Next morning:

MCN hospital

"Good morning Dr. Chowdhury!" A nurse greeted Anshuman as he entered the ward.

"Good morning sister. Can you tell me whether Karmakar Sir has come yet or not?"

"Yes he has come. In the I. C. U." The nurse said.

"Okay thanks. And the patient who was admitted yesterday?" Anshuman asked, "what is her condition now?"

"Oh that accidental case? Has not yet regained consciousness. Dr. Karmakar is checking." She informed, "you go, he is there."

Thanking her again, Anshuman moved towards the I. C. U. He saw Anupam coming out of the chamber.

"Sir..." He called. Anupam looked at him and smiled.

"Don't worry. She is better now. But still unconscious."

Anshuman took a deep breath. "Thank you Sir!" He said. Though he wanted to check up the patient himself, but decided against, thinking that it would be disrespectful to his teacher who was already supervising her.

"Go, you also see once yourself." Anupam patted Anshuman's back.

"You have already done that, Sir. It's not necessary." He humbly said.

"No. It's you who stitched her wounds. You know her injuries much better than any other doctor! Hence it will be better if you check her once. Go. I'm saying!"

Nodding at his teacher, Anshuman went inside. The girl appeared like the sleeping princess of fairy tale as he had heard in childhood. So innocent, so beautiful her face was! Anshuman smiled to himself, feeling a strange kind of affection towards her. He checked all the stitches throughout her unconscious body to ensure that none of them were open to bleed. Checking her pulse and pressure, he placed his palm tenderly on her head once.

How dearly he wished he had a sister like this!

"I will make you recover soon!" He muttered, "not a doctor's, this is a brother's promise!"

Noting down all important details, he came out and called the dietatian for making diet chart for his patients.

"Arre Anshu, when did you come?"

Anshuman turned round. His batchmate cum friend Shubhradeep Dey was smiling wide.

"Not much before." Anshuman smiled too, "You tell, morning shift finished?"

"Not yet. And I'm here since yesterday." Shubhradeep said, "didn't get time to leave after night shift. A few deliveries were to be done. Still checking those mothers along with my regular schedule."

"I see!" Anshuman patted on Shubhradeep's back, "my lazy friend is getting serious in work now! Good!"

Shubhradeep rolled his eyes, making Anshuman laugh.

"Anshu, I heard that you have been treating a particular young girl since yesterday with some special care?" It was now Shubhradeep's turn to pull Anshuman's leg, "does Ananya know?" He narrowed his eyes.

"She knows very well that I can never get attracted to any woman except her." He grinned, "I am committed, yaar! No chance of any such thing!"

"Maybe! How am I expected to know about this commitment things btw?" Shubhradeep shrugged, "I'm a dedicated bachelor!"

"Please! Don't talk like my Dadabhai! I can't handle two Bhishma Pitamahas around! Have some mercy on me!"

"Arre when have I said that I won't marry? But someone needs to agree to marry me as well right?"

"Worry not, Dr. Shubhradeep Dey! Your single life is about to end! I saw on your palmline!"

Both laughed out loud. But the joy was short-lived. Not before the two besties could enjoy their light banter to the fullest, they heard a noise outside the ward.

"Seems to be some patient party has made a mess." Shubhradeep facepalmed.

"Not again!" Anshuman shook his head in despair.

"Let me see." Shubhradeep said and walked ahead. Anshuman was about to turn to the next ward, meanwhile his phone rang. He could not recognize the number.

"Hello..."

"Dr. Anshuman Chowdhury speaking?" A male voice asked from other side. It sounded somehow familiar but Anshuman could not fully identify who it was.

"Yes."

"Do rush to the O. T. Right now! Your patient is in danger!" The voice was unusually calm even while saying this.

"What! What the...who are you?" Anshuman managed to ask.

"That's not important. But what I say is. Your patient will be attempted to be murdered today. Go save her!"

"But who are you...hello..helllllo..."

