HE wishes us good luck, always! But strange are HIS ways

By the time I reached Gurgaon Toll Plaza, it was almost ten thirty at night but even at this late hour, there was heavy congestion and a long queue wait at the exit lane. I thought, the pre-paid tag lane would move faster but here also the scene was the same. I was waiting in the queue, when suddenly my car was hit from the back by another speeding car so forcefully that my car hit against another car parked in front of my car. My car was badly damaged from both ends. The owner of the front car came frantically towards me and when he found my car was also damaged, he proceeded towards the car behind me and started yelling.

As there was no response from that car, that had collided with our cars. I went towards the front window and knocked on the glass but still no response came. Meanwhile, the other car owner pushed me aside and opened the front door of the car in a fury. We both were taken aback when a body of a woman (who was driving the car) collapsed in his hands. The man started screaming in panic. Meanwhile, crowd gathered at the accident site and people in the other cars in the queue started shouting to move our cars from the main lane and settle scores separately.

I moved ahead and checked the pulse of the victim she was alive but had fainted due to the impact of the accident. Suddenly, I noticed that her fore-head was bleeding profusely. Immediately, I removed her from the car seat and placed her in my car, then pushed her car to one corner and rushed her to the nearby Hospital.

Before I could reach the Hospital, police arrived and started investigating me with a series of questions about the victim, car, accident and how and when and whys? With great difficulty, I could explain to the Police Officer everything in detail about the incident, who seemed to be a very reasonable person. After listening to my story, he went out of the way in extending full support and helped me all along to get the patient admitted to the Hospital’s Emergency ward.

Meanwhile, I almost forgot to call my wife in a hurry, I had left my mobile phone in the car. So, I went to the parking zone and picked my mobile from the car. I found that there were nine missed calls, five from my wife and four from my daughters. The Emergency ward’s big clock had struck 12'O-clock. I thought that my family members must have been damn worried for not answering their calls. With great hesitation, I called my wife and told her about the accident. On learning about the accident, she started crying. After lot of explanation, I consoled her and assured her that everything was fine and I would be back as soon as I am done with the Hospital formalities.

Meanwhile, I had to fill out the forms and submit my Credit Card for advance payment. The victim was rushed to the Operation Theatre [O.T.]. After fifteen minutes, the O.T. Nurse came out and told me to arrange three bottles of blood from the Blood Bank, on priority. She explained that due to head injury, the patient had lost lot of blood and her Blood Pressure was dipping down. I contacted the Police officer, he arranged for the blood using his influence with the Blood Bank on top priority.

I was sitting at the lounge, when the sister came out of the OT and informed me that the operation was successful and they will be shifting the patient to the cabin. Thereafter, I came to her cabin and sat down on the sofa lying near the bed. She was still under the influence of anesthesia and was sleeping. I found that she was a fair looking woman in her early-forties, and her head, nose, left ear, neck and chest were covered with bandages. I was feeling very sorry for her. I didn’t know who to call from her family as her purse and mobile phone were left in her car parked at the Toll Plaza office. Therefore, I had no option but to wait until her consciousness is restored and she tells who could be contacted in her family.

I was very upset, scared and tense thinking that her family members must be worried about her. I didn’t even know her name, although I knew, Police would be able to trace her family from the car registration no. I didn’t know when I went to sleep while sitting on the sofa. I woke up only when the morning shift Nurse came and called me. She thought I was her family and assured me that she (patient) would be fine within a couple of days.

I was told, she was driving at a speed of 90 KMPH, and on reaching the Toll Plaza she applied the brake which did not work and bumped into our cars with full force. The impact was so strong that she could not escape the serious injuries, she suffered from.

Meanwhile, around six in the morning an old lady (seemed to be her mother) came rushing into the cabin. She was crying and calling the patient ‘Simran’. She then looked at me and offered her heart felt thanks and handed me an envelope filled with thousand rupee notes. I refused to accept it and after much persuasion that I would settle my account later, she agreed to keep it back.

