Chapter 4

Gaurav looked into his glass of whiskey as he shook it to see the floating ice cubes. He felt like an asshole. He had made Ria cry last week. The poor girl was hard working and she was very good at it. But it infuriated him further. Why did she have to be so likeable? Why didn’t she fight back? He didn’t have any right to behave the way he did. Anyone else in her position would have quit ages ago or would have ousted him to HR. He knew she was paid well…he had personally seen to it. But it was not the money; it was something else which forced her to work here. He had seen her clothes. They were very simple unlike what she could afford with her salary. He knew there had to be a reason for this.

Hell… somehow all his thoughts would always come back to her.

Every evening he would rush to his lounge bar ‘Karma’ where he was the sleeping partner to his childhood friend Manik Chaturvedi. Manik was the only person who knew all the crap going on in his life… his past…well almost. There were somethings he had never told a soul though it ate him up from within. He was a bloody coward of the highest order and didn’t deserve the life he had. His routine would end many times with a bottle of his favourite whisky from the bar which he often replaced dinner with.. only to wake up next morning with a mother of all hangovers. He had a pad just above the lounge attached to his office where he often crashed in a drunken stupor. Other days he would go home where he had his trusted butler for company but would be in danger of facing his demons in his nightmare. He was indeed in between the devil and the deep blue sea. Manik was married for a year now and expecting his first baby. Like clockwork Manik stayed up in the bar till midnight after which Gaurav would take over for an hour or so till it was time to wind up. They had a very good handpicked staff which took care of everything and Gaurav would confine himself more often than not to his pad. These days his all in one butler too would join him making him drink less and more often than not he would be forced to go home… and then the appointment with his nightmares would begin. When would it get over? When he was no more? Not that it would make any difference to anyone… would it? He often wondered with a chuckle. what if he killed himself and ended the miseries… would Ria miss him? The way he had been treating her, she would dance a happy one on his grave he thought pensively.

Today he had run away from his situation and come to this old building. The now defunct hospital building was living its last days. This was the last weekend after which the building would be brought down. He looked around what used to be his old consulting room. Now it was a poor reminder of his past as a practising surgeon. He looked at his old glass cupboard that had housed his equipment…yes that’s what he called his surgical stuff. He never used anyone else’s or even those belonging to other hospitals when he visited but carried his own. He had a huge collection of surgical equipment procured from across the world during his short career. Most of it was in the storehouse of his home. He still had some boxes here though. He saw the I-V stand. He had kept it with him here… His first successful surgery patient had scribbled a thank you on it using a hairpin… He saw the box of unused syringes and remembered playing with similar boxes in his childhood, till his mother reprimanded him for damaging hospital property. Finally his roaming eyes rested on the First-aid kit. He had an obsession for the number of gauze and cotton swabs lined neatly in them. There were few minor procedures which he had carried out right in this room… like deep gashes or cuts. Aww good old days…he reminisced. He had strictly told the architect in charge of their project here, that he himself would be winding up his stuff. He didn’t like anyone touching them. He smirked…all the hopes and dreams… how the expectation bubble had burst.

This place was a treasure house of memories. As he moved around what used to be his once customised full-fledged consultation room, for one last time, he brooded about his past. He had literally grown up here amongst doctors, patients and nurses …among the smells of antiseptic fluids, soaps, laundry… blood. His parents and some of his uncles and aunts were all doctors. He had seen them build this empire from scratch. He was a mere child maybe around five years old when parents had moved their joint practise from their home clinic to a commercial gala. He used to hear dinner table talks between them on the increasing rents. Soon his uncle and aunt had joined the practise and they had got together four specialities under one roof, soon starting their first polyclinic. Within a year his other uncle and an aunt from his mother’s side joined the team and within another year they became the most sought after multi-speciality polyclinic in business. He must have been around ten- eleven years old when his parents sold their plot in their village, and his mother and aunts mortgaged their jewellery. This along with a loan had helped them buy the plot and build this first hospital building. It started off with just a ground floor with a small IPD section and a smaller surgical unit for emergencies. In the next few years they were joined by other cousins who came along with their monetary contributions and soon the building grew to the complete three storey-ed super speciality hospital. This was the first ever full-fledged hospital of the Chopra Group. From then on there was no looking back and as some of the relatives, mostly extended family that finished their medical education joined them, they started the expansion. He would often joke that their families had it in their genes to churn out doctors… like a factory of doctors. Some of his cousins who studied management or were CAs or lawyers were roped in the team to manage the running of the now emerged conglomerate.

As a child Gaurav never thought of becoming anyone else, but a doctor. He and some of his cousins who became doctors had taken over the reins of running the show gradually. He always loved working with patients and resented administration works… thank God they had efficient staff for that. He found that work or any paperwork too menial.  Paperwork always bored him. He loved decision making…he loved the adrenal rush of being in the front line managing patients. He was a surgeon and was renowned to be best at his work. He had gotten his initial experience right here in this old, but their first hospital building…

Gaurav stirred the melting ice as he recalled his initial foray into the world of medicine. He was an achiever in school, an all-rounder, not just good in academics but an avid fitness enthusiast as well. As he finished his grade twelfth he started to drink. Initially what began as a part of social drinking in parties hosted by his parents soon bamboozled into a full blown drinking habit. He even appeared for his medical entrance exams completely sloshed to his parent’s utmost horror and it was then they realised the gravity of his situation. He failed the exams and spent a year in rehabilitation before appearing again for the exams the following year. Though he passed, it was water under the bridge. He couldn’t get a merit seat… His parents had to shell out a fortune to get him admitted via some quota. If he had thought he had left the alcoholic misery behind him… he was in for a huge shock. He struggled through the first year with withdrawal symptoms, almost failing the final exams. His parents gave him an ultimatum…either to perform or give up medicine all together and that was an unbearable thought. It was then he cleaned up his act and immersed himself into studies. He also attended his monthly rehabilitation meets and by the final year he was able to cope better. He got back into his groove, topping the final year. He appeared for the entrance exams for the MS and aced it securing admission in one of the top medical colleges in Mumbai to pursue the same. He had dreamt to be a surgeon and now was on the path to be one… He worked his guts out and whatever time he got in between semesters or rare holidays he spent them in this hospital under his mother’s able tutelage. She was a general practitioner but a Jane of all trades and obsessed with practising medicine… he probably got his interest from her. She was a great doctor but an absentee mother whom he barely saw while growing up, as he was shuffled between grandparents, which explained his lack of enthusiasm about what she thought of him today. His relationship with his father had strained when he was first caught driving under influence in his new car an 18th birthday gift…. He had never seen eye to eye with him anyways in those rare occasions when he had even actually seen him while growing up. He didn’t blame his parents for their lack of presence though…they had worked hard to give him a good life and he had been nothing but a disappointment…

