More than just Feluda (Fanfic)

Check-up in the Hospital

No messing up! Look like a stern, confident doctor who knows what she's doing ( none of which you are of course!)...

Sujata was reminding herself of this 'golden rule' of hers before making her star entry into the hospital ward of Bose Hospital, Kolkata, for yet another shift like the past four months.

 To the sick old patients on the bed, she was a rather funny mix of a stern, no-nonsense doctor madam and a clumsy newbie who messed up some patients' reports and pill dosage quite a few times. Nonetheless, she was learning quite quickly and well, silently working her way through the admitted patients and those coming for check-ups. 

Sujata worked here mostly with old people, and with respiratory diseases and stuff. That's what she intended to be specialized in. However, the last four months had challenged her mental strength more than anything else. Apart from the stress of actually starting to work as a doctor in residency, she had to deal with leaving her family behind for medical college for the last four years, and to add to it, working in a ward where her patients were already old enough that they died mid-treatment a lot of times. 

She completed her routine rounds and set of to look after patients who came for check-ups or clinical appointments. Among these patients was a man she would never forget meeting...

The file said P. C Mitter. A considerably tall, old man with a grey shawl wrapped over a Kurta walked in with another middle-aged man of about 35. He settled in the chair, and Sujata talked to him.

"Āpanākē kibhābē sāhāyya karatē pāri?" ( How can I help you?)

He looked at Sujata for a moment and answered in English "I was here for a routinely check-up"

"It might be because of my weird accent that he understood I was not a native Bengali."  Sujata thought to herself.

Anyways she continued the check-up, and the man talked about how he was concerned with his increased bouts of cough and breathlessness, which didn't happen so often before. 

"Do you smoke?" she asked

"I did smoke quite a lot before. It must be mentioned in the last pages along with medical history, if you check" he replied. 

It was there in the file. She cringed inside for asking such a stupid question.

"Hmm... that's why. We'll have the exact reason confirmed in your test reports after a week, so we can plan the necessary treatment. Is there anything else that concerns you?"

"I have a request. Could you please also consult your senior doctor, Dr. Ghosh, for my case? He already knows my medical record, and you still seem not yet adjusted to things here."

She looked up at him. 

" I saw you struggle a bit with the blood-pressure machine. It's quite old, so does need some experienced proper handling at times. And some more things."

He slowly got up and turned to leave with the middle aged man, but looked back at Sujata.

"You're still holding my file. They usually give it back to patients after the check up."

Sujata looked down and quickly handed the file to the middle-aged man. 

"Don't be so flustered madam, you should have got used to such remarks and people by four-five months in the hospital. You may find us Bengali old people more critical than Marathi's "

And he left with the same straight face that he kept since coming in the room.

She stared at the closing door with wide eyes. 

How the hell did he know I was working here since four months, and that I was marathi?!!