The pristine white corridors of Heartbeat Hospital buzzed with activity. Interns scurried around, clutching their clipboards, and doctors exchanged hurried glances as they prepared for the morning rounds. Among them, a name that commanded both awe and fear echoed through the hallways: Dr. Siara, the top neurologist in the world. Yes again just Dr. Siara,no surname.
--
Siara walked through the main corridor, her white coat billowing behind her. She held a tablet in her hand, scrolling through patient reports with an expression as unreadable as stone. Her hair was tied back neatly, and her face bore no trace of emotion. She changed her saree in her office and removed the signs of her marital status.
"Dr. Siara is here!" whispered one intern to another.
"Stand straight. Don't make eye contact," another advised, hastily arranging his stethoscope.
Siara stopped abruptly in front of a group of interns. Her sharp gaze landed on a young man fumbling with his notes. "Mr. Mehra, if your hands can't hold a clipboard steady, how will they handle a scalpel?"
The intern gulped, his face turning pale. "S-Sorry, Mam."
"Sorry doesn't save lives," she replied coldly. "Step aside. You're wasting my time."
She continued walking, leaving the group frozen in place.
----
Inside the briefing room, Siara's assistant Sid, handed her the patient files for the day. "Dr. Siara, the first case is a 45-year-old male with a grade III brain tumor. Scheduled for surgery at 11 AM."
Siara nodded, scanning the file. "The scans suggest it's pressing against the motor cortex. Have the surgical team prepared for potential complications with movement post-op."
"Yes, ma'am," Sid replied, his tone respectful yet cautious.
"Also," Siara added, her voice icy, "make sure the anesthesiologist is Dr. Kapoor. I don't tolerate mistakes."
"Of course, ma'am," Sid replied, quickly taking notes.
An intern mustered the courage to ask, "Dr. Siara, what if the tumor affects-"
Siara's piercing gaze silenced him mid-sentence. "If you're unsure of the anatomy, Mr. Verma, I suggest you open a textbook before opening your mouth."
The intern flushed and nodded quickly.
---
Siara entered the patient's room, where the family waited anxiously. The man on the bed looked at her with hopeful eyes.
"Dr. Siara, will he be okay?" the wife asked, her voice trembling.
Siara's tone was clinical. "The tumor is in a critical location. The surgery carries risks, including partial paralysis. But I assure you, I've handled worse cases successfully."
The wife's eyes welled up. "Thank you, Doctor."
Siara simply nodded. "We'll begin in an hour. Please sign the consent forms."
As she turned to leave, the patient's young daughter tugged at her sleeve. "Will my daddy be okay?"
Siara froze momentarily, her gaze softening for a fleeting second.
She knelt to the child's level. "I'll do my best," she said, her voice losing its usual edge for just a moment.
Once she was out she was about to move to OT but she heard something
"Mumma aaah it's hurting too much, do something," the girl said while crying
"Beta relax it's just periods, wait for some more time then doctor will help you okay" her mother said assuring her
Flashback-
Siara slumped on the couch in the living room, clutching her stomach. She had never felt pain like this before-sharp, searing, and unrelenting. It was as though her insides were at war. Her face was pale, and she let out a groan that caught the attention of her entire family.
Reyansh said "Why is she making that sound? Did she eat something bad?"
Aryan wide-eyed,"Or is she dying? Did someone poison her?"
Before Siara could even explain, her mother, Adhira, rushed in from the kitchen. "Siara, what's wrong? Do you have a fever? Did you faint? Are you breathing?" She frantically placed a hand on Siara's forehead, as though checking for an invisible thermometer.
Siara grimaced. "Mumma, it's... cramps. You know... period cramps."
Adhira gasped, her hand flying to her chest like she'd heard the most scandalous thing imaginable. "Period? Already? But you're my little girl!"
Aryan looking horrified,"Ew, Mumma, stop saying that word!"
Ekansh covering his ears said,"Oh no, this is a girl thing. Abort mission! I'm out!" He sprinted upstairs like he was being chased by a monster.
Meanwhile, their father, Aarav, walked into the room, utterly confused by the commotion. "What's going on here?"
Reyansh whispered loudly,"It's that thing. You know... girl problems."
Aarav blinking,"What thing? What girl problems?"
Adhira, clearly exasperated, turned to him. "Periods, Aarav! Our daughter is growing up!"
Aarav's eyes widened as if someone had told him the sky was falling. "Oh! Uh... okay. Should I... leave?"
