It was 17th February 08. It was a Sunday. It was 8.30 pm. And we were excited about our upcoming trip to Mumbai. We were shopping….listing things which were still to be bought and the things we had already purchased. We actually could not contain our happiness!! We were on the bike traveling from one shop to another! Amit was humming a kishore song while I rested on his back listening to his voice and thinking of the fun we both were going to have in Mumbai! And suddenly I felt my body falling down to the left. I looked ahead with terror in my eyes and I saw a car right in front. It hit us from the right and we both banged to the floor. The bike fell too. I was crying loudly. Yelling actually amidst the tears. I was in a state of complete shock. What has happened?? I was asking myself.. I was blank! I saw Amit jump up as instantly as he must have fallen down. He came running to me. He was almost on the verge of crying. Yet he stood there brave. There was blood on my right knee. My jeans had torn. There were people around us. We both had never ever felt so lonely ever before. The people were really helpful. They bought me a bottle of water, helped me sit in the Autorikshaw. And Amit and me were on the way to some nearby hospital. I was crying and crying more. Amit was trying to fold my jeans up so that he could see what had happened…but I was too scared to let him touch!! And I would plead not to touch so he would feel really sorry and squeeze my hand tightly. He couldn’t talk too. We reached the hospital. Someone brought the wheelchair. They placed me in it and took us to some room. There was an x ray machine. And they asked me to sleep on the bench attached to the machine. The doctor available at that time suggested that we take an x ray first to see if there is any fracture. I lied down while Amit consoled me. I suddenly looked at him and asked him if he had hurt himself. He fortunately hadn’t!! We both waited while they came in for the x-ray. I collected all the courage lying around in my heart and folded my jeans up till the thigh and there it was! My knee was cut. I could see flesh and I felt numb! It was such a deep cut…oh god! I was terrified of what was going to happen. Amit was telling me in a sharp voice to not look at it. But one sight of it was enough for me to fall flat back. The x ray was done and to our fortune I dint have a fracture!! It was a relief.
An orthopedic doctor was on his way they told us and we waited. With ice placed on my knee to make it feel numb. Now the story was upside down. While we waited there silently Amit was losing it. He was trying hard to stop his tears. I was not crying at all. I was consoling him. I was telling him not to cry, that I felt fine now, much better. He would say okay and again after a few seconds there would a tear in his eyes ready to pop out! It was so hard for both of us.
By the time the doctor arrived I was given 2 injections. One on my wrist and the other on my waist. These injections were to stop infection to spread and the other was to reduce the pain. But the worst part was that the injections pained even after they were given. Maybe the trick was to increase the pain of the injection and divert my mind from the knee. At least that’s what I thought at that moment.
After the doctor arrived he said he would have to give a local anesthesia and clean the wound first. Two stitches would be needed to help the wound get better. He said that he would give some injections in my knee….and I was petrified! Oh God what is happening…I would ask myself. But I had no option but to listen to the doctor. He began. Amit was telling me to squeeze his hand tightly if it pained. And I nodded. The first injection pricked me hard. And I shivered. Shivered more….cried. I was shivering the whole time he operated. By the time it was done I had taken 4 injections & 2 stitches.
Finally the doctor said, it’s done. He insisted that I get admitted because there were line of intravenous anti biotics to be taken ahead but we pleaded that the treatment we would continue in Mumbai. So he agreed. I was trying to smile because I thought it was over now for the time being. But the doctor informed that there were still three injections to be taken. One of them intravenous and the other two normal and I almost fainted. I screamed as they pushed in the needles one after the other. The intravenous injections are demons actually!! Finally it was done!! Done for the night. I had to be given intravenous injections for three more days, three times a day. That was awful and I felt nausea gripping my throat and total weakness within my body. I kept telling myself that I could be brave and that it would be fine.
And I was placed on the wheelchair again. Doctor warned not to walk, take complete bed rest for at a week at least! We nodded. Amit’s friends waited for us. It was 12.00 at night. We reached home. His friends were gone. And we both were alone. Amit gave up. He had been waiting for this moment. He cried in my arms, loudly. Just like a small child would cry. I cried too. No one consoled. We knew we were lucky enough to escape something major which could have happened.
This incident brought us closer to each other than ever before. I always used to tease Amit that he will understand my importance only when I won’t be around and he warned me not to say that ever again. He kept saying that he had suddenly had a glimpse of something terribly ugly and he did not wish to think ahead.
He wanted to rejoice and so did I.
