Mridhula

Even after Ved left,  I kept wondering if this was some fantasy that I had created and imagined. It all seemed so surreal. One minute he had been  playful and flirtatious, and the other he had been like a breeze that had just brushed past my face and left.

Had I gone too far by blurting that one sentence that had caused all the awkwardness? Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut? I was honestly too excited in life. But there was still one question that kept gnawing on my mind.  Did he like me too? Or was I reading too much into his actions,  like always? Somehow it felt like he meant some amount of it. I could see the intensity of emotions flickering in his eyes. I had completely drowned in them and lost myself in its depths.

The only thing that had brought me out of the dizzy state he had put me in was the bang of the door. If he liked me, why had he left?  Was there something else he was hiding from me?

Should I call him?

I took my phone out and tried his number but it said he was unreachable. I tried again and again,  but still the call didn't go through. Perhaps he had switched off his phone because he didn't want to talk to me.

I was worried and there was uncertainty in my mind about how I was going to deal with him but I decided to set aside this issue for the time being and focus on other important matters.

I hurriedly took a shower,
wore a nice jeans and long kurta,  packed all the things I needed for clinics and left on my scooty, my purse and phone in my pocket. I was so busy thinking of Ved that I almost crashed into the car in front of me.  Luckily my senses kicked in at the right moment and I applied the brakes.
Whew. Saved.

When I reached my clinic, I parked my scooty in my parking spot and set off inside with a bounce in my step. My clinic was a place that always gave me good vibes and made me feel really happy.

"There you are!" Karishma exclaimed when I entered my office."There's this young man who has been waiting for you for the past ten minutes."

Young man???  Who could it be?

"Just a minute."

I wore my coat, took out my stethoscope and arranged some basic items before I told Karishma to usher the young man in.

It was a boy of around 13 years old with dark brown hair and grey eyes.  He looked like he had rushed here after just waking up from bed. He was cradling a baby hamster in his hands which was tightly bundled up in some cloth.

I took the little hamster from him and made him sit down.  He looked like he was going to faint.

"Karishma,  give him a glass of water."

I looked at the wound.  It looked pretty deep. The bone seemed a little visible too. I would definitely have to stitch it immediately.  Hamsters were known to have very less blood in their body and their survival rates were very low when it came to deep cuts. I noticed that the boy had used his bit of knowledge on first aid well.  He had tried as much as he could to stop the blood flow by tightly tying up the wound site after wiping it.  I should give him a pat on his back side for it.  But I was sure he wouldn't appreciate my praise right then.

The boy was trying hard to control himself from jumping up and running away with his pet. It looked like he wasn't a fan of blood. So I decided to try and calm him down, while stitching the wound.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Allan. "

"Allan why don't you go and freshen up, this will get over in a few minutes."

" Nope,  I am not leaving him,  I am going to stay right here. "

" Alright but calm down okay dear?  Your hamster is going to be alright in no time okay? And then you can take him home. "

The hamster wasn't really helping my mood either by constantly wriggling. Luckily,  I had Karishma to hold it firm for me.

While I stitched up the little animal,  Karishma questioned the boy about what happened to keep him talking.

" I really don't know what happened. It was so sudden you know.  I woke up to see Robby on the floor in a pool of blood.  I tried to clean the wound and apply pressure, like I'd watched on this TV show and then I rushed here, when the bleeding didn't stop," he said,  almost crying. " He will be alright won't he? He's my favourite. "

" Of course, " I added. " And Allan? "

" Yeah? "

" If you hadn't given him the first aid like you did at the right time,  he may have lost more blood and it could have been fatal.  You really did a good job. "

A small smile popped up onto the little guys' face and he grinned.

" Thanks, I guess" he said shyly.

The fact that that small sentence of appreciation and praise had brightened his face, gave me immense happiness and made me forget how this profession made me work even on a Sunday.

And just for a moment,  I also forgot all my worries.

"So Allan, how do you feel now? " I asked,  after handing the stitched up and bundled hamster over to him."

"Relieved, " he said and I gave him a bright smile.

" What's your name doc? " he asked me suddenly.

" Mridhula,  why do you want to know? "

" Umm just like that.  I wanted to tell my friend about you.  You're so caring and careful to all these animals. And you're really pretty too, " he said and a blush rose to his cheeks as he looked away.

I couldn't help letting out a small chuckle. This kid was so adorable.

" And you're the cutest thing ever! " I said,  ruffling his hair.
" Now go back home and care for Robby well okay? See that he doesn't chew off the bandage I put and keep him covered and cuddled next to you for at least a few days or keep him in  a cage. It's up to you. Keep him safe and take care of yourself too.  Come to me after a week to remove the stitches..  "

" Alright doc,  see you around. "

" Bye! "

Luckily there weren't many patients or appointments that day so I got to go home early. I also told Karishma she could leave and she was so happy because she hardly got any time to spend with her one year old baby who was always being taken care by a nanny. Her husband was also at home and she would finally have some bonding time with him and her baby.

Sometimes I did feel guilty asking her to be around all the time. But she was my best friend and also, one of the best nurses in my clinic and I needed her support badly.

"Have fun Kari, say hi to Nandan and baby Maya for me okay? "

" Sure, you take care of yourself too!"

"Bye Maitreyi! " we both said in unison as we waved to our receptionist before leaving on our respective vehicles.

As soon as I reached home, I let out a tired sigh and switched on the T. V.

Skittles suddenly woke up from her afternoon nap on hearing the noise and leapt into my outstretched arms.

"Is my baby girl hungry? " I cooed and she licked my face.

I got up to go get her dog food and my eyes zeroed in on a note near the door. It looked like someone had slipped it under the door, when I was away. In my haste to reach the sofa, I had probably missed it while entering the house.

I bent down to pick it up. It seemed like the person who had written it was in a hurry owing to the haphazard scrawl.

"Stay away from him if you know what's good for you. "
_____________x___________________

Dundundundundun....

*evil music*

Any guesses about who it was from?

Anyways wait for the next update to know more.
HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS.

Vote and comment as always,

Harshini :)