Life Is A Beautiful Mess

Part -3 ( name Vs profession )

      "Happy Diwali, Karthick !!" Shakthi  texted him back.
   
      Shakthi never replied her patients unless it is medical advice or opinion. But something made her wish him back . It maybe because she had heard from Karthick that he lives alone. So she did not want to feel left alone so she replied . Or is it ?

      Shakthi knew Karthick from some of his short films maybe that was why he felt familiar and closer to her when she saw him in the ward for the first time. She had seen many public figures admitted in hospital but never felt like that. Karthick was terrified when he witnessed death of a patient in his room  who was almost same age as him.
Shakthi noticed what he was going through and wanted to encourage him to not to lose hope as it may get in the way of his recovery. She knew Karthick is gonna get better since covid severity score of his lung is moderate and based on his physical fitness and age he will be ready to get discharged in a week. but in covid nothing is predictable and patient tends to lose hope and their condition gets worse than expected.
So she decided to talk to Karthick and give him positive energy to improve his health and encouraging he will soon be discharged.
      
Shakthi noticed that he was not interested to listen to her. Yeah yeah blah blah many friends and family members call the patient to tell everything will be fine . But being a patient going through all those physically not able to breath and mentally seeing all those deaths daily which points out that he might be the next one , was not at all easy to understand by an outsider. She could sense that he is annoyed. But it's her responsibility to inform him that he's going to be fine and he's doing better.

         She did not know what happened instead of talking about his health she started talking about what life is. At first when she started talking Shakthi noticed he was annoyed and then she was able to see pain and regret in his eyes. Maybe that's why she decided to talk to him. She could not understand why she spoke all those things that worried her than him . Was she telling him that everything is gonna be fine?  or  was she telling herself ? Or did she know that he was not living a happy life or he wanted to hear that from someone?

       Somewhere between advising him she told herself that she was fine and she was doing better.

    Within 3 days , he got better ready to be discharged. Shakthi was surprised because she expected it would take atleast a week for him to recover. Shakthi bid bye and send him asking to follow some advice at home after discharge.  When he asked for her number she hesitated for a moment because she rarely ever give her number to young patients.  But he informed about him living alone in the city he needed some support during these situation. She obliged and gave him her number. He was decent and never disturbed her unnecessarily like some patients.
    
    Whenever Karthick sends her forward messages wishing her for vinayagar chathuthi and aagyudha pooja . She laughed at the thought "Enna ivaru 29vayasu dhn aagudhu edho palaya aal maari forward message pictures anupi comedy pannitu irukaru" .
Without knowledge of Shakthi , Karthick had entered her life and mind.
  
     ( He's only 29 but he's sending all the forward messages like some old person)

   Shakthi's phone popped up an another notification.

 you have replied !! what a surprise!!

     " Neenga dhna wish Panna mateengala nu keteenga ? You have already said that you live alone and have no friends in the city . So I thought of wishing you ! Nothing big "

       ( you were the one asked why I was not wishing back)

       "Okay doctor!! Cool cool !! Summa dhan keten!! Tension aaitu reply pannama poidadheenga"
  
  ( I just pulled your leg . Don't get tensed )

      "Please don't call me doctor!!  It makes me feel like a older person. Call me Sivangi."
  
       " But you are my doctor right .How can I call you by your name ? I should respect your profession right? "

       " Firstly - I was your doctor. not now.
       Secondly - I'm not comfortable when someone call me by profession when I'm not in hospital. You know you are an actor , what would you feel when everyone calls you hero or actor instead of your name ? "
   
        " Valid point Doctor mam!!!"
   
        " I know hero sir "
    
        Karthick had been trying to become an lead actor in cine industry for almost 5 years .But industry has not yet given him the opportunity he deserved. He's trying his best to prove him to the world and  last few short films had given him success and many noticed his acting skills and charm . But the opportunities he expected had not knocked his door yet. He know better days are coming.
   But never he had been called this sweetly or he had never bothered what others called? He was also happy that she knows about him and his works.   Hero sir!! He smiled at her message and replied
  
     " Aana Enaku ipdi koopdradhu piduchruke . Ungla maari illa "
     
     ( But I like this way of calling me)

    " But I don't like the way I'm being called. It's okay when I am in hospital but outside I want to be Shakthi!"
    
      Shakthi realised she was talking to Karthick ! her patient !! Nooo!! What was she doing she never texted back to her patients but she is asking him to call her by name and arguing about it.

      "Oru peruku ivlo akkapora ? Inime shakthi ne koopudren ok va? "
  
      ( Why all this fuss about the name? Hereafter I will call you by your name okay? )

      She didn't text back . Karthick waited for few minutes and he understood what happened . Maybe she thinks she had crossed the line . He could have thought that she was busy but he understood her without even trying.
      Her compassion towards him at the hospital really moved him.  He felt some sort of emotional connection with her when she talked to him in hospital. Now when they are bickering about nothing he felt that connection was stronger than he thought.

    On the other end shakthi kept staring at his last message and thought why did she texted him  back. Because he called her by her name for the first time . That was it. That was the reason she talked to him. After many months she was called as a person. Her family and friends calls her by her name that was all not unusual. But after her graduation during her struggle with herself everyone identified as a doctor not her. That's why she decided to talk to him . She wanted to be her someone recognise her as her. That's why she was insisting him to call by her name not by her profession. But she should not have expected that from her patient . She should not expect that from a patient. 'But he's not a patient now. He can be your friend shakthi' her innerself argued.  
  
   She sighed and left to hospital for her duty. She doesn't want to think about why she did what she did . She brushed it off and continued her daily routine.
   
    But at other end , an introvert boy who doesn't talk to anyone is trying to build a unknown relationship with his doctor .

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Writers note:
  
    the characters are leading the story let's see where they go. Keep voting. It makes me want to write more.thank you for your support