As a young doctor with stars in his eyes practising medicine independently had been his dream which he wanted to fulfil right at this place…A sudden gush of memories flooded his thoughts. Memories of successful surgeries… challenging surgeries… He also remembered those whom he had lost on the table. Though the number was negligible in his short-lived career, he still grieved for them. He jolted back to reality as the condensation from the glass he held suddenly chilled his fingers. He hung his head as a lone tear escaped his eye. He had looked forward to make a difference in the life of people around him.

A good difference he did make, he thought sarcastically, as he stirred the liquid in his glass. He had ruined everything. One wrong decision had cost him everything he had given his life for. Five years had passed since but he had given up surgery and was into administrative responsibilities of the Pune branch of their Group of hospitals as well as Karma which helped him fund charitable surgical camps. He had to pay other surgeons since he himself wasn’t doing any. As he thought of the past, a lump formed in his throat. He had been huge a catastrophe to his parents, he could see it in their eyes. He had failed a lot of others who had depended on him i.e. his co-workers and mainly his patients from all those years ago. His parents hadn’t spoken to him for years now and he barely had friends anymore… at least not anyone close for comfort besides Manik. He was living the life of solitude and was terribly lonely. A social butterfly at one time that used to be the life of parties, he felt like a destitute…like an orphan.

Suddenly the heavy rain thrashed loudly outside his window and the dark emotions flared up inside his heart. The resentment bubbling into anger… he flung his glass across the dark room and stared at the broken pieces till his vision blurred. Well… as tears trickled down he realised he was broken too… his heart too was shattered into a lion pieces…

Gaurav had probably dozed off in his chair when he heard the loud horn of an arriving vehicle, startling him awake. He checked the time it was 7.30PM. It was still pouring heavily. Oh… the party was to start. He knew it was to be held here. He also knew Ria wouldn’t be coming. She never partied…. Of course he knew everything about her. He had kept tabs on her… for almost four years and the last year he had watched her… Someone would call him a stalker. But he couldn’t help himself, besides it was his little secret. Anyway her not attending the party was fine for him. No one would notice him or miss him anyways he thought with a heart clenching pang. He was on the third floor in a dark corner. He would have to bear the blaring music when the party would be in progress, but then they would all leave and he would drown in his whiskey. He got up to shut the curtains of his old office window. As he looked down he saw the bus that had got the staff for the party. It had probably taken the back entrance…Oh yes they had covered the front and main entrance by tarpaulin sheets to cover the equipment cartons accumulated there waiting for transport.

 His eyes fell on the staff alighting the bus hurriedly trying to escape the drizzle and… his heart skipped a beat. Was it Ria? Yes it was her… Ria was here. He could identify her anywhere. She had worn a gown…A GOWN for God’s sake.  The figure hugging beautiful gown she was struggling to contain along with her huge tote bag, definitely must have brought out the black in her almond eyes. She looked around and all over as she assessed her surroundings. It was then he saw her face under the compound light. Oh Lord… she was stunning. Those eyes… they were a killer set. The bulge in his pants was a live testimony to her alluring persona and she didn’t even know it. The rain intensity increased suddenly and she along with all the members rushed inside.

He hoped he could control himself… As it is, every day in the hospital was agonising enough to only look at her and feel her around him. And now when the angelic beauty swayed to the music down there, would he be able to rein it in? He had to stay in this room, probably tie himself to the chair.

Dr. Gaurav Chopra, the so called epitome of poise and dignity was now a mere spectator watching his self-control lying in shreds…. Something was terribly wrong with him…He downed another glass of the moonshine and hoped it would suffice for his raging libido and extinguish the burning fire within… but as he closed his eyes those sparkling pair of almonds shone brightly increasing the pressure in his loins.

He was a goner….

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dead or any community is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.

Chapter 3

The Chopra Group of hospitals was celebrating their silver jubilee and the staff was thrown a party in the party hall of their old but the first ever hospital building. The rehabilitation team was specially invited since it was relatively a new department. Ria initially didn’t want to attend, as the party would run late into the night. The old building was far away and she didn’t want to go home alone so late especially in the terrible weather. It was raining cats and dogs since the earlier day and if the weather predictions were to be believed it would be worse tonight. She also didn’t have a dress for the party but Preeti who was her school batch mate was the only one who knew about her situation. She had got her a dress even without asking and Ria was chagrined but grateful. She had no choice but to accept the beautiful gown if she wanted to attend the do. She had never ever worn anything go gorgeous and didn’t want to feel awkward but then she looked at the types of clothes brought in by the others, including a LBD for Preeti herself and she was relieved. Honestly, she felt mixing around with her team mates from work may help her bridge the gap… she hoped she could be on friendly terms at least now on. She had never bothered so much about peoples’ opinions and besides her home, she didn’t have to bother. She was good in studies, an all-rounder… so her achievements spoke for her rather than her physical attributes. But somehow in this job the dynamics had totally changed and the worse was she wasn’t able to put her finger on what it was… whether it was her sudden promotion, or something else. She hoped todays party would help her talk to others and check out what the problem was, if she got a chance.

 Since yesterday everyone was charged up in the hospital because of the impending celebration, mainly the party. There was a bus arranged to take them from this new building to the old one where the venue was and then drop them back here after the party. Preeti had promised she would drop Ria home in her car from here so she was relieved on that front. Her other friend Tushar from the adult physiotherapy rehabilitation ward, who hadn’t been on great talking terms too had coaxed her to join them. Slowly the group was warming up to her and she didn’t want to lose the chance of re-establishing the lost camaraderie. So, finally Ria had agreed. She had decided to just let go for some time and just forget about her parents, sister, Vikram and of course the big bad bossman. Her heightened anxiety these days were making an ulcer in her stomach, as it is.

