IshRa FF - Yeh Lamha Kahaan Tha Mera

Chapter - 5 Yeh Dooriyaan

Some things were easier said than done. Ishita realized the same, as she spent the next two days torn between wanting to keep her distance from Raman, and wanting to reach out to him to offer all the comfort and support she can. His mood was grim and he more or less kept to himself, except when he was spending time with Ruhi. She found herself panicking at the thought of the widening distance between them. Scared to go too close to him and scared to see him so distant from her - that was her predicament.

She sat pondering over her situation in the 5 min break that she was lucky enough to get, between consultations on a busy Friday afternoon. The click of the door roused her from her thoughts and she prepared herself for the next patient.

Her next patient however, managed to bring a smile on her face. The adorable five year old boy was as cool as a cucumber as he walked towards the examination  chair, while his father, who had put on a great show of confidence when he had walked in with his son just a minute ago, was now reduced to a bundle of nerves.

The father reminded her of a certain someone, who, if put in a similar situation, would no doubt freak out in a similar fashion. She could almost imagine him standing there, folding and unfolding his arms across his chest repeatedly, and rubbing the back of his neck every now and then. The very thought of  any harm befalling his kids or anyone close to him for that matter,  sent him into a state of panic. And that was a side of him that he miserably tried to hide.

She instructed Zara, the bright and smart intern who was assigned to assist her, to examine the kid, while she tried to engage the father in a conversation. She elaborated on Zara's observations and explained things to him to put him at ease.

By the time they were done with the consultation and the father-son duo had retreated from the cabin, she had decided that she would talk to Raman and try and make him talk too.

***

"I am sorry to disturb you guys." Mihir barged into the conference room, making everybody turn their heads in his direction. 

"Raman you may want to switch on the TV. There is some unrest in Rohini," he said, approaching the head of the long table.

"Yeh wahi issue hai kya ?" Asked one of the guys at the table, scrolling through his phone.

"Hua kya hai? Kaun sa issue?" Asked Raman, turning on the TV. The flat screen LED mounted on the opposite wall came alive with images of a huge crowd on the road trying to push through a police barricade.

"Opposition party ke ek local member ko police ne aaj subah arrest kiya tha, from their party office in Rohini. At the time things were fine, but in the afternoom there was a scuffle between some party members and the police just outside the police station because apparently the police had refused to let them inside." The guy who had spoken earlier explained.

"And then a small group of party members were marching to the police station to protest. But midway the police stopped them and another scuffle broke out, only this time hoardes of people started joining the protestors and attacking the police. Its really getting out of control now." Said Mihir, as they watched fresh images of  protesters who were now vandalizing public property.

"Guys, I think we will reconvene sometime tomorrow. And please try and avoid travelling towards Rohini now. The Incidence Response team  will assess the situation and send out a formal communication soon. Please wait until then."
Raman spoke to the team and turned to Mihir.