Page 135 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

“Relax?” I muttered as I scurried back to the lobby. “How can I relax in such a state?”
Choki stared at the OT door.
“The on-duty doctor said surgeons are busy performing the test.”
She sobbed amidst South-Indian women who were busy chatting. “But why is it taking that long? My poor baby
must be hungry. He had eaten nothing since last night.”
“Don’t worry, dear.” I cuddled and rubbed her back. “Our baby would come out any minute now.”
Nobody, except for the old lady at the back row watched me pace around. She seemed concerned about us.
At 7:00 pm, a fat nurse in a blue gown wobbled out.
“Excuse me, nurse,” I said. “My baby has been inside like seven hours, yet he hasn’t come out. Dr. Jacob is
handling the case. Do you have any idea about him?”
“Oh, that baby?” she said, pointing back to the theater. “Almost done. I will let you know when it is over.”
“But why is it taking such a long time?”
“A test?” she said. “Who said it was a test?”
“Surgeons said that.”
“No, it’s an operation.”
My jaw dropped. “Did you say operation?”
“Of course, it is. Why are you shocked?”
I turned around and puffed. “Heavens save my baby.” I hurried back to Choki. “They’re operating him, Ama!”
She jumped on her feet and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Operation? But it was supposed to be conducted
next week, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, but they’re doing it.”
At fifteen past seven, I stood at the door for the baby.
Dr. Jacob shuffled up to the door and said, “Operation is successful. We removed the adhesion and a portion of
the intestine.”
“Thank you so much, doctor,” I said.
“What did he say?” whispered Choki from behind.
“He said the operation was successful.”
She covered her face in her hands and sobbed.
The fat nurse said, “Please don’t cry. The baby is fine. I will bring him to you.”
Dr. Jacob smiled and shuffled back to the OT. As I embraced Choki and rubbed her arms, she buried her head
into my chest and sobbed harder. The nurse returned with the baby on a gurney.
“Here is your baby,” she said. “See, he is fine.”
“Oh, thank you, nurse,” I said.
Our nurse took the baby to the general ward. It was crammed with babies. Some slept, and some wailed in pain.
“Why not back to our cabin, nurse?” I asked.
“The surgeon instructed me to do so. The baby needs intensive care at the moment.”
“Fine. Are you going to shift him later?”
She nodded.
Rinchen shivered two hours later. His temperature rose rapidly.
“Nurse, the baby has a high fever,” I said. “You should inform the surgeon.”
Right away, she went to the duty room to phone Dr. John. And when she returned, she said, “Dr. Jacob said to
sponge the baby. Get the bowl from the store.”
I brought a steel bowl and sponged the baby. The fever subsided at 3:00 am.
At 9:00 am, the next morning, Dr. Jacob and his team came and checked on Rinchen’s progress, and said
everything was fine.
Late at night, Choki and I conversed with the innocent-looking mother of a baby girl, next to Rinchen.
“How old is your baby?” asked Choki.
She held her tiny dark baby in her arms and tickled her cheeks. “Seven months.”
“What happened to the baby?” asked Choki.
“Operation,” she said and showed the stitches.
The stoma was closed, and the stitches had dried up.
Minutes later, the baby cried. She filled up the baby’s milk bottle with raw milk.
“Hold on,” I said. “You should boil the milk and dilute it.”
She grinned faintly. “We feed our babies this way.”
The baby groaned, and one hour later, the poor baby stopped breathing.
“Oh, my baby!” cried the mother and stroked the baby’s head. “Somebody, help my baby. Doctor.”

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