The Hospital

Dedicated to:

                 MRJW, the one whom I go to when I don't know what to write.

                 SJRK, the one who motivated me to write this story.  And

                 Flavivirus, the one who put me in the hospital in the first place.

Tick tock tick tock... The incessant sound of the wall clock was the only sound I could hear on that ominous  silent night. The room was dimly lit by the light from the corridor outside. Light flooding in through the ground glass window of my door. I look at the wall clock- 2.17AM. I try to turn to one side and sleep. Then I remember the IV line attached to my left hand. I don't want to disturb the line. I look up to see that the IV  bag  is only half empty. 3 hours and it's only half empty!! I don't know what woke me up. I was fast asleep till then. But a sudden jolt woke me up. A sense of eeriness filled my room. So there I lay on the bed. Staring at the ceiling for the next couple of minutes. Till I slowly drifted back to sleep. Until I was jolted awake by the sound of a high pitched scream ringing out through the dark silent night. A shriek filled with fear. Then came the sound of voices. Talking in hushed tones. And the sound of a stretcher  being pushed along the corridor. I could see the silhouette of a few people walking outside in the corridor. One of them stopped at my door. The knob turned and the door opened slightly and the head of the young duty nurse appeared. Instinctively I closed my eyes pretending to be asleep. She gently closed the door again and left. And I was left staring up at my ceiling again. Thinking about what had happened. Was it an accident victim being brought in late at night. But the casualty and the emergency sections were in the ground floor on the main block. And I was on the second floor of the auxiliary block where the private rooms where located.

5.15 AM- I think I must have dosed off after that incident. I wake up to the duty nurse coming In to check on me. The IV bag is almost empty. She opens the roller clamp to let the remaining fluid come in faster. And she finally removes the IV line. And after a brief conversation whether as to I had a good nights sleep she leaves. Funny she should enquire about that! Especially after the suspicious events of the night. I really can't get back to sleep after that. So I get up and decide to stretch my legs. I open the door and step out. The janitor is there already with his mop stick mopping the floor. The usual morning routine I guess. Suddenly my eyes catch a few drops of blood on the White hospital floor. Dried blood. They couldn't have been there from last night because the janitor mops the floor twice daily. Once in the morning and again at night. So they must have come during the night. And much to my chagrin the nurse comes out and shoos me back into my room. Saying I need to rest and go back to sleep.

The remainder of the morning goes in a whirlwind of daily mundane activities. I am finally getting better. The doctors came for their morning rounds. The nurse measured my blood pressure and temperature. The doctor did his routine examination. Concluded  I was doing fine. And can be discharged soon. Breakfast was the simple hospital food. But the bread toast and jam tasted different today. A little funny! But I eat anyway! I take my morning medication.

I just can't sit within these four walls any longer. I head out. The corridors are scented with the smell of antiseptics. But even this beats that dingy room. I walk up to the third floor. The board says 'Third Floor- Special Psychiatric Ward.' And that's where I first saw her. A perfect picture of beauty. I never have been the type to fall in love. Heck! I have never been in love. But there was something about her. Something! I can't explain it I guess. But there was something about her face. A melancholic shadow shrouded her beauty. Her eyes were brimming with tears. She turned and saw me before turning away covering her face with her hands. And her hands! Dark welts ran on them. Like someone had attacked her with a knife.  And right there before my eyes a  tall man  a came out of the corner and was walking towards her. He had in his hand a knife. The blade glistening in white light. I screamed and ran towards her. Trying to stop him from hurting her. She turned back seeing me and noticed that man and shrieked. But that man grabbed her and yanked her behind a door. I ran after him but suddenly two men knock me down. I try to get up. But can't. The brutes are pinning  me down. No matter how hard I try to push them off I can't. Amidst the chaos I hear the clicking sound of the heals of the head nurse. I feel the prick of a syringe and the next minute I slowly fall into a deep slumber.