The OPD Day — Controlled Chaos & Cold Coffee
The OPD was already buzzing when Aradhya walked in at 9:00 AM sharp, It was fully packed. (yr mall thodi h jaha sale lagi huyi h, OPD h hospital ka, wo bhi sarkari ka). She had sleeves of her white coat rolled up like she was entering a boxing ring.
"Good morning, Doctor," the nurse said, placing a stack of files in front of her.
Aradhya glanced at the pile. "That's not a stack. That's "Ambani's ka Antilla."
She tied her hair into a loose ponytail, adjusted her mask, and took a long sip of her too-hot-to-enjoy coffee.
"Next!" she called, loud enough for it to echo down the corridor.
An elderly man walked in, accompanied by a flustered son and a file older than both of them combined.
"Beti, I've been having gas for four days," the man began, launching into a story that started in 1998 and didn't look like it'd end this year.
She smiled politely, nodding, and scribbled. "When did the pain start, Uncle?"
"Pain started last month. But I also had this cousin—he had something similar..."
Fifteen minutes in, she was ready to start charging therapy fees. Uncleji launched into symptoms in rapid fire hindi, (na main Karan johar hu na ye koffee with karan chal raha h Jo aapka hamper miss ho jaayega) saath me poore khaandan ki history de di (bs jo important tha-apni history wo nhi batayi).
Behind her, Dr. Amit, her senior,walked in mid-bite of an apple.
"Aradhya, why are all these files stacked like a leaning tower of pisa two seconds away from collapsing.
"Because I'm the lone architect of this OPD, boss," she replied.
"Then fix your city. It's falling apart." He snorted
The hours passed like a blur of prescriptions, kids crying, Aunties pulling her sleeve. Someone tried to skip the line claiming "emergency"— he just had a mild headache. And eight out of ten people giving her judgemental looks like she is not qualified enough. (Ha bhai nahi hu main qualified- I thought first yr is about learning, observing, yaha toh pura OPD he mere bharose chorr diya,aesa toh nhi dikhaya tha Grey's anatomy me😩😭)
Her junior cracked at 2:00 PM, eyes glossy. "Boss, I don't think I can handle the crowd anymore. I going to canteen for 15 minutes of break (us bro us and tu toh BP he check kar raha tha and 15 minutes ka bol kr ek ghanta gayab hoga but thik h if not me atleast somebody can escape this horror show).
By the time the crowd thinned, her second coffee had gone cold. She drank it anyway. ( she need caffeine to survive this madness, and aaj toh night duty bhi h uski, mumma ki yaad aa rhi h bohot jor se😭).
The Night Duty — Silent Corridors & Sleepless Thoughts
It was 2:17 AM. The world outside was sleeping, but the hospital was humming softly like a tired machine that refused to quit. Monitors beeped in the background. The corridors lights flickered faintly. (yup poora scene set h bollywood horror movie ka, bs shooting honi baki h).
Aradhya sat alone on a cold steel bench outside ICU, staring at nothing,head against the wall, her eyes dry, her soul teetering somewhere between 'do I care?' and 'do I exist?'
Dr. Swara walked by, holding a cup of canteen coffee that looked (and probably tasted) burnt regret.
"You're still here?" She asked.
"I wish I was vacationing in Goa but I live here now, paying rent in the form of sleep deprivation," Aradhya replied dryly.
Swara sat beside her. Both stared ahead in silence for a while, two zombies in white coats, sharing the same air of fatigue and caffeine, listening to the distant beep of a monitor and the occasional frustrated sigh from the nurse's station.
04:03 Am. Late-Night Ice Cream Run in Scrubs
(Dr Mihika Sharma-Aradhya's best friend from her UG days,she is pursuing her PG from a different department but in the same hospital-yup lucky them).
The bell above the 24 hour ice cream parlor door jingled as Aradhya burst in like a woman on a life- saving mission- because to her, it was. She still had her scrubs on, the ID badge lopsided, her hair doing unspeakable things atop her head, and her Crocs squeaked with exhaustion and purpose. Behind her, her best friend dragged her half- conscious self inside, blinking at the cold light.
Aradhya: "Mihikuuu, this is not a want. This is a medical necessity. I need ice cream to heal."
Mihika plopped onto a plastic bench, "We're still in scrubs and most probably look like we walked straight out of "Sasta version" of Grey's Anatomy and into a sugar rehab center."
Aradhya: "Who cares,definitely not me and also, I deserve this happiness,".(Poore din k mental torture k baad she needs emotional healing).
She went to the counter, tapping the glass with dramatic flair. "I need a double scoop of your finest double chocolate, with rainbow sprinkles. In a cone. STAT."
Cashier: "Ma'am.......kya aap pass wale hospital me nurse h?"
Aradhya dramatically said- ab agar ek aur insaan ne mujhe Nurse bola toh mujhse na murder ho Jana h- uska nhi apna. (5 Saal UG me Dimag fry karane k baad, aadhi se jyaada night outs miss karne k baad, FOMO me zindagi maine isliye nhi nikali thi ki log mujhe aa kr nurse bole, and it's not that there is something wrong with being a nurse but she has worked her ass off to get the title "DOCTOR" infront of her name and also she has a problem with this patriachial thinking of society Jo healthcare me ek male ko dekhte he usse "SIR" bulate h and and ek female ko dekhte he unka first instinct hota to call her "SISTER/NURSE", both male and female working in healthcare deserve equal respect irrespective of their designation/title and definitely irrespective of their gender).
As the cashier prepared her order, Aradhya leaned on the counter dramatically, eyes fluttering.
"You know what they never tell you in med school?" she said wistfully. "That the real cure for burnout isn't rest. It's ice cream. Served under fluorescent lights, with your best friend in the background regretting their life choices."
Mihika groaned. "I regret agreeing to this already."
"No you don't," Aradhya grinned, taking her cone like it was sacred "You just pretend to hate my drama. But secretly, it's the spice of your very bland little life."
"Matlab kuch bhi," Mihika said, watching Aradhya bite into the cone like a warrior.
Mihika- "You're going to be insufferable after this sugar high, Kyuki neend tujhe ab aani nhi, I didn't sign for this when I said hi to a sweet, innocent looking girl on first day of undergraduation.
Aradhya winked, her tone dripping with playful confidence- "Too late. I'm already your favorite person."
Mihika exhaled sharply, half amused and half irritated by her smugness- "I swear, aapki galatfami badti ja rahi."
They burst into laughter on their conversation that makes zero sense.(and vaise bhi poore din ki duty k baad unse koi sensible baat expect kare toh wo uski galti hogi🫠)
That rare, quiet high.
No adrenaline. No blood. No charts or alarms.
Just sugar, sarcasm, and the kind of company that made the worst days livable.
And maybe—just maybe—ice cream really was the cure to everything.
-1.3k words
-End of another chapter
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