A Four-legged Friendship [COMPLETED]

Chapter 11

"Sid! Sid! You alright?" I curse myself internally. Stupid question. "I'll go get mom and dad; Elsa stay here with him!" Elsa lets out a continuous volley of barks in affirmation.

I rush into the house and scream for my parents frantically. They come running towards me, mom holding a ladle and dad a newspaper.

"What's the matter?" asks dad, concerned.

"It's Sid", I say, trying to breathe normally, but I end up going into a frenzy. "He's coughing... and there's blood everywhere... he's coughing blood..."

My mom shoots a worried look at dad and they both hurry outside the house. I run forwards, leading the way to where Sid is, only to find Elsa whining and Sid unconscious.

"Oh my God!" I cry out aloud. "He has passed out!"

My dad immediately takes out his mobile and calls an ambulance. My mom, meanwhile checks Sid's pulse. My maternal grandfather is a physician, I guess he taught my mom a few basic skills.

"His pulse rate is a little higher", says mom. She sounds a little worried. "Alia, call his parents and ask them to come to the hospital where your grandfather worked." I nod my head. "Ah.. The ambulance is here."

I turn around swiftly and see two nurses pulling out a stretcher. Elsa barks at them fervently. They try to lift Sid up onto the stretcher, but Elsa bares her teeth at them and growls in an aggressive manner. She does not let the two nurses touch Sid. I suddenly realise that she is being protective of him. My eyes moisten and I walk towards Elsa and lift her up in my arms. She struggles against my tight hold but finally gives up and starts whining. I think she is crying.

Seeing her like this breaks my heart. She doesn't even know Sid, and already she is so attached to him. I panic with the thought of Sid in pain. For Elsa's sake, and for mine, I pray endlessly for his health. A tear rolls down my eyes.

***
"How is he now?" Tanvi asks me, hesitantly. I know what it must be costing her, to be in the right state of mind and not freak out. Tanvi has a big phobia of hospitals ever since she lost her father as a child. The memory is traumatic for her.

We are sitting in the waiting room along with Saurav. I guess he and Sid are good friends.

"He's gonna be alright", I tell Tanvi, reassuringly. I try to smile but my jaw seems clenched.

Tanvi smiles sadly and says, "He is in pain now but he will be fine, won't he? Thank God it's nothing serious."

I nod my head.

"What about his parents?" she asks after sometime.

"They are with him. He is sleeping. All those antibiotics have finally kicked in", my voice breaks at the end.

She pats my leg sympathetically, and says, "I'll go check on Elsa."

Elsa has been sitting outside the hospital with my parents, with her head on her front paws. She seems forlorn and has refused to eat anything, despite everyone trying to coax her into eating something.

I watch Tanvi walk away.
Thank God it's nothing serious.

***
"What is it, Doctor? Where is Sid?" asks Sid's mother, on the verge of tears. She and her husband rushed to the hospital the minute I called them up.

"We are looking into it", says the Doctor grimly. "It is too soon to say anything, but all I can say is that he's showing a little improvement. His pulse rate has returned to normal. He has a fever but it is slowly subsiding. We need to run some more tests, after which we will be able to diagnose....his illness."

"Oh God!" Sid's mother starts crying. Her husband puts an arm around her and asks the Doctor, "Is it very serious, Doctor? Is my son going to be okay? We have all the resources to get him admitted to the best of the hospitals."

The Doctor looks at my mom briefly and then pats Sid's father's shoulder. "No need for that, sir. I assure you, your son is in the best of the hands. And we are doing our best." He smiles and Sid's father relaxes a little.

Suddenly a nurse rushes out of the emergency room. "Sir, the patient has gained consciousness! Hurry!"

Sid's parents, the Doctor, my mother and I, festinate towards the emergency room. There he is, lying on a hospital bed, opening his eyes, and looking very worn-out. He looks at his parents, who have got tears in their eyes, and then glances at me and says, "Al, wanna share this bed? You look sleep deprived."

My face breaks into a smile. The idiot is in a terrible state and is cracking sly jokes in front of his parents. Asshole.

The nurse immediately notices that there are too many people in the room. "Family only", she says a little sternly.

Mom and I step out of the emergency room, and my mom sends me to tell my dad the good news.

When I return, I hear the Doctor talking to my mom.

"We are still carrying out many tests, and it may take a few days to actually diagnose and make sense of the situation, but.." the Doctor says, hesitantly.

"But what?" demands mom.

"There is a possibility that we cannot rule out as much as we want to. And it seems like the only explanation, since all the evidences point towards it." The Doctor sounds grave. "The patient may have pulmonary carcinoma."

"Lung cancer?" gasps my mom, and my whole world tumbles down.

I walk away from the conversation, trying very hard not to think.

***