Dr.Ishaan, I, and silence, the best friend of Dr.Ishaan started our journey to the preoperative ward. To calculate, it's not more than thirty yards but with a boring person like him, it's seeming like miles. But there was something, my brain was planning to do, at that present moment. That was to kick out Dr.Ishaan's best friend from between us. 

Is it a good idea to speak with him?

Ok, let the right-hand fingers decide whether to speak or not.

Thumb: Speak.

Index finger: Don't speak.

Middle finger: Speak.

Ring finger: Don't speak.

Little finger: Speak.

So the final decision is to 'speak'.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes. After knowing him to be a laparoscopic surgeon my respect for him increased more and more. He must be having a very intelligent brain with a sharp and quick-witted memory. Otherwise, he could have never completed his bachelor of medicine, specialization, and even super-specialty at a very young age. But to become like him, I should know the three topmost qualities of Dr.Ishaan.

First: to be silent. Second: to be more silent. And third: to be much more silent.

Dear brain, is it actually necessary, to speak?

Brain: Speak. Speak. Speak.

I wet my lip, "So, you are a Laparoscopic surgeon?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied and stopped in front of a room. I intermittently glanced at him and the room. Last night's memories of me, following him inside the same room replayed. "stop here, I will be back in a—" he cut off watching me smiling.  

"What's the fun to smile, Doctor?" He pried, with his native annoyed tone. Dr. Ishaan and irk go in the same line. He should be called Dr. Ishaan Angry Sharma.  

"Nothing?" I shrugged and tilt my head away from him and pressed my lips against each other to suppress the amused chortle.

I heard him sigh and took a step near to me, inconsiderate of the place he threatened, "Be in your bloody limits." his face was angled down to meet mine. Well, mine was tilted up to meet his. His glare was ferocious while mine was a blazing one.  I am trying to interact with him, but he wants to behave like one aggressive animal with me.

"You should get diplomatic, in a subject: How to communicate with others." Saying I took a step back and gave a once-over to the hallway. There were only a few ward boys and nurses who acted as minding their own business. But seemed to enjoy the free drama. I walk past him and entered the preoperative ward.

He is such a bumptious, ruthless-arrogant-moron.

And Nisha is assuming that I started falling for him. Not even my ballet flats will fall or get flat for this man.

The patient was not in bed. Dr. Moron came a minute later and stood beside me. Whatever, this time I am not going to speak with him. 

"Where is the patient?" I avoided it, took that patient's case sheet, and kept myself involved in it. "I am asking you?" I turned around, avoiding him. "I am not your friend. So, Stop showing attitude to me." He stood in front of me and pulled the case sheet out of my grip. There were a couple of patients who were literally busy speaking with their visitors. 

I turned my gaze at him and replied to him, addressing his own words, "I am being within my limits." That was enough for him to go back to silent mode once again. At least he could have tried to apologize, right? But he didn't, And I shouldn't expect.

After the patient arrived, he politely asked the patient, "What's your problem? Why you don't want to undergo surgery?" The patient didn't reply and turned his head away, unconcerned with Dr. Ishaan Sharma's concern questions. Again. I got an urge to laugh rolling over the floor. Great! I like this patient.

"Surgery phobia. He is having surgery phobia." I said to him. 

"You know about laparoscopic cholecystectomy?" he asked. I nodded. "Okay, I will explain a few things, just counsel him. Will try with that." I clenched my teeth to make my ear canals widen. He explained it to me in detail about the surgery.

"If you spare me five minutes, then I would like to speak with you, sir" Dr.Ishaan pleaded to the patient. Did he just now call the patient, 'sir'? Yes. He did. The gleam on the patient's oblong face proved that. 

He is good with his patients but not with normal people. What could be his problem?

"Start the counseling, now" he whispered the command. I start my counseling, it took me seven-eight minutes to change his mulish, negative contemplations regarding surgery. When the patient agreed to undergo surgery, I proudly smiled at Dr. Ishaan and after seeing Dr. Ishaan one extra point popped up in my mind and I let that out.

