Page 147 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

My heart thudded in my chest. “Yes.”
“His intestines are full of infection. It will take time.”
Dr. John came out after one hour with slumped shoulders.
“How’d it go, doctor?” I said.
“His intestines are full of infections. It’s in the hands of God. Let’s pray for the baby.”
Flustered, I watched him slogging down the stairs.
“What did the doctor say?” asked Choki.
“He said the operation went well.”
“Really? But the doctor looks unhappy.”
“Sorry, he said Rinchen is full of infection.”
“Oh, God,” she said, covering her mouth.
“Dorji Wangdi?” called the nurse, leaning out of the OT door.
“Yes.”
“Back door, please.”
I scurried to the back door. Rinchen groaned and squirmed on a gurney, eyes closed. All I could do was
sniffle a lot. Gently wrapping him in a blanket, I walked to the ambulance. Back in the ward, the on-duty
nurses rushed to his bed.
“Hurry, IV,” said Mrs. Tara, the head nurse.
There were five tubes pierced into his abdomen, and a catheter was inserted into the rectum. Each
tube—they said—was vital. Nurses transfused blood through the intravenous line, but it stopped soon.
They pricked him on his other hand. Veins were all collapsed. They shaved the left side of his head and
searched for a vein. The poor baby flinched every time they pricked the needle on his body.
“Rinchen,” said Choki, gently shaking him. “Open your eyes, please.”
Rinchen opened his eyes and wailed and went back to sleep.
“I got one here,” said a nurse. “Hurry, pass me the line.”
It stopped again. They pricked the other side of his head. My heart wrenched seeing our poor baby
flinch every time they pricked him.
“Phew,” said the youngest nurse. “Maybe we should wait for the surgeon.”
Rinchen’s lips turned pale and dry. Towards the evening, Rinchen stopped opening his eyes. His deep
breath echoed in that cabin, and he was breathing last, any moment.
“I think we should call Dr. John,” I said. “The baby is dying.”
“Do it fast!” blurted Choki.
I rushed to the nurse room. “Excuse me, nurse, our baby is getting worse. Call the surgeon, please.”
“We informed him,” said Mrs. Tara. “He should be here any moment.”
Dr. John arrived a few minutes later and said, “How’s the baby?”
“Not good, doctor,” I said. “He’s not even opening his eyes.”
He checked the baby’s eyes and said, “Did he pee?”
“No, doctor.”
“I will return with my instrument.”
The baby’s condition worsened with each passing second, but Dr. John didn’t return. I paced around.
“Why is Dr. John not coming?”
“Go out and see,” said Choki.
I scurried out to the entrance. Dr. John was not there. I trotted down to the gate and back to the
parking lot. Dr. John was nowhere. He didn’t turn up even after five minutes. So, I went back to the cabin.
“Why is the doctor not coming,” said Choki. “Go see again.”

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