Chapter 20: chapter 20

With the buzzing of the red siren on top of the hospital ambulance and the stars shining brightly upon it on a moonlit night, they reached the hospital at 4.00 pm with all apprehensions. It was a silent night, full of terror and suspense, nobody was sure what was going to happen next. My father-in-law was struggling between life and death but he didn't show it on his face. The doctors seemed to be the real warriors striving to protect the nation from dying. Nobody could alter what's written in destiny. What will happen will happen. Man is helpless before the judgment of God. My father-in-law was happy to learn about the change of place. He was aware of everything happening around him. He reached the hospital in full consciousness and a zest to live. He asked Raghav in the ambulance when it halted at its destination, "Raghav are we in Jamshedpur?"A gentle smile escaped over his pale lips. The prolonged illness of merely fourteen days had made this septuagenarian a hardcore fighter. An uncertain hope lingered in his mind for getting well soon. He had been fond of Jamshedpur. He survived two heart attacks here returning have and hearty. For all his business errands, he had been marketing products for his shop. Chaibasa was not a well-developed town, so for all the medical facilities, outings, and marketing he had been reporting here since he started earning. My mother-in-law used to visit this place for grooming herself a bit. It is located at a distance of 70 km from our place. It's a city populated by a good number of people. It is also known as "Mini Punjab" because the majority of Punjabis reside over here. " Yes, uncle! We have arrived. " Raghav intimated. "Let me fix my turban", he said while adjusting his crown. "My mother-in-law and younger son talked to him on a video call made by my husband. His longing to return home could easily be comprehended from his teary face as told to me by my son. Once the death of a young woman admitted next to his room brought a shiver down his spine. The moaning and the cries of their immediate relatives lost all his hope of survival. His heart stopped beating for a while. My husband hugged his chest controlling the tears cascading down his eyes. He was transferred to the Intensive care unit by the doctors to normalize his misery. The nurse who had been attending to him, seeing the relentless service of my husband for his father remarked, "Hats off to this son who is performing his duty unconditionally keeping his life at stake. I have seen children leaving their parents at our mercy to save the infection. Not only that, they don't return to claim the body. Such heartless offspring. Your father is very lucky to have a son like you."My father-in-law was admitted to the emergency ward. My husband's nephew had completed all the preliminary formalities before they reached there. The nephew spoke to him from a distance, "Nana Ji, don't worry. You will get well soon." Suddenly, he felt irritated and stated, "How long do you all want me to stay alive? I have lived long and prosperously all these years. Don't worry even if I die. Get out of my sight" He motioned to him with his hand to get out and leave him alone. The disease had triggered his anger. He was lying on the bed in his shirt and a loincloth which I had washed the other day. Throughout his lifespan, he adorned a loin cloth on his bare body before and after going to his shop. In winter, occasionally he wore a shirt upon the loin cloth.