Winner of Wattpad India Awards 2020 (Judge's Choice) in the New Adult category.
~*~
"The lights are cheeky, you can't live without them, and yet if you get too close, they'll blind you. Darkness? Well it doesn't cheat. It's cool and soothing. It's r...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"I can drop you home if you want," Nakul offered, staring listlessly at the door labelled Delivery Room.
Obviously, he could not hear the screams echoing through the worn down and crowded hallway of the district government hospital they were in. It was the nearest one, about an hour-long drive away from Bhabra.
The stench of misery was overpowering. There were only three sets of benches in the corridor, all of which were occupied by old, sick people. Many were standing against the wall and some, tired of waiting for hours, had settled down on the floor. Harassed looking nurses were running around, snapping at everyone who asked questions and yelling that the doctors were busy. Madhu couldn't blame them for being rude, this place was severely understaffed.
When Madhu had encountered the couple at her doorstep, it had taken her a minute to snap into action. Rushing back inside the house, she had found Nakul on his hands and knees, fixing the plumbing. Somehow, he was able to read her frantic words and followed her outside. Madhu could only stand and watch as he calmed down the pregnant lady, and silently agreed when he asked if he could use her car to drive to the hospital.
The three hour long wait after arriving was excruciating. Madhulika was left to talk to Suman, trying to distract her from the contractions and the fact that there was dried blood on her sari, while Nakul and Raju—Suman's husband—sorted out the paperwork.
And now here they were, restlessly waiting, listening to Suman's screeches because she had refused to take any painkillers.
She touched Nakoo's wrist, willing him to look at her. "Where's Raju?"
"Gone for a smoke maybe." Sighing, Nakul pinched his forehead. "You don't need to be here though; this might take a while."
Madhu leaned against the wall, too tired to worry about how unhygienic it was. "You don't need to be here either."
"Suman is my Rakhi sister, that is why she came to me."
"Then I'm not leaving, any sister of yours is a friend of mine."
Her looked at her oddly, lips in a straight line and dark brows furrowed. Thinking that he hadn't caught what she said, Madhu opened her mouth to repeat her words.
Before she could do that though, a nurse came out of the Delivery Room, her beady eyes scanning the noisy hallway.
"Relatives of Suman?"
Seeing Madhu step forward, Nakul turned in the direction she was facing, and hurried there when he saw the nurse.
"How's she? And the baby?"
The nurse sized him up, taking in his towering frame and squaring her shoulders, as if preparing to physically restrain him. She reminded Madhu of her school nurse, a stout, four-eleven widow who never missed an opportunity to scold kids for getting hurt, but at the same time, was fiercely protective of all of them.
"Are you her husband?" Her nasal voice, like nails in a chalkboard, pricked on Madhu's ears.
"Brother."
Still looking at him suspiciously, she said, "I would rather speak with the husband first."
As if on cue, Raju came bounding down the corridor, weaving around the squatting people and stopping right next to Nakul. "Is it over? Is my boy okay?"
He smelled of smoke and chewing tobacco. His shabby kurta was more yellow than white, and a thin layer of dust had settled on his sweaty face.
The nurse scrunched her nose, disapproval evident on her face. "Your wife is stable but the baby..." She swallowed, clearing her throat. "Your baby was a stillborn, and we couldn't revive him."
A loud ringing filled Madhu's ears. Somewhere in the distance, Raju punched the wall, but her gaze was locked on Nakul.
"Wait, did you say stillborn?"
This was the first time Madhu had seen him asking for confirmation, the first time that he was doubting his lip-reading skills. It came as a surprise. Though she had only known him for a little more than a day, Madhu was under the impression he didn't do that often.
The nurse nodded, giving him a sympathetic look.
His face drained of colour and his breathing quickened. Madhu wanted to reach out to comfort him but was pulled away by the nurse. She had gripped her arm and was walking away from the two men, willing Madhu to follow.
"I know you all are grieving," she said, sounding business-like. "But you need to move the patient. The discharge papers would be ready in an hour, Suman would be awake by then."
The ringing in her ears intensified. Madhu couldn't believe this. "What do you mean discharge? Surely Suman isn't strong enough, she needs rest. I'll pay for another room."
"This is a government hospital; nobody pays for anything. And don't even try bribing me." She started in the direction of the staircase leading to the reception. "Besides, we don't have enough beds to spare, she can very well rest in her house. Just fill out the birth and death certificate forms and you can collect the body today itself."
Birth. Death. Body. Stillborn.
It was too much for Madhu. Air had escaped from her lungs and she gasped, feeling the walls closing in on her. All around her, people were crying, moaning, clutching their bleeding legs or pregnant bellies or feverish heads; fighting to grab the attention of passing doctors, not wanting to wait for their turn.
Because waiting won't lessen the pain.
She snapped out of her thoughts. Now wasn't the time to panic, she had to stay afloat for the sake of Nakul and Suman and even Raju. She clamped down the urge of wanting to chase the nurse and yell at her, for Madhu knew that the poor woman was just doing her job, it wasn't fair to blame her.
Slowly, she approached the two men. While Raju had sunk on the ground, head in hands, Nakul was still standing motionless. His face empty of expression, almost impassive, but his eyes held a storm as they regarded her.
She decided Nakul and her should handle the paperwork, while the grieving parents were given some privacy.
"She has to be discharged in an hour, and everything needs to be taken care of by then."
Nodding, he whispered something to Raju before they left for the reception downstairs.
Even more queues waited for them there. Ironically, the birth and death certificates were being handled at the same counter.
