the arms and legs movement of the baby and looked satisfied. She gasped as handed the fetal monitoring machine to the nurse to put it back in a normal position.

“That’s it. Wake up slowly,” the doctor said to her and lend her hand to climb down from the bed.

“Your baby is absolutely fine Mr. Shukumar,” announced the doctor as she sat on her high holstered chair, “but let your wife also have some food, okay?” she tossed a freakish smile.

He knew the doctor was asking funny. He almost blushed when had seen the doctor again, “I always tell her to have non veg and biscuits and samosas. But she never heard my suggestions,” he gave a soft repudiating look at his wife.

“Huh? Mr. Shukumar what are you talking? You should avoid these foods from her diet. I told your mom already that Hema has some high blood sugar level and she has to avoid giving such heavy foods to her. Did she tell you or not?” the doctor said.

“She told me the doctors are always like this only, asks us to reduce the food intake and they make the baby weaker,” he said.

Hema pressed her hand on his lap to make him stop.

“No doctor. I am having healthy food. I am feeling good,” Hema said.

“But your reports won’t say that,” the doctor almost slapped the blood report on the desk. “See your blood sugar level is already shot up to 170. Hema you have to find a solution to stop this immediately. If it goes beyond it your baby might be having problems, you understood?”

Hema didn’t say anything.

“If you would have followed the diet as I had instructed, your blood sugar would have been much better than this. But you…………” the doctor averted her face on other side like a sulked kid.

“Sorry doctor. But I will add more vegetables into my diet. It is tough, but I will do it for the baby,” Hema said.

“Not only that, you have to start adding the fenugreek and bitter gourd and gua into your diet. But stop taking more than five idlis in the morning and a bowl food in the afternoon and three chapatis in the night. Don’t take more than that,” the doctor said to Hema and averted her glance at him, “What do you think Mr. Shukumar?”

“Okay doctor,” he replied.

“More importantly stop taking mother’s Horlicks or Boost because it has added sugar in it, Uh?”

Hema stood up as shook her head hurriedly. She didn’t want to hear the complication of failing to maintain her diet. Her husband followed her.

They came out, her mother-in-law was beaming, “What the doctor said, eh?” she asked.

“First let us go our house mom. We will talk about this later,” her son said.

“Anything wrong?” she stopped moving. Her eyes fluttered like a giant bird.

“Give way to the people to go in, you come this side,” he said and pushed her in the front.

They finally got into the Uber cab. The sun was still hammering the earth in the evening. It was hot and humid. If there was no AC operated in the cab, they all would have of died of dehydration. They had stopped in the roadside shop to eat watermelon. It was his mother’s suggestion.

“No aunty, I don’t want it,” Hema said. She knew she had to stop taking sugary food items.

Her mother-in-law gave her a wild look and turned her glance at her son.

“Mom, the doctor said she had to be in control with her diet,” he said.

“What?” she almost puked at him.

Her son ducked his head.

“I know these doctors are all idiots. They don’t even know how to take care of a pregnant lady. If you don’t take this juice, then I consider you didn’t have honour on me,” her mother-in-law said and gave a half of the water melon to her. It was reddish and small black seeds were stuck in it.

Hema didn’t want to let her feel bad. She thought it was okay to have it. She grabbed the big watermelon slice and chewed it. It really tasted good and she had almost enjoyed eating it, though she had some sickness in her heart because she thought about the doctor’s suggestion.

“That’s nice,” her mother-in-law said proudly, as swallowed the full watermelon in three gulps.

They got inside the cab. They had travelled through Velachery and tread down towards Tarmani to connect with the OMR road, which is like a NH road and has widened roads. The IT software companies were loomed everywhere. They gazed at it. Also they had seen so many shopping complexes and eatery shops on either side of the roads.

“Driver stop in the Krishna sweet shop, there,” her mother-in-law said in a brisk voice.