Vivek from behind the sofa,"Yes, Papa, you definitely should!"
Meanwhile, Siara groaned louder. "Can you all stop being dramatic and just help me?"
Adhira immediately sprang into action. "Reyansh, get her a hot water bottle! Avyaan, go buy her some painkillers. Aryan, bring a blanket!"
Reyansh, looking completely lost, asked, "Where do we even keep the hot water bottles?!"
Aryan yelled from the other room "What kind of blanket? Thick or thin?!"
Avyaan peeked in,"Painkillers? Do I just ask for 'girl pain medicine' at the pharmacy?"
Siara buried her face in her hands. "I'm never surviving this family."
Later that evening, when the pain became unbearable for siara, Adhira decided to visit the hospital.
The whole family went to their private hospital as if they were going to hijack the damn place, the female doctors were called as ordered by Arav malhotra.
Doctor asked the nurse to prepare a syringe. As the nurse prepared the syringe, Siara flinched. "Wait, you're going to poke that thing into me?"
Aryan peeked from the door,"Ha! Karma! You always teased me when I got my vaccine. Now it's your turn."
Reyansh said while trying to act brave,"Don't worry, Siara. It's just a small prick."
Siara shot him a glare. "Says the guy who almost fainted during his blood test."
The nurse chuckled. "Don't worry, dear. It'll be over in a second."
" No nooooo mumma noo papaaaaa look she is trying to poke that thing in me"- siara cried out as she was always afraid of injections
"What the hell, what are doing? My doll is crying. I'll burn down this place if you made her cry again and you know me well I don't make empty threats "- aarav roared while retreating his gun from his coat.
" Shut up..just shut up, get out all of you...I said get out"- adhira said while growling angrily which made them left after throwing sad glaces towards siara.
"Not a word" adhira said when siara was about whin again while made her silently letting the nurse do her work.
As the needle went in, Siara let out a small yelp.
Aryan mocking said from outside: "Ow, ow, ow!"
--------------
The chaos finally subsided as Siara lay in her room with a hot water bottle, painkillers, and her mother fussing over her.
Adhira stroking her hair "I told your brothers not to bother you, but they're hopeless. Do you need anything else, beta?
Siara gave a weak smile."A new family, maybe?"
Adhira chuckled."We may be dramatic, but we love you. You'll miss this chaos one day."
Siara rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling a little. She knew her family's antics were their way of showing they cared, even if they were the most dramatic support system ever.
Present
"Mam..mam"
Siara came back to reality and just like that those happy moments disappear.
"Um can you plz tell me where is the gynaecologists floor" asked the girls mom
"5th floor" said siara in a low voice
--------
In the interns' lounge, the group dissected their morning interactions with Siara.
"She's like a machine," one of them muttered, still shaken from her earlier comment.
"Yeah, but have you seen her record? Zero failed surgeries in all these years. She's a genius," another added.
"Genius or not, I'd rather not be on her bad side," said a third, nervously sipping coffee.
---
After a grueling six-hour surgery, Siara removed her gloves, her face calm but her movements precise. Sid approached her. "The surgery was a success, ma'am. The tumor was removed entirely."
Siara nodded. "Good. Inform the family and monitor his post-op vitals closely. If his motor function shows even a slight delay, notify me immediately."
As Sid left, Siara sat in her office, staring at the report. Her hands trembled slightly before she clenched them into fists. "Another life saved. Another day survived. That's all it is," she thought.
Late that night, as the hospital grew quiet, Sid found Siara in the empty cafeteria, staring at her untouched coffee.
"You should go home, mam," Sid said hesitantly.
Siara didn't look up. "Home? And where exactly would that be, Sid?"
Sid blinked, unsure of how to respond. Well sid is aware of her family and in laws except the reasons of why her family made her leave years ago. Sid is a friend of siara though she doesn't trust mens so she doesn't let her gaurd down much.
After a pause, Siara stood, her face back to its impassive mask. "Get some rest. Tomorrow's schedule is packed."
"Yes, ma'am," Sid replied softly, watching Siara walk away, her shoulders straight but her aura heavy with unspoken pain.
Dr. Siara was a force to be reckoned with-a savior to her patients, a terror to her interns, and an enigma to those around her. But beneath the cold, unyielding exterior lay a woman who carried the weight of a broken soul, channeling her pain into saving lives while quietly losing her own.