RECAP

Sameer rushes to the railway station but just misses Kavitha ,but  he doesn’t know that…Sudhakar follows him out of concern…they decide to go home and even there they don’t find anyone, the house is closed. They wait outside the house and Sameer receives a call on his mobile at last….

Saraswati
 
Arjun eased the car into the tiled path leading to the casualty and jumped out to open the door. Saraswati slowly stroked Kavitha’s face and spoke softly, “Bete, shall we go inside? Try to get up.” Kavitha did not answer and Saraswati’s voice rose in concern, “Kavitha bete, are you ok?” Kavitha was still silent. Testing her reflexes Saraswati realized that Kavitha had fainted again.

Arjun watched the scene and went off with quick steps in the direction of the casualty; he came back pushing a wheel chair and between them Kavitha was wheeled into the brightly lit casualty room, quite empty but for a tired nurse and an even more tired and sleepy doctor. It was only then that Saraswati saw the trail of blood on the light colored Kameez that Kavitha wore and drew in a sharp breath. She watched the small patch spread into a big red stain and before she could say anything, Kavitha was wheeled into the curtained emergency room. She could hardly speak and heard in a daze Arjun’s voice explaining how Kavitha had fainted.

Saraswati felt tired and miserable, it was almost like the initial days when widowhood had claimed her life. She felt helpless and wondered if Kavitha had known that she had been pregnant. If she had known, Saraswati was sure Kavitha would have mentioned it to her. She remembered Kavitha planting an herb with some exotic name and saying that its extract was useful in regularizing the monthly cycle. She did have some trouble with the schedules then.  Now this was obviously not a period, but a bleeding that Kavitha was suffering. She watched the shadows of the medical team flying about in a flurry of activity and leaned against the door frame. She could see Arjun frantically poking at the hospital phone, calling Sameer Bhaiyya, no doubt. She wondered where that irresponsible idiot of a son of hers was at the moment.

The doctor came out of the cubicle and looked round for the family of the patient and on seeing Saraswati, she nodded sorrowfully, “She may be losing that baby I am afraid, it’s barely the third month, so at least it’s not going to hurt her much. But she may need a D&C, if she does. I am looking to save the baby, let us wait and see how that medicine helps; are you her mother?” Saraswati nodded with more of pride or sadness she couldn’t say, at the word mother, and held out her hand for the forms the nurse offered for signature.

“Husband not in station?” the doctor continued asking glancing up from her jottings on the admit card. “He’s coming,” Saraswati spoke softly and saw Arjun gesturing to her wildly waving the phone, “Sameer Bhaiyya”, he mouthed. Saraswati went forward and took the receiver from Arjun. Her voice took on a hard note without her realizing it while she spoke…

 “Sameer! I need you to be here at once! As soon as you can make it, do you hear me?”

“Mama! Are you alright? Arjun said you both are now at the hospital!”

Saraswati did not bother to answer Sameer and handed the phone back to Arjun. She took the pen offered by the nurse and started filling the form, she heard Arjun spelling out the address of the hospital. In spite of her confused mind and tired body, she also noted that Arjun did not mention Kavitha’s name at all and felt a strange satisfaction at that. Let Sameer worry for a while, it serves him right.

The doctor beckoned her inside and Saraswati went inside eagerly. Kavitha was now lying with her eyes open and fixed at the ceiling. On seeing Saraswati, she stretched out an arm in a weak gesture. Saraswati held the hand to her lips and felt a sob welling up inside her. That was her first grandchild she was on the point of losing, and looked at Kavitha’s face for her reaction. She couldn’t see any at all…She squeezed the limp hand and whispered, “Bete! It’s all right! Trust in God, and you will definitely have others.”

Kavitha turned her face fully towards her now and said quite clearly for her weak condition, “I am not sad, Ma! Both of us really didn’t deserve it. We are not ready for parenthood yet.” She smiled wanly and closed her eyes again, and Saraswati felt a curtain fall over her feelings. What did that child mean? The nurse now came in with two attenders and began pulling the stretcher trolley towards the lift. The limp hand slowly stretched taut and left her hand. The door closed behind the nurse and Saraswati now knew she had to wait till the doctor called her.

                                                           To be continued ….