Felicidade

16. It's all about self-control...

Sometimes this long hallway from my office till the elevator seems like it's never going to end. This happens mostly when I'm too stressed. I literally drag myself till the door. The hallway is half dark today because some of the lights towards the balcony are not working.

It's already 9.30 pm now and most of the staffs have left already. The hallway is empty. At one end there is the elevator and the other end there is a pantry with an open hanging balcony. I sometimes stand there to feel the breeze.

I was walking towards the elevator, my head puzzled with numerous thoughts. Suddenly I heard footsteps. The sound is coming from the emergency stairway at my left. Someone is coming down in a hurry. Who can it be? There has been a robbery at a nearby bank one block away from office. I feel a bit anxious.

I turn my left and pull the door to see who is there at this late hour. Someone pushes the door open from outside at the same time, comes in with a rush and collides with me within a seconds fraction. I fall down on the floor and the person falls upon me losing the balance as well.

I've bumped my head with the floor and in a totally awkward situation. I lift my head and try to push and move the person from the top of me. Now that I gain control on the situation I feel something unusual.

I'm sure the person is a female who fell over me. I can feel her heavy breathing on my chest. The palpitation of her pounding heart can be felt too. I can feel she's sweating heavily as I'm holding her sidearms. Her body is fiery hot and She smells of medicine.

She tries to lift her head from my chest. Her hair is all over her face swept with sweat and she's trembling.

I keep my left hand on the floor to push myself up while holding her left arm. The faint light of the hallway falls on her face and I stop at the very moment.

"Ri...Ridhi..?"

Can someone kill me right now? Why am I stammering like an idiot? I can't help myself from expressing how much surprised and flustered I am.

She is looking at me with her reddish eyes, mouth wide open unsure to whether cry or laugh or scream and she can't stop trembling. I think she's so surprised that she is giving all the expressions at a time while resting her whole weight on me only. She has even forgotten to move from me.

"Ridhi? Are you alright? Can you move?"

I come to my senses. I sit up while moving her with my right hand. She has fever and her body is literally burning. She sits up lowering her gaze at the floor mumbling something only she can hear. She's inaudible. Her lips are shaking and she looks scared. Her gaze is nowhere fixed. She looks completely unstable. I hold her sidearms and shake her a little to get her back to her senses.

"What's wrong with you? What are you doing here? Are you scared? Ridhi? Do you hear me? ", Now I'm starting to get anxious as well.

"I..I...I saw something in the room. There..There was someone in..in my room." She points towards the upper floor.

"Who? Whom did you see? who is that? A man or a woman?"

She is still trembling. I shake her a little. She looks at me with that delusional gaze and looks away again.

"Can you get up? I'll take you to the pharmacy. You seem too bad." I look at her while holding her left arm.

She holds my forearms and tries to get up all of a sudden. Before I can get up she falls down on the floor again. She has lost control from her body.

OK. I know this is not a good idea but the situation that she is in may cause her health further damage if she is not treated well. I may regret later but this is not the right time to think about all these.

I bent over her. I slide my right arm under her knees and my left arm around her back. I lift her up and stand straight. My head feels a little dizzy. I remember that I bumped my head while I fell down. Her t-shirt is completely socked. Her head falls back as soon as I lift her up.

"Ridhi, are you OK? Can you hear me?" Has she lost conscious? I kick the door of the stairway open. I don't have time to use the elevator now. I rush through the stairs to the medical room.

The 6th floor stays more deserted than any other area of our office building. This floor contains a separate medical facility. I started this facility exclusively for our staffs and trainees only. This is why there are less people than any other hospital. No people from outside can come here.

This place is looking like a haunted zone now. Why there is not a single person here today? The emergency physician and security should be here. I head towards the VIP suit. For today I'll use my leg to open doors instead of hands. Why all the staffs had to leave early for today only? I'll have a discussion about this tomorrow. I'll fire all the irresponsible staffs. Yeah...I'm thinking crap now I know...

I put her on the bed. She seems unconscious. Her mouth is still open. But the breathing has became normal. I'm unsure whether she's sleeping or unconscious. I put my hand on her forehead. I move the hairs from her face. I need to check her fever.

I open the drawer beside the bed. A first aid kit is always kept here. I take out the thermometer and check the temperature. I need to call someone.

I search for my phone and realize that I've dropped it in the hallway while I fell down. I've forgotten to put it back.

I've seen this situation in movies. What comes next?