I left the cabin and assured Mrs. Kapoor (mother of the victim) that I will be back by noon and meet the Doctor. After getting relieved from the Hospital, first of all I left my damaged car at the workshop and collected a replacement car. From there, I went to Toll Plaza and arranged to shift the victim's car also to the workshop collecting her personal belongings from the car, which included her purse, two mobile phones and her laptop-bag. Then, I went home to take bath and returned to the Hospital around one 'o-clock.

Mrs. Kapoor was sitting near the patient and the patient was still fast asleep. I bought two cups of coffee and offered one to Mrs. Kapoor. With a bit of hesitation, she accepted the cup. Meanwhile, a team of Doctors entered the cabin and started examining the patient.

After thorough check-up, the senior most Doctor informed that the patient was required to stay for a longer period due to her injuries being severe.

Fifteen days had passed since the accident but she was still in the Hospital. The patient, Dr. Simran (Kapoor) Mehdiratha, 41 years, divorced, a PhD. in Micro-Biology was employed in a multi-national Pharmaceutical Company in Gurgaon as a Research Scientist. On the accident night, she was returning home after attending a wedding Reception of her colleague from a five star Hotel in New Delhi.

She was living with her mother in a 3-BHK Duplex and driving an expensive German car. Her daughter, a student of class-X, was in a boarding school at Ajmer. Her ex-husband was a Medical Practitioner, who remarried an MBBS-Doctor, leaving his daughter with Simran and at present settled abroad with his second wife. Simran decided not to marry again though her mother kept insisting. As a result of this accident, Simaran lost hearing of her right ear; two front teeth got knocked out, nose broken, forehead with twelve stitches, neck with a large scar mark and her chest still hurting. Apparently she seemed alright but her beautiful face had become somewhat dull and drab.

Doctors tried their best to restore hearing of her right ear with no success. These past fifteen days, I used to visit her daily in the evening but it was her mother who was talking with me all the time but Simran didn’t utter a word. She used to write on a piece of paper all relevant details, sign a few blank cheques for me to settle the expenses of Car repair and Hospital bills. I was little surprised, when nobody turned up from her office all these fifteen days. It was only her mother who used to visit her everyday. I would visit her in the evening and sit down for an hour or so every day, just to make her feel-good but she never exchanged any word though. Many a times, I saw in her eyes lot of pain, anguish and tears. The accident had caused her once bright face to look dull, drab and listless. She had sparkling dark brown big round eyes, which at a glance looked intoxicating.

During my last visit, Mrs. Kapoor asked me to come at 10 A.M. next day to complete the formalities at the hospital for her discharge. So, I reached the Hospital and completed all the formalities and collected the case-history, prescription, medicines and her diet-chart etc. I also made necessary appointments with the Neurosurgeon, ENT Specialist & Orthopedic Doctors at the OPD for her next week’s visit. By the time I returned to the Cabin, Simran had changed into Salwar-kamiz on her own and was looking totally different. Her mother, Mrs. Kapoor went to see the Nursing Staff to pay her sincere thanks while Simran sat on the sofa reading a book.

The moment, I entered, she got up, came rushing to me, hugged me and started crying non-stop. I was totally stunned. I tried to console her but she stopped me by putting her fingers on my mouth. Her tears were flowing uncontrollably and I did not know how to console her. At that very moment, Mrs. Kapoor entered the cabin and asked “Can we go now, Simran?” Simran shook her head and both moved towards the exit door.

In bewilderment, I asked Mrs. Kapoor: “why can’t Simran talk to me, Mrs. Kapoor", why, why?” Her eyes welled up and tears rolled down her cheeks and she answered in a gloomy voice- I am sorry son, she has lost her speech too in this accident. Hearing this new revelation, I was shocked and dumb founded not knowing what to say and tried to avoid eye contact with Simran and her mother but SRI GANAPATI BAPPA, the presiding deity of the Hospital Reception was staring straight into my eyes smiling continuously as if saying ‘strange are HIS ways’!!!

With Prayers

Gurcharan