Chapter-4

"You have got internal navigation today." We were in the doctor's room when Faryal announced calmly. I stopped midway, changing into my overalls.

"What?!!No!!" I cried out. In vain, obviously. Since, I was walking up to the desk in the next 5 minutes. 

'Sigh. I think I am going to go crazy. Why do we have so many patients today?' I was thinking after finally getting a moment's peace in the past 3 hours. 

"Hey, can you go assist in OT?" I looked up from my phone to find Faryal coming towards me. What surprised me was the sir from yesterday coming behind her and the next words that came out of his mouth.

"Oh, Madam is here. Madam, you're free right? You can assist me in OT." I literally gaped at him with an open mouth, taken aback by this sudden turn of events. Still very much in shock, I looked at him and then Faryal.

"Sir needs a House Officer for assisting him in OT. I have to monitor my patient, if you—" 

"But I am on Internal—" I cried out helplessly, watching between the two.

"Someone else can do it." He said plainly instead. In return, I watched him dumbfounded, unable to come up with anything.

"Otherwise, I'll have to tell Fahad." He stated it so bluntly and with such confidence, as if it will have a huge impact on me; that I was left astounded. I gaped at him and then at Faryal who was worn out by this point and was just about to flee the scene. However, the thought of watching a live surgery was enough for me to lose my senses.

"Okay—" I murmured getting up from my seat.

"See, it was enough for me to say Fahad's name." He returned cheekily and I literally paused in my place to turn and give him a 'are you for real?' look. Shaking my head, I turned and started walking to Amma's bed, hoping she could take over my duty. While walking away I looked back to find him staring at me for a while before he walked out.

'Oh Shit! What have have I got myself into? Why can't I ever say no?!!' I kept blaming myself until I got to Amna.

"Amna!!!! I have got into trouble!!" I whined before I could reach her and relayed the whole tale to her.

"No, Mahnoor. You don't need to listen to him! Just let him go. He can find someone else." She suggested helpfully. In response, I gave her a poweless look.

"Yeah, you're right. But I sorta, wanna, see it." I retuned sheepishly and embarrassed. My obsession for surgery wasn't hidden from anyone.

"Okay, then I will cover for you. You can go." Unintentionally, my face lit up at her words.

"You will?? Really?? You don't have to—but I do want to go see it, so bad. But should I be going? Ughh!! I don't know—!!" It was just my second day and I was a complete and utter mess.

"I know you want to, Mahnoor. So you should go and see. We'll take care here." Amna reassured. I gave her a grateful smile before making my way to OT. 

'Umm.. now what?' I thought standing in my place cluelessly.

"Yes, madam?" The staff sitting outside asked me. I turned to him dumbfounded, at a loss for words while he waited for me to answer.

"Uh— is Captain Haider inside?" I asked feeling nervous all of a sudden.

"Captain Haider? Yes, he is inside." He remarked blankly and continued to watch me. In return I nodded him an okay and turned to wear the disposable gown and shoe covers. After that, I walked towards the OT- 1 but then I couldn't take another step further. Suddenly, I felt wrong. I wanted to leave here immediately.

Quickly walking back, I threw my gown and covers in the waste bin and walked out of the OT. For some unknown reason my heartbeat had quickened. I went back to the Major Area with muddled thoughts. On entering, I found Amna and Faryal at the Navigation desk.

"You came back? Did you not find sir?" Faryal inquired looking up from some patient's form that she was signing.

"I—I couldn't go in." I stammered, watching her blankly. She gave me a long look before nodding. Quietly, I went around the desk and took my seat from Amna.

I don't know why, but I had this ominous feeling that I shouldn't go inside. As if, I'll cross a line that I don't want to cross.

———————

"Happy birthday Mahnoor!" Fahad bhai exclaimed as I came in to the Doctor's room of OT. I had just celebrated my surprise birthday with Maha and others at the cafeteria, when Fahad bhai called me out to celebrate with him and Maha.

I sat down on the couch next to him, with Maha sitting on the couch next to him. Returning the greeting with a thankyou, we cut and ate the cake. In the midst of our discussion somehow he came up.

"All the surgery residents are such bullies Fahad bhai—and especially that friend of yours—"I exclaimed jumping in excitement.

"Haider bhai?" Maha returned instead, whom I had narrated the whole story yesterday when it happened.

"What? Why?" Fahad bhai turned to me slightly alarmed.

"Nothing—just that he said once or twice mentioned that he'll inform you when I didn't want to listen to him." I said laughing nervously to lighten the situation.

