Page 115 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

14 THE RELAPSE

Months passed, and everything was fine with Rinchen. He crawled around. Seeing him babbling and growing made
me smile.
“Our baby looks fine now,” I said, grinning at Choki. “The operation was successful.”
“Yeah,” said Choki. “But I hope he doesn’t relapse.”
“He won’t.”
Weeks later, Rinchen’s tummy rumbled, and the next morning, he vomited. We showed him to the pediatrician.
Medicines didn’t help him. He became weaker and dehydrated. And he flinched as his tummy rumbled. So, Choki
and I discussed.
“Maybe we should take him to the emergency ward,” I said. “He looks dehydrated.”
“Hurry,” she said.
The on-duty doctor checked the baby’s fever. “There’s nothing much to worry about. Feed him enough ORS.
Bring him back if he vomits.”
With time, Rinchen walked but diarrhea enfeebled him. He played little. He slept most of the time. One morning,
I was getting ready for school when he vomited.
“Gosh, he’s vomiting a lot,” said Choki. “We must show him to Dr. John.”
“Right away.” I dialed the principal’s phone number. “Sir, I am taking my baby to the hospital. You should grant
me leave today.”
“Please take him,” said Mr. Lhagey Tshering. “Don’t worry about your class. We will substitute.”
But Doctor John wasn’t there. So, I went to triage.
“Excuse me, nurse,” I said. “When is Dr. John coming?”
“Just a minute.” She read the duty roster on the wall. “He is in the operating theatre. Why?”
“I need to show my baby. Can I meet him there?”
“Maybe. Why don’t you ask someone there?”
We waited outside the operating theatre. Nobody came out. Rinchen vomited. He flinched as his tummy
rumbled. Choki nursed him with milk, but he threw it up. So, it was better not to feed him.
My knees like jelly, I paced the corridor back and forth. “For God’s sake, why don’t you come out for one
minute, doctor?”
Rinchen groaned in Choki’s lap. I shuffled around the OT building and peeped through the window. I could see
nothing inside. Gosh! Dr. John walked out of the OT after two hours.
He waved to me. “Hello, sir, what happened?”
“Rinchen… Rinchen has diarrhea, doctor. He is dehydrated.”
He felt Rinchen’s tummy. “Don’t worry. It’s soft. His paper?” He scribbled on it. “Feed him enough ORS.”
“Can we bring him back if diarrhea doesn’t subside?”
“Sure. You can phone me. Any time.”
Diarrhea subsided, but Rinchen would eat nothing. We tried to give him the best care but fate had its plan.
A month later, Dr. John admitted him for dehydration. “Oops! What could be wrong with the baby? Take him
for an X-ray. I will return in the evening.”
In the evening, he looked at the X-ray report and shuffled away to the duty-room. I peeped through the glass as
he conversed with the on-duty nurse.
The nurse walked into our cabin and said, “Dr. John said it’s intestinal obstruction.”
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