Paradise ~ A Devdutt Padikkal Story

20.

A week had passed as swiftly as a racing car on a track. Disha had returned to her house in Bangalore and she felt better than she ever did. All she did was sit close to the window sill and observe the rain.
Her phone vibrated beside her, making her tear her gaze away from the window. She picked up the call skeptically.
"Hello,this is Riya from Jehangir Group of Hospitals. Am I speaking to Disha Rajan?" The person on the other side spoke and Disha affirmed.
"Okay ma'am, your appointment with Dr. Savita Ahuja has been scheduled on Wednesday at twelve in the afternoon. Thankyou." Disha acknowledged and cut the call.
Closing her eyes in satisfaction, Disha felt at peace. Her mother's treatment was finally starting and Disha wanted to leave no stone unturned.

It was only yesterday that she had received a joining letter from the Board of Control for Cricket in India about her job as an assistant public relations manager from the lead PR manager of the Indian Cricket Team.
Disha's job was going to be a sedentary one, that meant sitting in the office. Thinking of her mother's health, Disha had specifically requested for flexibility to stay in Bangalore. Though she had been intimidated about her needing to be present in the field or at the NCA at times. But all of this consisted of staying in Bangalore.

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'It's already two days that your birthday got over, how long are you going to stay in Goa?'

Vedangi replied to Devdutt's Instagram story.
He was in Goa with his school friends, celebrating his twenty third birthday and Vedangi was already irked with the floral shirt he had worn to Vagator beach.
She hated floral shirts.

'Missing me already?'

The message notification tinged and Vedangi rolled her eyes at his reply.
She did miss him terribly, yearning to look at him through her window.

'Not even a little bit. Be there forever.'

Vedangi smiled ignorantly at her miserable effort of trying to appear unfazed as if he hadn't already consumed every thought of hers.
She hated this.
Vedangi was well aware of the melancholic life she was going to live without him being there and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her thoughts going back to him.
All she desperately wanted was for the internship to end.

__________

It was quarter to nine in the night when Vedangi's phone blared loudly. She ran to the room to receive the call, only to be shell shocked.
"Vedangi, please come to our house! Ambili fell unconscious and she isn't opening her eyes, please be quick." Devdutt's father pleaded with urgency.
"What?! Okay Uncle I'll call the ambulance, firstly aap ghar ka darwaza khula rakhiye and windows bhi open kar do." Vedangi said wearing her sandals and closed the door rapidly.

"What happened suddenly?" Vedangi barged into the house, only to see Ambili Padikkal lying on the floor unconsciously.
Vedangi knelt beside her and started to rub her palm in hopes of bringing her back to consciousness.
"I don't know! I heard a loud sound from the kitchen and by the time I reached, she fell unconscious!" Devdutt's father explained in a cracky voice.
"Ambulance aa rahi hai, we'll take her to Jehangir Hospital. I'll call Chandni ma'am and tell her. Don't worry kuch nahi hoga!" Vedangi assured him.

She immediately dialed Chandni and asked her to be there at the hospital.
Vedangi hopped inside the ambulance along with Devdutt's father and they rushed through Bangalore's traffic.

An unsettling feeling crept up inside Vedangi's heart. His mother was to her like her own. She refused to let tears slip down her eyes infront of his father who was already tensed.
Vedangi couldn't help but wonder what would happen if a similar incident occurred in her own house. Will there be anybody to help her parents?

Ambili Padikkal was rushed to the casualty ward. Vedangi found Chandni and Aakash sitting in the reception. Chandni leapt from her seat at the sight of Vedangi and her father rushing to their side.
"What happened to Amma?" Chandni's voice broke.
"She fell unconscious, uncle and I brought her here immediately. They've taken her to the casualty." Vedangi answered as she held Chandni's hands.
"We will have to wait until the doctors tell us what the real deal is." She added.

Chandni hugged Vedangi heart-feltly.
"Thankyou! Thankyou so much for being there for Amma and Achan." She thanked Vedangi while tears spilled down her eyes.
"They're like my Maa and Papa, I'd have done the same for them." Vedangi hugged her tightly.
"Does Dev know?" Aakash asked and Chandni looked at Vedangi expectantly.
"No he doesn't. All of this happened so suddenly! I dialed you before him because you're in town." Vedangi answered.
"Can you please tell him? I'll go and check with the doctors." Chandni requested.
Vedangi nodded as Chandni rushed by.

"Itna miss kar rahi ho ki direct call kiya?" Dev greeted Vedangi playfully.
"This is not the time to joke! Listen carefully to what I'm saying." Vedangi ordered him in an serious tone.
"Okay okay chill. What happened?" Dev couldn't help but find the urgency in her voice strange.
"Devdutt, your mom has been admitted to the hospital. She fell unconscious and so we immediately brought her here." Vedangi explained.
It was as if he was suddenly pulled into an ocean of fear. He was very sensitive when it came to his mother and this shook him to the core.

"All of us are here. Uncle, Chandni ma'am and Aakash. She has been taken to the casualty and we're waiting for the doctors to tell us what has happened." Vedangi added.
Devdutt listened intently, unable to talk.
"Devdutt! Are you there? Hello? Hello?" She knitted her eyebrows together at the lack of response.
"How's Amma?" Dev asked after a long pause.
"We don't know that right now but don't worry, Kanha ji humare saath hai." Vedangi comforted him.
"I'm taking the next flight to Bangalore, which hospital is it?" He asked and Vedangi heard shuffling behind him.
"Jehangir Hospital." She answered and Dev closed his eyes angrily.
Huffing, he cut the call.

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A surprise update! Also don't blame me for the drama, what's a story without some hospital drama?