She stood up stretching her tired limbs, packed up her files in her large tote bag she had carried specially for today, and made way to the powder room.

As Ria got ready in the ladies’ common room, she wondered if the monster would be there as well. He was always conspicuous by his absence. She had never seen him socialise, thank God for that. She couldn’t dampen her high spirits to let her hair down a chance she barely got… Dr. Chopra only met the three leads every week for the reports and discussing future course of actions and behaved as though he barely tolerated them. Of course, he did have a problem with her specifically. If only she knew what it was…?

As she looked into the full length mirror of the ladies’ powder room, she felt the long gown. It was as if… made for her. Preeti had purchased it last year for her sister’s wedding reception and usually didn’t like to repeat clothes. Ria didn’t even bother to think about the cost. However she got to wear the designer ethnic outfit… that was awesome in itself. The base was a satin tin gown sequined at the top and there was a part chiffon attached long frilled skirt which was a beautiful blend of white and off white. Ria put on minimal makeup but used the kohl in her eyes generously. Somehow she felt desirable whenever she did that. But why was she even bothering with all this? Was she doing it for Dr. Gaurav subconsciously? Gosh…no. where did that even come from? All that ridiculous gossip must have gone into her head. She shook her head as if it would drive away the thoughts. But there was a reason… the real reason why she had the unavoidable visions.

Ria sighed as she looked at her image in the full length mirror lost in thought. Everything was so paradoxical. She clearly recollected the last day of her internship in this hospital a little over three years ago. Dr. Gaurav had handed the certificate to the interns. When her name was announced she had literally scampered off the chair and run to the stage excited to be finishing yet another milestone in her career. But she wasn’t prepared for the pull she felt when she had looked into his eyes… for the first time in her life. They were a strange combination of brown and black as if fluctuating between the two and… piercing. There was this light pink scar that ran from his right eyebrow diagonally up to his temple disappearing in his hair. The bushy black shiny mane adorning his head enhanced his deep set eyes. There was another scar from his right cheek to his right ear. But that was very light and visible only if one looked closely and she had looked closely enough. It was as if the unruly facial hair in form of a light beard was permitted to evolve to hide those imperfections. Somehow, she had found him ruggedly handsome and her heart had skipped a beat. It was as if he had not just looked into her eyes but looked into her soul. She had quickly averted her gaze and silently accepted her certificate. Over the months that followed, she had always thought about that moment. Those eyes kept coming into her dreams very often. She loved reading romance stories but every time she did, she would visualize those eyes. Thinking about him was like dropping a pebble in a quiet water body and the ripples brought alive those memories quickening her pulse. Nothing in her life had affected her to that enormity. She had been brought up in an household with strict rules pertaining to boys. So in a way she felt guilty and ashamed to even have the wayward thoughts.

In the course of her two-year post-graduation studies that followed her internship, she had searched his name online, whenever she had got an opportunity. There was not much information except what they all already knew about him. He was a loner. He didn’t frequent any page three dos which were common for people of his society. In fact there was not a single picture of his in any party or event. She also found that he had other business ventures like a huge lounge bar… really? besides being a major partner in this group of hospitals. She had found only one full-length photograph of his from one of the sites and wanted to download it. But she didn’t do so for fear of being found out. Her access to a PC was in the library and the instrument was shared by so many of her classmates for their research and other work and she didn’t want to take a chance.

She had seen the hospital staff once in a while in their college cafeteria or loitering in the lawn. Though they had tried to be subtle her observant eyes had known it was them. She even once found the hospital supervisor’s PA going through the interns’ files when she had gone to discuss a case with her guide. As far as she knew, any major action like this couldn’t have been possible without Dr. Gaurav’s permission. She made subtle enquiries around her college. She realised he was keeping tabs on the interns and their progress in the higher studies. It did make sense because of the tie up their college had with the hospital but this was going a bit overboard…

She wasn’t a fool. She somehow felt she was the reason why a man of his calibre was bothered about the mere interns. She was sure he had felt something too during that certificate ceremony. Was he stalking her? But strangely, like the attraction to the forbidden fruit, it had thrilled her endlessly and even now she couldn’t stop smiling. But now the thrill was marred by her own guilt of not having such feelings for Vikram.

In fact, the day she had got this job, she had looked forward to see Dr.Gaurav. She had realized she had a hopeless crush on him. Though, it had scared her enough to keep her secret from the world, her life otherwise had been an open book and very predictable. But this feeling was like the nicotine kick… a pleasure that made her otherwise boring life interesting.

She had been thrilled to be among the few selected for this job from the innumerable applicants from all over the country. However, in the months that followed her appointment she was only subjected to silent treatments or occasional reprimands from him. Her decisions were questioned and twice she was subjected to face the management board. She wondered if she had been disillusioned about her feelings for him. Unfortunately in her zest for achieving heights in the hospital with one of the purposes being an audience with the Director himself made her oversee the murky waters in which she was threading. As a result she had built a metaphorical wall of animosity around her which had made it impenetrable to the others in the hospital. Once promoted she not only had to face the jealous ire of her colleagues but very recently, stress in form of redoing the entire work which she had painstakingly done.

He would always find reasons to make her wait after work hours for the past month ever since she had been promoted, to see him, almost daily and sometimes wait up to an hour. Fortunately, he had a lively secretary Karuna, a 50-year-old mother of two, who would not just sympathize with her but also keep her occupied with office gossip. Karuna would also jokingly share tips on managing the Bossman. Ria thanked God for small pleasures like these which helped get her anxiety levels under control.  By the time he would find the time to actually meet her in the office, he would always be in a rush and suggest corrections. Karuna once told her, post hospital hours, he visited his lounge bar that he ran in partnership with his childhood friend. Twice in the cabin he had come very close to her to point out a mistake in her protocol, almost touching her she could feel his breath or get a whiff of his cologne as she stood trembling in paradoxical but strange exhilarating fear But then he was  gone like the wind leaving her senses scattered and confused. Within five minutes he would usually dismiss her as if she meant nothing more than a fly on the wall. Most of the times, he never even looked at her. She often fumed but couldn’t do anything about it. Twice she had taken the very important project report to discuss with him but he never had the time and now she had almost given up… did he do it on purpose to appease his ego?

