My Bald Princess (a love that even cancer couldn't kill...)

Chapter 1

I woke up with the beautiful sound of adaan from the nearby mosque. What's more refreshing than starting your day with a mesmerising sound in your room reverberating in your ears? Unlike every day I didn't need any alarm clock to wake up today, I just got up, maybe due to the excitement. I have waited for almost a decade to see this day. 

Today is my first day of internship. After studying for five years in a medical school and gaining the prefix "Dr." before my name, I'm finally ready to fulfill my dad's dream of serving humanity. I have become the only doctor in my whole extended family and it's possible solely because of my dad. It was only his motivation and dedication that made me what I'm today.

Although he is not alive today to witness this day with me, but I know wherever he is now, he must be smiling proudly at his son’s success.

Let me introduce myself, I am Zaid Ahmed, age-24, tall built, a bit shy and an orphan. My mum left me in my crib days, so my dad was both a mother and a father for me. Cancer took him away too.

I made ablution and performed fajr salah. After doing dhikr for some time I got up to prepare for the big day.

Two hours later, I made my way to the parking lot of the Cancer Cure Institute. After parking my car in one of the open spaces, I headed towards the huge building that was standing few meters away from me. The building was divided in two different sections. One was a centre for patients who made this place as their home. A person who is less fortunate and doesn’t have a home or is abandoned by his/her family stays here. The other building has different care units, operation theatre, surgery rooms and the dean's office. The Institute was run by an NGO and accepts donations and funds from people.

Unlike the City’s Government hospital that only misused the subsidies granted to them, this Institute use their funds to serve the unprivileged. The reason I applied here for my Internship is again because of my dad. He died due to Blood Cancer few years back. Earlier when he showed symptoms of  Leukemia, we didn’t realize it was a Cancer. After few fall outs, we approached the Government hospital because of our poor financial condition. The doctors and other staff are least bothered about the patient. No matter how serious the condition of a patient is, they won’t admit them unless you fill their useless form that had stupid questions to answer. The doctor who was in charge to look after dad was out of station for some days. In between my dads’s condition worsened. I was the only one with him in hospital during his last days. I gave him medicines that other doctors had prescribed him, hoping to see some miracle from God. I slept with him on the small metal bed that look worn out in every possible way, holding him from my small hands.

Just few minutes before his death, he kept his hand lovingly on my head and said, "Son study well and be a good doctor. Save someone’s life, help everyone who is in need and make your daddy proud one day.”

“How may I help you?” The receptionist voice brought me back in present.

I wiped away the tear that just left my eyes and smiled at her.

“I am the new Intern here. It’s my first day. Where is the Dean’s office?” I showed her my Letter of Joining and Identity Card.

“You must be Dr. Zaid Ahmed. Right?  The Doctor had mentioned me about you. Go straight from here and take a left.” She pointed towards the corridor that was adjacent to the lobby.

“Thank You.” I genuinely smiled at her collecting my things from the table.

“My pleasure Sir. Welcome to our institution.” She grinned.

The strong pungent smell welcomed me into the corridors. I took a left and there I was standing in front of the Dean’s office. I knocked on the door with my sweaty palms and went inside.