No response. The other side had already cut the call. Anshuman stood numb for a while, still unable to get the situation. The next moment he got cold sweat as soon as the realization of those words dawned upon him.

He rushed to the O. T.

***

Dept. Of Sanskrit, University of Bengal Heritage

"Good morning Sir!" The class stood up to greet the teacher.

"Morning all!" Kinshuk said with a smile, "please be seated!"

His calm smile pierced someone's heart like Cupid's arrow of flowers.

"Before beginning with today's lesson, I want to remind you that only three days are left for the submissions of short stories for our departmental magazine 'Sanskruti'. So those who are still interested, can submit it to me."

"Sir, the topic?" One boy asked.

"Unsung love story from The Mahabharata." A girl quickly replied, glaring at the boy, "this is what happens when you don't pay attention to the classes!"

Few others chuckled softly. The boy who asked the question first felt awkward and then fell silent. And the girl who remarked at him waited to hear the teacher's praise for remembering it. Well, if not even words, at least a smile! Little did she know that her teacher did not like her way of talking.

"It's okay, Ritika." Said the teacher evenly, "he was absent since last week due to his father's illness. Not his fault." He then addressed that embarrassed boy, "Aniruddha, you must start writing and submit! Will be waiting for your entry!" He smiled encouragingly.

Ritika felt dejected. She always tried her best to draw Kinshuk's attention but the teacher never cared. From the beginning of the first semester she had been trying to impress Kinshuk but failed. Leaving all other subjects she was studying his paper only to become his favourite student, but still another person snatched the position of topper from her. Her eyes got moist. Would this wise teacher never understand her heart?

Aniruddha's face lit up, getting the teacher's support and encouragement. "I shall try my best Sir!" He said.

Nodding to him, Kinshuk went back to the topic he had started yesterday.

***

MCN hospital

"Stop right there!" Anshuman shouted at the wardboy who was about to open the oxygen cylinder.

"You are not a worker of this hospital!" He continued in same tone, "Who are you? Open your mask!"

"Sir..." The man tried to say something.

"No talking! I said open your mask! Right now!"

His one hand moved to his mask and within a flash of second, the other hand took out a revolver, targeting at Anshuman.

"Hands up!" He cried. Anshuman got perplexed for a while. Knowing nothing what to do, he stood rooted.

But the man could not fire.

Within a flash of seconds, another man jumped over him. It caught the intruder unawares as his grip loosened over the trigger. The sudden attacker snatched his revolver and threw it to Anshuman.

"Shubhra!" Anshuman exclaimed as he goaded back to his senses. He hurried and took the bottle of chloroform and pressed a generous amount of it on the intruder's nose. He fell senseless on the white marble floor.

"Let me handle this sorry creature!" He quickly uttered as he grabbed the intruder tightly. "You stay here!" He spoke to Shubhradeep.

"You alone cannot do this Anshu! Let me help you! We never know whether he has more arms hidden or not." Shubhradeep was anxious.

"No. There are many more wardboys to help me out there. But we cannot risk the patient's life at any cost! He has come here to kill her! Stay here and keep watch on her, Shubhra! Don't leave her alone." Anshuman went away in hurried step.

Shubhradeep stayed inside. Though his heart kept worrying for his bestie, the responsibility of a doctor was not to be ignored. He went back to the patient's bed to check her condition. The monitor showed stable curves. He hurried to check the oxygen cylinder and found it half opened. Worrying more, he was about to call a nurse to change it.

But that was not needed anymore.

As soon as Shubhradeep touched the patient, she began to breath by herself. She had regained consciousness.

The doe eyes opened slowly as if two lotuses were coyly opening their petals, being touched by sunlight. The first thing she saw was the deep black eyes of a fair, young doctor, looking at her with genuine concern.

As if her eyes were meant to be met with his!
__________________________________________

Author's note: Confused? Well, stay confused *grins* I'm not going to answer all your doubts so soon.

Hope you liked the twist. Many more to come.

Please vote and comment if you liked it.