Friday, March 11, 2016

The feeling of touching the dead body

It is after my vacation from the home town in the Feb month. The day seems little drowsy as I acquainted with the late mrng wakeup's.
A call from my roommate alerted me,  it carried a news "my brother in law is not feeling well and get fainted and fell down". This is not for the first time, I am there with him when we took to the hospital for the some stomach ache last time. Thought it was same as the last time.

I took an one hour permission and started to the hospital,  it was only a 10 min drive from the office. I was just waiting for the auto and no one stopped. I got a call again, this time his voice was trembling, "Naga, go fast, doctors are saying that he is dead". I got freeze for the news, it would never happen. He was very carer for his health. I soothen him, I was on the way,  don't worry, I will go an speak with the doctors. Even I was confident that doctors are faking the news.

I ask some biker on the way to drop me at the next signal. I just ran to the hospital corridor. His sister was sitting near the steps and he, looks like sleeping on the stretcher. She just broke into tears after seeing me. I couldn't stop her when she holding my legs and crying a lot.

I went to reception, but no one looks like to give the proper information. I returned to the stretcher. He looks like normal and sleeping on a bed. I hold his hand and checked the pulse. I never check the pulse of any one before. Hope, I could identify between the living and dead person. His eyes are little open. How could you say he is dead? I was neutral, and didn't dare to check his heart.

A near people enquired about the death. But a woman in the group handed water bottle to me, "give to her, she is going to dry her throat" .  Even she tried to soothe her.

The hospital staff pinching questions about the dead body, are you going to take the dead body to house? Or will you take to your native? Are you from Andhra? I couldn't answer any of them, because I don't know, what to do.
     I called to my roommate and enquired how long it will take for you?

The woman who helped before, enquired, what doctors had said? We're there any chances? And she only took me to the doctor and spoke to them. They confirmed "he was dead before they come to the hospital" , and showed a graph paper, ECG report, where there is no pulse. And she took me to another room and confirmed again. Now I am slowly realizing that he was no more.

My roommate appeared in the hospital after half an hour. She broken more now. Now I got the strength and so he could deal the situation. He soothing her more carefully and she was listening to her brothers words by shedding the tears on the side And he too shed his tears when he come out of his sister visibility. I couldn't manage if both were crying.

He called an ambulance. But it arrived late because of the same hospital name exists in another location. There was a communication gap. It has been four hours when we started from the hospital.

The driver follows his route to reach the city outskirts. We three sat before the dead body covered in a cooling box. It was the first time to be in Ambulance and very near to the dead body too. We travelled for another 3 hours to get out of the city. And the driver stopped for his meal. No one has took the meal for the day. Even I didn't dare to them.  I left them in ambulance and sat on the highway, thinking about the God's play.

We drove for another 2 hours nearing to nellore. In the mid way, his uncles catch them up and everyone broke into tears on the road.

I drop off from the mid and they carried their way with the dead body in an ambulance and disappeared in the dark night's.

It took another 3 hours to reach to home and another 3 days to get out of it.