Hema thought she was going to buy the sweet to present her relatives who were due to come at the next Sunday or later after her delivery. But she had called her to come along with her. You know how difficult it was to walk with a baby in your stomach, right? But Hema walked in, as usual holding her both hands on her stomach and walked limpidly. This time, her husband wasn’t there to hold her.

“What should I order mom?” Shukumar asked. The smell of sweets plunged into their nostrils.

“Order one kg soan papdi,” his mom said and turned her gaze at Hema and said, “What do you want?”

Hema was sitting on a steel chair since she couldn’t stand for a long time, “No, I don’t want aunty. You can order for yourself,” she said in a humble voice.

But her mother-in-law’s eyes were maliciously threatened her, “You should order. Are you wanted to insult me in front of all the people?”

“No aunty. But please understand me,” Hema said.

“I can’t understand why you are behaving like a bazari now. Come on stand up and tell us what you want?”

Hema didn’t know what to say. She stood up helplessly, her legs were aching badly.

“Okay, order few laddoos,” she said in a hesitant tone.

Her mother-in-law gave her an indignant look and said to her son, “Order two kg laddoos my boy.”

“Mom, but……………” Shukumar said as looked at her mother’s eyes. He couldn’t able to convey what was in his mind clearly. Fearing she might accuse his wife again.

“What? This is not going to help,” she pushed her son aside and spoke to the counter boy.

“We need two kg pure ghee laddoos,” she said in a heavy voice as the boy was almost frightened.

“Okay madam,” the boy said and put a square box on the weighing machine and filled it with sweets.

He handed two plastic cover bags to Shukumar, who paid the bill. They came back and sat inside the car.

The vehicle had stopped at few places due to traffic since the corporate guys had occupied the roads after their office hours were closed. It took them one hour to reach Perungudi. They reached home and had a healthy meal and slept.

In the next morning, Shukumar had gone to office. He was aware that still five days more for Hema to deliver the baby. But he told his wife to call him immediately once she started feeling cramps in her stomach. She gave a head shake and whisked him a bye as he departed from the house.

“So?” her mother-in-law said once Hema came inside the house.

Hema didn’t know what she had meant. She stood silent, threw a peculiar glance.

“Come sit here,” her mother-in-law said, as patted the sofa left to her.

She had never been so cool earlier, and Hema was both blushed and embarrassed to sit next to her. But she sat as reluctance crept on her soul.

“Had breakfast?”

“No aunty. I have to. Just now Shukumar has gone to office. I will have some bread,” she said.

“Oh, dear. Time is already nine thirty, have food immediately,” her mother-in-law said.

Hema rose to her feet and came to the kitchen and opened the brown wheat bread packet kept on the shelf. She picked two bread loaves and put it inside the toaster and turned on the power switch. The bread was baked brownish black. It was thick and crusty. She put it on the ceramic plate and opened the fridge and got the tomato ketchup. She slowly came down to the dining table and placed the plate on it and she sat down on the chair as elbowed her both hands on the dining table. She pressed her lips as it was difficult for her to sit in a small chair like that. She felt like it was going to crack down due to her immense weight on it. She was aware that she had put on seven kilos of weight during this pregnant period.

“What are you eating?” her mother-in-law said.

“Eating toasted breads,” Hema said as took a bite of bread. A small crust plastered on the corner of her mouth. But she didn’t wipe it.

“How many?”

“Two.”

“Only two?” her mother-in-law rose from her seat and came to join her. She took a seat next to her behind the dining table.

“Hah, doctor said I should reduce my fat and blood sugar. She told me I should follow the diet strictly as instructed by her,” Hema said.

“These doctors are always jealousy. They didn’t even know how to take of a pregnant lady. That’s why I told you don’t go that hospital. Did you hear my words?” she said.

“Aunty this is a good maternity hospital in the city. They have vast experience in this field. The doctors were studied in foreign and they know exactly what a patient need. Even who had delivered babies, had given a good feedback about the hospital and the doctors,” Hema said. She stopped eating. Her half bitten bread was kept on the plate.

