Stories

Hospital

This is a common occurrence in everyday life. Almost everybody goes through such a scenario once in a while. It is an effort to depict the harsh reality of modern living.

It is nine pm. Ajay is sitting in the lobby of the multi-speciality hospital, desperately trying to stay awake. The lobby is illuminated by harsh fluorescent tube lighting. Thankfully, somebody has turned down the central air-conditioning. Still he shivers a bit. He must have dozed off. He tries to sit straight in the uncomfortable metallic chair. He looks around to get his bearing. Then he remembers where he is.

In front of him is the sprawling reception desk. Three receptionists are sitting behind it. Even at nine in the evening there is a small queue in front of the desk. To his right is the bank of elevators, relentlessly going up and down the eleven floors of the hospital building. A carriage dings, the door opens and ten or so ladies, gents, doctors and nurses spill out and scatter in various directions. Another ten people, standing in a queue, try to get into the lift. The security person checks credentials and passes of everyone before letting them in. He turns away a few who are trying to bluff their way in. The guard is nearing the end of his shift. He looks exhausted, having stood there for six hours. He shouts at a man who does not have the a pass and tells the lift attendant to close the door of the elevator. By this time, another carriage arrives and the process repeats itself all over again.

Ajay suddenly wakes up with a start. He must have dozed off again. He looks up at his watch and realises that he has been asleep for half an hour. On his right, next to the stairs is the casualty ward next to which two huge double doors open onto the main entrance of the hospital. A cardiac ambulance is standing there, its emergency red and blue lights flashing brightly. The driver switches off its blaring horn and things quieten down a little. Two ward boys take down the patient on a stretcher and rush him into casualty, a nurse with saline line trailing behind them.

It has been a long day and threatens to be even longer. Now wide awake, Ajay revisits the events of the day in his own mind.

It’s three am. A continuous ringing jogs Ajay into half wakefulness. He tries to ignore it. But the ringing persists. Ajay tries to locate the source of the noise and realises that his cell phone is ringing. He stretches his hand to pick up the phone but drops it in the process. Finally retrieving the phone he says in voice thick with sleep,

“Hello”
“Hello Ajay, Sameer had a fall in bathroom just now.” The panic in Nalini’s voice is palpable.
”He is unconscious. I have called the ambulance. Meet me at the hospital.”

“Ok, ten minutes!” Without bothering to get into the details, Ajay disconnects the phone and wakes up Mayura, who is sleeping peacefully without a care in the world.

Just as Ajay and Mayura reach the hospital gate, the ambulance carrying Sameer arrives. Sameer is rushed into casualty ward. Nalini hands over the medical insurance card to Ajay. Ajay goes to the reception desk to start the admission process. While Ajay completes the formalities, Sameer, accompanied by Nalini and Mayura is taken to the ICU on the tenth floor. After collecting the attendant pass and two visitor’s passes, Ajay proceeds to the tenth floor.

Mayura and Nalini are sitting in the lobby outside the ICU.

Nalini starts crying the moment she sees Ajay. Mayura tries to quieten her down. Ajay puts his hand around Nalini’s shoulder. After a few moments, her crying subsides.

“For some time, Sameer was having difficulty passing urine. He was also feeling a pain. At three in the morning, I heard a thud. I was fast asleep. Sameer must have got up to pass urine and fell down in the bathroom. The resident doctor in casualty said that it seems to be a kidney problem. So they took him to ICU. They will do the tests and determine what is wrong.”
“Don’t worry”, Ajay says, “It could be urine stone. I know he has that problem since childhood.”
Nalini doesn’t say anything. She just sits there looking at the ceiling. Mayura and Ajay look at each other and shake their heads.
“You want some coffee? Anything?” Mayura asks Nalini. She just shakes her head to say no.
They all sit in silence for some time.

“Did the doctors in ICU say anything? Ajay asks Nalini. She again shakes her head.
After fifteen minutes the ICU double door opens and the security guy calls out Sameer’s name. Three of them rush into ICU.

“I am Dr. Rege. Sameer is conscious and stable. There are no immediate worries.”
“But?” Ajay asks.
“One of his kidney has become defunct.”
“So?”
“We need to do a dialysis right now. So I need you to sign the consent form.”
“Ok. But what is the prognosis?”
“Too early to say. We will take it step by step.”
“Can we see Sameer now?”
“Yes, of course.”

After seeing Sameer they sign the paperwork. He is taken for dialysis.

Next couple of hours, Nalini sits outside the ICU. Ajay and Mayura go down to sit in the lobby.

By eleven itself, both are mentally fatigued. Nalini calls to say that dialysis is in progress. They go to cafeteria to have a quick snack and coffee. After coming back they try to get into the elevator but the security doesn’t permit them to go up. They are told that after visiting hours only an attendant is permitted to go up.

After speaking to Nalini, Mayura heads home. Ajay sits in the lobby, waiting.

At two pm Nalini calls Ajay to tell him that Sameer is back in ICU after dialysis.

After some time Nalini comes down and Ajay goes up to sit outside the ICU.

At three pm Ajay is called into the ICU to meet Dr. Rege.

“Here is the thing. One of his kidney has completely shut down. So he fainted in the morning and we had to do dialysis to restore fluid balance in the body. Now things are normal and he can be shifted to normal room tomorrow. We will keep him here for another forty eight hours before discharging. He will be back to normal in a week. But now on no strenuous activities are allowed. But he can live his normal life without any problem.”

Ajay conveys the news to Nalini over the phone. Again they swap places and Ajay goes back to sitting in the lobby.

Nalini calls up at four to tell him that Sujata, Ajay’s sister and her family members are reaching the hospital around five pm to visit Sameer.

Ajay is irritated but says nothing. He envisages future scenario in his own mind.

All in all, about ten people would want to visit Sameer in those two visiting hours. Only one person is allowed inside ICU at one time. That means both Nalini and Ajay need to wait in the ground floor lobby while in fact they should be near Sameer all the times. Ajay groans internally. While friends and relatives visit patients at hospital with good intentions they do not realise the disruptions they cause to the immediate relatives attending on the patient. More visits increase the chances of infection to the patient. There should be a Hospital etiquettes manual for visitor, Ajay thinks.

By seven thirty pm all friends and relatives have left. Both Nalini and Ajay are thoroughly exhausted. But they have no choice but to wait and sit around. Sameer is doing well, thankfully.

Both Ajay and Nalini take turns and have dinner in the cafeteria. Mayura calls up to get status update.

Again Ajay resumes his lobby vigil. Fatigue sets in. He dozes off intermittently.

Ajay jerks to wakefulness again. The watch shows that it’s ten thirty pm. The hospital lobby has fallen silent now. Few relatives are dozing off in those uncomfortable metallic chairs.

It’s going to be a very long and very uncomfortable night, Ajay is thinking as he dozes off once again.

Shashank Purandare 29/04/2023