"By the way, he will be doing your laparoscopic surgery," I said gesturing with my right thumb at Dr.Ishaan. "He is very kind, excellent, generous, and..." I got interrupted.

"Stop. Ward boy" Dr. Ishaan shouted and startled the other patients and doctors of the ward. Listening to his shout out of nowhere the ward boy came and stood opposite Dr. Ishaan. "Shift the patient to O.T." he commanded the ward boy. Then the next command was to me. The high-level serious command with gritted teeth "you come with me". I followed him out of the ward and stood in front of him.

"What was that, Doctor?" he asked with his eyes once again piercing mine.

"Counselling" I replied innocently.

"I am asking about the last line."

"I was just extolling you, Dr.Ishaan" I protested.

"No. It appeared to be more like presenting me as an antic model to him" he howled like a jackal. And turned his long, straight, and pointed nose as red as cranberries, sweet to appear sour to taste. "Stop irritating me, Doctor!"

"I am not. Dr. Ishaan!" I replied and bent my head. I raised my eyelids and observed him glaring at me. That glare was extremely silent but frightful and powerful. As powerful as, it can turn me into ash if he doesn't blink in the next minute. I lowered my eyelids and a second later once again I raised them and saw him glaring. I think I should start my last-minute countdown.

"It's not like...you are planning to turn me into ash...by continuously glaring at me," I enunciated, slightly rose my eyelids.

"You know what..." his face reddened. In that green O.T. dress, his face looked like a red apple. "You are a big irritating head," he commented and wandered off. 

Laparoscopic surgery consumed almost two hours. And after that surgery, Dr. Ishaan let the O.T. and my entertainment came to a full stop. After the last surgery of that day which engulfed another hour, I went to the post-operative ward to check the vitals of the operated patients. It was ten past four in the evening and my hungry rats almost pierced half of my stomach. And they even warned me by rumbling borborygmi almost ten to fifteen times. So without wasting another second I changed my dress and dashed to the canteen.

*******************

I placed the order of chicken rice for myself over the kitchen counter. During the waiting time, Dr.Gautham came to collect his four plates of varied food items from the kitchen counter and invited me to join him. Not to share his food but to sit with him. After I received my order I went to his table and sat opposite him. And before I arrived, he almost finished eating one plate, which I think was a veg Manchuria. He appeared cute eating with his short, short fingers. Those four plates meals proved his reason to be bulky and chubby.

"Thanks for accompanying me. I was feeling bored. Actually every day I used to eat with my wife. But, she left me all alone". I didn't actually understand that he was expressing his grief or it was sarcasm. If he really expressed his grief then what should I take into consideration that she ran away with another person or she is resting in peace? I suppose it might be the former condition.

"It may be very difficult for you to be without your wife?"

"Yes, very difficult. I even stopped eating lunch, nowadays".

"Yeah, it might be" I whispered sarcastically glancing at his four plates. He almost ate half of the food from the second and third plates and they were one paratha and chicken curry. In short, he was left with one more paratha, one plate of rice, and a half chicken curry bowl. "But, you are so nice and jovial. How could she leave you, sir?"

"No. No. Ishika, she didn't leave me" he responded. "She is an obstetrician, she works here. But now she is on maternity leave" he said curving his thin lips with an ecstatic smile and sparkling his almond, brown eyes. "It's her ninth month, now".

"I am sorry, Dr.Gautham. I thought something else. By the way, congratulations".

"That's okay. You are new here. It's my mistake, I didn't mention it properly". Then he started speaking only and only about his wife, and her pregnancy with a constant smile. His narrative words, ecstatic smile, and sparkling eyes contented his happiness. Happiness to become a father. Meanwhile, in the middle of his yackety-yak, I took a small break. I put back my empty lunch tray over the kitchen counter and bought a cup of coffee for myself to enjoy.

I was left with a half cup of coffee and Dr.Gautham with his last meal plate when I sensed a distant stare of a known person on us. Holding a coffee cup in his right hand, with stiff and broad shoulders and an expressionless face like a mannequin he started walking towards our table. With his eyes fixed only and only on Dr.Gautham, in short completely ignoring me he approached us.

