It was my 23rd birthday and i received my bday gift well in advance, atleast 6 days earlier. People run behind precious stones crazily, thinking that it might bring them the good charm. They spend huge amount of investment towards buying it. But in my case i got it free of cost that too from a very special one. Yes, God gave me a bday gift this time and it was a stone. The difference with other stones that people buy and my stone is that "People get precious stone from ordinary person, but i got an ordinary stone from a precious one". I had said that i received my stone free of cost but i forgot to mention that, i got it at the expense of severe pain.
Nowadays "Pain is the only thing that lets me know that am still alive" and thats the only thing that am receiving from everyone. It has been 3 continuous years that i have been admitted to that hospital. I was a guy who hated taking injection, especially the drips that they give. But now, it has become a regular affair. They have made holes all over my hands. Doctors now identify me easliy, infact Rafi doctor and a few other nurses identified me correctly as the guy who came last year for a stomach ache.I have a very serious doubt that whether i had stone last year too, cause i was admitted for abdominal pain and despite taking several scans doctors were not able to diagnose the problem correctly. Even this time they dint identify the stone in my first scan but strangely during my second scan (second scan taken without drinking water-its unusual) they found that precious calcium stone.
The last few moments
I even had the sad chance of being a spectator of the last few moments in a persons life. A grandpa in his early 70's or mid 60's was admitted to the bed next to me. He was doing better for 2 days but the third day his sugar went way below normal and the nurse advised him to take a bit of the sweets available. That day was deewali for others and everyone was celebrating, although for us we dont have any such thing cause just because its deewali we dont get any special injection inside the hospital. He had asked his daughter for dosa while she replied that all hotels are closed for deewali, he wanted them to have at any cost and asked her to go home n make it. At the same time i had asked my dad a packet of biriyani, cause my tongue was half dead by then and there were'nt any restrictions on me as in the case of my diet. Dad went to annanagar, sioni, vlk,icf and found no shops open but after an hours search founded a hotel open with a lot of people waiting. They said that biriyani is over and you have to wait for another half an hour to get the fresh one. My dad patiently waited and got the parcel. Both himself and I knew what to expect in a 30 min biriyani. It was bad. But i had it, since my dad had strained a lot to get that for me. While i was having my food, grandpa was shivering a lot and he asked his relatives to cover him with everything thats available. Nurse came running in and gave him an injection and asked if he can be taken to the casuality, but he refused. After 2min he started shivering again and they took him to casualty who was again transported to the perambur railway hospital. When we came to know that he was taken to the perambur hospital, everyone knew that its a bit serious cause serious cases are only referred to that hospital. At about 10 we all went to sleep. But 40 min later his daughter came running in with the sad news that "he is no more". I thought to myself "Am a spectator this time but i could be the next". This is the first time am visualizing something like this and i hope let this be the last too.
Amidst all the difficulties and the failures that i face i still hope that something good will happen the next day or atleast someday in the near future. This is the one hope thats still keeping me going cause i have to give something back to my parents who still believe i will have a good future. Actually this is the time i have to take care of my parents, they are getting older and weaker but its the other way around. They are taking care of me.My dad had to run between home n hospital, bringing me breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and if the drinking water is over for that too. My dad was a bit happy this time because they had installed air-conditioners and he thought his son can have a sound sleep .Else that room is very hot and i knew that very well cause i was there a year ago too. My dad said he will stay there for the night and he was lying on the floor while i was in bed. I thought he will have a good sleep with AC around though in our home he stays always away from it while myself and mom enjoy that facility. Since i drink a lot of water i got around two times to use the toilet n one time to switch on the fan another time to switch off cause i was feeling shivering sometimes and hot at-times. I dint call dad n when i saw him he was sleepin well. Later in the morning when my mom came,only then i realised that he dint sleep at all cause mom asked me "Why dint you sleep well" while i replied "No mom, is slept well only", while mom replied "Oh, your father said that you got up a few times and used the toilet n then again woke up and went about switching on and off the fans". It was pretty sure to me now that he hadn't slept at all. I was feeling a little better now and so said that there isn't any need of night stay and i can take care of it myself. Though he was reluctant at first, later agreed.
Even the next day i had to call him as early as 4:55 in the morning cause i was feeling a bit painful and was feeling really hungry all of a sudden. He took my call and came back with tea and biscuits in a few mins. First i thought that mom made me tea but later came to know that dad had prepared it himself and that mom dint even knew that he had come here. I hope she will soon realize it when she wakes up. That very day in the night i took an injection for pain and that injection helped me to sleep well and i woke up at only 6:30. But my dad, expecting me to be hungry came as early as 5:30 that day too. The next day he had to go to Bangalore to my bro's residence and he had made the reservation too. He could not leave me here and go but since it was important i asked him to go. But we both knew that it will be very difficult if he leaves chennai cause there is no one else to bring food for me. My mom has a very bad knee problem and the onus came on her to bring the food all alone, that too walking. I was feeling really bad.
I was supposed to be discharged the previous day but since i had the pain, the chief doc asked me to stay. The next day the doc came in for examination at 9:00am. He asked me how i was feeling and i said i was alright and asked him to discharge me. He too dint refuse my obligation cause considering the other accident cases and moreover i was in the surgical ward occupying a bed, that made him say Yes. I was really happy and got my medicines and reached home myself taking an auto. Dad came home a bit late from office but yet was on time to catch the train, but he had to attend the funeral of his late closest friends wife. He did visit their house n rushed to the railway station.Late in the day my mom said to me"I don know what i would have done if u were still in hospital". That was all i wanted, a bit of relief for my parents.
Although i had to suffer a lot due to the pain, it gave me few moments that i ll treasure for a lifetime. I have heard that the guys keep a bit distance from their dad when they become older but in modern times its changed. But i should say that am in the old fashioned way.He doesn't wish me for my bday nor do i know his bday, but I have a lot of respect for my father n he does love me a lot.We both don't show that outwardly. But when i was admitted he fed me and even bathed me once. How many would get this chance ah???This gift is far better than the one from God. Am signing off for now with a little bit of pain and more hope for a painless and better tomorrow.
