Life is like water
It falls like rain
Rises like a fountain
Goes like a stream
Has rhythm like a river
Sometimes calm and quiet like a pond
Finally ends in eternal bliss like sea....
Next day morning Arun got up early in the hospital. Due to his uncomfortable posture in the couch, he felt mild pain in the back.
He looked at his surroundings. Staff nurse was not there at her station. There are 4 beds in the casualty, all empty except one which is occupied by the boy , he brought here yesterday night.
He went near to that boy, looked curiously at him. Still the guy was in deep sleep. He must be a teenager hardly crossed 18, Arun thought himself.
He had abundance of hair, with thick, dark eyebrows, sharp nose with a thin mustache underlying which is started growing recently, tightly closed lips and square angled jaw.
Although it seemed tired and exausted, it's a well sculptured face. The way he kept his jaw revealed that, he is an 'determined person' , Arun assumed.
Suddenly Arun's mobile started ringing, as anitha was calling him.
Hai, honey! Good morning! Arun said.
Good morning, Arun. What's happening there? How is he? Is he awake? Anitha started asking a series of questions.
Because of this noise, the boy started opening his eyes with some difficulty, Arun noticed that, and answered to anitha,
"Wait ma, now only he is waking up, I ll call u back."
The boy tried to get up from the bed, and winced in pain by his act.
"Easy, easy man...you have got a fracture in that arm", Arun said and helped him settle in semireclained posture.
The boy looked startled , gazed around. He looked at Arun puzzled.
Hi, I am Arun, the person who brought u here yesterday night. We found you in a roadside stonebench. Who are you? And what happened? Arun asked in a friendly manner.
Before the boy could respond, the nurse came and changed his saline bottle, asking him , "Are you ok? Is it painful?"
The boy nodded slightly in response.
The police constable also came along, greeted Arun and started asking the same questions which were asked by Arun earlier.
" My name is Vijay, i am an orphan, brought up in a orphanage called Annai home. I left there, and was working in a lath factory near nochikuppam. I was beaten up by my friends from the same working place. They snatched all my money and stroked hard with wooden sticks" the boy said in a meak voice as he tried to control his emotions.
While the constable enquired him further more about the incident, Arun came out and called his office, to get 2 hours of permission.
The constable noted down all the details and 2 identification marks of that boy, finally he got Arun's address and phone number and left the place.
Then the doctor came for rounds, checked the boy's vitals, gave instructions to the nurse. Then he turned to Arun, started explaining,
" Although he was unconscious for sometime, his CT brain report remains normal. He can be discharged now, must be in bestest for at least a week. Bring him for next check up after a week" .
After the doctor left the place, nurse told him, to go to canteen, to have some coffee, while she could work up on the discharge summary and the bill details.
Before leaving, Arun took a glance at the boy. He kept his eyes closed out of weakness.
On his way to the canteen, Arun called anitha, and conveyed all the details. Both of them became silent for few minutes.
Arun bought 2 cups of coffee, one for him, and the other for the boy. When he sipped his cup, anitha broke the silence, and asked him,
" What are you going to do now, Arun?
Arun scratched his head. Before he could respond, Anitha asked the next question,
" Where will he go after discharge?"
Arun was also thinking the same from the beginning.
"Actually there wasn't any place for him to go, it seems, ani " Arun replied in a worried voice.
" I was thinking to bring him home" he said suddenly, and continued,
"I am not sure whether its a good idea or a bad one, now there's no other go, I suppose ".
There was silence for a minute at the other end.....then Anitha answered confidently,
"Ok, go ahead! , We will think afterwards what to do".
To be continued....