"Is that so? Next time tell him to go ahead. Tell whoever he wishes to—" He kept going on until a staff came in to ask him something. I exchanged a look with Maha, grateful for the distraction.

After some time, I got a call from my driver and got up to leave. The next few days went by quietly and peacefully, until things went haywire.

———————

"Sigh!!!! I am on internal again." I groaned into my hands. Amna sitting next to me, patted my back reassuringly. I had got her to help me out.

"Excuse me." I straightened up when a patient came upto me.

"Assalamualaikum." I greeted before looking at his form. He needed to get his dressing changed and wound examined before that.

"Amna? Who's the surgery resident on duty today—" I asked her while craning my neck around to search for any resident. Until my gaze landed on someone.

"Oh shoot—! It's the same resident whom I ditched last time! Amna—please can you take him—" I stopped my cries midway when I saw her in conversation with another patient. I gave a disappointed look at to patient in front of me and then his form until finally my gaze locked at his back, who was at the far end of the room, dealing with some other patient.

'Shit—do I have to?' I wondered with a sunken feeling as I got up and started making my way to him with the patient lagging behind me.

'Noor—let's just get done with this once and for all—' I thought getting rid of any unnecessary emotion on reaching his side. I was going to wait for him to finish his talk with his patient but he turned to me before that.

"Um—sir, there's a patient." I began as he turned to me expectantly. 

"What's wrong?" He asked when I handed him the patient's previous records and then began to explain it to him. He took a look at his wound and after asking him a few questions, told me to send him for dressing. I was carefully making a note of it all when he started dictating me his meds.

I watched his face for a while, as I mentally revised the meds.

"Okay?" He asked after he was done. I gave him a nervous smile and narrated from what I remembered, missing a few. He gave me a long look before adding the remaining meds.

"Now, you'll remember?" He asked with a sly grin. I gave him a nervous smile.

"Yes sir. I won't forget now." I said backing away with a nervous chuckle.

"I am sure you will remember Madam. You're very smart." He remarked with a stupid lopsided teasing grin before turning back to the patient on bed. At that point I didn't retaliate and turned to leave.

'God! He is so annoying!' I thought with a roll of eyes, walking back to the desk with the patient on my heel.

——————————

"Shit!!" I cried out an hour later.

"Language Noor." Faryal broke in without looking up. 

On coming back to my desk, there was such a crowd of patients that I had sent that patient for change of dressing. Now he was back for his meds that I had by now forgotten mostly.

"Shit!shit!shit!Faryal!!!! Please go to Captain Haider and ask him what he prescribed! I can't go there again." I pleaded with my life, but she wasn't hearing it.

"No way. I am not going to him." She cleared her stance without a second thought. 

"Oh! Captain Momin." I called out after seeing the other house officer coming towards us.

"I don't remember what Captain Haider prescribed. Do you have any idea?" I watched his face expectantly. He took a moment to check the patient but couldn't come up with anything helpful.

"Shit. This means that I have to go?" I turned to where he was checking some other patient. I turned to Faryal who gave me a 'you're on your own' smile. 

"Why are you all so scared of Sir?" Captain Momin remarked with a chuckle. I could only groan at his words.

"Gosh—because he is absolutely the worst! He is a bully!" I returned with passion; which Captain Momin disregarded with another chuckle. With a groan I started walking to the bed he was checking another patient. On noticing me coming to stand next to him, he stopped what he was doing and gave me his full attention.

"Umm sir—that, can you check this—I might be missing something—" I began cautiously without looking up at him directly. At the same time mentally prepared to hear his stupid remarks about 'Madam, you're so dumb! Madam, you can't even remember this much.' But he only smiled lazily before adding them quickly.

"This is not how you spell it. It's spelled like that clothes brand. Haven't you heard of it?" I watched him stupefied, as he continued scribbling into the form. After he was done, I began my retreat, feeling glad that it was all over and done with. But, I might've celebrated a little too quickly.

"Madam?" He called out without looking up from his notes. I turned back to him, cursing myself for jinxing it. He shifted his gaze to me.

"Can you hold a scalpel, though?" He remarked with that sly teasing grin again. I watched him momentarily at a loss for words, before an amused smile found it's way on my face.

"Yes sir! That I can! Definitely." I exclaimed in response grinning amused at his lameness before turning on my heel to leave as he continued watching me with that same lopsided grin.

'He is such a weirdo.' I thought grinning from ear to ear while making way back to my assigned duty.