Yes I know, I am very
late but I had my midsems the last week and this week. And even now I am not
particularly free because all the fuss with in-plant training started already
so... It's exhausting, really. Anyway, so here's this chapter and i hope i will
be able to give the next chapter of friendzoned soon enough. Till then enjoy
this and leave huge comments because they never fail to make me smile.
Chapter
3
Sharon
woke up feeling groggy and thirsty. Her throat felt as dry as though made of
paper and her head felt like someone was pounding their fists on it. The bed
she was sleeping on was not soft and comfortable as that at her home. Instead,
it felt hard even with the mattress on it. Sharon got up and her head felt even
worse. Had she drunk too much the earlier night? But she was not really that
good with alcohol so she refrained from it.
Her memory initially felt
kind of foggy but then everything came rushing back to her. She was four, her
mom was playing with her, six, her first day of school, ten, she had first time
seen a professional dance troupe perform live on stage and decided that's what
she wanted to be, fourteen, she had stuck chewing gum on a girl's hair because
she hated her thick smooth hair, seventeen, she had first met her best friend,
Rey. Rey! Her mind stopped. Where was Rey? What was she doing here, wherever
she was?
Sharon
couldn't open her eyes. It was as if they were stuck by glue. Sharon forced her
eyelids to open and absorbed her surroundings. The room was painted grayish. It
was not exactly very small but was tiny compared to her bedroom but also
exceptionally neat. It resembled very closely to a ward in a... a hospital!
Sharon panicked and turned around hoping she was mistaken. Probably, it was
some hi-tech spa. Only that it wasn't, she could see it no matter how she
wished to think otherwise.
There
was a vase beside her, which had orchids in them, and another bouquet was lying
beside the vase. Sharon picked the bouquet. The orchids were fresh and she
noticed a card in it, reading, Please Get Well Soon'. Sharon smiled, thinking
of Rey and his concern.
But
what exactly had happened to her... Why was she here?
Sharon
looked around and found a button with a human figure on it. She pressed it
waiting for something to happen. After about ten minutes a woman in her late
fifties came in and with a gentle motherly smile, said, "Oh good, you're
awake."
"Why
am I in a hospital? What happened to me?" She asked throatily. The lady
replied, "You were in an accident."
Accident.
Oh yes. Things were a bit clearer and now that the lady mentioned it, she
remembered the accident. She was in the car with Simi when another car collided
with hers head on.
"By
the way, Sharon, I am Pallavi Joshi."
"How
do you know my name?" Sharon asked, confused.
"Actually
we have talked quite a lot of times."
"What!"
Sharon exclaimed, sitting bolt upright making her head hammer in her skull.
Immediately her hand flew up to her head, where she felt muslin bandage wrapped
around her head. Mrs. Joshi came closer to her to examine her head but Sharon
promptly said, "I am fine," raising her hand, signaling to stop.
"Are
you sure honey?"
"Yes."
Mrs.
Joshi hesitated and slowly moved aside.
Sharon
finally asked, "What do you mean by, we have talked a lot of times. I don't
remember ever seeing you before."
The
nurse patiently explained, "This is very common in such cases. You had a pretty
bad concussion on your head... I
will explain this in the morning. Now, if you need anything else, call me."
"Mrs.
Joshi," the nurse turned around, "I need some water. And my head is aching."
"I'll
get you water and aspirin." She hurried off, soon returning with a glass in one
hand and a tablet in the other. Sharon gulped the tablet after saying thank
you. Mrs. Joshi lightly caressed her hand on Sharon's head saying, "It's three
at night. You go to sleep and we will talk in the morning."
With
one final maternal smile, she left and Sharon dropped back in her bed.
***
The
morning light directly fell on Sharon's face waking her up.
"Oh
good morning. Sharon" She heard Mrs. Joshi's soft voice. Sharon opened her eyes
and subconsciously smiled at the homely looking lady. She got up into a sitting
position and noticed the nurse call someone.
"Good
Morning, Mrs. Joshi" She said.
"Wait,"
Pallavi said, snapping her phone shut, "you remember me?"
"Yeah...we
talked last night."
The
nurse smiled. "Good, that means you are over your post traumatic amnesia."
The
door opened and a youngish doctor came in followed by two trainees. Sharon
noticed the doctor had big gentle eyes and very straight hair. He was not
exactly on the fit side, with a slight paunch visible beneath his coat. The
other two trainees on the other hand were comparatively quite well to do
although neither fell in the appealing category. The doctor flashed her a
professional smile and said, "Hello Ms. Raiprakash, I am Dr. Mehta and..." he
looked down at the papers and said, "I want ask you a few basic questions. Just
to check your well being. Some of them might seem idiotically obvious but
please bear with me. First of all, how do you feel?"
"I
am fine."
"Okay,
so what's your name?"
"Sharon
Raiprakash."
"And
where are you right now?"
"In
a hospital," she replied kind of irritated. I mean they could at least ask some
sensible questions.
"Do
you know what happened to you?"
"Yes,
I had a car accident. Another car hit mine head on."
"Very
good." He smiled ticking on his notepad.
"Now,
since there was a slight inflammation in your brain," he closed his pen and
setting the notepad aside, said, "I want to check if you are okay, because you
have been extremely lucky to get away with nothing too major. So look at the
tip of this pen."
He
started to move the pen from side to side, with Sharon's eyes following it and
then she waved her hand in front saying, "Please stop now."
"Why?"
the doctor moved forward in curiosity, "is your head spinning?"
"No,
but you are bugging me." Sharon snapped. She noticed the two trainees giggle.
The
doctor moved a little back looking at her reproachfully as though she was a
mannerless kid.
"Seems
you are okay, so here are the medicines," his voice was clipped as he handed
her the prescription and continued, "If you need anything, call Mrs. Joshi." He
walked off with his two trainees on his heels.
Mrs.
Joshi entered the room.
"When
did you leave?" Sharon asked.
"I
left to wake your friends. They want to see you. I will tell them to come in."
She turned and Sharon called out, "No, please. Don't."
The
nurse turned back, perplexed, "Why, what's the matter?"
"I..."
Sharon's hand went up to her bandage, "I don't look good."
"Sharon...
you look beautiful, trust me."
"No,
please, not today. Maybe tomorrow or day after, whenever they remove the
bandage." Sharon pleaded.
Mrs.
Joshi smiled and walked up to her sitting beside her said very gently, "Sharon,
your friends have been waiting for you to get well for the past one week."
"One
week?" Sharon asked, startled. "Did my Dad come?"
"Yeah,
he did. And he will be visiting you today in the afternoon. He does so
everyday. But about your friends, two of them did not leave the hospital for
more than three hours. They have been that desperate to see you get well. Don't
you think it will be unfair to them if you don't meet them?"
Sharon
looked down. Surely, she did not want anyone to see her this way, but Mrs.
Joshi was right, it would be downright mean if she did not let them meet her.
So she nodded with her eyes closed.
Mrs.
Joshi walked out and soon she heard the sound of shuffling of feet as many
people came in the room. She opened her eyes and she was so shocked to see the
people around her that she completely forgot to be conscious of her dressing.
She
saw Swayam walk up to her and cupping her face in his hands with relief all
over his face, he said, "Thank God your fine. Thank God." He moved forward to
hug her, but Sharon yanked her face out his hands and shoving him aside
screaming, "How dare you?"
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