"If you don't mind, can I sit here?" Dr.Ishaan asked Dr.Gautham in an obedient tone. Rather than speaking, I like to listen. But. Since the last day, my personality has been reversed, especially concerning this mannequin-like-silent person. In short, his silent nature is itching my brain.

"Of course Ishaan". Then he sat diagonally to me on the right-hand side. I glanced at him and forced a smile on my round and small lips to which he didn't respond and looked away. What if I throw my half-cup-full coffee on him? "Ishaan, I forgot to ask you. What happened to your forehead?" Dr.Gautham asked Dr.Ishaan.

"I met with a minor accident while returning from Kanpur" Dr.Ishaan replied with a fruity voice with his eyes fixed only on Dr.Gautham. Hearing the word 'Kanpur', my cerebrating about his being on the Kanpur road began.

So, I integrated the second scratch and increased the intensity of my brain itch. Eventually, my hormones started to be the most imbecile substance in my body system. If Dr.Ishaan was a woman then they would have never played any role to tempt me to speak with him.

"Be careful man. By the way, how's your second life in Kanpur going on?" Dr. Gautham asked Dr.Ishaan. The cup which I lifted to take a sip from, I placed back on the table after hearing the word 'second life'. Life or synonym of the wife? In conclusion, he has a second wife in Kanpur. The first one should be in Lucknow. So, he is married.

"It's going good".  Characterless person. For a moment I thought to get up and walk away but no I shouldn't get aggressive. Actually, it shouldn't affect me. Yes. It shouldn't. Let him have a second life or wife or whoever she is... But, who is his second life?

"Then what is your next plan? You will shift to Kanpur or you will stay in Lucknow".

"I have a few things to take care of very closely. So I am planning to shift" he replied once again shamelessly, before taking a sip from his cup. 

"But. Ishaan, start thinking about yourself man. I mean you should get married now?". Seriously! All statements were getting jumbled in my brain. A moment ago they were discussing second life or something and then the topic shifted to the wedding.

It's better to leave this place now, I think. I am just stressing myself more than what is required, according to my age. If I keep on thinking then my brain will burst out and my skin will start the aging process. But, first I will finish my coffee. I was left with a quarter cup of coffee. I lifted the cup to take a sip.

"For now I don't have time to think about marriage, Dr.Gautham. I feel exhausted traveling between Lucknow and Kanpur. It's getting hectic to manage both lives. Not ready to handle new." Hearing those words I engulfed a large amount of the liquid, which I forgot was coffee. Whose temperature was still warm. And resulted in my throat burn which in turn irritated my epiglottis and I coughed. I coughed and coughed.

"You okay, Ishika?" Dr.Gautham asked. I nodded while controlling my cough.

"Have some water," Dr. Ishaan concerned, offering a water bottle. I took the bottle and drank it without looking at him.

"Thank you" I thanked and lifted the cup to finish my coffee.

"Doctor, don't drink now. Wait for some time. It will burn your throat and you may regurgitate" Dr.Ishaan said in a silvery, firm, and gentle tone. Which was more than enough to melt my heart. But no!!.

Dear brain, please keep control of my heart.

"I will put these plates back and get myself a juice," Dr. Gautham said, and holding his empty plates tray, he marched to the kitchen counter. I dunno how much more food, this person will dump in his stomach.

Anyway, I rose from my chair. "Wait. Don't go...hmm...I want to tell you something." Dr. Ishaan said. "Sit down," he commanded. 

Yet, I pushed back the chair and took a step away from him. Only when his hand caught my wrist did my second step got halted, "I said seat!" I stared at my wrist, then at him. 

"Are you going to apologize?" I asked him. 

I already apprehended the reply and heard from his mouth, as expected "I don't do a sorry thing!"

"I have work!"

"It's about your safety. Please. Sit down!"

-----------------

Dear Readers,

I bid every reader of my book, to make a mighty effort to touch the star below this note. I will for sure appreciate it with my sweet smile which can be sensed in my new entertaining and interesting chapter.

I assume, my chapters are not boring or waste the glucose or energy levels of my readers...