The Battle

Dr. Vishawanath could not ask for more happiness in his life. When Atul broke the news of his passing the MBBS Exam, his joy knew no bounds. His 25 years of dreams and ambitions is going to come true atlas with his son stepping into his own profession as a Doctor. Being a neuro-surgeon himself, having one more from his own kin, gave him a sense of unexplainable joy and achievement. Atul is on his way to meet him now and Viswanath was waiting expectantly to hug his son and rejoice with him, over his success.

While day dreaming in his cabin about Atul and his career, his thoughts were broken by a voice. “Doctor! An emergency has come up”…It was nurse Sheila, who was standing between the door gasping for her breath, it was obvious that she had been running around floors to attend to something very critical.

Years of practice and experience has taught Viswanath, not to waste time in asking for briefs at his desk when emergencies come up and having worked under Viswanath for quite some time, Sheila knew his pulse. He immediately left the room with her and headed for emergency ward, when she briefed him the case. Two youths have been summoned to hospital one dead and the other under very critical condition with severe head injury and bleeding. The case looks apparently that of a mighty-clash in a college. One guy had struck the other a deadly blow on the head, which had killed him instantly, and the other was hit by a speeding truck, when in an attempt of escape, had madly run across the road.

Viswanath, briefly checked on the medicinal proceeding that were carried out to the guy in critical condition before ordering to set up the operation theatre ready for an immediate surgery, while he wanted to check into the dead guy. Paying personal homage to the dead was deemed to be very humanitarian and of the foremost duty to a doctor, in his view.

When Viswanath entered the room and pulled down the covered sheet of the deceased, he felt as if he received a big blow. The reality of what he saw, struck him hard and unexpected and he almost chocked to death. Seeing Atul under the sheets was last thing Viswanath anticipated and with his son dead, he felt himself half-dead. Viswanath was staggering to his feet, as his legs became weak and shaky.

The news of Viswanath’s son’s death spread across the hospital like a wild-fire, Viswanath came to know sooner that the clash had started between him and his classmate Pradeep, the son of a powerful minister, over a girl, whom Atul wanted to shield from Pradeep’s clutches of misbehavior, which led to verbal war and later to physical attack. In a moment of fury, Pradeep had hit Atul on his head with a crowbar lying nearby which had caused him instant death. Now with the hospital management confronted by ministers, pressure was mounting on the management to make over the murder of Atul, look like an accident.

The entire hospital was waiting expectantly to see Viswanath’s reaction for the operation on Pradeep, who was purportedly to perform the operation being the best neuro-surgeon on call.

*****

Viswanath was in his cabin silently debating over his son’s life and his duty that he was supposed to perform. Since the time he knew, the hospital was his world and doctor profession was his life. In all his years of service, Viswanath was known of valuing his principles and human life and had not breached the trust of his patients, under any circumstances. He recalled the doctor oath he had taken committing his life for his patients, and now he felt that his commitment has been put to challenge.

Atul was such a wondering darling and had been his only inspiration to live, after his wife latha passed away giving birth to him. Viswanath had been a mother and father to him and more a friend in supporting him in all his way to growth. He was everything to Atul, who wanted to become a doctor and follow his father in his footsteps. With all the hopes and dreams of both turning into reality, Atul’s separation from his life now, struck Viswanath like tsunami, unexpected, washing away all this hopes, dreams, ambitions, and left him with a big void in his life.

Viswanath’s fatherly vendetta against Pradeep was battling with his doctor’s duty consciousness towards Pradeep. He had a difficult battle to fight and didn’t know which one he wanted to win at the end.

After what seemed to be ageless hours of thinking, finally Vishwanath got up from his chair, went to the room where his son’s body was kept, looked over it for a long moment and sighed and exited the room.

Finally, the doctor in him won the father in him.

*****

Viswanathan turned and went into the operation theatre dressed up for the surgery. Meanwhile, Atul’s murder was hooked up as accident and necessary documents prepared, to avoid any political scandal.

After struggling hard for 4 hours to save the life of the boy who had killed his son, Viswanath emerged from the operation theatre announcing that the operation was successful. However Pradeep was comatosed, due to the severe impact of the head injury and had to be kept in ICU till he recovered, but Viswanath assured the father of Pradeep that he would come out of coma soon.

