Lavender

Throwing down yet another tray of his surgical equipment, Dr Charan aka Dr Cherry stormed off. It was a typical morning at the Munnar District Hospital where Dr Cherry's curses could be heard throughout the left wing. Flinching, Varun woke up to see the last of the doctor's coat disappear around the corner. As the son of an army officer, he was used to waking up early; that didn't mean he enjoyed it. Wincing at the pain caused by his broken ribs, he rested his weight on his elbows. Thin beams of sunlight streamed in through the window next to him, escaping through the dark grey clouds in the sky. As his warm brown eyes adjusted to the light, he took in the familiar surroundings.

The ICU in the left wing of the hospital consisted of six beds, of which three were empty. Varun's bed was in the corner next to the doorway. Next to him was a friend he had made there, Shruthi. She was a young girl of age twenty-two who had lost her parents at the age of ten. For a patient admitted with brain cancer, she was fairly optimistic. Across from Varun's bed was the sleeping figure of Arjun, a lanky, brown haired boy, asleep in a coma caused by a car accident. The boy's parents visited every day, and it was strange that they weren't here yet.

The first thing that greeted Varun in the morning was the scent of lavender soap from beside him. He turned to face the almond-eyed girl lying in the bed next to his. "Let's hope nobody dies today," Shruti said, with a wry, humourless smile carved onto her face.

Just then one of the nurses, Manya, entered to clean up the mess Dr Cherry had created. Rolling her eyes, she placed the tray of surgical instruments on the table between Varun and Shruthi, and giving them both a small smile, left to attend her other patients.

The past week had seen the death of three patients in the hospital, all on their way to a full recovery. The death of Ram, a friend of Varun's, had occurred just two days before, and the weapon that had caused the stab wound was yet to be found. As for the murderer, nobody knew who it was or why it was happening.

As a precaution, the patients in the right-wing had already been moved to a secure location. The patients of the left wing were due to move the next day.

As the light morning drizzle poured, Varun looked out the window and took in the view from atop the hill. It was the same, barren slopes with buildings only barely visible a kilometre away. Through the window he saw a scowling Dr Cherry being guided into a police car at the front entrance. He frowned and pointed at the scene, gesturing to Shruti. She drew her eyebrows together for a moment, and then her face relaxed.

"Whatever he did, good riddance," said Shruti, "He was always so rude to me during my tests, even when I was trying to be nice to him; and that's not an easy job."

Varun chuckled and stretched his arms out, trying to get the sleep out of his system.

Another nurse soon entered to collect the tray of surgical instruments from the bedside table.

"Good morning, Varun!" she said. He gave her a lopsided smile in return. Suddenly remembering, "What was that scene outside with Dr Cherry?" he enquired.

Realising that they had noticed, she answered, "They finally found the weapon," she said, referring to the investigation. "A bloodied scissors. It matched the stab wound. It was from Dr Cherry's kit," She explained, "They're taking him in for interrogation."

Varun nodded, surprised at the revelation, and exchanged glances with Shruti. Dr Cherry was known for being short-tempered, rude and uncaring, but he was a good surgeon nonetheless. Varun saw no motive for these murders. He realised that Shruti made no comment on this, and was staring off blankly into a distance. The nurse left soon enough, but nobody seemed to have noticed the missing scalpel from the tray.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully with Varun's regular tests and check-ups, and spending the day chattering away with Shruti, imagining what the hospital they were being shifted to would look like.

As evening fell, Shruthi returned from her evening shower, the fragrance of her soap trailing behind her. She settled into her bed, bidding good night to Varun. Drawing the curtains around his bed close, Varun settled into a comfortable sleep, enjoying his bed for the last time until he left the next day.

In the darkness of the night, Varun woke up to the sound of rustling curtains but could see nothing. His senses perked up when the scent of soap wafted strongly around him, and a second later he couldn't breathe. An enormous amount of pressure was crushing his face with a pillow. The last thing he sensed was the familiar fragrance of lavender before darkness consumed him.