  Ria would often get extremely delayed in reaching home due to the pathetic Pune traffic and now the rains. Her parents would be annoyed at the kind of awful hours she kept. She was stuck… badly stuck. To add fuel to fire, last week, for the first time Dr. Gaurav had yelled at her in his cabin not even looking at her, over some petty mistake in her report. She had been in tears as she had emerged from his cabin. Karuna had looked at her with sad eyes and tried to make her smile. That evening she had shed silent tears on her way home, only to receive silent treatment from her folks. Even Pooja snubbed her these days. Ria was at her wits end and she had started to wonder how long this was going to continue. She couldn’t even discuss this with Preeti. She had made up her mind to speak with Dr. Gaurav after the silver jubilee events with regards to her professional issues. She deserved some answers and at the end of it if she was asked to resign then so it be… This incongruously baffling attitude of his left her confused and frustrated and by now she was sure she had been thoroughly disillusioned by the enigmatous man. She had definitely misread the signs… she had been a fool. How could a man like him want to even think about her… her father had been right. She had to thank God, Vikram had wanted her… but why was she so upset with even the thought?

The entire week the hospital held various camps across the hospital branches in Maharashtra to commemorate the glorious twenty five years of the hospital group. They had all been busy alongside their usual hospital duties.

Tonight’s party was the last in the series of events.

It was pouring heavily and they had to reach the party hall. The old hospital building having the party hall was to be demolished and a new state of heart health club was to come up in its place. Just before the building was brought down the higher-ups had decided to host the last party there, to relive the nostalgia. A team member had arranged a bus to take all of them to the old premises and drop them back here after the party.  Ria had never been to that location before.

She was looking forward for an evening of relaxation. Would it actually soothe her nerves? She didn’t know. But as Preeti styled her hair, she knew that after all that she had been through here, she deserved a break…at least this one evening she wanted it for herself…

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dead or any community is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.

Chapter 2

The Director in-charge of The Chopra group of hospitals, Dr. Gaurav Chopra a.k.a the bossman had left no stone unturned to make Ria’s life miserable. She had to report to him along with the other two leads, for the last one month. However, both of her colleague’s reports were passed without comments but hers were held up… always. She had to wait after routine work hours and get her reports redone. Many a times she had to carry her work home and her appa disliked it. He didn’t understand that a fat pay package came with its own burden of responsibilities, not to mention she had become the butt of the lewd hospital gossip for a while now. Though she chose to ignore, some of them were hurtful enough to drive her to tears. She was usually friendly so she even came back with cheeky banters… she couldn’t afford to lose the few friends she had. Just the other day, the front desk operator Swara had gifted her a tiny box containing two shades of bright lipsticks and whispered, “By the way Ria…this lipstick is … you know…. delicious. You can use it to touch up before you go into Gaurav’s cabin…” Ria had chuckled battling her eyelids and replied, “I hope you haven’t eaten it still… kept some for me?” Swara had narrowed her eyes and purred in a suggestive tone, “Well… Gaurav wanted me to try out a sample… Then we would all have it here…the front desk girls need uniformity isn’t it…?” She must have seen Ria’s benign smile… she burst into a raucous laughter. That was twice Swara had addressed Dr. Gaurav by his name… Ria had seen him walk past the reception and wink at the girls who stood and wished him. She had never imagined him to be a flirt or even easy going for that matter. It simply disgusted her visualising the two of them having a go in his cabin, just she wasn’t sure to whom it was directed at… Swara or the Bossman.

She had occasionally overheard about Dr. Gaurav having multiple affairs in the workplace… but had rarely had seen him out of his cabin. Nor had she witnessed anyone from the lower floors go upstairs into his cabin on the ninth floor. He worked very late into the evening… well that she knew. Then when on earth did he have the time for affairs? Did he call these girls home?

The pang of anger combined with jealousy hit her hard. Oh…no she wasn’t jealous…was she?

Ria’s troubles had started right from the day she had joined the hospital. Every decision she made in her department for any patient was rejected outright by her sheepish looking ex-supervisor, Dr. Monisha Bhat. One day a frustrated Ria confronted her in her office and Dr. Bhat admitted that Dr. Chopra vetoed all decisions for the departments. Why was the Director in-charge interfering in these trivial matters? Ria had then written out a detailed report giving details of all the patients and the reasons for her proposal and mailed them across any email address of the board members she could find.. She was also against the corner flower bed and garden area being converted into a private garage for the Director’s car. She in her defence had pointed out the soothing effect it had on their patients and it was an important part of their rehabilitation. To her surprise, it had reached the targets and the board of directors had considered her opinion giving her more authority in that regard but that put her directly in the bad books of the Director- in charge. She was even subjected to smirks and snobbish attitude of her female co-workers most of whom were his greatest fans… more like lusted after him to tell the truth. Her work load had suddenly increased and very often she would feel someone watching her in the ward with patients or while she was in her cubicle. The feeling was eerie but she couldn’t get it out of her mind and it often disturbed her. However that also resulted in Dr. Mishra being appointed their new supervisor and not only was she friendly with everyone but also encouraging young guns like Ria to be proactive.

 Ria had slowly achieved tiny changes in the departments making them patient friendly and within a couple of months the department footfall increased getting her a lot of appreciation from all quarters except for some staff and of course the bossman.   Ria’s next target was expansion of their department which was not just a project but a dream for her not to mention the money involved was a lot. There was place in the ground floor corner which was always kept locked down. Since Rehabilitation also involved providing an environment conducive to recovery, she wanted to make the place less depressing. It involved prepping up the interiors of their unit and making a paediatric corner so that children would enjoy their time here during their therapy sessions or waiting period. She had put up a request to present her proposal she had prepared along with her colleague Smita. Smita was a brilliant clinical psychologist but not very articulate and Ria was to do all the talking. They had spent over a month getting quotes to project the expenses as well as collated reports from related departments stating the importance of the revamp. All the other rehabilitation departments had seemed interested as well… and had put in their positive remarks.

