Your fabricated lie

32 - Dr. Green Flag

I found myself on a hospital bed. Everything around me is so white and calm. Closing my eyes again, I tried to remember the last thing my brain processed.

I remember being shot and Aditya holding that gun. I also remember Gautham catching me before my head hit the ground. I tried to recollect more but it looks like that is the last thing I remember happening.

I don't even know how many days it has been. I was in the room alone. Exactly after fifteen minutes, I saw a human. Noticing me gain consciousness, "Whoa! Look who's awake," the doctor spoke to his nurse.

I tried to wake up a little and that doctor helped me sit.

Staring at me for a while, "You have become a frequent visitor. Is it the hospital you are in love with or... me?" Bhargav said.

I smiled a little. For sure this guy is a happy pill. "Let me check your pulse," he said, proceeding with work.

"How many days has it been?"

"Six".

"Is it – "

"Sshh," he shushed me. "How are you feeling now?" he asked, to which "Miserable," I replied. Adjusting my hair, "Don't worry. Everyone is alive. It is just you who is bedridden," he said. "I will send Gautham in. He will give you further details," he said, smiling fondly.

Gautham rushed in when there was no need to. "How are you? You okay? Is it hurting anywhere? - We didn't think you would make it. I almost thought I lost you," he talked all by himself.

He hugged me pressing my head against his tummy. I wondered why he was going for an extra mile.

"How's Karthik and Vikram?" I asked. Releasing me from that hug, "They are alive and perfectly fine. You just focus on your recovery," he warned me.

"But – "

"Sshh. Focus on recovery," he shushed me. Why is everyone shutting my mouth, I thought. I realized that I can't get any details about what has happened that day from Gautham. He is clearly avoiding the topic.

He left me alone and it was again just me between those four walls. I guess they seized my phone and stopped me from having access to anything that is related to work. No lie but I was bored.

Somewhere around ten o'clock, when it was time for me to sleep, Bhargav came in. Taking off his white coat, "I am off my duty," he said, sitting on the couch that has been placed for visitors.

"Then go home," I said.

"Wait, what? I want to spend some quality time with you and here you are asking me to leave? Such an ungrateful friend you are!" he sulked.

I laughed a little.

"Remember that you owe me this life," he said. Thank God, he pointed it out. I wanted to express my gratitude from morning but forgot every time. "Thank you so much for saving me," I thanked him.

"Are you not curious about that day?"

"FINALLY! Someone spoke about it and I can't be more relaxed," I said, assuming he knows everything and he is going to tell me. "Go ahead, tell me".

"That day you had two bullets and neither of them had exit points. Though I was not on duty, I volunteered to do the operation. I almost – "

"Hold up. Don't you know anything that happened before the hospital scene?" I asked.

He shook his head feeling sorry. "In fact, I also want to know about it but... seems like no one wants to talk about it. Particularly, around you". That is when I understood something that is not supposed to happen, happened.

Bhargav continued with his topic which was interrupted by me a few minutes ago. "So, listen. We almost thought you wouldn't make it when your pulse dropped. You have no idea how worried we were. Blood loss, CPR, those bullets... God! Yours is probably the most intense operation I have ever done," he is finally done.

When I said he talks a lot, this is what I meant. After thanking him again, "Were Karthik and Vikram there when I came here?" I asked.

"Who's Karthik and Vikram?"

"Karthik is nothing less than my brother and Vikram is my son," I answered him.

"You are married?" There we go again!

"Nope".

"Oh, so you adopted him?" he made my jaw drop. I looked at him in astonishment. "What?" he asked, getting my attention back.

"You are probably the first person who said that... Green flags being too green!" I complimented him. Showing his left hand's ring finger that wasn't empty, "Too late!" he said.

Laughing off the not so absolute rejection, "I don't even have plans of getting married for this life," I said.

"Whoa! Looks like someone learnt lessons in a hard way!"

"A very hard way!"

"Bring it on. Let's listen to them," he changed into a comfortable position crossing his legs on the couch.

After a toxic week, these kind of conversations helped me to heal a lot. This doctor right here is definitely the happy pill of many.

For four straight hours, we talked about a lot of stuff. I talked about my very own perfectly imperfect love story and he talked about his imperfectly perfect love story. Somewhere in those late-night talks when sleep was much required for me, I healed a lot. Those echoed laughs and loud talks were a sign of how close we got hardly in one week. At one point, we got noise complaints too.