Piece of Heart

A True Story

 

 

I knew that the boy was already dead, but experience had taught me that the patient was called alive as long as my madam said. So I continued with my work of squeezing that transparent balloon (sorry, I don’t know its name) repeatedly which filled the boy with air every time I squeezed it, while my madam injected the best antibiotics, as she claimed, in his body.

“Please madam, do everything you can to save my son, he’s my piece of heart. Oh God! Please madam, please”, his mother was pleading repeatedly, while tears were rolling down her eyes. Madam responded to her requests by nodding repeatedly, no matter how much busy she was.

The boy was about four years old and was brought here some fifteen minutes ago, and he was in a very critical situation. His breathing was very slow and his parents too knew it very much clearly that the chances of his survival were very dim. About five minutes ago, his father had rushed outside, saying that he was going to arrange money.

Liar!

I had seen his face then and it seemed that he was going to cry. He just couldn’t do it before three women so he had escaped from there by making an excuse. These men, they are all same. What’s so bad about crying? Why can’t they just show how they really feel and let go of their manliness?

But just wait a second. How stupid I am. I have been blabbering till now without even introducing myself. Hi! My name is Kamla.  I work as a sweeper in the best hospital of my town, ‘Sharda Hospital’. My madam is a doctor here and wife of this hospital’s owner, Dr. Narang. Naturally, I come here everyday to clean, but may get indulged in any kind of work the doctors here ask me to do. I was cleaning the floor in the emergency ward when the boy arrived. Since there was no one to help my madam, you see, ours is a quite big hospital and everyone is every time busy, she called me to help her. My hands, a minute ago in the dirty water bucket, were now squeezing that balloon like thing (now you know the reason of me not knowing its name, I’m quite illiterate). But let’s not make it an issue here, the boy is more important.

Where was I? Yeah, I was doing what you already know while my madam injected the best (as she said it, and ‘costliest’, as I would say it) antibiotics in him.

Then finally, she looked up and said to the woman in that doctor like tone-polite and caring, yet firm and clear, “Sorry, I tried my best, but couldn’t save your son”

Without another word, she left. The woman might have thought that she didn’t have the courage to stand before her after saying such a thing, but I knew it exactly that she must have rushed to prepare the bill.

When I looked at the woman, I saw that she was not crying anymore. I thought if she had gone mad or was puzzled in emotions, because she picked the boy in her arms and walked outside. I was curious, so I followed her. She went outside the main gate and squatted just near the road. She put him in her lap and started caressing his hairs and kissed his forehead time and again. I stood there silently and kept looking at her.

Just then, my madam’s shriek was heard from inside, “That woman! Where has she gone? She hasn’t paid her money yet. Kamla! Where the hell are you?”

She rushed outside, couldn’t look at the woman in her anger, saw me and started shouting, “Kamla! How could you let her go? Who would pay her money now? Would that be you?”

I looked at the woman. Madam’s eyes followed mine. When she saw the woman, it seemed as if she had seen a ghost. She fell absolutely silent. Tears rolled down the woman’s face as she looked up and said, “Don’t worry madam, I’m still here. My husband will pay you. What value does this money keep to me now? I lost my most valuable treasure, my only son”.

Doctors are meant to help people, so do they, and so did my madam. She helped the woman in letting out her emotions.

The silent tears turned into sobs, and as my madam walked silently inside, the woman cried and howled over her dead piece of heart.

             

Author's Note

Criticism is welcomed. It helps me improve.

Reviews

[Neytri]

I must say that you are brave enough to write this.... Your profile tells me that you are a doctor... Did this happen where you work?... You don't need to answer if you don't feel like... Great write.

[Ranbir Singh]

No, it did not happen where I am currently studying (and not practicing) medicine. But this is a true story that was narrated to me by our maid.

[jesserose99]

Very interesting story....not something I would expect with the not knowing the name of the body part they were pumping. So sad with the ending and the money. You told it well.

[Ranbir Singh]

Thanks Jesse.
This story is indeed a true one and I wrote it just the way it was told to me.
By the way, they were trying to ventilate him.

[SquinklaPsyOps]

You have created a sublime work of art with a unique theme which I found utterly entrancing. Well done indeed!! Best wishes.

[Ranbir Singh]

Thanks a lot. Keep reading. I'll write more, and hopefully I'll write better.