The proposal was to be put forth to the board of directors since it involved a lot of money and because of her past success they had permitted an audience to hear her out. As soon as Ria started the presentation, Dr. Gaurav had stood up and dissected her report part by part. All the members assembled had their copies given to them. How he studied her report so quickly… was something beyond her imagination. He had starred right at her, his facial scar standing out in the projector light making him look more menacing. Smita was silenced totally and there was not even a whimper from her while Ria tried her best that day but the monster continuously slayed all her ventures to convince the members. Eventually she was given time to re-evaluate the entire proposal and present it in the next management meeting which was not scheduled at the moment. Ria had blinked back tears as she had waited for the other members to leave the room, though Dr. Gaurav was still seated and she could feel his eyes on her back. What the hell was his problem?

 “Ms. Narsimhan…” his baritone had boomed behind her, his British like accent giving her strange flutters. She had composed herself and sent Smita back to the department while she had turned around to face her latest nemesis. “… so Ms. Narsimhan….” He stood up and came close to her. “…the next times you bring a proposal to this table see that you run it through me…first…” He had come very close whispering in her ears as she stood morbidly still. “…I am the one who signs your pay checks, isn’t it?”

Oh so it was an ego clash that made him resent her proposal? She had said nothing. Just nodded and walked out of the room. Her hands had brushed his and that had sent shivers down her spine. She wanted to hate him but couldn’t get herself to do it. Oh God where was she stuck…?

It was unbelievable but she had always heard he was a very considerate human. In fact Tara mavshi their department’s housekeeping personnel spoke highly about the bossman. She was widowed early in her life and was about to lose her job when the hospital group had decided to outsource housekeeping to a private enterprise. But apparently Dr. Gaurav had convinced the management to retain some of the old staff on the hospital payroll. The other department professionals also spoke highly of him. He had helped out a couple of the doctors in a medico-legal case they were facing such that if not for him, they would have been debarred from practise. Then why was he behaving in this manner when it came to her? Was it her skin colour… here as well? She had thought it was only reserved for her relatives and some acquaintances to bitch behind her back but Dr. Gaurav too? She thought with her eyes welling up…

That meeting with him to discuss her proposal never happened. She tried her best but Smita had given up and was seeking a new job post her impending nuptials. So Ria was all alone and she wondered if she would give up. But her father’s taunts at her not being capable enough pierced her heart. He had said it for her looks after a few prospective grooms had rejected her alliance because of her complexion. Somehow that only motivated Ria to excel at her work and she was determined to see her dream project through.

A couple of months ago it was Swara’s 30^th birthday and they had a cake cutting in the cafeteria. Tara mavshi had jested. “Arre Swara, finally it’s high time you settle now…enough of flirting around. Get a good boy for yourself…”

Swara had rolled her eyes and the hospital’s gossip representative but her best friend Preeti had whispered into Ria’s ears, “By the way she must have broken up with the dragon…”

Ria had been caught unawares. “Who… what?”

“Oh common Ria… don’t you follow the grapevine? Well its 2 years…”

Ria was still confused. “What are you talking about Preeti?”

“Oh the timeline of the great hospital affair… The Boss with the poor office girl…. That’s two years… but he was her boyfriend number six I guess, and this was the longest…” Preeti giggled her trademark laughter.

Ria shook her head. No wonder Swara had jested the other day. She probably thought the bossman had an affair with her…oh Heavens forbid. But Ria didn’t blame her. He called her frequently into his cabin after hours… either for discussing her proposal or financial requirement justification or like the other day, discussing the complaints against her by some of her colleagues… they were only out to put her down ever since she had received accolades for good work… They had the audacity to complain to Bossman directly and he was actually bothered by silly office stuff??. God… she was getting fed up of the tyrannical high handedness. He barely spoke a few words, not even giving her eye contact and made her wait and she often missed her bus. Pune traffic was pathetic and she would reach home very late making Appa angry all over again. Ria rolled her eyes… She was indeed caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. She had been fuming at the end of the day strongly contemplating tendering her resignation, even mentioning about it to Preeti in passing.

The very next morning she had an open argument with the bossman. It was a small showdown witnessed by many patients, professionals and the class four employees as well. She could feel their sneers as she contradicted their favourite person. Dr. Gaurav at 6’2” towered above her. He usually didn’t speak much around but whatever little he did was enough to give her goose bumps and he knew how to put people in their place. She knew he was a surgeon but wondered why he didn’t conduct surgeries in his hospitals. He had that light pink scar on his face which disappeared into the hairline. Talking of hair, he lad perfect locks let loose on his neck with light stubble to match. He always wore a three piece suit but the top buttons on his shirt were always left open to reveal the traces of black curly chest hair… Who the hell did that in a professional set up as theirs?

She had stood her ground. He wanted changes to be brought in the treatment protocol of one of the patients who happened to be his acquaintance. Ria had flatly refused and had given valid reasons for it. The patient was a 16 year old druggie who was in and out of the hospital and this time had come with a near fatal OD. She had decided not to release him but admit him for a month long rehabilitation program in tandem with the psychiatric department. But the boy’s globe-trotting parents didn’t have the time and refused. They blamed the hospital for prolonging their son’s stay for vested interests i.e increasing the bill. The bossman had been annoyed to be dragged into a confrontation out of his cushy office. He had smirked and told her to follow orders and her supervisor too sided with him. Ria had conceded but also made a highlighted entry in the discharge summary that the patient was discharged against rehabilitation advice. The incident had received a lot of publicity in the hospital and people had gossiped for days. Some had looked down upon her and had directly passed subtle comments as she passed. Unfortunately the boy relapsed within a fortnight but this time was not lucky. He had died on admission. The parents couldn’t put the blame of any kind on the hospital because of her entry in the prior discharge report and they had quietly exited. The board of directors had a meeting again which happened because of the gravity of the case and from what Preeti told her, Dr. Gaurav was probably at the receiving end. She didn’t hear from him after that day.

