CHAPTER 13
Rekha is shocked to see Anand
Auto rickshaw stopped in front of the
hospital and Rekha got down. She paid the driver and went in great hurry into
the hospital. Then she took out her cell and phoned to Raghuram. He immediately
came out of chairman’s office. Rekha went to him anxiously. “Where is Anand?
How is he?”
Raghram gave her a reassuring smile. “Rekh
madam, don’t worry. He is fine. They have put him in the out patient ward.”
Anand was lying on the bed with tears
rolling from his eyes. His legs were paining badly. Suddenly he heard the sound
of door opening. He looked towards the door. Rekha entered the room. Seeing his
mother, Anand started crying loudly.
Rekha immediately came near him and sat on
the bed. She took his face in her arms and caressed his head kindly. “How are
you, my son?”
Anand pointed to his legs. “Mummy, my legs are
paining very badly. I can’t get up.”
Rekha examined his legs. She looked very
worried. Raghuram came and stood behind her looking at Anand. He tried to
console mother and son.
Raghuram said, “Rekha madam, don’t be sad.
The doctor has already examined him.”
Rekha was worried. “What did he say?”
Raghuram said, “He said that the
neurologist has to come to examine him.”
Suddenly, neurologist Dr. Shrikanth came in
with Dr. Ravi. Seeing them, Rekha and Raghuram moved a bit away from the
patient’s bed. Shrikanth smiled at them. Then he went near Anand and touched
his head asking, “My boy, what’s the matter? Tell me.”
Pointing to his legs, Anand said, “My legs. I have bad
pain since morning.”
Coming forward and pointing to Anand, Raghuram
told doctor, “He was playing chess at the academy. After the games, he tried to
get up. But he could not get up due to the pain.”
Shrikanth nodded listening keenly and then
he started examining Anand. He pressed Anand’s legs at different places. Anand
winced with pain. Finally, Dr. Shrikanth called the nurse. He told her to
transfer Anand to the operation theatre and get everything ready. Nurse went
out and returned with ward boys. They made Anand lie on the stretcher. Anand was
screaming with pain. Rekha was worried and shocked. Still she consoled him.
Patting his hand, Rekha said, “Don’t worry.
Nothing will happen. You will be fine soon.”
The stretcher moved out of the room. Anand was
taken into the operation theatre. Rekha and Raghuram remained outside the door.
Dr.Ravi introduced Raghuram to
Dr.Shrikanth. “By the way, this is Raghuram, once a grandmaster and now a chess
coach.”
Dr.Shrikanth looked at Raghuram with
interest. “Ah ah. I know you. Long back you were a champion.”
He gave shake hand to Raghuram.
Looking at doctor and requesting, Raghuram said, “Sir,
you must cure the boy. He is our future world chess champion.”
Smiling and giving assurance, Shrikanth said,
“Don’t worry. I will do my best.” He went into the OT.
Raghuram turned to look at Rekha and asked,
“Madam, have you informed your husband?”
Rekha immediately took out her cell. “Not
yet. I will call him right now.”
Vimal was enjoying with his friends in a
bar. They were already in a drunken state. Vimal’s cell rang. He picked up with
an unsteady hand and stared at it. “This stupid thing rings just when we are in
full swing. I can’t understand anything.”
He passed the phone to his friend. The
fellow was also drunk. He too stared at the cell without knowing what to do.
Staring at the cell, Friend muttered, “I am
also fully drunk. I can’t even see the number.”
Vimal became desperate. He took the ringing
cell and passed it to another friend. “Please see who it is.”
The man took the cell and put it to his ear
and listened. He said, “Ah. Ah. He is fully drunk. I will tell him. What?
Anand…. Hospital….Ok.”
He passed the cell back to Vimal and said excitedly,
“Eh, Vimal, your son’s legs are gone it seems. He is in the hospital.”
Vimal was shocked. He stared crying, “I
want to see my son. He is my life. I wonder which hospital he is in.”
He got
up and went out of the bar taking unsteady steps with a bottle of wine in his
hand. 
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