“It’s a lie I say. They will do some crappy things to claim this honor to run the hospital. I don’t believe it. Anyway, that’s a different issue. Whatever they say you just shook your head. But don’t follow their words, okay?” she said.

“But………” Hema said before her mother-in-law threw her hand in front of her to stop speaking more.

“I don’t want to hear anything. Why don’t you eat chocos topped with honey,” she said as averted her glance at the kitchen shelf. “You should take this food instead of this low protein breads. If you take honey then the baby would be born like as soft as honey, you know,” she said and laughed with her own joke. But Hema didn’t ruffle and she breathed harder. Her innards shook when she had heard it.

Her mother-in-law stood up and scrambled down across the kitchen and took the big aluminium bowl and triggered the gas stove and placed it on top of it. Then opened the door and grabbed a milk pocket and came and chipped the cover at the front edge and poured the milk on the bowl.

“No aunty. I shouldn’t take honey. Don’t prepare. I am okay with the bread toast,” Hema said.

“No you stop that nonsense. I will prepare a good breakfast for you,” she said as took a chocos and filled it slowly as it came to the rim of the bowl. And she stirred the bowl as poured the half of the honey from the 500 g bottle. If you would have eaten this, you don’t feel hungry for next two days. This was that much heavy in terms of protein and calories.

“Here you go,” her mother-in-law placed it in front of Hema, who wrung her fingers nervously and averted a beseeching look at her.

“Come on eat it my sweetheart,” she said as smiled wider. Hema had never seen such a smile before, but for the first time.

Oh, God please save me from this oppressive situation, she muttered herself in a low voice.

“What are you thinking? Are you going to have it or I should feed to you, eh?” she thundered.

Hema’s eyes were shivered as clutched the spoon and swallowed twice. Her mother had shown a happy face which was wild and menacing to Hema.

“Come on eat it. Yeah, just like that,” her aunty said.

Hema’s eyes glistened and her mouth started quivering when she said, “It’s enough. I don’t feel hungry anymore,” she said.

“No, no, no, you shouldn’t talk like that,” her mother-in-law said and grabbed a spoon and dipped it in the bowl and took spoon full of chocos and pushed into her mouth. The honey dripped down her right corner of her lips and smudged her chin.

“I don’t need aunty,” Hema said and tried to stop her. But she didn’t. Instead, she kept pushing the honey soaked food into her mouth. The more she tried to stop her, the faster the food came to her mouth. Hema almost gave up. The food was choked inside her throat. She let a loud cough. She ran towards to the washbasin and vomited. Her left hand was holding the tap and let it free as the water dribbled down. She took water in her hand and splashed on her face. She was panting now as if she had run up and down the long stairs in the house. She leaned on the wall as grabbed the small towel hung over the washbasin and dabbed it on her face. She took a deep breath and thought her mother-in-law torture was gone. But when she had opened her eyes fully she was almost fainted on seeing her mother-in-law’s face, who was standing in front of her with a bowl in her hand. She had a hand full of laddoos and being ready to commence the deadly innings again.

“Here only three laddoos are there. You eat this and go to sleep. Otherwise the baby will suffer due to starvation, you understand?” she said.

“No…….” Hema almost screamed. “No, I don’t want.”

This time her mother-in-law pushed the laddoos in her mouth. She didn’t try to feed one at time, but two. The laddoos were cracked and grained in her hands when she pushed it inside her mouth. Hema was feeling like she was staying with a demon now. Yes, her mother-in-law was almost trying to kill her now. Somebody can go and save her, no? Hema didn’t know what to do. She wanted to dial to her husband and tell him to come back immediately to save her. What about her parents? No, she wasn’t going to call them to give heartbreak.

“Don’t spew on the floor. Eat you bitch. Don’t you heed my voice, eh?” her mother-in-law boomed, as her eyes rolled in and out menacingly.