A few days later she received the order about her promotion much to the chagrin of her jealous colleagues. She wondered if she actually deserved it… but the money was good and she needed it desperately. Nowhere else could she have a job in her field that paid so well.

But Ria had fallen from the frying pan into the fire. She was now to report directly to the bossman along with two of her colleagues from the other department. She was given a new position which involved loads of paperwork and overseeing other professionals in her department some of who were senior to her. Dr. Mishra who received her transfer orders as well, encouraged her to accept the offer as very few got a chance to make a difference and she was confident Ria could do it with the new position and the powers it entailed.

 Vikram had tried reserving tables for a dinner date at least twice last week to celebrate her promotion. But both times she was held up at work and couldn’t make it. He rarely called or texted her and surprisingly didn’t bother…

She was never looking forward for outings with Vikram. He had scared her on their one dinner date earlier, almost a month ago… right after the promotion. He had gotten drunk and had tried to force himself on her. She had pushed him away and he had called her names…everything under the sky even to the extent of telling her he didn’t deserve a plain Jane like her…He had even raised his hand… till the owner had come up with the security embarrassing her to the core. She had chosen to ignore it considering he was drunk but the incident still made her shudder. She wanted to call off her wedding but her father’s reaction made her shut up. He refused to believe that a boy from such a classy family would behave like she mentioned. Her mother had gone a step ahead and told her to learn to adjust with a guy who had a bright future especially since he did her a favour by agreeing to marry her. Vikram hadn’t bothered to apologise or talk about the ‘incident’ neither did she. Only last week did he get back with date requests. Did he think she would tolerate abuse like that or forget the earlier date fiasco?

 But Vikram’s disinterest was a blessing in disguise; else she would never have been able to complete her current hospital paper work and she was loaded with it more than her actual clinical work. Being the department lead now, that too the youngest in the history of the hospital group, came with its own pros and cons. Many people thought she didn’t deserve the promotion so early in her career and probably got it through unscrupulous means. Her colleagues gossiped. She occasionally heard the mentions of ‘slut’ or ‘sleeping her way up the ladder’. It pained her so much she wanted to shout over the rooftops that it was a misunderstanding. She at times felt like rejecting the promotion too… but she knew she had it in her and the fire to excel made her swallow her pride.

Even some of her old colleagues and so called friends jested about her affair with the bossman. Preeti especially was always overboard, in spite of being her friend. They were very friendly on her face but she got to know of the office grapevines behind her back. To add to that, every report of hers was initially rejected and she had to make loads of trivial corrections to get them approved since her department grant also depended on these reports. She could only fume helplessly.

Once, she read the report of another department lead. To her utmost annoyance, it was sketchy and incomplete. However, it was passed without corrections and hers was out-rightly rejected. One another time Dr. Gaurav asked her to complete the reports for another guy since he was going on leave. She was toiling hard to cover her regular hospital work as well as the report making. She wondered if the moster, as she had rightly named him, ever read her reports. The whole of last week she had had to work late because of him and she wondered which rehabilitation professional worked the hours she did. But then, they didn’t get paid like her as well. The only silver lining in all this was Preeti had started to mellow down and her behaviour towards her had improved… She was happy that finally something looked upward in her life. Preeti was her friend from school and in the accounts department. She was from a well off household and worked just to earn additional pocket money and spend her time learning office work till she settled down…

A couple of days back, her parents along with Pooja left for a cousin’s wedding in their hometown in Vellore. She was relieved to be free from their inquisitions and complaints about her work hours. They never said anything about her salary or her huge contribution to Pooja’s college fees. Just last week she had given her complete saving of twenty thousand rupees to her father to purchase gifts for the cousin who was getting married, though hurt that they didn’t ask her even once if she wanted to go along. All this, besides the other household expenses she took care of. She barely had money in her account and the salary wasn’t due for another 15 days at least. She had always tried to be frugal and got her own tiffin and never ate in the staff canteen.

Ria was used to the hostel life, where she had a shoestring budget. Appa couldn’t afford to give her more pocket money. So, she had tried to save every bit she could and the idea of insurance for the future was embedded in her head by her appa from the go. She remembered having received a cash prize in an intercollegiate debate competition. It was the first time she had won two thousand rupees. She had seen a dress she wanted to purchase. But her father had thwarted her desires. Instead she had used that for her college expenses and her father hadn’t given her pocket money for a while. She usually purchased clothes from the flea market or during discounts. She never went out with friends for movies or to restaurants. She avoided birthday parties so that she didn’t have to spend on gifts, nor would they expect her to throw a party or give a treat in turn, for her birthday. She would feel embarrassed every time such situations came up. She would then lock herself in her room she shared with two of her classmates. She didn’t even buy a mobile phone when everyone in her class had one.

However, she had expected for her situation to change once she got this job in the leading group of hospitals. She had interned here after her graduation and had loved the place. She had received a lot of accolades even then for her performance. She was thrilled to be selected for the job right after her post-graduation studies. That was over a year ago and sadly, she had to spend every penny she earned on her family. She got the house painted, got new pieces of furniture, Pooja’s college expenses, groceries etc. Appa had to pay the monthly instalment for their home loan, for their little property in Vellore and a personal loan he had taken when her mother had been seriously ill a couple of years ago. So the onus of managing household expenses was now majorly on Ria.

 The only major purchase she made for herself was a few clothes which she alternated with different combinations to wear to work and a duplicate Gucci bag she had once seen at the flea market. Last month she had even lent money from her little saving to Vikram towards the down payment of his bike… he had asked for it on that date before he got drunk saying it was for them to go on dates. He had immediately purchased the bike but he never spoke about returning it and she was too embarrassed to ask him. Appa was annoyed about it but he couldn’t say anything… Fortunately the mobile phone and laptop was given at her workplace. The feeling of being torn apart, being used from all directions always kept popping up within…

“Earth to Ria…” Preeti called out again bringing her back to present. “…come on get ready. I brought you this dress …” she said giving Ria a cardboard box.  Ria opened it and stared at the beautiful gown inside.

