A Fictional Doctor #10

When the pandemic broke out, the majority of the population had no absolute clue what was about to unfold for the next two years and how it would put them in uncharted territory, which would further change their lives forever. This third wave is no different.

You keep saying to yourself, eh, tomorrow it’ll be over. Tomorrow it’ll be over, it’ll be over, but It’s been weeks since she took over the duty. We did have some joyful moments in the beginning days, she would send me the dance reels on IG, and I learnt them and taught her on a video call. We watched movies on Netflix watch party, It used to be fun. We only hope to dance together to a trendy song when all this is over.

Doctors who are the forefront warriors of this battle had put their own lives at risk with selfless determination for the sake of saving lives; they indeed are our heroes in these challenging times.

While they are putting their health, families, and, most importantly, their own lives at risk, the least we can do is appreciate their efforts and cooperate by staying safe indoors. This time my Roonie was a chosen warrior. I couldn’t be more proud about the fact that my loved one is leading this battle, but at the same time, I sit here helpless, watching her fight every day relentlessly.

As the days passed, the cases began to uproar, and so was the hospitalization rate. Roonie was pushed to a tight schedule, and I only got to contact her just once a week that too if she gets to call me, not that I don't have a chance to call, but her timings were too unpredictable, and though I felt like to call her to know how her day was, I just stop myself in doing so.

Whenever she video calls, I see her exhausted in the PPE kits after having her long day. It’s not just about the physical exhaustion she is going through. The mental turmoil is way more than that, and sometimes she would break down on losing a patient despite the hours-long efforts to operate and fix the situation.

I just silently listened to her because I had nothing to offer at this juncture except to try to be her emotional resort, but I really wanted to be beside her, hug her and say that everything would be fine, and you are doing a great job. But, truth be told, it is so much less difficult when you've got a helpful tribe (family, friends, support group, etc.) in your life.

When something doesn't feel right about your loved ones, you just know it. Though I dismissed the thoughts of something terrible happening to her, I couldn't restrain myself from thinking about her. I picked up the phone and called her but received no response, and I called multiple times, knowing the fact that she won’t be carrying the phone while on duty.

An hour later, I received a call from her friend Anvitha, who works along with her in the COVID ward.

“Hi, firstly I wanted you to know that Roonie is doing good”, said Anvitha.

“Okay”, I said, confused and anxious.

“She tested positive three days back, and her situation deteriorated swiftly and had to be monitored closely, but as I said, she is doing well now.”

“I know we could have told you earlier, but you will also have to understand that a lot of doctors working in situations like these succumb to viruses, yet we continue to carry our duty anyways. In fact, I too tested positive. ”, she added.

It took me a while to process my thoughts. Then, finally, I took a deep breath controlling my emotions and asked, “thanks for letting me know, Anvita. Is there any way I could talk to her?”

“Unfortunately, No, but I will make sure she calls you first when she is good.”

“Thank you, Anvita; how are you now?”I said, gulping my throat.

“I'm good, thanks for asking. I will keep you posted, don't worry, Roonie will be fine, I got to go", she said.

“Okay”, I said and hung up the call. I was on my knees, sobbing. Though it was assured she would be fine, I couldn't hold myself, and I wanted to talk to her and meet her. This influx of thoughts of her presence around me and her company just killed me further and made me desperate to meet her.

Two days after that, I was told by Anvitha that Roonie was well now and she would call me in the evening. I asked Anvita to ask Roonie to see me, and I said she would know where to find me.

I know it is impossible to meet her in person. The hospital rules are stringent and wouldn’t allow people to cross the Main Gate. So I searched for a better place so she could spot me from the corridor, her favorite spot in this chaos. I waited all day long at the bus stop at her hospital premises to just wave at her.

Finally, in the evening, she came to the corridor of the building, the very same place at which we both stood a few months back holding hands and breathing the fresh hope of love. In fact, the greatest romance of my life is just holding her hands. Yet, now at the same place, she is all alone, far away from me, deserted. It feels like our love is at the test of time.