Hema had swallowed it without even tasting what she had fed to her. It was like she was drinking the poison given to her. Oh, God, are you there somewhere here? Can you save me now? she thought. Tears were sprung out of her eyes like fountain.

“Aunty please stop this. I can’t bear. I can’t bear,” Hema said and folded her hands before her. Tears rolled down her cheeks copiously.

“You……….I said you to eat this. But you are talking rubbish,” she said and pushed one more laddoo into mouth. “If you don’t eat who is gonna eat all this, eh?” she said as pointed her finger at the two kg laddoos they brought. It was kept on the dining table.

“No, I won’t,” Hema said and staggered and fumbled as she brushed aside her mother-in-law’s hand and went inside the bedroom. But before she locked, her mother-in-law’s hand had gone inside the crack of the door and gave a huge force to fling the door aside. It gave a big thud on the wall.

Hema fumbled to fetch her mobile. She unlocked her mobile and dialed to her husband but her mother-in-law came and slapped across her face and grabbed the mobile and hurtled it on the wall. It was dropped on the floor with a small cramping sound. The screen of the mobile was cracked and the front camera was broken. ‘Hello Hema. Hellooooo……..’ her husband was talking over the phone. No, she couldn’t pick up the call.

“Youuuuu, why did you call him? You are making me angry. You don’t even know how to respect elders. You daughter of whh…….” She didn’t finish the sentence. But Hema knew what she was trying to say. She swallowed a big lump down her throat. She was sobbing intermittently as lowered her eyes and didn’t even look at her mother-in-law.

“I am talking to you only,” her mother-in-law said.

Hema looked up at her, “What should I do? Tell me,” she wiped her tears with her both hands. She wasn’t going to bother about whether she was going to die or not. She felt it was okay to die than to hear her deplorable words.

“This is what I expected. You are a good soul. Just wait here, I would bring you……..” her mother-in-law said and flourished to the living room like a jogging squirrel with a happy face.

Hema sat down on the bed and lifted her head up and closed her eyes for a second. She had even forgotten that she was trying to call her husband. Suddenly her mind was flashed with this thought. She scrambled down to fetch a mobile, but the line was already disconnected. Before she tried to dial again, her mother-in-law stood in front of her with box full of laddoos.

“Here you go,” her mother-in-law took one and gave it to her.

But, Hema grabbed the box and ate everything with a heavy and sick heart. Her aunty was beaming with pride on seeing her eating like that. She thought her daughter-in-law got changed after the strong dose of preaching. She felt like slapping her thighs with her pudgy hands for this achievement. Her mischievous eyes were gleaming and shone like stars.

Hema was swallowing laddoos one by one. Her eyes were pouring the tears as she looked at her mother-in-law and ate it. She knew she was harming her health and her baby’s. She felt like beating her stomach with her hands for doing such a miserable act, but she was helpless. She knew how stubborn her mother-in-law was. Unless until her husband came home and save his wife, Hema was going to ruin her health for sure. God alone knows what was going to happen for the baby in her womb.

“Yeah just like that. See already the baby is playing inside your womb after you have eaten this. He was feeling unhappy these days because you haven’t fed him well,” her mother-in-law said.

Hema returned a weak smile as grabbed a last laddoo from the box. Do you believe she had eaten twenty laddoos as of now? Doctor please forgive this poor soul for doing such a gross mistake. If you have a meekly heart please see a way to punish that old bitch. Mr. Shukumar where are you man? Your wife is under the trap of a monstrous devil. Can’t you come here and save your wife?

When Hema had finished eating all the sweets she felt like some throbbing ache clutched her stomach. The boy was kicking hard at her belly as if he or she was anguished with her. Hema ran her hands over her belly and couldn’t withstand the pain she was undergoing now. The pain was dull initially, but it was getting increased rapidly like the slow drizzles had become down pouring rain or storm. She had bitten her lips tightly as to reduce the pain and shuffled her feet on the floor with cramps in her stomach. She lowered her head back.