“You… got this for me?” Ria was stunned to see it. The moon white gown was just… stunning. It was sleeveless but not deep necked so it was fine by her, but she was caught in awe at the beautiful bead work on the top half and then the gown frilled out at the bottom in many layers… Ria loved such outfits but couldn’t imagine spending on it. She just hoped it would fit her…

“What…did you think the bossman would have made a special outfit for his latest conquest?” Preeti had smiled slyly…

Ria had glared at her.

“Alright alright…chill Ok…you keep haggling like a hawker at the mention of a party or outing so wanted to tease you… Its mine yaar, from my sister’s wedding reception last year… I think it will look good on you…. Come on get ready…” Saying she walked away.

 Ria closed her file and sighed. She wouldn’t be finishing the report after all. It was Friday. She would take work home… again. Thankfully there was no one at home to disturb her over the weekend and she would finish it.

At the moment she decided to focus on that party coming up!

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dead or any community is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.

Chapter 1

“Hey Ria, you are attending the party tonight, right?” Prachi asked with excitement in her voice as she waltzed her way to the canteen.

Ria Narsimhan looked up from her file. A glance at the cabin clock told her it was close to 5 PM and she had to get dressed before Prachi would force on the war paint too. The party began at 7PM… Oh Lord, she barely had time. Her reports were to be submitted today before she left for the day; else the monster would give her hell. If she could allow it, she would never want to face him. Why was she even continuing in this job she wondered? But she knew the answer… it paid her, way better than anywhere else for her qualification and experience. And she needed every penny to help her appa… her father, prepay his loans. She thought she owed it to him and then there was the down payment for that dream home yet to be conjured… So till she got something better she was stuck with this job.

 It wasn’t that she didn’t like the work. In fact she loved being a rehabilitation consultant and the chief counsellor. She worked for the Chopra group of hospitals. This was the largest hospital in the chain and the only hospital branch which gave the needed space and funding, exclusively for rehabilitation. She loved working with children which formed a majority of her case load here. Her colleagues were amazing and her earlier supervisor Dr. Mishra was an amazing lady, very open to her suggestions. Ria was recruited straight out of college following her Master’s degree and she was proud of the positive changes she had brought about in the department. All this was possible only because of the co-operation of her colleagues and supervisor and their trust in her abilities.

Ria sighed as she thought of her journey. She had been born and brought up in a strict Coimbatore Brahmin household. Her parents had tremendous expectations from her right from the go. The elder of two daughters she excelled in everything, be it studies or acing extracurricular activities in school. However, her sister Pooja two years younger to her often had the better deal. Pooja had barely scrapped through her tenth grade while Ria had slogged her guts out to top the school. Considering the numerous accolades she had received throughout her academic life… she had thought her parents would be impressed, every single time. But that was not to be. Every time her father had only a standard grunt of a response to her success and he would get immersed in his business which would be as trivial as reading the newspaper. Her mother too would retreat to the kitchen not wanting to face the father-daughter face-off. Though they never spelt it out she knew what the elephant in the room stood for. She had a wheatish complexion, slightly on the darker side and she was short, with a height of 152 cms.

In her household, physical attributes mattered a lot especially if you were born a girl and all the more if you were different than the norm set by generations of the family bloodlines. It didn’t help that her parents were fair so were her grandparents on either side. In spite of her sharp features, her colour was always the bone of contention at home and was the talk of the event everywhere she went. Be it family functions or a simple family get together every conversation would eventually veer towards the dark horse of the family…figuratively.

 It marred all her scholastic and other achievements and now at twenty four she was used to be looked down upon by her appa’s myopic archaic views. Pooja however was blessed with porcelain fair skin and with a flawless complexion not to mention, stood tall at 165cms. That with her long flowing tresses and an hourglass figure made her a hot pick in the marriage market. In fact almost every prospective groom who agreed to come to their house for a visit to ‘see’ Ria often landed up liking Pooja instead. That was another topic on which she had to face her parents’ ire as if it was her fault for being born like the way she was.

Her parents had been looking out for alliances for Ria ever since she was eighteen as if they couldn’t wait for her to leave home and more like they wanted to prove a point to their relatives. But there wasn’t success for last five years mainly because every alliance that came in rejected her for her skin tone. It had hurt her tender heart to a point of making her hate her parents for giving into social pressure. Finally, it had snowballed up to the increasing bitterness fuelled by the taunts of her pathetic relatives who left no stone unturned to put her down. She had the good fortune of staying in the hostel during her studies though her college was in city limits as she wanted to save on travel time. But she knew the true reason and even hated coming home for weekends. Her parents too gave in to their relatives’ whims and often resorted to silly run in the mill routines for Ria, like certain skin specialist visit or certain miracle potions from their village or scrutiny of her horoscope to find any fault they would have missed. Ria had been so overwhelmed by these experiments and omniscient sneers which only kept grading up in intensity that she preferred to spend a lot of time outside home even today, much to the chagrin of her strict parents.

Ria had a lone supporter in her thatha… her grandfather. He had passed away last year after a prolonged illness. He was her only fan and always encouraged her to pursue her dreams. He was a retired literature professor and always told her ‘don’t be pushed by the fears in your mind… be led by the dreams in your heart’. This often helped her keep her sanity intact during the heart breaking jibes thrown at her by so-called hypocrite close relatives or whatever she was subjected to by her parents… and that hurt the most.

Her father was an employee with the SBI Pune main branch and they lived in the allotted staff quarters. Though he was a few years shy of retirement, they barely had savings. Though Appa rarely spoke about finances, Ria knew the grim reality of their situation and hated it when he didn’t want to discuss finances with her. He was an officer so they had a large three BHK allotted to them. The staff quarters comprised of about 14 buildings each with two wings and they stayed in the units meant for the officers. Here everyone knew everyone and gossips spread like wild fire. Ria usually stayed away from all that brought attention to her and her family and fortunately Pooja was very social and so no one noticed her. Being in the hostel during her graduation and post-graduation studies she had been obscured from her probing neighbours.

