"What have you done? Why did you ruin everything? Our story was a fairytale dream come true."
She kept thrashing her arms on the door with full force, only for her pleas to fall on deaf ears. Her wedding bangles broke and fell, her wrists bled and h...
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"Sister, please send the next patient in."
The nurse in-charge sent the next patient in.
A young man, tall, with his shadow drooping over her, walked inside the chambers.
"Please explain your problem." She spoke softly, attending to him with a smile.
The patient wore dark glasses, and had a shawl wrapped around him.
She gestured to the patient to show his hand, and touched his wrist to feel his pulse.
There was a trident on his wrist, along with the Dumroo, the celestial drum or musical instrument of Lord Shiva which emits the vibration of Aum.
A sudden jolt of spark ran through her veins. She immediately recognised the touch. But her heart didn't want to believe it.
He can't have a tattoo. He was way scared of needles. No, it's not him.
But a woman's intuition never lies.
"Your problem… sir…?" She repeated her question, ignoring her doubts.
"My problem, eh…?" He replied with a smirk.
He got up, towering over with his height. The rest of the patients stood away and moved back, sensing the preceding doom.
He rolled back his shoulders and the shawl fell off.
The nurse gasped at the sight of the man, now that his clothes were revealed.
And so was the personality.
The other senior resident doctor stood up from her seat. Her pen dropped from her hand.
But despite all the commotion, she sat still, glued to her seat. Maybe she was too shocked to even move or comprehend the incident.
"IAS Rudra Chauhan." The doctor whispered in shock.
Because, his uninvited arrival could only mean one thing.
It was a planned raid. Or an audit. Or a doomed day.
He was not only a bureaucrat officer, but also the serving Health Minister of the State. He was sworn in just a day before.
And he was already roaming around doing his duty. He chose this government hospital as his first site of visit.
"My problem is you. Your existence."
Kalyani got up from her seat, trying to adjust to the horror in front of her.
The boy she loved was dead. Now, in his place, stood a dark, ruthless man, hungry for revenge.
He took off his shades. And she saw those deep hazel eyes. They were the same eyes she had loved, because they reflected his innocence and love.
He wore a crisp suit, depicting his bureaucratic high status, and adding to his demeanour was the newly acquired Health Cabinet. In his early thirties now, he was one of the youngest ministers in the government, having advantage of his father's position. Ofcourse, democracy is ruled by dynasty politics.
She felt frail at the sight. Instead of the shabby patient, stood a handsome gentleman. The unironed clothes were replaced by tidy ones, and the vibes completely changed from harmless to terror.
Her eyes scanned every inch of him, taking in the scene, trying to drink in his admiration, like an unquenched bird.
Oh how long have I missed your sight! I feel as if a drought just ended and your presence rained on the parched land of my heart.
He no longer had crooked teeth or braces. And when he smiled, her heart skipped a beat and felt haunted at the same time.
His smile was a spitting image of his father.
"We have complaints that you are supplying expired medicines to your patients. And are giving them inhuman treatment and behaving in a very demeaning manner."
Just as he completed his statement, a bunch of other officers marched inside the room.
They recorded the entire scene as evidence. They went around the room, and searched the pharmacy for the expired medicines.
After a while, they came back, holding two men with them. In fear, they had admitted to their crime of giving expired medicines and selling away high quality medicines in black in the market.
"This ma'am… she instigated us to do this. And she is very rude to us also." They said, pointing towards Kalyani.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. Her own hospital staff was plotting against her and trying to trap her.
How can they do this? My job will be gone. My career will be ruined. I have always been so kind to my patients and so helpful to my staff. Even yesterday I advised treatment for their family members for free of cost. But they're so ungrateful.
"See, this adds to the claims. Do you have anything to say or justify?"
She shook her head. A teardrop escaped her kohl rimmed eye.
He came closer towards her chair where she stood. He glared at her, scanning her from top to bottom.
She wore a whitecoat and had a stethoscope around her neck. But despite her regular uniformed appearance, she looked so beautiful.
Her simplicity has always been her elegance. Damn! What am I thinking? I am here on duty. No distractions. No feelings. No emotions.
He bent forward and picked up her stamp. He started reading out the credentials on the stamp.