“What happened? Have you got pains or what?” her mother-in-law said.

“I don’t know. My stomach is hurting badly. I think I have to go hospital,” Hema said.

“When is the date given for you?”

Hema couldn’t speak but muttered slowly, “It is due next week,” she said.

“Oh God, then it will be some dull cramps. You don’t have to go to hospital,” her mother-in-law declined.

“No, aunty. The pain is heavy, please call your son to comeback, please….” Hema said, as twisted her head up and down.

“Why should call him now? I know how the labor pain will be. It will be heavier. You can’t even talk with others, you know.”

“For God’s sake please call him or at least book a cab or auto to go to hospital,” Hema said in gasping voice. She couldn’t even speak her words clearly, but she was trying to make it clear. On the other side, her mother-in-law didn’t even churn a small tinkling sympathy to save Hema.

“No, I am not going to call anybody. You take rest, that’s all you need now,” she said and sprung out of the room as closed the door behind her.

Hema hit her forehead with her hand and cried. The pain was tormenting her. It was almost killing her. Now she was feeling like her arms and legs were strength less as if she couldn’t even lift them up. Breathing was faltered and her eyes were aching badly. She was getting some fades and she felt like the room was suddenly blackened out. Her heart pulse was racing and hiccupping with jolt of feverish thuds. Oh God, save her, please don’t kill her now.

The main door of the house was knocked furiously now. Her mother-in-law had placed the box full of jilebes in the coffee table and walked slowly to open the door. But she was almost shocked to see her son was standing in front of her when she had flicked open the door.

“Why did you come now?” she asked her son.

“I got a call from Hema. What happened to her? Is she doing well?” he asked with a panicking voice.

“Yeah she is. But she is worrying about everything my son. Go and see her in the bedroom,” she said coolly.

Her son almost brushed aside her as he flung to the bedroom and opened the door. A throbbing ache shot up in his heart when he had seen his wife lying on the bed without motion.

“Hemaaaaaaaaaa,” he shrieked in top of his voice and sprung to lift her up. He ran his hands beneath her body and scooped her in his hands and kicked the door with the heel of his right foot and scrambled down to the main door.

“Where are you taking her?” his mother said in a low but smothering voice.

He gave a thundering look to his mother and ran down in a hastened way. His feet was slapping on the ground with a furious tempo. He thanked God when he had seen the auto in the opposite road.

On seeing him, the driver had tossed the beedi on the road and asked him to sit. The driver banged the starter four times before the auto sent a pool of smoke in the back. The auto ran with a shrieking noise as sped towards the hospital. Within five minutes they came to the hospital main entrance. Shukumar had tried to wake up his wife while travelling in the auto, but she didn’t wake up at all. Her eyes were closed firmly as it had been like a safe locker. But he could hear the heartbeat of both mother and the baby. He was happy for that. At least he knew both weren’t dead. On the way, he was kept cursing her mom for doing such a sinister act to her daughter-in-law. He knew from her laddoos’ smeared face what had happened. But he didn’t know she had eaten 2 kg of sweet in a single stroke. If he only knew his mother had forced her to eat, he was really going to knock her down for sure. He gave two hundred rupee note to the auto man and he tossed his wife on his shoulder and came inside the hospital. Everyone knew it was an emergency case so they had given way for him.

“You wait outside,” the doctor said as closed the door on his face.

The lady doctors had started giving treatment to her. Hema was lying on the operation bed now. Her eyes were still closed and she didn’t even know what was happening now. The experienced doctor was checking the baby position as placed her palm over her stomach and pressed it gently. The baby’s head was turned upward. You could see the doctor’s diabolical expression. She swallowed a lump down her throat. The other doctor was busy in arranging fetal monitor and maternal monitor, fetal Doppler machines. The nurse was setting up the drip bottle to feed her.

