"knock knock"- a voice came from table. Dr. Vipin looked at voice. A face appeared with a Red Bag on his back. half his face covered with mask, his eyes tired, and his hair tingling. His hands were clasped in a greeting. Dr. Vipin gestured with his hand to asked "What happened?" There was no point to speaking because Dr. Vipin was stuck in PPE kit.
He handed a piece of paper to Dr. Vipin.
Dr. Vipin took the paper from his hand. That was his corona report. He was Corona positive. His name and address were not in the report. There was only the customer number. Dr. Vipin thought, "Maybe he couldn't tell because of the illness." Once again Dr. Vipin looked at him. He was standing at side of the table. The head was bowed. Dr. Vipin felt pity for his condition. Dr. Vipin thought, "He must be admitted But it immediately occurred to Dr. Vipin that there were no empty bed in the hospital. Dr. Vipin motioned for him to stay and went inside.
He sat stunned on the floor. Dr. Vipin went inside and talked to the operator of the hospital. As there was no empty bed, an old bed was brought out and laid in the corridor of the hospital. Dr. Vipin put him to bed. No pillow ,,,,,,!
He opened his Red Bag himself. A small old model mobile and charger were taken out of it. Dr. Vipin gestured that he could not use mobile in hospital . He nodded in agreement. The mobile and charger were placed on one side of the pillow and the red bag was turned into a pillow and lay down on bed with Red Bag . His treatment started.
Days passed and nights passed. Twenty-four hours seemed like a month to him. The treatment was continuous. Dr. Vipin would come and talk to him with hand gestured. Dr. Vipin and his Red Bag were his friends. He was getting weaker and weaker.
On the fourth day, he hugged Dr. Vipin and cried wept bitterly Dr. Vipin kept his hair so smoothly and thought, "We have to treat a disease without medicine. Even we haven't been able to provide a single bed for him." There were tears Dr. Vipin's eyes but can't ask because Dr. Vipin was tied to the PPE kit. Though it was a lie, but Dr. Vipin gestured with his hand to said him "Wait, I will do something."
He again put his head on the pillow of the Red Bag and looked at Dr. Vipin with a reassuring expression as if to say "Doctor i believe in you". Dr. Vipin felt uncomfortable seeing the expression in his eyes and prayed to God in his heart, "Oh God, make a bed in the ICU."
About three hours later, a patient died in the ICU. Dr. Vipin's heart sank. "I asked for an empty bed, God is not the death of anyone," said Dr. Vipin to himself. "Such is the daily story and anguish here!" Dr. Vipin asked Ward Boy to move the patient with the Red Bag's pillow to the empty bed of the ICU.
After receiving the information, Dr. Vipin went to see him. He still had the same Red Bag as a pillow, put mobile phone and a charger in same place . Dr. Vipin attached his oxygen mask. He clasped his hands together as if to say thank you. Dr. Vipin held his hand as if he was laughing with his hand, the hand assured him as if the hand was Dr. Vipin's sense of knowledge because he was still trap in PPE kit .
The next morning, Dr. Vipin came to the hospital and received information. Just a few minutes ago, a patient with a Red Bag pillow died. Dr. Vipin sat stunned. He put his hand on his head. he was felt speechless but Dr. Vipin was a physician. He calmed himself down and turned to the patient, who had just been pronounced dead.
He was lying on his back in a Red bag, as if he were sleeping. Dr. Vipin was hopeful. his heart pounded in a hurry, but he had fallen into a deep sleep with a pillow in his red bag. There were tears in Dr. Vipin's eyes but he could not wipe away the tears because he was tied to PPE kit.
The soldier was informed. Five soldiers came. Tried to identify the dead. But the hospital did not even know his name. He was known as the Red Bag in the hospital premises. The soldiers approached the deceased. There, soldiers found a small mobile phone and charger of his old model. Added mobile to charge.
In ten minutes the soldier opened his mobile. As soon as he opened it, his mobile phone rang. Sanjay's name appeared on the screen. The soldier picked up the phone.
"Hello" – a voice came from above.
"hello who spoke"- soldier .
"I am Sanjay, Rajan's friend, who are you talking about" - Sanjay.
The name of the Red Bag was finally known as "Rajan".
"Your friend has died here. His family must be notified. " - soldier .
"Sir, we have come here from Odisha, India to work. His family is still in India. I can give him his home phone number" - Sanjay in a somber voice.
Taking Rajan's phone number from Sanjay, the soldier called his house.
"Hello" - a woman's voice.
"Hello, we are Nepali soldiers, who was your Rajan" -. Soldiers.
"he is my husband. I am Savitri. Why and what happened." - Savitri.
"Your husband died here because of Corona." soldier .
A feeling of deep emptiness. Suddenly the phone hangs up.
A letter was written to the Indian embassy with the consent of the soldiers, the hospital director, the health workers and Dr. Vipin. Rajan's body was wrapped in plastic and kept in the mortuary.
Now waiting for the letter from the Indian Embassy.
On the fifth day of the correspondence, the Indian embassy sent a letter to the hospital with all its formalities, allowing the funeral. The last time the soldier called Savitri again.
"Hello" -Savitri.
"We are Nepali soldiers" - soldiers. As soon as she heard this, Savitri started saying, "he has been working in Nepal for twenty years. Sometimes I used to go to Nepal with him, but now the way to Nepal is also closed. We returned home together in before lockdown, Later he went to Nepal alone and i stayed here.the son is studying engineering. The daughter is studying BEd. How can I do it now? - A moment of deep silence.
The soldier said " we were gone to bury him "
"I couldn't even see his face at the last moment. This is my destiny to do. Did he have take money from his work place ? May be there is stuff in his room too ? What should i do now? Where to bury ? In pashupati naath "?- sabitri.
"Yes"- soldier . suddenly the phone hang up .
The hearse arrives. Rajan's body is brought from the morgue by the hospital staff on a stretcher. The Red Bag is placed over the body. As it was the fifth day of his death, he was wrapped in plastic, and the body was still smelling. The staff puts the body in the hearse.
The soldier looked inside the hearse and said, "We can't bring this Red Bag."
"What are we going to do with this bag?" – hospital staff .
"Whatever we have to do, we are not allowed to carry this bag."- soldier.
The staff pulled the Red Bag from the hearse. Dr. Vipin was watching from the second floor window of the hospital. When the staff pulled out the Red Bag from Rajan's body, Dr. Vipin realized that Rajan's soul had been taken away. Tears welled up in Dr. Vipin's eyes, but he could not wipe them off. Because Dr. Vipin was still stuck in the PPE kit.
The hearse walked from there alone with Rajan, leaving the Red Bag ,,,,,,, !!!
Authore
Pallawi shah
27 may 2021