Viswanathan’s final cord of control snapped when he saw the death certificate of his son stated as an accident. He knew that Atul wont rest in peace for the injustice committed to him and blamed himself for being so helpless and handicapped, unable to fight against the unjust done to him. His urge to avenge Pradeep for the death of his son was blazing like a fire in him.

*****

It was 10th day after Atul’s passing away and just when Viswanath was completing all the rituals that had to be conducted for his son with his family and friends, he got the call from the hospital with the news of Pradeep gaining conscious. His heart was in a state of volcanic eruption, which erupted more and more guilt with every passing day for saving pradeep, and nothing could bring it under control except one thought, which Viswanath was well aware of and was unable to come to terms with.

Viswanath paid regular visits to Pradeep, as he was under his care at the hospital, though he was performing his duties as a doctor sincerely towards him, the vengeance he had culminated against him kept increasing every time he looked at him. Inwardly, Viswanathan was working towards bringing the battle to and end and cooling the fire.

A month had passed by…

*****

Today is the last day for Pradeep at the hospital. He was getting ready to be discharged.

Viswanath’s fatherly vengeance winning over his doctorly commitment was possible only today. He had finally made up his mind. He opened the cupboard of his desk and took out the little vial out and injected its contents into the syringe and headed for Pradeep’s room.

When he slowly opened the door to Pradeep’s room, he found him with his father. Viswanathan could see Pradeep’s father’s face luminated with happiness for his son’s recovery, which he knew he cannot have for rest of his life. He was over the phone giving instructions to his family to prepare the household to welcome Pradeep after his ordeal; after all, it’s Pradeep’s second life after fighting death.

Going near Pradeep, Viswanath thought of his son Atul and closed his eye for a moment and slowly took out the injection from his coat pocket and injected it into his veins, this was the final injection to Pradeep, when he injected the syringe into his body, he felt a feel of soothing and the eruption in him slowly dying…he knew now the battle has come to an end. He has won!

When he was about to leave, Pradeep unexpectedly bent down, held his legs tight and started to cry hysterically. Pradeep in all his days of admittance in the hospital and during numerous encounters with Viswanath for his treatment has never spoken a word to him. But today, when he knew he would not be seeing Viswanath any more, he couldn’t control himself any longer. All these days his guilt had made him feel too small in front of Viswanath, who appeared like god to him, saving his life, despite he taking the life of his son. His father’s money and power gave him freedom and had saved him from imprisonment, but he felt himself imprisoned by his consciousness and that could be freed only through Viswanath pardoning him for the sin he had committed.

Viswanath didn’t expect this outcry from Pradeep, all along he looked upon him has a criminal and inhumane having no heart to realize the brutality of his deed, but when he saw Pradeep’s guilty looks and his desperate cry seeking pardon, he felt a change of feelings for him. Have I committed a great sin now, the shocked Viswanath thought to himself?

*****

Viswanath was looking outside his room window and downstairs he saw Pradeep leaving the hospital with his father hand in hand and waving at him. Viswanath waved back with a smile on his face and after he lost sight of Pradeep’s car, came back to his desk and sat down and looked at Atul’s photograph for a long moment.

Killing Pradeep would not bring Atul back to life. The moment he saw the happiness on Pradeep’s father’s face when he entered his room, Viswanath remembered he himself was a father to a son, and killing Pradeep would be more debasing than Pradeep killing Atul and when Pradeep touched his feet asking for forgiveness, he felt the volcanic eruption within him cooling down and slowly fading away and thought he deserve to be alive, for he has realized his mistake. Forgiveness is the best punishment he could give to pradeep at that moment.

With an impulse of vengeance, he didn’t want Pradeep father to go through what he is going through now - The pain of life without his son. No father in this world deserves that kind of a punishment.

Atul is always alive in his memories; Viswanath has decided to lead rest of his life with the fond memories of his son.

He took the syringe filled with the fluid that was meant to end Pradeep’s life from his coat pocket, which he had not used at all and threw it into the dustbin.

Finally, The father in him won the doctor in him.