“Is baby’s position good?” the junior doctor asked.

The senior doctor gave a reluctant nod and said, “No, please make it fast. We have to do surgery now. Quick,” she turned at nurse, “Please get one more nurse here,” she almost bellowed in a thick voice, which wasn’t recommended in the operation rooms.

The nurse was almost panicked as she scurried down to bring one more nurse. When she clicked open the door, Shukumar rose from his seat and enquired her, but she didn’t even looked at him and gone down the stairs hurriedly. He took a deep breath and sat down with grievous heart. Her mom had come to the hospital, yes, she had caught a different auto and came here, but only after half-an hour. Her son didn’t speak to her at all. He knew she was the reason why her wife was battling for her life here. Though her mom had tried to talk with him, he had dismissed her with a sullen look.

“Keertana, check if her blood pressure is normal,” the senior doctor said.

The junior doctor grabbed the bp checking instrument from the table and placed it near Hema on the bed. She wrapped the green color pressure cuff around her arm and pressed the rubber valve as checked the bp monitor which was in vertical position. Her eyes were trembled as she had seen the pressure level had run swiftly up and up.

“Oh gosh, what’s happening here? Why she is having such an alarming blood pressure?” the senior doctor said as breathed harder.

“I don’t know, maybe she could have got tensed about the delivery?” the junior doctor said.

The senior doctor heaved a big sigh, “I don’t think so. Maybe something had happened to her. Did you see the black marks around her eyes? See her eyes were too swollen, I think she had cried and cried before she was admitted here. I think both husband and wife would have fought for something?” the senior doctor said.

The junior doctor gave a bewildering look, but didn’t say anything.

“Give injection to her immediately. I think she is still in terror of dreams. Look at the sweat being popped out of her forehead,” the doctor said and shook her shoulders. Oh goodness, Hema was ruffled from her phantom of horror. She didn’t even know where she was. Her eyes were aching and couldn’t open it fully. She tried to wakeup but the junior doctor pressed her hand on her shoulder and made her to lie on the bed again.

“You are all right. There is no need to panic and just relax, okay?” the senior doctor said.

The nurse had opened the door abruptly and brought one more nurse along with her.

“Nurse Sumati, please take the surgery form and get signed from her husband immediately,” the sr. doctor said.

“Okay,” she said and picked up the clipped sheet on the pad and rushed outside.

The other new nurse had stood there silently and waiting for doctor’s instruction to commence her work now. She wasn’t experienced nurse but everyone knew she was effective at the times of difficult surgery cases. Last time, when the junior doctor couldn’t attend the case, she had done her job brilliantly. The sr. doctor had highly appreciated her work.

“Kavi, just check if every medical equipment is in place to do the operation,” the sr. doctor said to the nurse.

Kavi had walked near to the high table where the surgical equipment like forceps, scalpels, scissors, sutures and hemostat kept in order. She filled the big tray with anesthetic injection liquids and empty syringe and cotton.

The nurse came back panting and said, “Doctor, he is unable to sign on the paper, his mother is giving trouble to him. She says it is not necessary to do the surgery. I tried to convince, but…..”

The senior doctor passed her right hand over her mouth and closed her eyes for a second and said, “Okay, let me talk with them. I don’t know why this old ladies giving so much troubles to the young people.”

They came out with flourishing footsteps. The doctor was getting angry when she met Shukumar’s eyes and said, “Why are you struggling to sign on the paper? What is holding you? See the case is very serious if we don’t operate and take the child now, I don’t know what is going to happen to your wife,” she threw her hands up.

“Sorry doctor. My mother is stopping me. She is telling this surgery is unnecessary,” Shukumar said.

“If you don’t want to operate her, then take her to some other hospital. I already told you she is in critical condition. The choice is yours. But I would never recommend this to you at all,” the doctor said in a high voice.

A few people on the corridor had looked at this heated conversation. They had never seen doctor was speaking forcefully like this before.

