Medona

Chapter 13-Fate Or Concidence?

I was sitting in the hospital chair staring at the floor and tapping my foot on it in wait and anxiety.

Doctors and nurses running, shouting and creating panic.

I was the last person on Dr.Sandra's recent calls list that's why I was called by the man who found her.

Almost 2 hours spent and no signs of her getting back to consciousness. The panic was lowered by then.

The doctor came out of the ICU, removed his mask and before he could speak to me, another man arrived and asked him, "how's Sandra?". He looked more anxious than me.

The doctor replied," she is out of danger now, you guys can meet in a while", glanced at me and left.

The man was a nerd's or a bookworm's or a maniac scientist's perfect representation. He had glasses on despite of all the modern treatments, skinny young adult, brown beard and mustache, curly brown hair wearing light blue T-shirt and navy blue paints.

Both of us entered the ICU.

Dr.Sandra was laying in the bed conscious but completely numb. She had multiple bandages on both feet and one hand. Face was also injured. She hardly pulled up her heavy eye lids and looked at me. She passed a smile through her eyes. Looked at the man beside me and said,"Richard", almost like a whisper.

Dr.Richard was one of the scientists working on the time travel project and I had seen his name on the list of travelers too.

Richard walked closer to her and asked, "what have you done to yourself Sandra?" with a little concern about her health and a more worry about the project.

Sandra was not able to answer that. Richard added before leaving,"get well soon, we need you" put his palm on her bandaged forehead and left.

I spent the whole day with her and I don't know why I felt like it was my responsibility to take care of her. She had many visits in one day. All of them were either scientists or doctors but none of them showed enough sympathy for her. Their visits were more like formalities that they were hardly accomplishing.

I left at night when I assured myself thoroughly about the proper care of nurses.

I kept checking on her for two days, after which she recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital but also with a wheel chair that she had to carry for three months.

It was so heartbreaking to see the world's best psychiatrist, motivational speaker and time traveler having no true friend. Everyone had taken Dr.Sandra for granted.

Five days of her discharge I wasn't able to reach her and I hadn't heard from her since then. I was hoping that she would be fine.

I got refreshed and as I was about to depart for my university, I got a call from an unknown number.
I picked it up, it was someone's AI, "Greetings Dr.Tarika. I am ordered to inform you that your presence has been required in the RCD lab. Location will be sent shortly. Thank you"

RCD lab's location was sent and it was present near our old university now known as ancient city. That AI didn't mention at which time, so I went there immediately. I knew it was something related to Dr.Sandra and the time travel project.

I had told Dr.Sandra everything I knew about the city and the story. I was wondering the whole way what could this be about.

My face was scanned at the glass door and after recognizing me, the door opened automatically. The glass door had created a digital forgery of simplified lab more like an office. The inside was totally different. I walked inside the cool and eyes protective lightened hallway. Robotic insects were crawling on the floor, climbing up the walls and flying here and there. I had never seen such realistic insect robots before.

I heard screams of two people indulged in debate upon something. I opened the door and saw Dr.Richard frustratingly disagreeing on something with someone on a wheel chair facing her back towards me.
My presence halted his debate and he looked at me in disgust which signaled the wheel chaired Dr.Sandra to turn her wheels and look at me too.

"Tarika!" She greeted me happily.

Her face had recovered alot but still had some mini tape bandages on chin. Left hand was enveloped in broad arm sling hanging from the neck. Both feet were bandaged in posterior ankle splints lying on the feet rest of her chair.

"How are you now?" I asked ignoring the disgust on Richard's face.

She smiled enthusiastically, "I am doing very well. The recovery is faster than I imagined"

"Well, then make it even quicker because we are running out of time and opportunity", Richard rudely interupted her.

I was dumb enough so I stayed quiet because I was completely unaware of what exactly they were talking about.

Richard's red face and Sandra's poker smile was way too difficult for me to register the situation.

Sandra replied to Richard's statement, "yes I am also concerned with this project as much as you are. I care for all the hard work we all have put in it. I know what I am doing. My decision is certain and I am not going to change my mind"

I was just watching the two debate until I find the reason of the queral.

Richard sighed in disappointment and looked at me, "I can't trust an undergraduate Sandra"

"Firstly, I have taken this decision after proper precautions and all considerations and secondly, she is a post-graduate not undergraduate" her reply wasn't comforting me at all.

Their debate was about me and Sandra was talking about some decision without my consent.

"So what!! She is not even consultant. She has no experience in time. She won't bear the energy mass plasticity across the time portal. She can't even travel time how can you handover our mission to her" Richard pointed towards me.

*what the hell!! why am I going on a time travel mission?*

A/N: Is it fate or mere coincidence? Do tell me in comments and vote if you like the story.💟