She had now immersed herself into her work in the hospital. Just yesterday she had handled a family who’s new-born was severely malformed and the relatives were fuming and blaming the hospital for negligence. Things were getting out of hand when she had intervened and spent hours counselling the shattered parents and the upset relatives. By evening the parents had broken down and she and her team had counselled them to help them cope up with the sad reality. Today she had spent half the day following up with the family and the parents were now relaxed and the relatives too had taken up the responsibility of handling them from then on. Everyone on her team, had applauded her for her work… she hoped the person in charge would do too. Her reporting boss…

There were many such cases which she had resolved with her grit and compassionate nature and she was often asked for by the patients who knew about her, who came back for their follow-ups.

Her hard work had finally paid off. She was recently promoted and at twenty-four, was the youngest ever counsellor to be appointed as one of the three lead rehabilitation consultants for the hospital group. The money was definitely good.

About four months ago her parents prayers were answered and she had finally been engaged to Vikram Iyer, an alliance arranged by her elated parents. She barely met him or even spoken to him before they were engaged. He too didn’t seem to be interested and the only few times they met he treated her like a fly on the wall. However he came with a glorified family resume which impressed her father. At 5’10”, fair and handsome, Vikram was a techie and worked with a software firm in Hingewadi. He had been trying to move abroad and she didn’t agree with him on it though they never discussed about it after he made a passing mention once. She didn’t want to go ahead with the alliance but her parents had literally pressurised her to get into the relationship, if she could call it one. She was relieved when Vikram barely called or spoke or texted her. She wasn’t active on social media, in fact hated it and was glad to be left alone.  However, following her promotion, her fiance though usually indifferent towards her was happy these days. He had even agreed to settle in Pune itself and she knew her job had played a major role in his decision, not to mention her eventual plans of buying a house in the elite Viman Nagar. She should have been happy as everything in her life had settled into place… Vikram had started calling her or texting her daily these days and they even had a date recently to celebrate her promotion. She shuddered as she thought about the evening… It was a disaster. She should have been deliriously happy according to Pooja and her parents, but did she really want this?

Ria sighed coming back to the present. She frowned as her phone buzzed with an incoming message. The picture on the caller ID showed Vikram with his trademark beard and goggles. he had texted her he wouldn’t be in town for the following week as he was going to Delhi and would be busy with office work. It didn’t make a dent in her feelings for him, rather lack of them. She shook her head, almost wanting to tell him to break off the engagement but then she pictured her parents and landed with a pounding at her temples. She visited the phone gallery and clicked on the picture of her parents and she couldn’t get herself to cut ties with Vikram… she had to be happy for the sake of her parents and finally for once in her life she wasn’t the butt of jokes or torments from her relatives. Not that she cared anymore but she often felt for her parents.

As she finished the final touches of the report pertaining to this case, she hoped it would be approved…except there was an obstacle, her reporting boss…The monster

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dead or any community is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.

Flickering dim lights swam in front of his eyes…now pooling with tears. He was running in a tunnel. Wind gushed past as his flailing hands tried to cut through, his legs achingly dragging him forward. Was he in a tunnel? The darkness encompassing all fear, his heart thudded… He was being followed. Hot balmy air brushed his back as he stopped and panted, all in his well-dressed attire. It was then he saw it. The ball of fire…the fiery orange monster was extending its hot limbs touching him from the back as he stood paralysed with fear. He was on fire… He opened his mouth but a voiceless scream filled his being as he saw the fire swallow someone near him… a human being. Who was it?

The sirens of the police van, blasted through the silence making him hopeful. But respite was not for him it appeared. This was just a prelude… and was being detained. What was his fault?

The bars of the prison came into focus and along with it the tormentor’s hand. The silence was now filled with a cacophony of laughter. The hand pulled his hair back and slammed his face long into the bars. The maniacal shrieks continued as his entire being throbbed…

Suddenly it was cold… he was on the frosty floor all bleeding and bare. He couldn’t move as he was spread eagle by pairs of rough hands even as his body groaned in pain. And he was …violated again… The angry pulsating mass of flesh made its way up his rear. It tore him apart… broke him totally… shattered him to the extent that he didn’t feel anything anymore… he couldn’t breathe… Where was the prison guard? He couldn’t see anything as his vision blurred with tears of agony flowing in vain…

He was pulled up, beaten and subjected to the same agony…repeatedly. The invasion increasingly agonising in each attempt… he couldn’t take it anymore. The chill of the floor was getting into him. He screamed with all he had.

“…NO…NO…PLEASE…NOOOO…”

Gaurav chocked as he sat up on his bed. His bedspread wet with his profuse sweating. The nightmare had claimed him yet again. He had had it many times but it affected him just the same. He shivered as the AC breeze hit his wet body. He touched his cheeks. They were wet and… his voice was hoarse. He must have been screaming. He checked the time. It was 3AM…

He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore. He got off the bed and saw himself in the full length mirror. He was a far cry from the youthful personality he once was. Clad in only his track pants, he used the bathroom walked to his little arena where he liked to exercise out his frustrations and could only manage to sit on his wooded crate filled with his dumbbells, but today they didn’t recon him. He was still trying to calm down his racing heart… they always said, you couldn’t remember your dreams, then why were his nightmares so vivid, that they still sent a shiver down his spine. He got back to his study and sat up with the hospital accounts like he always did whenever he travelled through the purgatory. They always took him through the remaining of the night. He shook his head placing the ledgers on the table in front of him as he sat back on the cushioned office chair. He switched on the music as his therapist had recommended, though he wasn’t religious there were certain numbers that gave him the solace he craved especially after what he went through some nights.

But this time, he couldn’t focus… neither on Rahman’s melody nor on the numbers crunching on the papers before him. The pair of kohl rimmed almond eyes smiled at him. Oh… It was such a calming vision. It was…correction… ‘she’ was a balm for his injured soul. The song played out as he stopped the player and thought about her…the more he did, the more he relaxed on his revolving chair and before he knew, he was asleep again.

He didn’t visit the tunnel and the flames this time…

Copyright Disclaimer: All content posted here is a work of fiction and original work based on the author’s imagination. There is no intention to disrespect any person or faith. Any resemblance to any person living or dead or any community is purely coincidental. No part of the content can be copied, reproduced or posted anywhere else either entirely or in parts, without the consent of the author.