“Madam, you give me the paper I will sign on it,” Shukumar hastened to collect the paper from the nurse. But his mother grabbed his hand and said sternly, “You don’t have to sign on this.”

“What kind of mother-in-law you are, eh? I am telling you she is in a death bed and it is very urgent to operate, but you are coolly opposing your son who is ready to sign on the paper,” the doctor said.

Shukumar’s mother didn’t answer to the doctor but glowered at her son and pressed her lips harder.

“Okay, Mr. Shukumar, I think it’s not going to work out. You book a cab and shift her to anywhere as your mother wished,” the doctor said. She gasped before she turned towards the corridor.

“Doctor, please don’t go. I will sign anywhere you want,” he said and pleaded.

She turned back to look at his gaze. She had seen the pain of love in his eyes.

“Then sign on it immediately,” she said.

Shukumar jogged to fetch the form from the nurse. His mother tried to stop him, but he threw aside her hand like some cockroach had fell on his hand. His mother’s eyes flared with hatred and anguish.

The junior doctor opened the door abruptly and said, “Doctor, she is bleeding. She couldn’t bear the pain. She is screaming now.”

“Nurse, get the signed paper,” the sr. doctor said and rushed inside the operation room.

Hema’s legs were kicking harder at the bed, as both legs moved to and fro with furious motion. The pricked left hand of hers was feeding the dribs through a small tube. But due to the frantic shake of her body the needle was bent and tore deep into her nerve and started bleeding. The IV bottle was fell on the floor, as the nurse Kavi knelt down and placed it on the T stand again. They had administered anesthetic drug, but still Hema was in semi-conscious state.

The sr. doctor put a green mask around her moth, and asked for scalpel blade, which was given to her by the nurse.

“Sumati hold her hands tightly, don’t let her move. Kavi you hold her legs,” the sr. doctor said, as checked the sharpness of the scalpel before she tore her stomach.

The junior doctor was monitoring the womb in the screen and also checking the pulse of the baby and mother. It is normal and she is out of danger, she thought.

The sr. doctor tore open her lower abdomen and lifted the baby out, but the cord was still attached with her mother. The nurse Kavi had handed the jr. doctor a scissor as she cut it precisely and clipped it. The baby started crying. It is a girl baby. Everyone was happy as they looked at their faces and shared radiant smiles. The doctor handed the baby girl to the nurse Sumati to put the baby into the warm cradle next to the bed.

“Oh God, finally you saved them,” the sr. doctor said as tossed her head above and mumbled her words in the air.

“Doctor shall I go and announce this news to her husband?” Kavi said.

Before the senior said okay, she averted her eyes at the heart beat measuring equipment and shocked to know it didn’t show any zig zag waves. It was showing a thin horizontal straight line with a low noise. She thought the device was malfunctioned.

“Doctor any problem?” jr. doctor asked with her confused eyes.

The sr. doctor pointed her finger at the device and looked at her for some explanation. She thought she was going to tell her it was defect in the device. No, but the jr. doctor gave a shocking news as stood there, frozen. Her throat was parched suddenly and her blood was frozen inside her body on seeing it.

“Hema………Hema…………..Heama……………” the sr. doctor shook her shoulders. Her body was shaking but her soul wasn’t anymore. Yes, she was dead. She was killed by the negligence of her mother-in-law.

“Doctor she is dead,” the nurse Kavi said in a very thin voice. It was like the doctor had become mad of what had happened now. She couldn’t still believe the girl was dead. In her fifteen years of service, she had never seen a woman die like that. Tears brushed past her cheeks.

“How?”

“It seems she got a stroke,” the jr. doctor said. She had measured her blood sugar level, “see this,” she showed the thin pricking measurement tool to her. The sr. doctor had never seen such a drastic sugar level in any of the patient’s body. She just leaned on the wall and closed her eyes and mourned for her.

*