HER LAST WISH

Part 6

Next morning, an assistant from Dr Lal PathLabs arrived to collect our samples. Astha shared her blood sample without an ounce of suspection. As an exception, I requested them to deliverthe report on priority. Before leaving, he shared the most important instruction while handing over the pamphlet to me: "If there are any extreme discoveries, you will receive a call from the lab."
     Around one in the afternoon, while I was resting, I realized that before anything else, I had to confirm whether I too was HIV positive. Just then, I received a call from an unknown landline number. I picked it up with a lot of fear and anticipation.
      "Hello, we are calling Dr Lal PathaLabs. Am I talking to ..."
     I cut her short and asked fearfully, "I am Vijay. Are the reports ready? What is the outcome."
     I had said all this at lightning speed. My heart was beating faster every passing second.
       "Sir, your HIV report is negative," answered the lady ob the other side of the call.
       "And what about Astha Sharma?" I asked. She sighed and paused. I guessed that she didn't have good good news to share. "Please say it."
     Her delayed response had been killing me.
       "Mrs Astha Sharma has been diagnosed positive for HIV. Her CD4 count is around 320cells/mm3."
     I abruptly disconnected the call without even caring to exchange formalities with the caller. It was a complex situation. I closed my eyes and a stream of tears rolled down my cheeks. For the first time in my life I felt helpless.

                             ●

     I booted my laptop and began searching for information related to AIDS. Almost as a reflex, my fingers typed in these keywords - best doctor for HIV/AIDS in Delhi.
     I found Dr Raja, HOD, Internal Medicine. Thirty minutes later, I was standing outside his cabin, waiting to see him. I requested her assistant for the last appointment.
     I wanted to be the last one to consult him so that he could spend a decent amount of time with me. After waiting for two hours, I finally got the chance to have a word with the doctor.
       "Good afternoon sir," I greeted him as soon as I entered the room.
     Inside the room, I found a middle-aged spectacled man.
       "Hi, the patient name is Astha..." he looked at me doubtfully and guessed correctly that I wasn't the patient.
       "She is not here. I am her husband, Vijay."
       "Oh okay, tell me," he said in hurry.
       "Sir, this is her report," I said.
     He flipped a few pages of the report. He was assure about the disease.
       "Sir, I got to about this today. Is there any cure available in any part of the world?"
       "I am sorry ," he said with sensitivity. "I can understand your concern, but we can control the duration for HIV to turn into AIDS. We can get some extra years of hope and life, provided all necessary medication starts at the earliest."
       "Doctor, I need a favour from you. I hope you'll understand."
     He nodded.
       "My wife is unaware about this and I lack the courage to tall her."
       "I can understand. What can I do for you?"
       "Doctor, can I expect all support, care and medicine without informing her?"
       "How can that be possible? This disease requires a lot of care anf precautions, and only an aware person can take better care of themselves. And what am I supposed to tell her when she is here? Don't ask me to treat her remotely. I cannot extend my treatement without mreting the patient."
       "I will bring her here, but you only have to say that she is suffering from some disease that needs all the necessary care."
     The doctor thought for a while and said,"My profession doesn't allow me to mislead the patients. I can hide information but cannot lie. In fact,I would suggest that you too avoid lying to her. Be brave dear," pacified the doctor and offered me a glass of water.
       "Listen Vijay, you can do one thing, " he said. "Just tell her that she is suffering from liver cirrhosis and it requires exhausive care. And you need not to worry because I will not tell her anything. I will also avoide writing anything related to HIV on theprescription."
     His words overwhelmed me. "Thank you so much, doctor. Can you also suggest three months of bed rest in the prescription?"
       "I will." He nodded. "Ask her to drink more water. She should not take  any stress. Avoid anything that can lead her to catch an infection of any sort. Ask her to travel in car."
       "Thank you so much, sir." He nodded and got up to leave.
     I returned home at around five in the evening and still had more than an hour at head to think in peace. I had known Astha for the past six months. These six months were enough for me to understand her as a person. I was sure that a twenty seven year old woman must have some hidden desires which she had never shared to her husband. She could have told someone very close to her. Only one such person's name came to my mind. Astha often spoke about her friend and I had her number as well. But would she not inform Astha about my call? Shall I hide the truth from her? How would she react?