She waved at me, and I could see her cry, and so was I; reaching my phone, I dialed her, we both fell silent for a moment.

“Come back soon”, the very first sentence I said to her.

“I’m doing good, and I am sorry I didn’t tell you”, she said.

“You don't have to be. I understand what you have been through. I wish I had been with you”, I said, assuring.

“Thank you”, she said and fell silent.

“Wish you a fast recovery. Listen, I bought your favorite macarons; how do I make sure they reach you?”

“That’s so sweet of you, just leave at the guard, Anvitha will take care from there”, she said smiling.

For the next week, like a lover would write chronic love letters for his love, I just sent my love in the form of food I prepared for her, from her favorite dishes to the ones that will boost her immunity. Anvitha helped me deliver; every evening, I would stand at the same spot just to wave at Roonie.

She recovered quickly and is healthy now, well, thanks to my food and love, okay that's a bit of an exaggeration there. It's the medication I know, and moreover, she is a doctor herself. Still, you know, just pitching my traits like an entrepreneur would do on the streets of silicon valley.

They say a man that wants to be with you will move mountains to be with you, and I am done with this waiting. So I finally mustered the courage to meet her, even if it meant fighting with security. I rushed to the gate and tried convincing the guard to let me in. But he is very stubborn and wouldn't give a damn about me.

Using muscle power isn't my forte, so I tried to do it my way; big brain time. I disguised myself with a coat. I forged an ID card, most importantly, I have been hanging out here for quite a while now, so I figured out the entry timings and shift change timings of security, and just like that, I entered the campus.

Thanks to my prep that I channelized from the tons of web series I happened to watch in lockdown, I tried my best in faking my identity, but somehow one of these guys sniffed it, he slowly followed me to the entrance of the emergency ward that I was heading to, he picked up the pace so did I.

I knew exactly where to find Roonie, and I navigated there, taking giant steps and somehow managed to divert that guy’s attention from me. I found Roonie when I took the corner in a rush, and she looked confused. I dragged her to the nearby ward.

“I know you will be mad at me for landing uninvited, but I couldn't hold myself up. I just didn't care about the consequences”, I said, breathing heavily.

“Ok, calm down. I wanted you to relax, first.”

“Okay, okay”, I said, breathing.

Until this point, I was full of words. It's not that I couldn't phrase, but I couldn't speak. Yes, I am afraid to make a move. I am worried that there are more feelings here than I was prepared to handle. I wanted to tell her what her companionship meant to me, and if these three words I am about to say to her couldn't comprehend it, so be it.

“I LOVE YOU”, I said, looking straight into her eyes, holding her hands.

She went quiet at that. Did I mess up big-time? I could see in her eyes, but why the silence? I wondered with thoughts.

“Look………”, I tried to explain, but she interrupted me and hugged me tight and said the words I waited all this long “I love you, having you in my life is a blessing, thank you for everything”.

At that moment, we didn't care enough to pay attention to what was happening around us. We are just lost in this magical feeling of connection, yes, this is not the first time we were lost like this, but now we have a name for this LOVE.

Thanks for tuning into my story. Oh btw, did I ever mention my name? I am Abhi, and this is my story, how I met my fictional doctor, okay, the real doctor, Roonie, the love of my life, signing off.

Author notes:

Hey folks, first off, I heartfully thank and I am overwhelmed that you have reached the end of this story which is a lot to me. Of course, this is an entirely fictional story inspired by the real sweet person I met in real life. I'm forever thankful to her for inspiring me to write and be progressive in allowing me to put her interests into the story, trust me when I say that I really mean it, such a cool person she is and a very good friend of mine, and I couldn't ask for more.

What started as one story ended up in ten-part fiction series, which honestly I never imagined myself writing this long over time; maybe it's just that I fell in love with those two characters or time being nice to me, I don't know but once again, thank you, readers and my Roonie.